Reports of work bees on Island Park were given when the Alpena Wildlife Sanctuary Board met at City Hall in August.

Tom Orth reported volunteer work crews are removing full truckloads of the invasive frog-bit as they used their canoes and kayaks in the Wildlife Sanctuary. He thanked the many volunteers who were helping once or twice a week in July and August. He said that it was a good community effort. Special thanks were given to Casey Stutzman who has loaned his kayaks from Performance Locker.

Elizabeth Littler reported that several bags of the invasive spotted knapweed were pulled during a volunteer work bee. A knapweed pull with children and adults, led by Catherine Stedman at the Science in the Park day, was a great success.

In other maintenance reports, it was noted that more than 100 milkweed plants, donated by the Friends of the Lake Huron Watershed, were planted by board members. Future plans include barking main trails on Island Park and blocking non-trails where erosion is a problem.

Judy Kalmanek reported that a new River Center sign has replaced the old sign on Long Rapids Road at the proposed River Center location in Duck Park. The third phase of the River Center design work is near completion by the architect, Bruce Johnson of Ashville, N.C., who designed the Besser Company building. The designs are needed for the ongoing grant applications.

In other business, the board discussed the distribution of pamphlets about Island Park, the Wildlife Sanctuary and the proposed River Center. Many pamphlets, including those with information about the natural assets of Island Park, are in the pamphlet rack near the bridge at Duck Park. Other pamphlets with more general information are at various locations in the community and at Welcome Centers throughout the state. Many of the pamphlets can be seen on the web.