Courtesy Photo A white heron spreads its wings in the Alpena Wildlife Sanctuary in this photo provided by the Thunder Bay River Center.

The Alpena Wildlife Sanctuary Board is gearing up for an exciting and productive 2026 and more successes beyond this year.

At a recent meeting, the board elected new officers, including Boris Gerber as chairperson, Amber Hubbard as secretary, and Lucille Bray as budget liaison. Kelli Liske stepped down from the board and finding a replacement is ongoing.

During the meeting, Alpena Harbormaster and city liaison Kevin Fisher announced that groundbreaking and construction of the new pavilion and bathrooms at Duck Park are slated to begin in the spring and the project is expected to be completed later this year.

The board also discussed its extensive planning for the new Interpretive Trail, the re-imagined River Center, which should begin in 2027.

Bray reported that pamphlets promoting Island Park and the Wildlife Sanctuary are being placed around the state at Michigan welcome centers as well as specific locations locally.

The board recapped events last year that were successful, including the Magic in Our Midst

event on Island Park; educational Island Park meet-ups for youngsters, and spreading of wood chips on island trails by board members and volunteers.