Mike Dempsey Nature Preserve
A nonprofit fundraiser supporting
Upper Peninsula Land ConservancyHelp us purchase 40 acres along the Ontonagon River to create a place of healing in memory of Mike.
$29,625
raised by 86 people
$30,000 goal
WOAH! We're almost there, thanks to the North Country Trail Association!
Huge thanks to the North Country Trail Association for their $7,500 contribution to the Mike Dempsey Preserve! Their contribution unlocked the $12,000 match grant, bringing the total funds raised for the Preserve to $27,250. WOW!!! Only $2,750 to go...
There are just two final steps left to create the Mike Dempsey Preserve:
The first step is pretty obvious - we're SO CLOSE to our goal of $30,000! Whether you've already donated or have been considering donating, now is the time to donate, share the story, and create momentum to raise that final amount.
Here are some ideas for how you can get us across that $2,750 finish line:
1) Donate generously - Will you be the one to get the project across the line?
HUGE thanks to the Michael Cameron Dempsey Foundation for their generous $12,000 match and a HUGE thanks to the North Country Trail Association for their incredible grant of $7,500! That leaves us with just $2,750 to go - and we can totally do that if we work together! If you've been considering giving, or have the capacity to give again, now is the time. Just click that big blue button above - every dollar counts! If you'd rather donate by cash or check, please note that the UPLC office is closed to visitors. Please make checks out to UP Land Conservancy and include a note specifying the purpose of your donation in the envelope before you mail it!
2) SHARE SHARE SHARE!
Some simple actions you can take to share the story of the Preserve: Forward this email or other emails about the Preserve to at least three friends. Like, share, and comment on any social media posts that we share about the Preserve tomorrow (really - just interacting with our posts helps more people see them!). You could even text the link to the MightyCause page to a couple folks with an update on the fundraising efforts.efforts. When you donate on MightyCause, you'll have the opportunity to "tell your friends" - take that opportunity!
2) Create your own social post or supporting fundraiser through Facebook or MightyCause
See how much support for the Preserve YOU can stir up by letting your network know why this project is important to you. Creating your own social posts or emails that share the link to the fundraising page are really, really effective! Create a 15 second video using the prompt "I'm giving today because..." post it on your social media pages, and tag us in it so that we can see and share it, too! You could even set up your own supporting fundraiser for your network through Facebook or MightyCause. You can learn more about how to do this here and here. It's pretty simple and SUPER effective!
The last step before we can put a date on the purchase of the property requires just a bit of patience: as a 20 year old, nationally accredited land trust, we've got to dot all of our i's and cross all of our t's. When we promise to protect a special place like the Mike Dempsey Preserve, we're talking about protecting it forever; and there's a rigorous series of preliminary and final reviews various aspects of the project go through to make sure that when we make that promise, we can uphold it. What that looks like right now is waiting for final reports, commitments, and reviews to be finalized - the state of the world this year has some aspects of that running a little slower than expected, but that's OK. Once we have all of the necessary funds raised and have approved everything for the final time, we can put a date on the final purchase and transfer; we'll be in touch about that as soon as we can.
Michael Cameron Dempsey -- "Mike" to his friends and coworkers -- was descended from UP stock, both Finnish and Scottish. He spent memorable moments in the western UP, investigating his roots, accompanying his family to heritage sites, and reveling in the unparalleled natural beauty of the area. He served his country in a diplomatic capacity in Afghanistan at a forward military base, placing his life in jeopardy on behalf of those less fortunate. He was under hostile fire on numerous occasions. Mike loved his country, his State, his friends and family. Since his death in 2013, the Fund operating in his name has continued supporting the kinds of work and projects in which he believed, and to follow his unselfish example to shine light into darkness.
Together with the Michael Dempsey Fund, on Giving Tuesday, the Upper Peninsula Land Conservancy is raising money to purchase 40 acres of healthy hardwoods forest along the East Branch of the Wild and Scenic Ontonagon River to establish a nature preserve honoring Mike's life and service, and to provide a place of healing for veterans and their loved ones. Thanks to a generous match grant from the Fund, donations will be matched 1:1 up to $12,000 - your donation will have double the impact if we can raise the full amount needed on #GivingTuesday, December 1st!
The Preserve will permanently protect and improve nearly a mile of North Country National Scenic Trail while providing protection to the River and the healthy hardwood forest. The preserve will be accessible by foot from the Old Victoria Historic Site and Victoria Dam. The photo below shows the amazing view from a ridge in the preserve, along the North Country Trail. The Wild and Scenic Ontonagon River can be seen in the bottom of the photo, across the River is the Old Victoria Historic Site. With your generous donations, we'll place a bench for hikers and a memorial plaque at this site next year when we officially open the Preserve.
For more information about Mike and the Fund, go to http://mcdfund.org