District recognizes several individuals

we’re so grateful for the trust you have in us to deliver quality programs and services in Oceana County.

We want to recognize a few individuals who have donated over $10,000 in recent years.

Bill Sitterley awarded Volunteer of the Year!

Bill has been a remarkable guardian and keeper of our beloved Otto Nature Preserve. Living in close vicinity to the preserve, he finds enjoyment in monitoring the trails, clearing downed trees, and alerting staff of any vandalism issues. Bill also took the lead on assembling and installing four benches along the trail last fall which we were so grateful for! We thank Bill for the service and hospitality he provides to the visitors of Otto Nature Preserve in this way.

Oceana Conservation District extends its utmost thanks and appreciation to a few of its biggest financial supporters

A sincere thanks to all of our friends and supporters who donate time and/or money to support our mission! We couldn’t do it without the support of our community and

Jack and Peggy Roberts were the inspiration behind the establishment of the District’s new Land Preservation Fund. Seasonal residents in the Deerwood Association of Benona Township since 1994, Jack and Peggy are so passionate about preserving what they love about Oceana County–the fresh air, clean water and green spaces–that they offered to provide matching funds up to $50,000 in response to our $50K for 50 Years Campaign, and we couldn’t be more grateful!

Jack and Peggy think the world of Dick and Lorayne Otto and have loved what the District has done with their land gift at Otto Nature Preserve. The Roberts continue to be excited about the District’s vision and are eager to invest in the natural resources of Oceana County!

We value Jack as a supporter and friend of the District in other ways too; he has attended most of our board meetings over the last two years, has helped raise funds, and contributes writing samples for District use. We welcome and value his input and appreciate his interest in seeing the District succeed.

Garry and Julie McKeen of Mears have donated not only countless hours, but also significant financial contributions over the last several years. Garry is as active of a board member as they come. We see him in our office a few times a week–attending to facility needs, sharing news about the projects he is involved in, or participating in one of our events. We are equally delighted to see Julie in our office once a week during tree sale season. Julie enters over 300 tree orders into Quickbooks this time of year!

Garry and Julie immediately answered the $50K for 50 Years challenge and were the first to pledge $10,000 to the Land Preservation Fund! The McKeens also support our Forest School program for “Knee-High Naturalists” on an annual basis, and contribute to building upgrades and repairs. What an asset they are to our community.

Edward Klunk of Shelby is a quiet, yet fierce supporter of Oceana Conservation District and if you’ve ever had a conversa- tion with him you’d be fascinated to hear about his life and work experiences. Mycologist, teacher, principal, superintendent, naturalist and ornithologist are some of the titles he can claim, but if you really know him, you’ll know where his heart truly lies–as an ambassador for youth. Not only did he spend his entire career advocating for the students in his care, Ed continues to impact youth in retirement. In 2017, Ed initiated the District’s Munger Scholarship Program as a way to invest in local youth while also promoting further education in the conservation of Oceana’s natural resources. The scholarship program continued for many years, although when the District launched its KneeHigh Naturalists program, the scholarship program evolved to support program fees for local families to attend the District’s educational programming. Each year, Ed provides scholarship funds to families that might not otherwise be able to attend our summer camps or forest school.

We’d also like to recognize Richard and Lorayne Otto who have contributed a significant amount of funds toward the establishment and ongoing maintenance of Otto Nature Preserve.

Summer Camp wouldn’t be possible without our Guest Experts and Volunteers

We are so grateful to Frank and Teresa Doll who helped with many of our camp projects from tie-dyed bandanas to bull boat building. Bernie and Sandee Ware of Ware Farms teamed up with Stacey Compton to lead campers through mushroom log inoculation and Trystin Vanderstelt and her daughter, camper Elsa, shared their experiences with bee keeping. Finally, a huge shout out to Bill and Patrice Bobier for lending their land and hearts to our Farm Camp once again this year.

Oceana Conservation District acknowledges the following organizations as integral partners in our shared mission:

• USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

• Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development

• Oceana’s Herald Journal

• Oceana County Parks

• County Commissioners for annual financial support

• MSU Extension

• Oceana Community Foundation

• West Michigan Shoreline Regional Development Commission

• White River Watershed Partnership

• Trout Unlimited

• Friends of the Pentwater River Watershed

• West Michigan Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area

• Oceana County Farm Bureau for sponsoring events

• Wilbur Ellis, Helena Chemical and Nutrien Ag Solutions for partnering on recycling programs

• Hart Department of Public Works and Oceana County Road Commission for partnering on community collection and recycling projects

• West Michigan Agroforestry Partnership

• Numerous individuals who volunteer at our events