Lake Perrault early morning

Make a Difference Day Hauling Lumber

Make a Difference Day Boardwalk Construction

Make a Difference Day Boardwalk Construction

Make a Difference Day Campfire cleanup Before

Make a Difference Day Campfire cleanup After

Flagging a new trail around Lake Perrault

Road grading and improving drainage on access road

Make a Difference Day Trash Pickup

Several organizations came together to enhance outdoor recreation, environmental education, and habitat protection in the Copper Country by conducting projects at Lake Perrault and the Michigan Nature Associations Robert T. Brown Teaching Sanctuary as part of Make A Difference Day on Saturday, October 22 . The groups partnering include 19 members of Superior AmeriCorps, the science, social studies, industrial arts, and math/technology classes at Jeffers High School, the Michigan Nature Association, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, and the Western Upper Peninsula Center for Science, Mathematics & Environmental Education and eleven community volunteers. Joan Chadde with the Western U.P. Center, and Superior AmeriCorps member Anne Collins who also works at the Western U.P. Center, coordinated the event.

Despite the constant drizzle and 40 degree temperatures, 35 hearty volunteers braved the less than ideal weather conditions to do their part for Make A Difference Day. Part of the crew picked up nearly a dozen bags of trash and assorted other items from the Michigan DNR's Lake Perrault public access site where they also reclaimed old campfire rings and improved drainage on the access road. Another part of the crew assembled and installed 80-feet of cedar boardwalk into the Michigan Nature Association's R.T. Brown Nature Sanctuary which will students and others to visit this fragile educational site, and another part of the crew flagged the route of a proposed trail around Lake Perrault for future educational and recreational use. The Western UP Center for Science, Mathematics and Environmental Education currently uses both the Lake Perrault and Michigan Nature Association sites as part of their forest field trip program open to all 20 elementary schools in Houghton, Baraga, Gogebic, Ontonagon, and Keweenaw counties.

Jeffers High School teachers Mike Benda and Gary Miller supervised the assembly of the boardwalk units at the Jeffers High School shop. Charlie Eshbach, field representative for the Michigan Nature Association, supervised installation of the boardwalk at the Brown Nature Sanctuary. Chadde and Collins led the group conducting the trail route investigation, along with Jeffers High School teacher Ken Kangas. Chadde met with DNR representative, Ron Yesney, West U.P. Recreation Management Specialist from Marquette (yesneyr@michigan.gov ) earlier in the week to gain approval for the trail investigation work. Jeffers High School classes are interested in taking over the trail construction and maintenance part of the Lake Perrault project, if approved by the DNR, and also becoming stewards of the Brown Nature Sanctuary, as part of a school-wide community service project.

For More Information, contact:

Joan Schumaker Chadde, Education Program Coordinator
Western Upper Peninsula Center for Science, Mathematics & Environmental Education
105 Dillman Hall, Michigan Technological University
1400 Townsend Dr., Houghton, MI 49931-1295
Tel: (906) 487-3341 Fax: (906) 487-1620 Email: jchadde@mtu.edu

Western Upper Peninsula Center for Science, Mathematics & Environmental Education website: http://wupcenter.mtu.edu/
The Western U.P. Center is a partnership of Copper Country & Gogebic-Ontonagon Intermediate School Districts and Michigan Technological University, serving 21 school districts and the communities in Houghton, Baraga, Gogebic, Ontonagon and Keweenaw Counties.

Ron Yesney, West U.P. Recreation Management Specialist
Michigan Department of Natural Resources
1990 U.S. 41 South
Marquette, MI 49855
T 906-228-6561 Fax 906-228-5245
Email: yesneyr@michigan.gov

Anne Collins
PO Box 764
Houghton, Mi 49931
Cell: (906) 281.0064
Email: ahcollin@mtu.edu

Mike Benda, Gary Miller, Ken Kangas (teachers)
P.O. Box 37
Jeffers High School
Painesdale, MI 49955
Tel: 906-482-0580

Charles Eshbach
Michigan Nature Association U.P. Field Representative
Email: ceshbach@keweenawtraveler.com

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Last Update: 10/22/2007
For more information contact:

Joan Chadde at jchadde@mtu.edu or 487-3341.

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