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The Michigan Department of Natural Resources presented representatives of Plum Creek and the North Country Trail Hikers Chapter of the North Country Trail Association with Partners in Conservation Awards at the Oct. 8 meeting of the Michigan Natural Resources Commission in Cedarville.
The awards are given six times each year to individuals or organizations for exemplary contributions to conservation in Michigan. Award nominations are made by DNR staff.
Plum Creek was honored for its work with the DNR to create and maintain critical deer wintering habitat. Since 2009, the timber company has worked with the DNR on the Huron Mountains (Baraga and Marquette counties) and Menge Creek (Baraga County) deer wintering complexes in the Upper Peninsula.
The project has evolved over several years into an operational working forest doctrine for nearly 17,000 acres of Plum Creek land enrolled under the Commercial Forest Act, committed to sustainable habitat management.
“We are very honored as a company to receive this award,” said Charlie Becker, senior resources manager for Plum Creek in Escanaba. “It really goes back to the fact that we believe in practicing environmentally responsible management on the land that we own and that means working with the DNR and sportsmen’s groups to protect and promote wildlife habitat and water quality and to provide outdoor recreational opportunity. It’s an excellent partnership.”
Plum Creek was nominated for the award by Bill Scullon of the DNR Wildlife Division.
The North Country National Scenic Trail – the longest scenic trail in the country – begins in New York and winds west for roughly 4,600 miles into North Dakota.
The DNR honored the North Country Trail Hikers Chapter of the North Country Trail Association for its efforts to build, maintain, promote and protect more than an 80-mile portion the trail.
The hikers’ chapter was founded in 1989. Members work with the National Park Service maintaining the trail from the Rock River Road in Alger County, across Marquette County, to the Long Lake outlet in Baraga County, including nearly 40 miles of Michigan’s new showcase Iron Belle Trail.
“We are pleased to work cooperatively with the DNR,” said Lorana Jinkerson, president of the North Country Trail Hikers Chapter in Marquette. “We have an excellent relationship with the DNR and we’re honored to be selected for this award.”
The North Country Trail Hikers Chapter was nominated by Doug Barry of the DNR Parks and Recreation Division
