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Growing UP Foresters

Started by Shotgun, December 23, 2008, 08:57:02 PM

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Shotgun

I thought this article appropriate for the Forest Education area of the FF.  The title for the display is a bit of a "take off" on the UP (Upper Peninsula) of Michigan, that and the fact that it is directed at young folks. It is a vary well done effort and something that the Michigan Dept. of Agriculture and the UP State Fair and, in fact the entire UP, can be proud of.  Some of you may have seen the display at the Logging Congress in Sept. 2007.

Mary and I (and 2 kids) spent 8 years in Escanaba, and I worked for the Michigan Dept. of Agriculture, so that makes it of greater interest to me. In fact I worked for MDA for 34 years, that being my second duty station.  My forestry degree is from Michigan Technological University.

Thought someone might find the article interesting.

Norm
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Agency: Agriculture

December 16, 2008

Escanaba, Mich. - The Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA) today announced that the Upper Peninsula State Fair received three awards presented by the International Association of Fairs and Expositions (IAFE) at their annual convention in Las Vegas.

The "Growing UP Foresters" exhibit at the U.P. State Fair won the "Best Educational Exhibit Award" in category four for fairs with attendance up to 100,000; the "Best of Division Award" selected from 13 category winners for fairs with up to 100,000 attendees; and the "Judges Choice Award" awarded to division winning exhibit that shows originality, creativity, innovation, and superiority to all other entries.

The "Growing UP Foresters" interactive exhibit at the U.P. State Fair featured all aspects of the forest including habitat, environment, products, and economic impact. The exhibit was entered under the educational program category, highlighting special agricultural educational event, exhibit, or program for the fairgoing public.

Each year, the IAFE conducts contests for its fair members, which recognize and reward excellence. Fairs are eligible to enter under thirteen separate categories and are divided among level of fair attendance. All contests are judged by IAFE member representatives and professionals from respective fields. A division winner is then awarded, with the Judges Choice award given to the best exhibit in any category of any size fair.

Growing UP Foresters exhibit was created in 2006 by Debbie Mulvaney, U.P. State Fair Special Events Coordinator and is updated each year to be industry relevant. Fair staff members, Herb Pomeroy and Jeff Sarasin, created the special effects and hands on activities the children participated in. This exhibit is encouraged and financially supported by the forest industry, private clubs, private foundations, and governmental agencies. This exhibit has been open during the UP State Fair; two years of the Delta County 5th Grade Agricultural and Natural Resources Tour; and the 2007 Logging Congress.

For additional information about the U.P. State Fair visit www.michigan.gov/upsf.

Joined The Forestry Forum 5 days before 9/11.

Shotgun

Another article on the "Growing UP Foresters" display at the Upper Peninsula State Fair.

ESCANABA - U.P. State Fair staffers continue to celebrate the five awards they recently received at the International Association of Fairs and Expositions (IAFE) annual convention in Las Vegas.

Debbie Mulvaney, U.P. State Fair special events coordinator, attended the awards ceremony in Las Vegas, paying for the trip herself.

Mulvaney said she and Michigan Department of Agriculture boss Barb Hensinger made a presentation at the awards ceremony, including an explanation of how important forestry is to industry in the U.P.

"It was very well received," Mulvaney said. "All during the rest of the convention, people were coming up to me with questions and comments; I (even) got hugs. Every time I think of it, it makes me smile."

She also said this week the experience was phenomenal.

"This was the most awesome experience of my professional career," she said. "I get personal satisfaction out of creating something like this, but also, to have it recognized at that level is great."

The "Growing UP Foresters" exhibit earned:

Best Educational Exhibit Award for fairs with attendance up to 100,000.

Best of Division Award selected from 13 category winners.

Judges' Choice Award given to a division-winning exhibit showing originality, creativity, innovation, and superiority to all other entries.

Second place in category 13 - fair and sponsor/partner joint exhibit program.

Second place in category 8a - Green Program.

Mulvaney said the judges' choice award is not awarded yearly, but only when judges deem an exhibit worthy.

"They don't offer the judges' award each year, but only when an exhibit comes along that just blows them away," she said. "The judges said when they were judging it that they just could not get enough of it. They were totally amazed at what we created. They even noticed the tiny details I wasn't sure if anyone would notice."

Mulvaney said some details which made the exhibit stand out were dropping down a forest canopy so viewers felt like they were under the treetops, making plants large so to impress children, and including forest sounds and smells to make it as realistic as possible.

The Growing UP Foresters exhibit was created in 2006 by Mulvaney. Fair staff members Herb Pomeroy and Jeff Sarasin created the special effects and hands-on activities for the children.

Growing UP Foresters is encouraged and financially supported by the forest industry, private clubs, private foundations, and governmental agencies. The exhibit has been open during the U.P. State Fair, the Delta County Fifth Grade Agricultural and Natural Resources Tour, and the 2007 Logging Congress.

For additional information about the U.P. State Fair, visit www.michigan.gov/upsf.
Joined The Forestry Forum 5 days before 9/11.

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