July 23, 2007
Fishtown Receives NOAA Preserve America Initiative Grant
LELAND, MI. The Fishtown Preservation Society of Leland, Michigan, Michigan Sea Grant, and the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries Service are pleased to announce they are the recipient of a 2007 NOAA Preserve America Initiative Grant, “Catching the Fishing History of Lake Michigan, 1871-2006.” Announced June 14, 2007, this project was selected as one of eight competed awards from a pool of 34 proposals submitted from across the nation and was the only one funded in the Great Lakes basin. The $9,000 award will leverage an additional $50,000. The project is supported by the NOAA Preserve America Initiative Grant Program, part of Preserve America, a White House initiative aimed at preserving, protecting and promoting our nation's rich heritage.
“This project will be a real momentum-builder for the Fishtown Preservation Society and we're thrilled that we'll have this opportunity to enhance our knowledge and understanding of this heritage fishery while working with great collaborative partners,” said Amanda Holmes, PhD and Administrative Director for the Fishtown Preservation Society. “Our non-profit only secured Fishtown in February 2007, and we look forward to projects like this one that can help us as we move into Phase III of fundraising, completing the purchase and insuring a long-term sustainable heritage tourism future for Fishtown.
Michigan Sea Grant is the collaborating NOAA agency with the NOAA Fisheries Service and lead investigator Peter Fricke, PhD. Michigan Sea Grant will assist with project facilitation both in Northwest Michigan and with statewide communications products.
“This is a wonderful way to impact many people to more fully understand the history of fisheries in Lake Michigan's freshwater sea, assist with coastal heritage tourism in Leelanau County, Michigan, and help tell the story of 200 years of science for NOAA” said Mark Breederland, Michigan Sea Grant Extension Educator for Northwest Michigan.
NOAA, an agency of the U.S. Commerce Department, is celebrating 200 years of science and service to the nation. From the establishment of the Survey of the Coast in 1807 by Thomas Jefferson to the formation of the Weather Bureau and the Commission of Fish and Fisheries in the 1870s, much of America's scientific heritage is rooted in NOAA.
Through his Preserve America executive order (E.O. 13287), President Bush has called on NOAA and other federal agencies to step up efforts to:
- Inventory, preserve, and showcase federally-managed historic and cultural, or “heritage,” resources; and
- Foster tourism in partnership with local communities.
The Fishtown Preservation Society is a 501(c)(3) not for profit organization made up of dedicated community volunteers who have come together to save the unique and historic Fishtown site and heritage fishery in Leland, Michigan. The Society is implementing a phase III fundraising effort to insure a sustainable future for this State of Michigan Historic Site.
See: Fishtown website
Michigan Sea Grant, a joint program of Michigan State University and the University of Michigan, promotes greater knowledge of the Great Lakes through education, research and outreach. Michigan Sea Grant is part of the NOAA-National Sea Grant, network of university-based programs.
Top |
