Fall Update 2024
Healthy Water. Protected Places. Vibrant Communities.
Bracken Fern
Pteridium aquilinum
Brenda Herman
Development Director
Dear Huron Pines Community,
I am thrilled to share that I’ve joined Huron Pines as the new Development Director! My name is Brenda Herman, and I am incredibly excited to become part of such a dedicated team and to contribute to our shared mission of ensuring healthy water, protected places and vibrant communities in Northeast Michigan. I am a native of Northeast Michigan and have grown up loving and appreciating the same lakes, rivers and lands that hold a special place in your heart.
In my new role, I will be focusing on building and nurturing strong relationships with our valued donors. My goal is to deepen our engagement with existing supporters and connect with new individuals who share our passion for preserving the natural beauty of the region. By working closely with our donor community, I aim to create meaningful and rewarding experiences that enhance our collective impact.
Thank you for the warm welcome I’ve already received. I look forward to meeting many of you and working together to make a meaningful impact. Don’t hesitate to reach out to me anytime at 989-448-2293 ext. 32 or brenda@huronpines.org.
Warm regards,
Brenda Herman Development Director
Together We Did It
$1 Million Community-Driven Conservation Campaign Concludes
The Community-Driven Conservation Campaign was rooted in creating lasting impacts for the places that matter most to Northeast Michigan. By empowering the local communities who have deep connections to these special spaces, we are building a conservation legacy that transcends any individual project. Whether you’re a resident, visitor, public official or dedicated volunteer, your personal ties to these lands and waters have been the driving force behind meaningful, enduring change. We know that positive transformation occurs through fostering connections, community collaboration and a shared sense of purpose.
As a result of the generous support of campaign donors, we are building upon this foundational approach by investing in the following ways:
$200,000 - Enhancing Access to Nature in
Across the region, Huron Pines is spearheading conservation efforts for five nature preserves, encompassing almost 2,400 acres of diverse ecosystems. We’re collaborating closely with coastal communities to enhance public engagement with nature and develop creative solutions for visitor access. These wild spaces include Hull Island, Lake Huron Coastal Preserve, our North Point Nature Preserve and the KR Poljan Tract at Birdsong Bay.
$200,000 - Lake Huron Forever Initiative
We are taking action in coastal communities and across international borders to ensure the long-term health and vitality of Lake Huron. Huron Pines spearheads the Lake Huron Forever initiative to support water quality solutions for Canadian and United State municipal partners. Our focus is on empowering local leaders to combat invasive species, preserve natural areas and mitigate runoff. In 2024, we trained 31 Coast Watcher volunteers to monitor shoreline health. Moving forward, we’ll continue to engage and train local leaders, expand our volunteer program and work directly with communities to take the Lake Huron Forever Pledge.
$350,000
- Land Protection Projects
With your support, we’re protecting more special places for people to make lasting memories and deeper connections to nature. The power to act quickly when opportunities to protect wild places emerge enables us to protect critical lands that might otherwise be lost to development. This ensures that important habitats, watersheds and recreational areas remain safeguarded for current and future generations.
$250,000 - Huron Pines Endowment Fund
This fund plays a crucial role in ensuring the long-term sustainability of our organization and our programs. Designed to support our operational needs, this fund provides a stable financial foundation that allows us to consistently pursue our mission to conserve and enhance Northern Michigan’s natural resources to ensure healthy water, protected places and vibrant communities.
Community and Conservation
Bringing People Together in Nature at North Point Nature Preserve
Huron Pines and our partners are offering more ways for people to experience the rugged beauty of North Point Nature Preserve through a host of volunteer workdays, student research, expert-led tours and opportunities for self-paced exploration.
Situated on the northern rim of Thunder Bay in Alpena, the preserve is home to 1,384 acres of forested wetlands, 4 miles of undeveloped shoreline and rare ecosystems found only along the Great Lakes. Because access is through private road easements, guided events are currently how we protect its sensitive habitats and respect our neighbors while also allowing the community to make deeper connections to nature by immersing themselves in this remarkable place.
We kicked off the 2024 season with our second annual Birding Big Sit, welcoming 27 adept and amateur birders during the peak of spring migration. Fifty-eight species of warblers, raptors and waterfowl were observed throughout the preserve despite unrelenting rain and wind that morning.
Visitors also had the opportunity to help restore the dune ecosystems of North Point during a Shoreline Walk & Talk in early August where they learned about some of the threats posed by invasive plants. Working as a team, volunteers removed spotted knapweed and baby’s breath, protecting habitat for a growing population of threatened Pitcher’s thistle found only along the Great Lakes.
Visitors explore the dune shoreline of North Point Nature Preserve.
Habitat Project Manager Bryant Eddy and fellow birders search the trees for a warbler during our Birding Big Sit at North Point Nature Preserve in May.
Students from Alpena and across Michigan have been using the preserve as a space for learning about marine debris, water quality and shipwreck history through guided field trips led by our partners at Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Additionally, students of Andrew Wolfgang’s biology class at Alpena High School are using acoustic devices staged throughout the preserve to listen for the calls of birds and bats, and are analyzing the recordings with software to document species diversity and the
Grass-leaved Goldenrod
Euthamia graminifolia
“ The ecological significance of North Point can’t be overstated”
Jennifer Hill
Huron Pines Board Member
presence of threatened and endangered species. We hosted our first North Point Exploration Day in July, giving visitors extended time to explore the preserve at their own pace. Some scoured the shoreline for puddingstones while others took in the scenery from the comfort of a beach chair. Huron Pines Board member Jennifer Hill brought her family along for the experience.
“My favorite experience was getting to visit the coastal fen—the largest I’ve ever seen in person—and all its carnivorous plants,” Hill said. ”Even more special than seeing it myself was watching the wonder in my children’s eyes as they got to experience the fen and the special creatures that live there. The ecological significance of North Point can’t be overstated.”
In spring 2025, we hope to improve existing two-track trails and provide visitors access to a vernal pool habitat inhabited by frogs and salamanders, and an enclosed cedar and hemlock forest deep in the preserve interior.
Special thanks go to The Nature Conservancy in Michigan for transferring ownership of this property to Huron Pines in 2023, and to Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary for their support in protecting and sharing this wonderful place with others.
Generations explore the cobblestone shore of North Point.
Healthy Lake Huron Watersheds for Our Future
Restoration Work Wraps on Upper Pigeon
A years-long effort to reconnect the upper watershed of the Pigeon River concluded this summer with the restoration of Duck Creek.
A severely undersized culvert at Wilkinson Road in Otsego County was replaced with a larger structure, allowing Duck Creek to flow unobstructed while granting fish and other river organisms full access to vital habitats upstream.
This was the fifth in a series of projects in the upper Pigeon River watershed since 2021 which reconnected 68 miles of high quality habitat on one of Northern Michigan’s most beloved streams. Well-connected rivers are essential to their health and provide lasting opportunities for recreation.
First U.P. Project Reconnects
Beavertail Creek
Beavertail Creek in Chippewa County is now restored following Huron Pines’ first project in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
Beavertail Creek flows through forest land at the eastern border of Chippewa County and empties into Lake Huron east of Cedarville. Persistent issues with road washouts led to us partnering with the Chippewa County Road Commission and the Michigan DNR Forest Resources Division to resolve these road safety issues and restore 17 miles of cold-water habitat.
The Beavertail Creek project reflects our ongoing commitment to a healthy future for Lake Huron and engages new partners and communities in our push for its protection long term.
Funding for the Duck Creek and Beavertail Creek projects come from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service National Fish Passage Program, National Fish & Wildlife Foundation’s Sustain Our Great Lakes Program, Michigan DNR and its Fisheries Habitat Grant Program and Forest Resources Division, Great Lakes Fishery Trust, Walters Family Foundation, and in-kind equipment and labor from the Chippewa County and Otsego County road commissions.
A view of Beavertail Creek in spring 2024 prior to restoration.
Huron Pines 2024 Impact: By the Numbers
Watershed Wonders
Led projects and partnerships across 7 different watersheds, weaving a tapestry of conservation across the region.
Completed 5 critical road/stream crossing replacements, breathing new life into rivers and watersheds, which will enhance stream and wildlife habitat and improve access to recreation.
Another 22 projects are currently in the design and permitting phase, paving the way for tomorrow’s conservation victories.
Protected Lands
More than 15 different groups, ranging from the NOAA Great Lakes Regional Team, International Joint Commission Water Quality board, and K-12 students from across the state, visited North Point Nature Preserve.
236 acres of wildland protected—that’s equivalent to 179 football fields of natural space safeguarded for future generations.
2,736 acres of Huron Pines preserve lands are actively managed and open to the public to explore, learn and connect with nature.
People Power
Volunteers contributed a combined 753 hours of conservation work— equivalent to one person working full-time for 19 weeks. We could not accomplish this important work without our volunteers. Thank you!
Hosted 11 volunteer workdays, transforming passion into action and engaging a community of dedicated conservationists.
