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Sanctuary awarded $50K grant

ALPENA — A $50,000 grant awarded to the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary will be used toward the “Get In Your Sanctuary” campaign.

Director of the Friends Of Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary Katie Wolf, said they competed against several other friends groups to receive the Ernest F. Hollings Ocean Awareness Award.

“We wanted to promote the aspect where people physically get in their sanctuary to recreate, and to get the community to serve as stewards,” she said.

She said the award is one of five grants which total $215,000.

“What we’re going to do is re-brand the website,” she said. “We hope to show what people can do to get in their sanctuary to explore it. We’re developing short videos showing people what they can do and the third step is creating an alliance with partners who share the mission to protect the sanctuary.”

She added they also plan to develop exhibits to travel to festivals so the sanctuary is represented. They will also re-brand materials and update the Lady Michigan and logowear.

The award was created to celebrate Fritz Holling who is known for conservation practices, Wolf said.

U.S. Sen. Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow, both D-Mich. and members of the Great Lakes Task Force stated their support of the grant in a press release.

“Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary is a rich and unique part of our Great Lakes history and ecosystem that draws thousands of visitors to northern Michigan every year,” Peters said. “This grant will help boost tourism while educating both tourists and residents on the importance of protecting Thunder Bay and the Great Lakes for future generations.”

Stabenow said the sanctuary attracts families and divers from across the state and world to discover the Michigan’s maritime heritage.

“Congratulations to the Friends of Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary for this initiative that will attract even more visitors to the Great Lakes,” Stabenow said.

Jordan Spence can be reached via email at jspence@thealpenanews.com or by phone at 358-5687.

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