Mackinac Associates Pledge Fund to MSHP
$79,500 in Grants Will Benefit Historic Parks

Mackinac Associates trustees, meeting September 16, approved grants of $79,500 for a variety of projects and programs at Mackinac State Historic Parks (MSHP). Among the grants are:

•$32,500 to support Education Outreach programs for nature and history programs presented across the state to school children in their classrooms. Since 1988, the park staff has presented programs like “Historic Mackinac on Tour” and “Water, Woods and Wildlife” to more than 140,000 students.

•$12,000 to create a new audiovisual orientation program at Historic Mill Creek. The new program will be comparable to popular programs available at Fort Mackinac and Colonial Michilimackinac, and will replace a 20-year-old slide program.

•$10,000 for a spring project. Last spring, Mackinac Associates sponsored several historic interpreters and, in 2004, helped fund the first phase of the Mackinac Island Scout Barracks renovation.

•$9,000 to continue restoration at Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse. The 1892 lighthouse opened to public tours in 2004.

•$8,500 to support a Naturalist position at Historic Mill Creek in 2006. This grant makes possible the popular “Creatures of the Forest” program, which introduces visitors to the plants and animals of Northern Michigan’s forests.

•$6,500 to support the production of a new Fort Mackinac children’s book titled “Home to Mackinac.” It is a story of a boy returning to Mackinac Island in search of his family. The book will provide teachers a supplement to their Michigan history curriculum for elementary students.

•$1,000 to purchase a wireless sound system for use at special events.

Mackinac Associates is a membership group formed in 1981 to preserve the historic and environmental treasures of Mackinac State Historic Parks. Membership has grown from 200 original members to more than 4,500 in 2005. Members support the parks through membership fees and donations.