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Michigan Army National Guard members from the 107th Engineer Battalion in Ishpeming and Sally Berman, current president of the Friends of the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, were Upper Peninsula recipients honored in East Lansing recently with Michigan Recreation and Park Association (mParks) Community Service Awards for their volunteer efforts.
Guard members were honored for their work to help build a new playground at Van Riper State Park, while Berman was lauded for her work with the Friends group at the Porcupine Mountains.
More than 30 Army National Guard battalion members worked on the park playground project, with others, over the course of a few days in June 2016. They erected a Sinclair Recreation (GameTime) playground at the park, along the shoreline of Lake Michigamme.
“This group of young men and women took time out of their busy lives to help us with this important project,” said Doug Barry, park supervisor at Van Riper. “They did a fantastic job. This could be the nicest playground in the Upper Peninsula.”
Barry nominated the National Guard members for the award, which is presented annually. The awards ceremony took place April 19 at the Hannah Community Center in East Lansing.
“We are proud to honor the volunteers and agencies that make a difference throughout the state of Michigan,” said Kyle Langlois, mParks professional recognition chairman for the association, which is headquartered in Lansing.
mParks’ Community Service Awards recognize individuals and groups who show outstanding support to public recreation and park programs in their community, including friends’ groups, department volunteers and advocates.
The playground project, valued at roughly $220,000, was spearheaded by The Friends of Van Riper and Craig Lake State Parks.
Funding for the playground was varied and included a $90,000 grant from the Cliffs-Lundin community foundation and some Michigan Department of Natural Resources Friends Partnership matching grant funding. The Friends group and DNR staff also contributed labor.
Barry said it isn’t easy necessarily to construct a quarter-million-dollar playground with a group of volunteers.
“This was not the case with the National Guard — this is a group of skilled, honorable young adults,” Barry said. “So skilled, in fact, that organizers had trouble keeping up with them — a nice problem to have.”
Roughly 60 volunteers, more than half of them members of the National Guard unit, worked on the project. When it was finished, the Guard members brought their families out to see what they’d help build.
“Every one of the Guard smiled with joy and pride as they watched the children play,” Barry said.
National Guard members used annual leave to volunteer to work on the project. Work continued through rainy and windy conditions.
View a complete list of Michigan National Guard personnel from the 107th Engineer Battalion who participated in the playground construction project.
Berman assumed her leadership role with the Porkies Friends group in August 2016.
She is very dedicated to the mission of the group which is: “To promote, support, and enhance the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, inspiring appreciation of wilderness for current and future generations.”
“Sally is very passionate about the park and the ‘Friends of the Porkies,’” said Jeff Gaertner, supervisor of the park. “She is the one who has, as of late, been able to get the Friends group to focus on the needs of the park and how they can assist us with achieving our mission, as well as their mission.”
Gaertner said Berman is very giving of her time which she donates to many causes throughout the Ontonagon County area.
“Sally is routinely called upon by the Friends group to represent them at local and regional events, award presentations and meetings,” Gaertner said. “She is a leader in the entire statewide Friends groups system and an asset for us all.”
Additional honorees from the Lower Peninsula, nominated by DNR officials, were also honored at the recent awards ceremony.
