The Great Swan Rescue

Deb Vanderhyde, who lives in the Deer Point cove, reports that neighbor Kellie Zachman noticed on Memorial Day that our resident swan had a large lure in his foot. "Something looked off about him," she says, so she made a phone call to one of her friends who does animal rehab in Newaygo County. After contacting the DNR, the friend came to Bills Lake with two men. All boarded the Zachman pontoon and sure enough, there was a large lure which was stuck under his wing and attached to his foot.

"He was friendly to us when we got close to him on the boat," says Deb. "The rescue began when we got the swan cornered in Turtle Cove. The rehab people got into the lake. One guy tackled the swan, and it was amazing to see. The other placed a sheet over him, while the lady was able to carefully detach the lure from the swan's wing and remove it from his foot. The swan was released. He very happily stretched out his wings and floated away."

Also, Deb reports a bear sighting on the lake. "Yesterday (Wednesday, June 9th) around 4:00, a very nice-sized bear came through our front yards," she says.. "It was kind of a shock to see! We followed him around the lake and lost him in the woods by the Snarkski's (south side next to the Deer Point canal). I called the sheriff and reported the sighting."