It's been 60 years since the Michigan Nature Association first formed and this year they're looking to celebrate by hosting a special tour of Michigan: The 60th Anniversary MNA Odyssey Tour.
The MNA was created to protect rare, threatened and endangered specieis and natural communities across Michigan. To help show what has been accomplished in that time, the MNA Odyssey will visit 20 of the finest sanctuaries in the state, chosen for their unique features, educational value and accessibility to the public.
Four of those locations are in the Upper Peninsula. The first will be July 15 near Moran in Mackinac County at the Fred Dye sanctuary as a part of the barren/prairie stops of the tour. The next will be Sept. 25 at Twin Waterfalls Memorial in Munising and the next two will be on the Keweenaw Peninsula with a Sept. 29 stop at Estivant Pines near Copper Harbor and a Sept. 30 visit to Black Creek near Calumet.
Dave Wendling, a former trustee for the MNA, will help lead tours at each of the 20 and give talks about its unique features.
"Everyone should have the opportunity to see these natural treasures at least once in a lifetime, and this is my chance to help make it happen," Wendling says.
The tours will begin at 1 p.m. at each location in the Upper Peninsula. For more information about the Odyssey, visit
this website.
Writer: Sam Eggleston
Source: Dave Wendling, Michigan Nature Association
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