Contact: Kathy Ervin
Portage Lake Watershed Forever Advisory Committee
231-889-0352 or kervin24@charter.net
Issued as a Service to the Portage Lake Watershed Forever Advisory Committee by the
Manistee Economic Development Office.
For Immediate Release
FISH OUT OF WATER: Big Fish Support Big Idea
Onekama, Michigan -- It used to be that “taking things into one’s hands” smacked of a band of vigilantes riding off after the bad guys. Now, however, a group of citizens have redefined the phrase to mean making things better for an entire Manistee county watershed and are using 15 five-and-a-half foot long fish to do so. On July 28, at 5:30 p.m. on a bluff overlooking Portage Lake, over 300 people are expected to participate in a live auction to put those fish to work for the Portage Lake watershed.
“Portage Lake has never had a watershed plan,” explained Mike Acton, Chair of the Steering Committee for the Portage Lake Watershed Forever Plan. “And we wanted to make certain that, once the watershed plan is completed and approved, there would be money available forever to protect and manage our watershed without having to rely upon state or federal funds. That’s why we’ve banded together to build a Portage Lake Watershed Forever Endowment Fund at the Manistee County Community Foundation. We want to raise at least $500,000 in the next three years so that we will have an endowment that will forever protect and manage our watershed for our kids and future generations.”
Gini Mulligan, a long-time Onekama resident, convinced Acton and others that money could be raised for the endowment by auctioning off larger-than-life fiberglass fish.
“I knew other communities had held successful fundraisers this way and thought it was a great fit for what we were trying to accomplish,” she said. “It didn’t take long to get everyone excited about the project.”
Bob Evans and Dennis P. McCarthy, both of whom have young families in the area, were quickly enlisted to help.
“Gini’s idea was perfect. What could be better than hawking big fish to support a big idea involving the future of our watershed?” Evans observed.
Thus, the Fish Out of Water project was launched. Fifteen fish were purchased through donated funds and turned over to Manistee area artisians. And the results of their talents, now gracing Onekama’s Main Street, are the buzz of the community.
The Fish out of Water include:
Fish Artists
Mystic Fish - Julie Applegate
Mojo Coho - Pat Christie
Exposition Teksna - Rhonda Erbel
Rock Bass - Bill Hattendorf
Ms. Abby Loney - Susan Halloran
Brassy - Phil Joseph
Clyde, The Electric Bass - Monte Klein
Allure - Ryan O’Donnell
Salmonchanted Evening - Karen Mayhew
Steelhead - Eric Ross
Poisson de la Jardin - Carol Vaughan
Uncle Salmon - Kelly Wade
Gold Fish - Mary Wahr
Fish Aquarium - Patrick Wilson
Something Fishy - Dana Woolman
“Nearly all local businesses helped to underwrite the project, and local artists pitched right in,” McCarthy added. “Plus, the fish have gotten more and more people interested in learning about the watershed and how important it is for us to protect it.”
The Fish Out of Water live auction is Saturday, July 28, at a site on Rodgers Memorial Drive overlooking Portage Lake. “It’s where the old hospital used to be,” explained McCarthy, “just off M-22 past the turn-off to Crescent Beach Road.” The fish preview begins at 5:30 with hors d’oeuvres and other refreshments from The Glenwood restaurant. The auction starts at 7:00. Admission is $25 at the ‘door’ with all proceeds going to the Portage Lake Watershed Forever Endowment Fund. Veteran auctioneeer and local artist, Ken Cooper, will be conducting the sale from gavel to gavel.
For more information, call the Manistee County Community Foundation (231-723-7269). To see all the fish and to learn more about the endowment, go to www.manisteefoundation.org.