Special Meeting

The first ever Special Meeting of the South Manitou Memorial Society was convened at SBDNL headquarters in Empire, on Saturday, December 13, 2003. The purpose of the called meeting was to consider and possibly adopt two new corporate documents, restated articles of incorporation and bylaws. The draft recommendation articles brought before the membership by the board of directors was unanimously adopted by the board at its November meeting, and was considered first. The entire document was open to discussion and amended as a whole, then finally, put to a vote. With only two minor amendments, the restated articles of incorporation were adopted with complete unanimity.

It having been previously determined that the Society’s standing bylaws, had never actually been voted, thereby having the status of a draft recommendation, supported by the founders serving as the original officers, the draft recommendation offered by the board was considered as a whole. After brief discussion, that document was put to a vote, and it also was adopted by complete unanimity.

No other business being authorized, the Special Meeting was then adjourned.

We Are OFFICIAL!!!

The State of Michigan filed our Restated Articles of Incorporation on February 19, 2004. We are now officially the Manitou Islands Memorial Society Inc. Our web address (domain name) has been changed to match our new corporate identity. The new domain name is manitouislands.org. The full URL is therefore http://www.manitouislands.org. The old domain name has been parked at the URL and will continue to work until it expires in June. However, e-mail addressed through the southmanitou.org domain will no longer work. Address books may be updated by simply changing ‘southmanitou.org’ to ‘manitouislands.org’.

Mission Statement

We help preserve the history and cultural traditions of Michigan’s Manitou Islands,
provide educational and interpretive materials and resources,
and support the Park Service as volunteers on the Islands.

Treasury Report
By: Joe Orbeck - Treasurer

Manitou Islands Memorial Society
February 29, 2004

November 2002 Membership Audit Results

The November 2002 newsletter featured a lead article requesting that members check in with their current contact information, and inviting comments regarding members’ perspectives on the future of the organization. To encourage feedback, a pre-address post card was included with the newsletter, a link was provided to a special form on the web site, and a toll-free phone number was provided for those who might simply wish to talk.

The newsletter was mailed to some 240 addresses, with only fourteen returned as undeliverable. Some 49 members chose to respond ... 34 returned the included post cards, 2 wrote letters, 11 submitted the online form, and 2 responded by phone.

Of these, twenty-nine were received with no comment. Six wrote greetings or complimented on a particular issue of the newsletters, while another half-dozen respondents wrote about their connection to the island or about other reminiscences.

All of these responses, and even the 177 decisions not to respond, represent an important pool of information for the Directors in the fulfillment of their duty to envision an appropriate role for the organization and make it possible for the group to rise to the fullest realization of its potential for camaraderie and achievement.

Member Status

For any members with no current return address: If you have any information on the whereabouts of these members please contact Gene Warner - Secretary, by e-mail at gwarner@manitouislands.org or by phone at 1-877-842-7658.

News from the Park Service
By: Kimberly Mann

Huron Valley Sierra Club will be returning to North Manitou Island for their 15^th consecutive year doing service trips on the island. This year the group has agreed to work on clearing vegetation overtaking the North Manitou Cemetery. They will also be assisting in putting up a barbless wire fence on the existing fence posts. The group brings approximately 20 individuals from the Ann Arbor area to work each Memorial Day on the island. Work has included clearing trails, cutting vegetation, repairing porches of the Cottage Row houses, installing shutters on the Bournique Cottage, and clearing dead and down debris from the Beuham Orchard.

The park and Glen Lake Schools are hosting the traveling Smithsonian exhibit Barn Again: A Celebration of a Rural Icon. The exhibit will be housed in the Port Oneida Schoolhouse, 4 miles north of Glen Arbor, on Port Oneida Road. The exhibit runs from June 28^th until August 9^th. The exhibit kicks off with the annual barn workshop, June 26 - 27^th at the Shalda Log Cabin and ends with the annual Port Oneida Fair, August 6 – 7^th. Anyone wanting to participate or volunteer at these events should contact the park.

Family Members in the Military?

Receiving mail from home is always a happy event that makes the day better for your soldier, sailor, or airman. May we add his/her name to our mailing list? We’ll send the MIMS newsletters and all other casual mailings to help maintain a sense of connection to home. Please send their name and address to:

Gene L. Warner - Secretary
Manitou Islands Memorial Society
P.O. Box 177
Empire, MI 49630-0177

Teen Challenge: Manitou Island Camp

The Manitou Island camp is being offered for the third year in a row. Last years’ campers reported that it was, the best week of their life!. We are hoping for similar results this year. Because of the numbers who want to attend this camp, we will enroll up to 20-24 campers and split the group into two, based on camper experience and desire for rustic camping WITH services or rustic camping WITHOUT services. The group will leave camp on Monday and head north for Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The group will camp overnight and pack for the trip to the Manitou Islands the following day. Tuesday morning comes early as the ferry for the Island must be boarded by 9:00 a.m. Group members will carry all provisions for the 3 days on the island in their backpacks.

South Manitou Island is a true treasure with an outstanding system of trails and areas begging to be explored. Group members will assist in preparing meals and will receive instruction in low-impact camping. Day hikes include climbing towering sand dunes, exploring old growth forests with giant cedars, and climbing to the top of an old 100’ lighthouse. North Manitou is a larger island, with more wilderness, and no bathroom or water services.

The group will return to Camp Henry late Thursday evening and spend Friday unpacking and unwinding. The Manitou trip is limited to 12 campers at least 13 years old. All equipment is provided with the exception of a sleeping bag and comfortable hiking shoes or boots. The cost of this wonderful experience is $325.00 per camper. Dates for this trip are July 11th – 17th, 2004. Please contact Camp Henry at (616) 459-CAMP, or write to Camp Henry, 47 Jefferson St. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503.

Look for North Manitou Island Map in July’s Newsletter!!!!

South Manitou Island: Rangers and Boy Scouts
By: Jason Kantz

On the boat ride over to South Manitou Island, a troop leader was telling the young scouts war stories and bad jokes: How many times can a 747 land on an aircraft carrier? Once. You can land anything on an aircraft carrier once.

South Manitou Island novel for people like myself only coming over for three days, while the rangers actually live there without cars, without grocery stores, without phones, without convenience. Once Angela shushed me because she was listening to a conversation between two rangers. When I asked what they were talking about, she said Ranger problems, matters of who works what shifts, and whether the radios work or not. I think one ranger had been away from civilization for too long. She was about 60+ years old, greeted us when we arrived on South Manitou, asked what campsite we were hiking to, and with a salute said, Carry on! Then on the last day of our trip, as we waited for the boat ride to return us to the Michigan mainland, she greeted us again like we were new arrivals. We had to tell her we were leaving South Manitou. She told us at 2:00 p.m. we could take the lighthouse tour while we were waiting for our boat. She walked away. Three minutes later she came up to us again to tell us at 2:00 p.m. we could take the lighthouse tour - just as though she’d never seen us before.

The first and last path we hiked was paved for a brief distance with planks of 2x6’s over the sand. I thought that it was a major step toward civilization. With a wooden path, you can pull a cart instead of carrying everything on your back. Pave all the paths with boards and you are one stop away from roads. Get roads and cars and you’re pretty much there - convenience. But then you couldn’t come there to get away from cars. Carrying everything on my back reminded my how badly I take logistics for granted. It also made me think that it wouldn’t be fun if I had to do it for more than a weekend. South Manitou Island is a nice place to visit, but personally, I wouldn’t want to live there like the rangers.

At one of the three water sources on the island, there was a sign that said No Washing. We were filling my camel pack with water and the bite piece fell into the sand. I asked Angela to wash it off As she was washing my mouthpiece, a Ranger walked up and said Hi, startling Angela. Further up the trail I said, You’re afraid of the Rangers, aren’t you. She admitted it. Later I admitted it too. We were both afraid of the Rangers. I was scared of breaking an island rule or accidentally trampling a precious South Manitou resource. The rule was minimal impact camping. What would the Rangers do to you if you made an impact?

As we lay in the sun in front of the Ranger house, waiting for our boat we noticed an abnormally large and aggressive seagull in our company. The picnic area was his territory, and any bird that flew too close he was chased down and nipped. This was pure entertainment and we wanted to instigate a fight. Angela pulled out a marshmallow and threw it in the grass by the seagull. He pecked at it and tried to eat it, but, since seagulls have to swallow without chewing, he decided it wasn’t worth plugging his own throat. So we turned to raisins. He seemed to like the raisins. Then a Ranger came out of the house and down the steps. She smiled at us and said, Hi. Angela and I both turned out attention to the bright white marshmallow shining in the sun between green blades of grass. (What would the Rangers do to you if you made an impact?) She walked right over and past the marshmallow to test her radio at the far edge of the picnic area. Angela picked up the marshmallow and threw it in the trash.

Personalized Note Stationary

Interested in receiving personal note stationary? Distinctive personalized note stationary is available to all members. The 4¼" x 5½" folded notes are imprinted with island themes and your name and address. Second sheets and matching envelopes are provided. Each gift-quality packet contains twelve notes, twelve matching envelopes, and eight second sheets. At present, three styles are available.

Please go to: http://www.manitouislands.org/members/membershipstuff/index.html#notes

In the Spring, a livelier iris changes on the burnish’d love,
In the spring, a young man’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love.
~ Tennyson, Locksley Hall

Fred Swanson
MIMS Newsletter Editor
9805 Lydell Ave
Farwell, MI 48622-9785