Racing for Wildlife

Racing for Wildlife is a new partnership between The Ryan Newman Foundation, The Conservation Fund and the DNR. Ryan Newman is a NASCAR driver who is also an avid angler. The purpose of the Racing for Wildlife program is to bring together NASCAR and motorsports fans drivers, team owners, and sponsors to protect important wildlife habitat, to enhance opportunities for fishing and outdoor recreation across America, to provide for wildlife conservation education and to engage the youth of America.

Mill Lake Youth Camp Project

The first Racing for Wildlife conservation project is the restoration of Michigan's Mill Lake Youth Camp. Located about 30 miles north of Michigan International Speedway in the 20,000-acre Waterloo Recreation Area, the historic camp was built by the Works Progress Administration in the 1930s.

Situated on scenic Mill Lake, the camp offers excellent recreation and fishing opportunities. Once restored, the camp will reopen to families, providing youth activities, family events and individual fun activities in a year-round facility that can accommodate more than 140 people. The Mill Lake Youth Camp is just a short drive for many Michigan residents and race fans, and its restoration will introduce a new generation of kids to the great outdoors in southern Michigan.

State Wildlife Action Plan

Because of its potential for providing public education and outreach, this camp property is a conservation priority for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and will help address the education goals of Michigan's State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP). Every state has prepared a SWAP which identifies the state's priority areas for habitat protection and education. Together, these plans create a national blueprint for wildlife conservation across the country.

In selecting focus conservation projects, Racing for Wildlife will cooperate with wildlife management agencies and local land groups to find the best project opportunities -- ones that will fulfill state-recognized conservation priorities, such as the SWAPs, and allow for maximum engagement of the NASCAR community.

 "Having grown up in South Bend, Indiana, just a few hours from this recreation area, it means a lot to me to be able to launch Racing for Wildlife in Michigan with our partners The Conservation Fund and Michigan International Speedway," Newman said.

For a Power Point presentation on Racing for Wildlife, click here.

Art In the Park

Tahquamenon Falls entered into a partnership with artist Kim Diment this year. The only stipulations about the painting were that it had to depict a scene in the park and it had to show wildlife. Diment's original painting already has been sold, but the partnership allowed for 125 Giclee prints, computer-generated works-of-art that combine time-tested craftsmanship with modern technology, to be sold by the park. The limited edition is signed and numbered by the artist. A portion of the proceeds for this painting will go for the protection and maintenance of the natural areas of the park. Click here to see the beautiful painting Diment created.

For more information or to purchase a print, please contact Craig Krepps at (906) 492-3415.