FOHRA to March in Milford, Michigan 4th of July Parade

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This years' 4th of July Parade in Milford, Michigan will be held on Saturday, July 3 at 11 am. The Friends of Highland Recreation Area will walk and drive in the parade to promote the Highland State Recreation Area, the historic Edsel and Eleanor Ford Haven Hill estate within the park, and the upcoming summer "Haven Hill Festival". The Festival will be held from 10 am until 4 pm on Saturday, August 28th in the Goose Meadow picnic area of the park. A vintage 1929 Model A Ford, driven by Chuck and Jean Sherman, members of the Livingston A's driving club, will escort FOHRA's members the length of the parade. Come on out and enjoy supporting FOHRA in the community!

FOHRA at Waterford, Michigan Log Cabin Days!

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Head on over to Waterford Historical Society's Log Cabin Days this Saturday and Sunday to celebrate the anniversary of Michigan's statehood. The Waterford Historical Society's Historic Village is located in Fish Hatchery Park @ 4490 Hatchery Road,Waterford, Michigan. Crescent Lake Road is a nearby cross street.

Make sure to visit the Friends of Highland Recreation Area booth to join our efforts at Highland State Recreation Area and to see some wonderful photos of our own "Log Cabin" the Edsel and Eleanor Ford Haven Hill Carriage House.

Walk the grounds of the Waterford Historical Society's Historic Village and see their original 1930's log cabin, Jacobers' General Store, a 1957 Grand Trunk Caboose, the Drayton Plains Depot, a water tower, Hardware Store, Print Shop, Carriage House, Dr.Dentist Office, Bakery, Barber Shop, and Millinery.

FOHRA members will be handing out fliers and information for this summers' Haven Hill Festival to be held Saturday, August 28 at the Goose Meadow in Highland State Recreation ARea. Drop on by and give us a shout!

Visit www.FOHRA.org and www.havenhillfestival.com for more information.

Ford Team Volunteers at Ford Barn!

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On Friday, May 14 an enthusiastic group of Ford Motor Company volunteers came out to historic Haven Hill and helped continue the rescue of the Edsel Ford Barn inside the Highland State Recreation Area in Highland/White Lake, Michigan. The Haven Hill section of the Highland State Recreation Area was once the grand country estate of Edsel and Eleanor Ford. Above: Ford Volunteer Corps team members at the Haven Hill Carriage House on May 14, 2010.

The Ford Volunteer Corps members were participating in a "Better World Accelerated Action Day". The Friends of Highland Recreation Area (FOHRA) applied for and were selected as a recipient of a mini-grant and the Edsel Ford Barn as an Action Day location. The Edsel Ford Barn is in the final stage of a massive cleanup after the violent storm damage that occurred during the summer of 2008. FOHRA has handled the clean-up with environment-friendly techniques, sorting much of the fallen debris by hand for potential reuse.

Above: The Edsel Ford Barn pad is nearly 100% cleared of fallen debris after two seasons of hard work with help from volunteers like the Ford Volunteer Corps.

The Ford folks helped sort and clean metal, wood, cedar shingles, and more as the giant concrete pad that was once underneath the barn is cleaned and readied for the next stages of renovation. Continued work on the historic barn occurs the 1st and 3rd Sundays of each month.

The Haven Hill restoration and re-purposing project in Highland State Recreation Area is an excellent way for your group to volunteer, and we need your help. Check us out at www.fohra.org. To learn more about the Ford Volunteer Corps, go to www.volunteer.ford.com.

Prescribed Burn Cleans Forest Floor

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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.

Redbuds, Dogwoods, Trillium in Bloom at Highland Recreation Area

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The dogwoods and redbuds are in full bloom at Highland Recreation Area! A true sign of spring, the Lilacs will soon follow. Park trails are filling with spring foliage. Yesterday I found a trillium just starting to get going.

And a few dogwoods decorated the trail...

Mayapples are filling the forest floor... like small palm trees. No blossoms or fruit yet though.

Kick off your snowshoes and get out to Highland Recreation Area today for a refreshing spring hike.

- Jay

Enjoy HRA in the Winter

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The Highland State Recreation Area can be as enjoyable for you and your family in the winter as it is in the summer - if you dress right and get out and enjoy the beautiful winter scenery.

The Friends of Highland Recreation Area are using winter to continue the work around the historic Haven Hill structures despite the cold weather and snow. Planning and research continues, and construction is slated for the early part of the year.

Come on out and enjoy the park. Try sledding, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and more!

www.fohra.org

No Grapes on These Vines!

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Now that the leaves have fallen, the amazing large vines around some of the trees in Highland Recreation Area are exposed to view.

Some are 2 - 3 inches in diameter. They look large and strong enough to support a climber!

They are another of the great things that nature has to offer for viewing in Highland State Recreation Area. Get outside and see something "divine"... sorry for the bad pun.

www.fohra.org

Haven Hill Gate House Exposed!

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Members of Highland State Recreation Area's support group, FOHRA, got together on November 8 and cleared away years of brush in front of the Haven Hill Gate House. The old building can now be seen from the M-59 entrance station as visitors enter the park. Above: Heavy brush blocks the view of the Haven Hill Gate House.

Above: Members clip and pull the years of brush that had obscured the Gate House from view.

Above: FOHRA members Tim Wiles and Jerry McManus review the clearing.

Above: The Haven Hill Gate House, once the entrance to Edsel Ford's Haven Hill Estate, exposed to public view beyond the entrance station turn-around at Highland Recreation Area.

Above: Friends of Highland Recreation Area marvel at the new view.

FOHRA plans to improve these sites within the park. The Haven Hill Gate House may become an informative Visitors Center some day. Come on out and help the effort. Visit www.fohra.org for more info.

FOHRA Lease of Haven Hill Structures

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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.