Belle Isle Conservancy

Filing Period

Nov 1, 2012 to Oct 31, 2013

Signed

Sep 11, 2014

Return Version

2012v2.1

Gross Receipts

$1,065,258

Mission

Major Activities

Activity 2

Belle isle aquarium and scripps whitcomb conservatory: the belle isle aquarium delighted visitors for over a century before the city of detroit closed it in 2005 due to budget reductions. In 2012, the belle isle conservancy negotiated a memorandum of understanding with the city of detroit to assume responsibility for operating the aquarium, which is now partially stocked with fish, filled with other displays, and open to the public every saturday from 11 am to 3 pm. The conservancy also supported a state historic preservation grant to repair the aquarium roof by providing match funding and by paying for the required flood insurance to secure the grant.

Activity 3

Environmental stewardship: belle isle's 986 acres includes a large wetland forest, a system of canals and interior lakes in this park that is itself an island, and trees and other plantings throughout the heavily used picnic and playground areas. Invasive species threaten the more fragile native plants and are held in check through a combination of volunteer labor and chemical treatments that are a joint project of the conservatory and the detroit recreation department. More than 4,500 conservancy volunteers spend well over 10,000 hours each year through monthly stewardship saturdays, research projects, and specific projects to maintain the forest trails and footbridges over the canals. The conservancy has also planted thousands of daffodils throughout the park. Volunteers conduct a frog and toad survey as a way of monitoring the environmental health of the park's ecosystem and support national efforts to survey and monitor migratory birds.

Filer

EIN

23-7348118