LUCE COUNTY RECEIVES $2,000 PLUM CREEK FOUNDATION GRANT FOR PROJECT ECORD

ESCANABA, Mich.--June 11, 2009--The Plum Creek Foundation recently awarded $2,000 to Luce County to help fund Project ECORD (Educating to Control Off-Road Damage).

Project ECORD is an educational program aimed at mitigating environmental damage in Luce County caused by off-road vehicles and all terrain vehicles (ORV/ATVs).  The opening of county roads to ORV and ATV traffic has attracted an influx of visitors, providing them new access to environmentally sensitive areas like lakes, rivers, streams and wetlands.  These riders have not been provided with easy access to helpful and accurate information about the legal and environmental responsibilities of riding.  The donation will help fund the printing of brochures and installation of information boxes to alert riders of this important issue.

“Project ECORD represents the dichotomy between users of the land who want to appreciate, enjoy and benefit from experiences in natural settings, while unwittingly destroying the beauty they seek,” said Betsy Lewis, spokesperson for ECORD.  “Information and education are essential to a balanced sharing of our natural resources, and we are grateful to the Plum Creek Foundation for helping us fund this program.”

Luce County, Mich. is unique for its abundance of state land, state forest campgrounds and 31 miles of Lake Superior shoreline.   The county has remained largely undeveloped, with slightly over half of it contained in the Lake Superior State Forest.  Luce County is also home to Tahquamenon Falls, the second largest waterfall east of the Mississippi, and Two Heart River, one of Michigan’s premier Trout streams.

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.