BARAGA COUNTY CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU RECEIVES $3,000 PLUM CREEK FOUNDATION GRANT FOR SKI TRAIL GROOMING EQUIPMENT

L’ANSE, Mich.--May 8, 2009--The Plum Creek Foundation recently awarded $3,000 to the Baraga County Convention & Visitors Bureau to help fund the purchase of new cross-country ski grooming equipment for the Pinery Lakes Ski Trail.

The donation will help the Visitors Bureau to buy a Yamaha VK Professional dual track grooming snowmobile and a roller/compactor.  Community members share responsibilities for the grooming of the ski trails while the Visitors Bureau provides fuel, supplies, mechanic assistance, maintenance and more.  The Pinery Lakes Ski Trail is located 2.5 miles northeast of L’Anse and features 10 kilometers of trails that loop through red pine woods.

“We are excited to have the Plum Creek Foundation’s support for this project,” Tracey Barrett, director of the Visitors Bureau.  “The ski trail provides the citizens and visitors of Baraga County with a great winter recreational activity, and the grant will help us in our effort to keep the trail in peak condition for skiers.”

The Baraga County Convention & Visitors Bureau’s mission is to promote tourism in Baraga County, Mich.  Lake Superior forms the county’s northern border, and many smaller lakes, rivers and forest make up the natural landscape, all of which provide recreational opportunities for visitors. 

The mission of the Plum Creek Foundation is to provide philanthropic contributions to support and improve the general welfare of life in the communities that Plum Creek serves.  The Foundation board meets quarterly to review applications submitted from organizations in the company’s operating communities.  Visit the Community Involvement page on Plum Creek’s Web site at www.plumcreek.com to download an application.

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Plum Creek is the largest and most geographically diverse private landowner in the nation with approximately 7 million acres of timberlands in major timber producing regions of the United States and wood products manufacturing facilities in the Northwest.  For more information, visit www.plumcreek.com.