Village scores $45K Recreation Passport grant

Michigan Department of Natural Resources today announced that 33 communities across the state will share $1,348,700 in Recreation Passport grants. Funding for this program is derived from sales of the Recreation Passport, the $11 annual pass that grants residents vehicle entry at state parks and recreation areas throughout Michigan.

This year, Recreation Passport grant applicants sought funding for a broad range of public outdoor recreation projects, including playground development and renovations, dog park improvements, ice-skating rink development, trail and walkway development, park and picnic area improvements and improved access for those with disabilities.

The village of Newberry received grant funding in the amount of $45,000 to make improvements at Atlas Park. According to the DNR, the village project includes development of playground equipment, benches, picnic tables, grills and lighting.

The full list of grant recipients, grant amounts and project descriptions is available on the DNR website at www.michigan.gov/recreationpassportgrants.

Successful applicants clearly demonstrated projects designed to increase public access to quality outdoor recreation opportunities. The selected projects were chosen from a field of 45 grant applications seeking nearly $1.8 million in funding.

“These Recreation Passport grants go a long way in helping local units of government bring quality recreation opportunities to their citizens,” said Steve DeBrabander, DNR grants manager. “We are proud to work with these agencies so that, together, we can create world-class outdoor recreation resources statewide. The recreation industry plays an important role in moving the state’s economy forward by providing vital jobs and tourism in both urban and rural settings.”

Application materials for future Recreation Passport grants will be available by Jan. 1 at www.michigan.gov/dnr-grants. Interested individuals also may call DNR Grants Management at 517-284-7268 or write to:

Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Grants Management
P.O. Box 30425
Lansing, MI 48909-7925

Learn more about how the Recreation Passport gains you access to Michigan state parks and more at www.michigan.gov/recreationpassport.

Fayette Historic State Park open for 2015 season

Fayette Historic Townsite

Fayette Historic State Park kicks off its summer season with new stories of sports at the townsite and recently completed restoration work on the historic Shelton House hotel. 

“With educational school group tours, new interpretive panels, special events, historic townsite tours and reopening Fayette’s historic Shelton House, Fayette has a lot to offer the public,” said site historian Troy Henderson. 

Restoration work has been completed on the lower level of the historic “Shelton House,” which was lavishly furnished in the late 19th century for Fayette guests and residents. The roof of the hotel was reshingled in fall 2013. Museum exhibits are being reinstalled and the building reopened to visitors this season. 

Five new interpretive panels at the site of Fayette’s historic race track and baseball field will enlarge the interpretive boundaries of the townsite. The panels highlight what Fayette residents did for fun when the iron-making town bustled with energy.  

Outdoor historic walking tours, offered mid-June through mid-August, give visitors an orientation to the historic townsite, furnace complex and what life was like for 19th-century Fayette residents. Fayette Heritage Day, Aug. 8, will offer special entertainment and activities for both campers and day users.  

Fayette Historic State Park is one of the nation's premier examples of a 19th-century industrial community and company town. In operation from 1867 to 1891, its furnaces produced more than 229,000 tons of pig iron, making Fayette the second largest producer of charcoal iron in Michigan. Today, 20 buildings are preserved, including the furnace complex, hotel, town hall, company office and several residences. The 11 buildings that contain exhibits and are open to the public include a modern visitor center with a scale model of the town site as it looked in the 1880s. 

Fayette Historic Townsite is one of 11 nationally accredited museums administered by the Michigan Historical Center, an agency within the Department of Natural Resources. Located 17 miles south of U.S. Hwy. 2 on Hwy. 183 at Fayette Historic State Park, the museum village is open daily, 9 a.m. to dusk through Labor Day, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Labor Day through Oct. 18. For more information call 906-644-2603 or go online to www.michigan.gov/fayettetownsite.

A Recreation Passport grants vehicle access to any Michigan state park, boat launch, state forest campground or nonmotorized state trailhead parking. Residents can purchase the Passport for just $11 ($5 for motorcycles) at the time of Michigan license plate renewal through Secretary of State. Forgot to check "YES" during renewal? Residents and nonresidents can purchase a Recreation Passport window sticker during regular business hours at state parks. Learn more about how the Recreation Passport supports state parks, local outdoor recreation opportunities and historic and cultural sites at www.michigan.gov/recreationpassport.