Friends of Seney to hold annual meeting Thursday, public welcome

SENEY, Mich. (WLUC) - The Seney Natural History Association (Friends of the Refuge) will hold its annual meeting on Thursday, May 19 at the Curtis Community Building at 2:30 p.m. The public is welcome to attend.

The Friends of the Refuge will present a check to representatives of the Seney National Wildlife Refuge to support major improvements at the refuge including a new Visitors Center. The new center will be larger with new exhibits, more interactive opportunities for visitors and additional educational experiences. The contribution from the Friends of the Refuge will allow the Refuge to update the educational exhibits with more displays and new designs.

In addition, the State Savings Bank of Manistique will be presenting a check to the Friends of the Refuge from their sale of wildflower seeds this spring. It is because of donations like this, that the Friends of Seney can continue their support of the Refuge.

Seney National Wildlife Refuge was one of the recipients of the Great American Outdoor Act Funds. These funds will allow the Refuge to complete updates on several refuge structures. Funding will go to four big projects:

1. New combined Visitor and Headquarters building;

2. Marshland Wildlife Drive and Fishing Loop Bridge and Water Control Structure Repairs;

3. Show Pool Site Rehabilitation and Improvements; and,

4. Pine Ridge Nature Trail Improvement Project.

The largest portion of the project affects the current visitor center, office and the campus surrounding these buildings. As part of this process, the old visitor center was demolished this winter and construction of a new visitor center/headquarters, will begin. In the meantime, the Refuge is adapting its existing facilities to temporarily house the visitor center and headquarters offices. The temporary Visitors Center is open Tuesday through Saturday, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm. During construction, the Marshland Wildlife Drive and Fishing Loop will be closed but all other trails will be open including the Driggs River Road and Robinson Road access area. Canoeing and kayaking the Manistique River will take visitors through the refuge and the Whitefish Point Unit remains open.

Project details and updates can be found on the website.

The Seney Natural History Association is one of hundreds of independent non-profit “Friends” organizations that advocate for local wildlife refuges by building links between refuges and their local communities. The Friends support great projects and activities that inspire, educate and promote a better understanding of the Seney Refuge. Volunteer opportunities are also available. Find out more on the Friends of Seney Facebook page.

Copyright 2022 WLUC. All rights reserved.