Full
disclosure: this is a fund raising appeal. I belong to an organization called
the Muskegon Environmental Research and Education Society (MERES). We operate
the Muskegon Lake Nature Preserve on the east end of the lake. MERES has been
working on the Preserve for almost twenty years, and we now want to sharpen our
focus and broaden our appeal.
First some history: anyone who
has been around Muskegon for long remembers when the Port City Princess
used to dock on Lake Ave in North Muskegon. There was a boat launch ramp and a
bait shop there for quite a few years. Just east of there was a piece of
lakeshore where road crews, foundries and unidentified citizens dumped their rubbish. In 1996 the effort to reclaim the dump was begun by a group of
dedicated visionaries. The beautiful Preserve people enjoy today is the result
of years of committed volunteer work and generous financial support by
individuals and groups who caught the vision of the early pioneers.
Those
men and women who built the Preserve understood the value of an outdoor
experience. I was fortunate to have a father who built us a family cottage on a
lake where we could enjoy the Michigan water wonderland. He took me salmon
fishing and deer hunting and sailing and passed on his love of the outdoors. I
also had the pleasure of roaming the fields and woods around our suburban home.
There are many young people right here in Muskegon who are not as lucky as I
was. My wife taught in a local school district where many of her sixth graders
had never seen Lake Michigan, let alone gone sailing or fishing.
The
latest research shows that children who regularly experience the outdoors in a
meaningful way are healthier and happier. It is not uncommon after a day in the
outdoor classroom at the Preserve to hear young students remark that it was the
best day of their life. Environmental education is not just enjoyable, it is
essential to maintain a force for conservation and preservation in the next
generation. A day at the Preserve sparked an interest in one young lady that
carried through to a career in environmental education. Many others simply
learn that peace and tranquility can be found by stepping into a small bit of
nature preserved for their benefit.
This is our cause; this is why
MERES exists. We have been able to do this for thousands of people, young and
old, every year for two decades. Now we want to do more. Many people who enjoy
the Muskegon Lake Nature Preserve think it is a public park funded by public
dollars. Only a few of those who experience the Preserve and the River Walk realize
that it is completely funded by donations.
To move to the next level of
service to the community, we need to build an endowment fund that will allow us
to maintain what we have and broaden our outreach. Our goal is to have
sufficient funds to keep the outdoor education programs at the Preserve and the
River Walk functioning and to construct an education center which will help us
bring more programs to the people of Muskegon County. We want to see the
realization of the vision of one of the early supporters who said the project
could be, “a jewel in West Michigan.” We
have the stone in the setting; now we just need your help to polish it to
gleaming brilliance.
To make a donation, visit the MERES website.
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