Finding the money

KNHP Advisory Commission gets a grant and works on funding issues

By KURT HAUGLIE, DMG Writer

CALUMET TOWNSHIP - One of the Keweenaw National Historical Park Advisory Commission's purposes is to aid in preserving historical features in the Copper Country, and thanks to a $20,000 grant to the commission, that job will be easier to accomplish.

During the Advisory Commission's regular quarterly meeting Tuesday, Chairwoman Kim Hoagland said the grant will allow the commission to do a survey of possible historic sites in the area with the intention of preserving them, if possible.

"That's exciting," Hoagland said. "It's the Advisory Commission's first venture into this."

According to the organization's Web site, "The purpose of the Americana Foundation is to support educational and advocacy programs that address the preservation of American agriculture, the conservation of natural resources and the protection and presentation of expressions of America's heritage."

Hoagland said there have been other surveys of historic sites done going back to the 1970s, and any survey the Advisory Commission does will add more information to that knowledge.

"There have been several stabs at this," she said. "We have a lot to go on.

Hoagland said it's hoped some local matching money can be found to add to the Americana Foundation grant.

On another funding topic, Scott See, Advisory Commission Fund Development Director, said he's been working on the Copper Country Preservation Inc. Web site.

"It has information about what Copper Country Preservation is," he said.

Copper Country Preservation Inc. is a not-for-profit corporation, which besides being intended to educate people about the park and its mission to preserve and interpret the copper mining experience in the Keweenaw Peninsula, also has the ability to collect monetary donations and receive and sell property. It was created by the Advisory Commission in 2006, but didn't get 501(c)(3) non-profit status until 2007.

See said CCPI needed to get licenses to raise funds from Michigan and Wisconsin and part of that has been accomplished.

"We received our license from Michigan," he said. "Our license from Wisconsin is pending."

See said the CCPI recently received some help in increasing its Internet presence from some Michigan Technological University students in a business problem-solving class.

"They're actually in the process of helping us set up a Facebook page and a MySpace page," he said.

See said he recently sent out 10,000 requests for donations to residents in Michigan and Wisconsin.

"It's pretty early, but we've received just over 30 donations for $11,000," he said.

Hoagland said See's efforts at getting donations is an attempt to make the fundraising for the Advisory Commission regional.

"I hope it pans out," she said.

Kurt Hauglie can be reached at khauglie@mininggazette.com.