BY GREG JOHNSON THE GRAND RAPIDS PRESS GRAND LEDGE — Mike Hood learned to rock climb and love it at the sandstone ledges that rise 40 to 50 feet above the Grand River, the most dramatic rock formation in the Lower Peninsula. The Lansing native eventually start- ed teaching the sport and used the ledges as a classroom for hundreds of others. He still teaches and works as a guide with his company, Vertical Ventures. These days, though, he has stopped using the ledges and wants the rock climbing stopped because of environ- mental concerns. He laid off staff and now drives to Canada to teach. “It’s really a shame,” he said, stand- ing in the city’s Oak Park, above the walls laced with more than 80 named climbing routes in less than a half- mile. “It’s the love of my life, and watch- ing the love of my life get trampled to death is tough,” he said. “And knowing I was part of it at one time is sad to me — that I didn’t see it myself until now.” Hood, who will be 50 this month, first climbed at Grand Ledge as a teen. These days, he is the most vocal among those who want the remark- able feature left alone. A canoe trip down the river and a trail walk through two parks reveal dramatic contrasts. At Eaton County’s Fitzgerald Park, where rock climbing is prohibited, the walls are decorated with wildflowers, wild strawberries, hair bell plants and bird nests, framed in old-growth trees and natural new saplings. At Oak Park, where Hood estimates 8,000 people scale the walls each year, the trees frame sharp, bare slabs of rock. Closer inspection reveals some area history, from days when a mill and stores advertised with painted murals on the rocks. Over the years, many have carved symbols and names in the sandstone. Pottawatomi, Chippewa and Ottawa Native Americans used the Grand River shoreline to dig for clams and the ledges to mine for coal, long be- fore settlers arrived in the 1840s. According to several sources they called it a name that in English is “big rocks.” Settlers called it Grand Ledge and established a post office in 1850, city records show. The railroad arrived in 1869, and the village was incorporated in 1871. River waters have eroded some of the land and covered much of the is- lands. But Hood worries primarily about the trees. SEE LEDGES, B2 BY JEFF ALEXANDER THE GRAND RAPIDS PRESS LYONS — The crumbling Lyons Dam is little more than a speed bump on the Grand River. At just 9 feet high, it no longer holds back the water or powers grain mills. Built in 1857 to drive industrial growth in this Ionia County village, however, the dam is symbolically huge. River advocates be- lieve an effort to re- move the dam reflects a shift in the values that communities in the heart of the Grand River — from Lansing to Lyons — place on a waterway that fueled bountiful growth. Those communities, which har- nessed the Grand with dams and polluted its waters over the past two centuries now view it as a valu- able natural resource that still can drive healthy economic growth, en- vironmental expert Dave Dempsey said. “Historically, there has been a close but varying relationship of Lansing to the river,” Dempsey said. “The river’s potential for mill power is one of the reasons the city was founded; then, the river became a convenient sewer for individuals and industry.” Dempsey, an author and environ- mental adviser to former Gov. James Blanchard, said government-mandat- ed pollution reductions and projects such as the 13-mile Lansing River Trail have changed the way people perceive and treat the Grand. “There are still problems, but the attitude and practice toward the river is 100 percent better than a few de- cades ago,” he said. The fact that people now fish and paddle the winding stretch of the Grand that flows through Michigan’s capital city is a small miracle, given the river’s tortured past. James MacLean, a historian at the Capital Area District Library , said newspaper ads for blocks of ice in the early 1900s, before the advent of refrigerators, were indicative of the river’s putrid condition. “There were ads that told people to buy ‘upriver ice’ — from upstream of Lansing — because the river water was cleaner there,” MacLean said. Lyons: The Grand divide The village of Lyons, population 742, marks the divide between the up- per and lower Grand River watershed. The river gains most of its strength downstream of Lyons, where several major tributaries flow in: the Maple, Flat, Thornapple and Rogue. In Lansing, however, the Grand first flexes its hydrologic muscle. Nourished by the Red Cedar River, SEE BARRIERS, B3 REGION THE GRAND RAPIDS PRESS SECTION SUNDAY, JULY 18, 2010 FORMER MAYOR, KNOWN AS ‘MR. ROCKFORD,’ DIES AT AGE 95, B5 ADA TO ZEELAND B5 OBITUARIES B7 WEATHER B10 B THE GRAND TOUR DISCOVERING OUR GRAND RIVER AROUND THE BEND: GRAND LEDGE PRESS PHOTO/REX LARSEN Climb on: Michael Hood, owner of Vertical Ventures, used to guide rock climbers on the ledges in Grand Ledge. Now, he advocates banning the sport there because of damage to the ledges and trees. POLPOURRI A ROBOCALL ASKS Patty Birkholz for lieutenant gov? Talk of state Sen. Patty Birkholz as a gubernatorial running mate for Rick Snyder intensified last week after the senator fielded a robocall that asked: Would you support Patty Birkholz on the Snyder ticket? “I was surprised by it. I’ve been getting a fair number of candidates calling or different organizations calling,” said Birkholz, a Saugatuck Township Republican. So, has she talked to Snyder about a place on the ticket? “I’ve had conversations with a lot of different people about different opportunities in the next administration.” For the record, she answered “yes” to the robocall. ‘I’LL TAKE THAT JOB’ 2 accept the challenge While some dismissed the “Take Our Jobs” challenge as a stunt, Caledonia state House candidate Frederick R. Fleischmann says he will accept it and work in the blueberry fields for a day. So far, only Fleischmann and state Rep. Robert Dean have joined the July 24 event, planned by local Hispanic leaders and modeled after a national movement promoted by Comedy Central’s Stephen Colbert. Legislators advocating for Michigan to copy Arizona’s controversial law say their concern is illegal immigrants taking jobs in restaurants, hotels and construction sites. Fleischmann, a financial consultant, says he spent a few summers working on farms as a high school student. “It was the hardest job I ever had,” he said. DOING THEIR PART Sewer plant shoutout A Rockford City Council member capitalized last week on a Grand Rapids Press series exploring the history and health of the Grand River to put in a good word for his city. Richard Moll said that, when Rockford joined four other communities in building the new PARCC (Plainfield, Alpine, Rockford, Cannon, Courtland) Side wastewater treatment plant on Coit Avenue NE, the river improved. “We’re helping to clean the Grand River with PARCC,” he said. “It dumps drinkable water in the river.” As proof, he noted that local officials drank water coming from the plant during an open house last year, a reminder that drew some smirks. BASEBALL AND POLITICS Steinbrenner’s blues Many obituaries for George Steinbrenner last week mentioned he once was banned from baseball for making illegal contributions to President Richard Nixon’s 1972 re-election campaign. No surprise that the New York Yankees owner loved Republicans. But history suggests he should have changed his political pinstripes. The Yankees appeared in 11 World Series on his watch, but the seven wins — 1977, 1978, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2009 — came when a Democrat occupied the White House. Under GOP administration, the Yankees lost the Series in 1976, 1981, 2001 and 2003. TALKING POLITICS A lot to discuss A discussion about lawsuits targeting campaign finance laws, the governor’s race and how Gerald R. Ford’s birthday reminds us that political discourse once was civil. Listen at blog.mlive.com/ talkingpolitics. Encountering Grand barriers Some say dams, attitudes must be demolished in central part of state On the edge of conflict BY JIM HARGER THE GRAND RAPIDS PRESS GRAND RAPIDS — U.S. Rep. Vern Ehlers threw West Michigan Republi- cans into disarray in February when he announced he would not seek re-election after 17 years in Congress. Without an Ehlers heir appar- ent, five Republi- cans are on the Aug. 3 primary ballot to deter- mine who will carry the party banner for an of- fice Republicans proudly claim as “the Jerry Ford seat.” Three candidates — state Sen. Bill Hardiman, state Rep. Justin Amash and civic leader Steve Heacock — have mounted strong campaigns that SEE GOP, B4 PRESS PHOTO/REX LARSEN Treacherous stretch: Grand River Expedition member John Harper, of Alaska, flips his wooden kayak in a patch of whitewater Saturday while attempting to land his boat south of Lansing near the former Dimondale dam. Harper was thrown a rope and escorted by an aid boat to shore. He was not injured. More photos from Day 3 of the expedition, B3. MORE River journal, Day 3, B2 There is disagreement over whether city’s famous sandstone cliffs should be protected BY JIM HARGER THE GRAND RAPIDS PRESS With the retirement of U.S. Rep. Vern Ehlers, two Grand Rapids Democrats see an opportunity to snatch a Congressional seat from Republicans. Paul Mayhue, a social worker and former Kent County commissioner and Patrick Miles Jr., a lawyer at Dickinson Wright, are vying for the Democratic nomination on the Aug. 3 ballot. The winner will face one of five Republicans on the ballot. Although a Democrat has not held the seat since the late 1970s, both men argue the 3rd congressional District cannot be considered a shoo-in for Republicans. Third District voters regularly give U.S. Sen. Carl Levin a majority and, in 2008, President Barack Obama held his own against Republican John McCain. “Voters in this district are well informed and look at the individual candidates,” said Miles, who is mount- ing one of the most well-funded Dem- ocratic runs for the seat in decades. As of June 30, Miles raised $310,712, much of which came from a $115,000 personal loan to his campaign. With nearly $260,000 in cash on hand, Miles is waiting for the Republicans to settle their primary battle before he begins spending large sums. Miles, 43, argues local voters are tired of “lockstep” partisanship in Congress. SEE DEMOCRATS, B4 ‘Jerry Ford’ seat up for grabs GOP: 5 VIE FOR 3RD CONGRESSIONAL SPOT DEMOCRATS: 2 HOPE TO SUCCEED EHLERS Bill Hardiman Justin Amash Steve Heacock Bob Overbeek Louise ‘Ellie’ Johnson Paul Mayhue Patrick Miles Jr.