Midwest Regional Director Robyn Thorson was the keynote speaker to the gala event attended by over 350 partners of the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge - Photo courtesy of DTE Energy

On Saturday, April 29, the first annual International Wildlife Refuge Alliance Benefit Dinner was held at the Flat Rock Community Center.  More than 350 people attended, including Congressman John Conyers, Governor Jennifer Grahholm, Canadian Member of Parliament Jeff Watson, many local elected officials, and many corporate sponsors.  

Congressman John Dingell delivered a taped message from Washington, D.C., where he was recovering from hip surgery.  Congressman Dingell stated that "Community support is key to building a sustainable and successful refuge. I am pleased that so many individuals and organizations in our community have joined together to support the International Wildlife Refuge Alliance."

“It was a gala evening that will not soon be forgotten,” reported Ms. Molly Luempert Coy of DTE Energy.  “The event truly brought together people from the grassroots level to the corporate boardroom,” noted Ms. Anita Twardesky, Vice-Chairperson of the Alliance.  The evening was a true celebration of building North America’s only International Wildlife Refuge in the industrial heartland.  Participants learned how the refuge has grown from 394 acres to 2,140 in just four years.  In addition, our Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge is now getting national attention for its public-private partnerships for conservation, sustainability, and close-to-home recreation. 

Keynote speaker Ms. Robyn Thorson, Regional Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, congratulated all stakeholders on their leadership in public-private partnerships and noted that the entire Nation is watching and learning from Detroit River’s conservation experiences.  She stated that Refuges are not only important to “quality of life,” but are in fact economic engines.  “If hunting, fishing, and wildlife watching were a corporation, its $108 billion annual revenues would make it the 7^th largest corporation in America,” noted Ms. Thorson.  Tourism is Michigan’s #2 economy, behind manufacturing.  And close-to-home recreational opportunities are very important to attracting and retaining the next generation of employees for our businesses. 

Financial contributions and commitments at the benefit dinner and auction exceeded $100,000.  These funds will be used by the International Wildlife Refuge Alliance to hire an executive director, promote community outreach, organize educational and interpretive programs, undertake habitat rehabilitation and restoration projects, coordinate volunteer staff, and organize special events.

 The Alliance is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to

support the first International Wildlife Refuge in North America by working through partnerships to protect, conserve and manage the refuge’s wildlife and habitats, and to create exceptional conservation, recreational and educational experiences to develop the next generation of conservation stewards.