Huron Pines gathered with partners and supporters at Sojourn Lakeside Resort on May 13th to celebrate all of the great conservation and community work happening in Northeast Michigan. Good food, drinks and discussions were followed by brief presentations from our Executive Director Brad Jensen and Associate Director Lisha Ramsdell, who spoke on the importance of recognizing the ties between vibrant communities and healthy natural resources. Keynote speaker Chris Korleski, Director of the Great Lakes National Program Office, made the trip from Chicago to give a dynamic presentation about the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and to show his appreciation for all the on-the-ground restoration impacts conservation organizations throughout the Great Lakes watershed have achieved.
Our Spring Celebration also featured an awards ceremony. We were pleased to present awards to the Great Lakes Fishery Trust and The Carls Foundation—key partners helping us achieve our mission “to protect the Great Lakes by conserving the forests, lakes and streams of Northeast Michigan.”
The Great Lakes Fishery Trust has contributed key funding for on-the-ground projects like the removal of Song of the Morning Dam and for several road/stream crossing improvements in Northeast Michigan. The Great Lakes Fishery Trust is also supporting current projects to inventory road/stream crossings and to engage K-12 students, community members and local leaders in place-based education opportunities, volunteer events and project tours.
The Carls Foundation provided initial funding to kick off a stewardship program that allowed Huron Pines to work with individual property owners throughout Northeast Michigan in order to educate and implement on-the-ground stewardship practices. This funding was instrumental in leveraging additional funding to grow and sustain this program.
We also honored state representatives Bruce Rendon and Peter Pettalia for their exceptional dedication to protecting and promoting healthy natural resources during their terms of office.
Special thanks to our generous event sponsors Huntington Bank, Jay’s Sporting Goods, Krenn Timber Bridge and Sojourn Lakeside Resort.
Thanks also to everyone for joining us to celebrate strides in Great Lakes conservation and look ahead to a promising future of strong communities equipped to understand and embrace their natural resources.