GAYLORD — The Gaylord Area Convention and Tourism Bureau has announced that its 2025 Trailblazer Award is going to the Pigeon River Discovery Center, located within the Pigeon River Country State Forest in Cheboygan and Otsego counties.
The Discovery Center is housed in a historic log cabin that was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1935. The center’s mission is to educate visitors about the land, wildlife and history of the Pigeon River area.
The tourism bureau board of directors selected the Discovery Center for its innovative approach to increasing awareness and appreciation for the Pigeon River Country State Forest.
“The Pigeon River Discovery Center Board undertook a massive restoration and conversion of the former Pigeon River Forest Manager Residence and turned it into a fun, interesting, thriving museum/education center. Through careful research involving the state DNR historian, it was discovered this full log building built during the CCC era had significant value on its own. Through an aggressive fundraising effort and careful research, they have converted the building into a center where locals and visitors can get more information on the formation of the forest, our native Indian population, the elk herd, lumbering and recreation. It is professional and fun. They have also established a working center for education offerings about nature and the forest,” said the nomination description.
Given out annually, the Trailblazer Award was created to recognize an individual or group that has made a significant contribution to improve tourism within Gaylord, Otsego County and the surrounding area. The honor is intended not only to commend the recipient for their contribution, but also to raise awareness of the many tourism-related enhancements taking place in the community.
Past recipients include the following:
— Contact Paul Welitzkin at pwelitzkin@gaylordheraldtimes.com.
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Pigeon River Discovery Center recognized with Gaylord tourism bureau’s Trailblazer Award
Reporting by Paul Welitzkin, The Petoskey News-Review / The Petoskey News-Review
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