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The Friends of Wetzel Receive Partner in Conservation Award
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A
volunteer organization that supports an undeveloped state recreation area in
Macomb County received a Partner in Conservation Award at Thursday’s Natural
Resources Commission meeting in Lansing. The Friends of Wetzel State Recreation
Area were honored for their 10 years of work volunteering for activities and
fundraising to support the recreation area. DNR employees nominate groups and
individuals for the award.
“The Friends of Wetzel State Recreation Area have worked to support the park for
the last 10 years as an undeveloped recreation area by holding spaghetti
dinners, archery shoots and by collecting donations,” said Department of Natural
Resources Director Rebecca Humphries. “Their dedication to keeping Wetzel
accessible to the public through their volunteer efforts makes them a strong
partner in our effort to provide quality recreation opportunities to the
residents of Southeastern Michigan.”
Since 1997, the Friends of Wetzel State Recreation Area have volunteered to
provide improvements to the park. They hold yearly spring cleanups, providing
all supplies and a picnic for volunteers. They have bought and installed benches
in the park, performed regular maintenance, removed noxious weeds and keep a
watchful eye on the property, DNR officials said. Some of the activities enjoyed
at Wetzel include hiking, hunting, snowmobiling and cross-country skiing.
The group has assisted in starting a stream monitoring program on Coon Creek
with a local school, and has installed shelter boxes on the area’s ponds to
attract wood ducks.
“Wetzel is not a park that the DNR staffs, and management is done from a
distance,” Humphries said. “This is what makes the Friends of Wetzel so
important because they have acted as the caretakers for this park for all the
citizens of Michigan.”
The DNR is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and
enjoyment of the state’s natural resources for current and future generations.
KCS