GLOF Sponsors Chief Lake Wilderness Youth Camp Archery Event

By Lee Zeidler, Executive Director, Great Lakes Outdoors Foundation (GLOF)

    It all started in 1897 with Glen Adams Grandfather starting a farm and fishing resort on Chief Lake in Republic, Michigan (Western Upper Peninsula). A few years later in 1906 George Bowers Grandfather came to Chief Lake to hunt deer from Indiana in the early winter, and kept coming every winter. Glen’s Grandfather and George’s Grandfather became friends, and shared a common bond, fishing and hunting. Glen’s family built a Fishing Resort on the lake that rated the best fishing in the country in the 1950’s, and George’s grandfather built a log cabin next door in the 1930’s. Fast forward 114 years to present, and Glen and George through 3 generations are close friends, and both are in their late 70’s. Each grew up differently, Glen in the Western U.P. with a farming and fishing family and George living in Indiana came from a family of doctors and lawyers. Throughout the years their families have been close, and now in their twilight years they had an idea.

    Dr. George Bowers (a retired Surgeon from Indiana) wanted to build a kids camp on Chief Lake, but didn’t have the land he needed in that area. The remnants of the once thriving Fishing Camp buildings on Glen’s property had fallen down, but the land itself was the right location. Some developers offered Glen a great deal of money to sell out and let them put up condos. George wanted the land for the kid’s camp. In most cases, the developers would have won and built their condos. Glen took George’s idea instead giving up over $700,000 to see a kid’s camp on their family property. After many meetings, plans, township officials, and a great deal of money, George started construction on the kid’s camp. Today the buildings are up on the outside, and winter should bring the interior work with a target date of July 2012 for the opening of Chief Lake Wilderness Youth Camp www.chieflakewildernessyouthcamp.org. When it’s completed it will be a first class youth camp in a great setting for our future youth to enjoy for several decades to come.

    What does this have to do with Archery and GLOF? When we met George Bowers and Glen Adams and learned more about the camp for kids we decided that they needed to ad archery to the list of activities at the kids camp. The camp staff has recently adopted a new motto: No Child Left Indoors. During the summer, the camp will offer programs of differing lengths for interested youth, with sessions focusing on a number of outdoor activities, from hiking and camping to fishing and boating. So we thought it would be a perfect spot to put an outdoor Archery Field in place for the youth at the camp and the local public. So after raising some funds, we were successful in obtaining a grant from the Easton Sports Development Foundation (www.esdf.org) and through our continued support from the Shaw and Betty Walker Foundation here in Michigan we were able to donate almost $7000 worth of Archery equipment to CLWYC.  Darton Archery in Hale Michigan provided 12 Ranger II youth compound bows at cost and Bay Archery in Bay City Michigan outfitted the bows and ordered all the targets and backstops for us. We delivered the equipment including all the outdoor support equipment with Bags, Backstops, and everything necessary to setup the outdoor field.

    On August 6 and 7 we held the inaugural event and over 50 kids from around the Western U.P. and Wisconsin showed up to shoot bows under the supervision of 4 world class Archers. Straight Line Archery in Ishpeming Michigan supplied 2 instructors, and the previous owner of Straight Line who lives down the road came out to help too. Jason Bis of Hastings came all the way up for the weekend to support and teach the kids. We had volunteers from the area and donations from local vendors that supported the event. The event was a success, and we also gave away a Darton Ranger II Bow package to one lucky youth that weekend. Lincoln Pettibone from Iron Mountain was the lucky one drawn from the hat, and he was one happy kid. Though the event was not a competition, the highlight of the weekend may have come from 12-year-old Lincoln Pettibone. He did his best Robin Hood impression Saturday when an arrow he fired struck and broke an arrow from a previous shot under the instruction of Jason Bis.

    Events like this would not be possible if it weren’t for the generous contributions of our donors and volunteers. We would like to thank all of them for their time and donations. If you’re interested in volunteering for events, or donating to an event like this please contact the Foundation at lee@grloutdoors.org.