-- To the Boardman River Nature Center, which has served more than 10,000 visitors since opening in August 2008. The 7,000-square-foot nature center is just south of Traverse City at the Sabin Pond Trailhead. It has offered 100 unique classes, seminars or programs in its meeting rooms, exhibit area, open-air classroom and its seven miles of trails on 505 acres. It's a community treasure.
-- To the Grand Traverse Heritage Center for its continuing efforts to honor businesses, homeowners and others who take steps to preserve local historic places. Its 2009 Historic Preservation Awards honored the railroad depot in Traverse City as Preservation Project of the Year. The award went to the building's owners as well as the tenants. The two parties worked to restore the depot inside and out. A major barn preservation project, a boat, a book and local businesses also earned preservation awards this year.
-- To two Civil War enthusiast groups who gave Civil War veteran John P. Sinclair a headstone and burial service 95 years after he was buried in an unmarked grave at Oakwood Cemetery. Sinclair, an Ohio native and Union Army sergeant, died near Long Lake in 1913. Robinson's Battery of Battle Creek tracked down his cemetery plot. The area Robert Finch Camp No. 14 Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, dressed in Union Army uniforms, conducted a full Grand Army of the Republic graveside service. The federal Department of Veterans paid for a reproduction Civil War-era headstone.
-- To Janet Wolf, president and chief executive office at Munson Home Health, who retired this month after more than 20 years with Munson. The new CEO is Shari McLennan, who served as a chief operating officer at VitalCare in Cheboygan and president of the Michigan Home Health Association. Munson Health Care's 400 employees tend to the home health, hospice and palliative care needs of northern Michigan residents across 25 counties.
-- To the Grand Traverse County 4-H for launching a new round of competitive grants totaling $2,500 to encourage development of innovative educational programs to develop youth leadership skills, diversity appreciation, support youth-adult learning partnerships, active service and leadership.
-- To HANDDS, or Helping Abused, Neglected, Disabled and Displaced Souls, a new animal rescue group dedicated to saving dogs on the verge of being euthanized. The group now has 30 dogs and some cats and travels to adoption events around the region and state. Founders are Dee Sheldon, of Lake Ann, Patti Goudey, of Traverse City, and Dorothy DeCoeur, of Thompsonville.
-- To the organizers of and participants in the annual Great Lakes Bioneers Conference at Northwestern Michigan College. Conference speakers focused on Great Lakes water issues and many other topics ranging from transportation, developing holistic sustainable lifestyles, urban gardens, recycling and other "green" issues.
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