Wildcat Falls, near Watersmeet MI., has been long-known as a special place by area naturalists, and was once protected as part of the Ottawa National Forest. This parcel was lost as a National Forest holding, and today Wildcat Falls and surrounding old growth forest is in the process of becoming a 160-acre community forest. The effort to maintain public access and protection for this unique feature has been led for years by Northwoods Alliance, a decades-old nonprofit conservation organization. As a major step toward project completion, the USFS Community Forest and Open Space Conservation Program has awarded 50% of the needed funding to establish a Wildcat Falls Community Forest, and we now need help from the community to reach the goal.

This inspiring ten-year conservation effort will be the subject of a program titled Tenacity Creates Opportunity at the Olson Memorial Library in Eagle River on Saturday, December 14 at 1 PM. This informative program will describe the efforts to keep Wildcat Falls open to the public, and highlight the history and current status of this important work while showcasing the features and quality of the project. We will also describe the current project status, including timeline to completion and fundraising goals. To date, over one hundred donors, including individuals, conservation groups and foundations, have contributed to the project. Thanks to this support, we have now raised more than half the funds necessary to match the federal community forest grant.

All are invited to join Northwoods Alliance and conservation partners for this program, to learn of efforts to build community and advance the Wildcat Falls Community Forest and other projects.

For more information email nwa@nnex.net, or contact Joe Hovel at 715-479-8528. We hope to see you there.