May 2022 eNewsletter

SeeCoast EnChroma Enabled Viewer

Viewer installed on Skyline trail.

To improve the experience for visitors to the Ludington State Park, staff recently installed a SeeCoast EnChroma enabled viewer on the Skyline Trail.  While the viewer can be used free of charge by everyone, the EnChroma lenses allow most people with color-blindness to see colors when viewing the terrain.  The viewer was funded by FLSP with funding also provided by a grant from the Lions Club Fund at the Community Foundation for Mason County.  This is the first SeeCoast Enchroma enabled viewer to be installed in Michigan.

Adopt-a-Highway Volunteers

FLSP Volunteers Picking up Litter 

On April 28, FLSP volunteers completed the first litter pick-up of 2022. They scoured the shore of the Big Sable River outlet, and the beach house area as well as the the northern most two miles of M-116 roadside done through the Michigan Department of Transportation's Adopt-a-Highway program. The next scheduled pick-up is Tuesday, July 19.  For more information or to sign-up please click here. 

LACA and FLSP Art Exhibit

The Ludington Area Center for the Arts (LACA) and FLSP are holding an art exhibit August 5 through 27, 2022. LACA is in search of artists to submit artwork for this exhibition 'Celebrating the Ludington State Park.'

FLSP will benefit from any sales that occur during the art exhibit. To learn more click here.

State of the State Park

Camp Hosts May 10 - June 14, 2022

Bruce and Dawn VanderBerg

Each summer Camp Hosts play an important part in enhancing the camping experience at LSP.  The Camp Hosts are also core to the FLSP Michigan Returnables Program. Throughout last summer they processed 67,000 returnables resulting in $6,700 of FLSP funding.This month we are highlighting Camp Hosts Dawn and Bruce VanderBerg by sharing their LSP story.  If you are at LSP while they are hosting, May 10 - June 14, please be sure to stop by and thank them for volunteering. 

We live in Grandville, MI, a small community outside Grand Rapids and a mere 1.5 hrs away

from our "home" park!  We are retired and parents of 4 sons, have 3 daughters in law and 7 grandchildren.  We enjoy our yard, pond and gardens.  We love to travel and explore and enjoy our winters in southern Texas.

Dawn's grandparents were lifelong residents in the Ludington area so family get togethers were yearly picnics at LSP, exploring, fishing, and hiking  the trails.  To this day we have a long weekend of camping with brothers and cousins and all their family members.  Bruce also has fond memories of being there as a child and bringing our children there to camp.  Bruce and sons, brothers and male cousins have spent many fall weekends salmon fishing.

There are so many aspects of the park to enjoy but probably our favorite is hiking the trails and looking for deer and birds, just enjoying nature.

One of our favorite memories is spending a weekend at the lighthouse, we were invited along with the person who trained the lighthouse volunteers in first aid and CPR.  We were greeted by an eagle outside the kitchen window on Sunday morning, so close it felt like we could touch him!

We are so excited and proud to play a small part in helping support our park thru hosting.  We enjoy talking with so many different people, helping newbies explore the park and giving ideas for visiting the surrounding area.  For all the great things that FLSP have accomplished, we are happy to do our little part to help!!

Entertainment Series Volunteers

A total of 21 entertainment events have been scheduled for the 2022 season.  At each event, FLSP volunteers pass the bucket for a free will offering to fund the entertainment series and other projects at the LSP. We need two volunteers to assist at each amphitheater event and four volunteers for those events held at the Lake Michigan Beach House. There will be a FLSP Board Member at each event to provide a brief overview of FLSP and coordinate the passing of the buckets.  If you are willing to help out please sign-up by clicking here.

Please consider donating to FLSP!

There are many ways to support the FLSP. You may give towards overall park stewardship (trees, trail maintenance, historical structure repair), programming (summer entertainment, environmental education, signage, snowshoeing) or specific projects. See our donor page for more information. 

Memberships

It is that time of year to pay your annual membership. If you have not done so already, please pay your 2022 membership on-line or by mailing a check to FLSP indicating that it is for a membership.