ISLE ROYALE NATURAL HISTORY ASSOCIATION
800 E Lakeshore Dr, Houghton, MI 49931 www.irkpa.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: Partner with the National Park Service to promote public understanding, appreciation, enjoyment, and protection of Isle Royale National Park and Keweenaw National Historical Park and their natural and cultural resources through education and research. This is accomplished by providing high-quality interpretive products and programs; supporting the parks' interpretive and research missions financially; and conducting outreach activities that increase public participation and promote partnerships with communities and organizations.

Interpretive products and services: Helped staff and stocked four National Park Service (NPS) visitor centers and a Keweenaw Heritage Site sales area with educational materials for sale. Managed mail order sales from our website and phone orders. Wholesaled IRKPA interpretive publications. Developed new custom sales items, including Stormy Kromer hats, ball caps, dry bags, and stickers. Published an children's book "I Spy . . . Isle Royale" written by IRKPA staff member Susanna Ausema. Created an annual sales flyer with information about new sales items and how the organization supports our national parks. Employed a student worker at the Houghton Visitor Center during the summer and a year-round part-time employee to help with increasing sales and inventory management demands. Continued to build new displays and collaborate with NPS interpretive staff to make sales areas more functional and appealing to visitors. Sales revenue was 9% higher than 2018, making it the fifth year in a row with record sales.

Member and public programs: Assisted visitors with trip planning and on-site questions. Staffed booths with volunteer help for the annual Quiet Water Symposium at Michigan State University (2,500+ attendees); Canoecopia in Madison, WI (Isle Royale National Park's primary annual outreach, a 3-day event with 20,000+ attendees, billed as the "World's Largest Paddlesports Expo"); Copper Country Poor Artists Sale, and the Home for the Holidays Gift Mart at Michigan Technological University. The annual membership meeting at Isle Royale featured a presentation on the NPS wolf translocation project to an audience of ~75, along with a volunteer service project with 10 volunteers to remove invasive species on the eastern end of the island. Conducted a six-day Isle Royale botany workshop, a Keweenaw botany workshop, and an Isle Royale night sky photography workshop. Initiated a community outreach program, "Big Boat Boo!", onboard the Ranger III on the day before Halloween, which gave local children and their parents an opportunity to board the NPS vessel, engage in activities, and learn about Isle Royale National Park. Held three board meetings with three to four committee meetings preceding each. Mailed or emailed three well-received newsletters to 798 members. Organized volunteers to stuff about 700 membership renewal and rejoin letters with sales flyer inserts and summer mailings to members with board election ballots and mission-related sweepstakes tickets (suggested donation not required to enter). Processed membership renewals, gift memberships, donations, and mailings of membership premiums. Shared almost-daily posts to IRKPA's Facebook page with more than 7,000 followers as well as weekly posts.

Direct financial aid to our national parks: Helped edit and printed 44,000 Greenstone and Keweenaw Guide park newspapers and reprinted 8,000 Rock Harbor Area Guides, all for free distribution to visitors to our two national parks. Contracted with writer/project manager to compile and edit articles and photographs for the Greenstone. Provided staff assistance for the Isle Royale National Park booth at the three-day Canoecopia paddle sports expo (described in #2 above). Provided funding for researchers to complete the biennial beaver survey on Isle Royale. Supported two young artists selected to participate in the annual Teen Artist Exploration on Isle Royale. Funded the purchase of hats for Isle Royale volunteers. Supported Keweenaw National Historical Park's fourth annual Copper TRACES (Technology, Research, Art and Music, Community, Environment, and Service) day-long field trips for 500+ 4th grade students from six counties to participate in 20 activity stations related to the park's nationally significant copper mining history. Funding also included purchases for teacher-tested traveling resource trunks to extend activities back in the classroom. Copper TRACES is part of the National Park Service Every Kid in a Park program to connect families of young students with their parks. Funding for exhibits and staffing of the extremely successful Jacob Riis exhibit at KNHP's Calumet Visitor Center. Funded the illustration and printing of Explorer Ranger booklets that are given to children participating in the KNHP junior ranger program. Other funds supported a fall open house at the Calumet Visitor Center.

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Data for this page was sourced from XML published by IRS (public 990 form dataset) from: https://s3.amazonaws.com/irs-form-990/202043229349300049_public.xml