Topf Wells

Our May meeting seems years ago but it was one of the most memorable SWTU presentations I’ve experienced. When John Griffith was a kid in California, he was incredibly impressed by the Wrigley family’s purchase of 42,000 acres on Catalina Island to preserve it for the public (yes indeed, the gum and Cubs Wrigley’s). He vowed to follow their example one day.

John now leads American Songbird Management and Recovery, which is purchasing for preservation and public enjoyment the 17,000 acre Gratiot River watershed on the UP’s Keweenaw Peninsula. Think songbirds, brook trout, charismatic mammals, steelhead, healthy forests, waterfalls, etc. saved forever. The cost is $27 million and he has $10 million to go with a December deadline.

He asked for donations but in a doable fashion. He’s going to need some big donors and he thinks a good way of convincing some to donate is to show region-wide, grass roots enthusiasm and support. To that end, he asks that each of us make a modest donation (as little as $5, although he’ll happily take more) online. Here’s the link to make it easy to do so: https://www.gratiotriverwatershed.org/

I know we all get donation requests all the time but this is a great project. Please consider a donation. BTW, SWTU donated $1,000. While the project is in the UP, it protects Lake Superior and its fishery and it’s close enough for a road trip. BTW 2, John has donated a stay at a deluxe cabin on the Keweenaw and the Gratiot. Stay tuned for that opportunity.