Prescribed Burn Cleans Forest Floor

During many years of forest management the use of fire to clear forest clutter has been a controversial subject. Lessons learned from the dramatic recovery of Yellowstone National Park after the 1988 fires revealed that nature uses fires in a mostly positive way, and that flora and fauna recover naturally and successfully. A prescribed burn was recently conducted north and east of Haven Hill Lake... Although the charred land in a burn area is not particularly pleasing to the eyes, from what I saw during a recent hike the burn has already resulted in positive affects... new seedlings are sprouting, and the area has far less clutter.

Note the grass already sprouting in the photo above.

FOHRA Lease of Haven Hill Structures

PRESS RELEASE The Friends of Highland Recreation Area (FOHRA), a 501(c)(3) volunteer organization based in Highland, Michigan, is now operating under Lease agreement with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources for the historic Edsel Ford Haven Hill Estate structures within the Haven Hill section of the park at 5200 Highland Road (M-59) in White Lake, Michigan.

The Haven Hill section of the park contains the remaining original structures of what was once a country home of Edsel and Eleanor Ford. The Lease Agreement covers all of the former Haven Hill Estate structures.

FOHRA will be revitalizing the structures for public enjoyment.  The public is encouraged to visit the organization’s website at www.fohra.org.

Fall Color Started at Haven Hill Lake

The colors are beginning to change on the shores of Haven Hill Lake in the Highland Recreation Area. Get your cameras (or just yourself) and go capture one of the area's best fall color photos!

Despite a cool day yesterday, the colors still popped. This is the western edge of the Lake which has a nice combination of forest types.

The Highland Recreation Area is located off of M-59 in White Lake/Highland, Michigan and is the home of the Friends of Highland Recreation Area.

www.fohra.org

FOHRA on the Highland Equestrian Conservancy Barn Tour

The Friends of Highland Recreation Area showcased the Haven Hill Carriage House and the Edsel Ford Barn on this year's Highland Equestrian Conservancy Barn Tour this last Sunday. The building was selected as a surprise location on the Barn Tour circuit. Special thanks goes to the HEC for having Haven Hill on the Tour this year.

Above: Vintage Ford automobiles provide to the Barn Tour by the Highland Rollers Car Club depict what it might have looked like when Edsel Ford's own vehicles were at the Haven Hill Carriage House many years ago. Visitors were given guided tours of the Lodge footprint and the Carriage House area, and walked amongst the shiny vehicles that added a special atmosphere to the scene.

Above: The Haven Hill Carriage House's tall stone chimney (top right) looks down onto the cars below.

Visitors arrived and departed the top of Haven Hill in shuttle buses (provided by Heavner Canoe of Milford) that traveled up and down the newly-repaired Haven Hill Road. FOHRA displayed historical maps, artifacts, and Highland Recreation Area photographs for guests as they gathered at the shuttle stop to return down the Hill.

Come join us at www.FOHRA.org to learn more about the Friends of Highland Recreation Area. We need your help and support. FOHRA is a 501(c)(3) organization.

Haven Hill Road Repair Video!

Watch a quick video of the Haven Hill Road repairs inside the Highland Recreation Area. Special thanks again to Cadillac Asphalt, LLC! [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oftg1nlAJto]

Come on out and join the volunteer effort.

www.fohra.org

FOHRA "Paves the Road" to Haven Hill

The Friends of Highland Recreation Area, the MDNR, and Cadillac Asphalt, L.L.C. worked together to put some much-needed repairs into the Haven Hill Road up to the historic Edsel Ford Carriage House and Lodge site this last weekend.

Some areas required small patches, others whole sections of roadway.

Repairs were in dire need, as sections of the roadway were worsening with the spring run-offs each year.

The team at Cadillac Asphalt put down 30 tons of asphalt into many severe potholes and damaged sections of the old road. Donated manpower, time, and energy were a much-appreciated gift from the folks at Cadillac.

The Friends of Highland Recreation Area are assuming a Lease soon that includes the upper section of the road. Eventually, even the old parking area up near the site will be refinished.

There's a lot going on with FOHRA at Highland Recreation Area. Come on out and join us as we "pave the road" to saving the historic features of the Recreation Area.

Haven Hill Road Work Day, Sunday September 13

The Friends of Highland Recreation Area (FOHRA) are sponsoring a big volunteer work day on Sunday, September 13 to clean and repair the Haven Hill Road up to the Edsel Ford Carriage House and Lodge footprint. FOHRA will soon receive the Lease of the historic Haven Hill structures, which will include the road up to the top of the hill and the parking area below the lodge location. The work day will be a continuation of the group's efforts to rehabilitate the beautiful road up Haven Hill.  Come on out and help! Come out to Highland State Recreation Area anytime between 9 and 4 pm that Sunday to help. Rakes, shovels, scrapers,  and other yard tools will be helpful. Wear gloves for sure, and work clothes and insect spray are also a smart idea.

To reach the work party, enter the Highland Recreation Area off of M-59 in White Lake. Drive Haven Hill Road past the Goose Meadow Picnic area, and past the Crown V Ranch entrance. The next right-hand turn is the continuation of Haven Hill Road. Park in the lot on the left and walk west to the Haven Hill road gate past the MDNR maintenance complex. FOHRA volunteer vehicles will be visible all around.

Water, soda pop, and snack foods will be provided all day by FOHRA for a small donation. Volunteers, new members, donors, everyone is welcome to attend!

Visit the FOHRA Website for more info.

Haven Hill Gatehouse Gets Much Needed Highland Recreation Area Friends Group Care

The Friends of Highland Recreation Area spent most of this last Sunday weatherizing and landscaping around the former Gatehouse of the Edsel Ford Haven Hill Estate. Since it's construction in the 1920's, the structure was originally the main entrance for Edsel's sprawling complex which now lies within the Highland Recreation Area. The building had been re-purposed as the park superintendents' home by the Michigan DNR who bought the entire estate in the 1940's.  Since the 1970's the building has been vacant and fallen into disrepair.

Above: The Haven Hill Gatehouse early Sunday morning prior to FOHRA volunteer work.

FOHRA members tarped a large hole in the roof and used heavy equipment donated by Dean Sutton to clean up the grounds and perform much needed landscaping. Years of debris and vandalism refuse was removed from the garage and breezway.

Above: The Edsel Ford Gatehouse after FOHRA and WWAM work this last Sunday, May 17, 2009.

The roof received heavy tarp material to stop rain and snow penetration. The tarp was secured and then clean-up of the structure and grounds-keeping were performed all day.  "It's amazing how much can be accomplished by a group working together in just one day", a FOHRA member said.

Above: The Haven Hill Gatehouse with new roof weatherizing tarps installed by FOHRA.

The Friends group was also supported by a "WWAM Team", a helpful source of skills and labor from Oakland County. The WWAM program benefits the community in many ways and is a truly successful Oakland County program.

Above: A rear view of the historic garage attached to the living quarters by a breeze-way. Walkways (front) were found and exposed from under years of layered sod and soil.

The Gatehouse is one of several structures within the park that are being targeted for revitalization by the Friends of Highland Recreation Area. FOHRA is a non-profit volunteer organization that works in conjunction with the MDNR to support the Recreation Area. Come on out and volunteer... check the FOHRA website at www.fohra.org for information.

Edsel Ford Barn Efforts Begin a New Green Season

FOHRA members with assistance from an Oakland County WWAM  team (Weekends and Weekday Alternative for Misdemeanants) resumed major sorting and reclamation efforts at the Edsel Ford Barn on March 28th inside the Highland Recreation Area. High winds during a June 8, 2008 storm dropped approximately 3/4 of the barn's rear structure into a large debris pile that FOHRA will now sort and salvage.

FOHRA members organized the material content into sorting locations that included metal, glass, wood, asphalt tiles, etc. The volunteers intend to reuse as much of the original materials as possible for the barn's restoration.

Heavy lifting equipment from volunteer group member Dean Sutton was used to begin dismantling the large debris field. The machinery makes short work of what seems to be an insurmountable task.

FOHRA's efforts within the Highland Recreation Area are guided with intentions to reuse and reclaim as much of the park's historic structure's materials as possible, whenever possible.  Discussion of salvage projects at member meetings, which occur on the 1st Wednesday of every month, is usually filled with "green" ideas for future efforts.

The green efforts are also financially smart. Salvaging valuable raw materials makes good cents (pun intended).

Seen below, even wood that is deemed unusable for now is being sorted and stored for it's final disposition.

Come join the efforts of the Friends of Highland Recreation Area to restore this barn and other historic structures from the era of Edsel Ford's Haven Hill Estate. See our website for membership info.... www.fohra.org.   The next meeting of the group is at the White Lake Township community building on Wednesday, May 6 at 7 pm.

FOHRA and MDNR to Develop Haven Hill Stuctures Lease!

In a meeting on Wednesday, February 11,  the members of FOHRA were given a green light to begin developing a lease agreement with the Michigan DNR for the historic properties of the Haven Hill complex within Highland State Recreation Area. Parks Chief Ron Olson reminded all the attendees of our mutual responsibility to be custodians of our lands and historic places.

Discussions amongst key members of the Friends of Highland Recreation Area and the Michigan DNR will begin soon.