The 2022 Volunteer and Friends Group Summit was held on March 3rd and 4th virtually. This yearly meeting, sponsored by the DNR, offers free registration to groups who support DNR properties throughout the state. This was a great opportunity to collaborate and learn from each other. Click here for the agenda.

This year there were 127 registrants which is a significant increase from last year!

Any PowerPoint presentations shared with participants will be posted here when have been shared.

Ron Olson, Chief of the Parks and Recreation Division, presented "DNR Parks and Recreation Priorities and Updates". Our Michigan sites have seen an dramatic increase in visitors in the past two years.

• The "why" of our state parks and camping area is to give visitors a wonderful lifelong memory and volunteers share in this goal.

• Visitation for DNR sites was up 30% last year but staffing was down 30% due multiple issues surrounding the pandemic.

• Post-visit surveys are overwhelmingly positive with 93% of respondents indicating that they would recommend the property they visited to a friend.

• 2022 set a record with the highest number of camp nights reaching 1.3 million.

• The DNR budget will be presented to our State legislators the week of March 6th. Proposed investments are focused on providing clean, safe parks. These include:

  • adding staff and increasing salaries for seasonal employees

  • increasing funding for contract services to take some of the work load off the local staff

  • addressing vendor costs

• Green Initative Teams are working on environmentally friendly projects

• There is a proposal that $250 million from Covid relief funds be funneled to the State Park systems

  • Hearings will begin in the next month (tentatively April)

  • Three Senate bills (702, 703, and 704) have been introduced; these bills will benefit the DNR

Patrick O'Hare, Friends of Ludington State Park, presented an overview of the thirty year old group.

• Their recent project was the installation of a bike fixing station

• Two strategic dicisions that have worked for them in terms of fundraising:

  • partnering with their local Chamber of Commerce for a January event called Brrrewfest

  • active involvement with their local Community Foundation

• Philanthropy Plan

  • website with a donation button

  • Automated management for donations, memberships, event registration

  • presentations on projects

  • newsletters sent to all donors, not just vendors

  • education sessions about the park on Zoom and using YouTube videos

  • having a meaningful project that will impact potential donors

Phil Gwoke, from Bridgeworks, presented Recruitment and Retention of the Younger Generation

• "In times of change learners inherit the earth; while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists".

• Changes in technology have shaped the interest/employment/learning profile of each generation

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