Michigan Parks and Places: print series with a cause

I’ve decided to start an illustration series called Michigan Parks and Places!

It’ll feature outdoor destinations in my home state that are fascinating beyond measure. I plan to make prints of each piece and send 20% of sales to the Department of Natural Resources in Michigan to help protect our wild places! I hope this series will encourage people to get outside and take care of our home — the earth — right where we are. 

WILDERNESS: A LOVE STORY

I’ve always had an acute love for the outdoors. My family owns a piece of property up north that’s entirely forest and marshland. We visit often, so many of my childhood memories and lifestyle values were formed there. 

All types of native wildlife live on our acreage: deer, rabbits, snakes, bugs, birds, owls, bats, tree-climbing critters, bears, you name it. And of course the plants — huckleberry-picking and mushroom-hunting were ticked off my bucket list early in life. I’ve always been taught that the things we do during our stay affect the things that live there every day. We take pride in our land and are mindful of the wildlife that shares our space. 

As I got older I wanted to hike more than our well-traveled trails. I did short hikes in Arizona and hiked the Red Rock Mountains in Nevada. I planned a trek through Death Valley in California. I lusted over faraway places like Colorado and Montana.

But I realized I really didn’t need to go that far. There are beautiful destinations here in Michigan! 

Since then I’ve spent a week backpacking the secluded Isle Royale National Park, hiked Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, visited Ludington’s great pier and of course explored Belle Isle State Park, a true local nature gem. There are many places to add to this list.

I wanted to spread the word about Michigan and remind my fellow Michiganders that you don’t have to leave the state to see cool stuff! In fact, ours is one of the most stunning landscapes of the 50 states — we’ve got the Great Lakes, after all. 

ECOSYSTEMS: A TRAGEDY

I also know that there’s a larger conversation going on about our environment that worries me very much. 

As someone who lives in the Great Lake State, I worry a lot about the quality (and quantity) of our freshwater. I’m concerned about pollution, about shrinking habitats for our wildlife friends, and about human impact on our state, especially when it comes to littering, dumping, and agricultural practices. I could go on about it all day. Seriously. 

In an effort not to get overwhelmed by these issues, I chose to focus my efforts on one specific cause: our state parks and wildlife preserves. 

Our public lands need support. They provide a place for people to fall in love with nature like I did and learn from a young age. People can learn about the plants and animals that live all around us (and maybe meet a few!). Kids can create healthy hobbies when they play outdoors and these beautiful (and almost free!) places give them a chance to do that. This is a great service because those who love nature, respect nature. 

State parks and the DNR do a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to taking care of our environment. 

They provide programs and activities to get young people involved with the outdoors.

They organize volunteer opportunities and rally everyday citizens to participate in cleaning efforts, battling invasive species, data collection, and more.

They help manage our natural resources like minerals, water, forests, oil, fisheries, etc., and help teach private landowners how to manage their resources as well.

Not only that, but they’re an important part of our economy, hiring tons of seasonal and year-round workers from our local areas to support tourism. 

Our DNR workers do a lot of on-the-ground data collection, research and observation. The staff is educated on the ecosystem in their specific areas and they know best what we need to conserve and protect it. I want to help them by donating money they need!

LET’S DO OUR PART

For the Michigan Parks and Places series, 20% of all sales will go to Michigan’s State Parks through the DNR. The cost to you is the same as buying any other print! You can help save our environment and get a cool piece of art at the same time. 

The Department of Natural Resources in Michigan leads the conservation efforts in our state. They’re usually funded by people who buy things like hunting and fishing licenses, pay camping or recreation fees, and by donations from people who care, like us. Only 11% of their funding actually comes from state taxes. 

I’ll be channeling the 20% of sales cost directly into the DNR State Parks fund. This will pay for resource protection, green initiatives, accessible playgrounds and recreation, trail maintenance, historical interpretation, youth education and classroom transportation. 

I’m ready to help them preserve natural places for our wildlife friends! Are you?

WHICH PARKS AND PLACES?

I plan to illustrate a few different places for this series. Not all are state parks, but they’re all beautiful places that are worth cherishing in Michigan. I’ve got four finished already! Here they are:

Hopefully these illustrations motivate you to put your adventure shoes on and get outdoors. 

The places I’ll be painting are either deeply meaningful for me personally, or are a big part of our Michigan natural identity. Here are the locations I plan to highlight:

• Isle Royale National Park
• Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
• Belle Isle State Park
• Ludington Breakwater Lighthouse
• South Higgins Lake State Park
• Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park
• Tahquamenon Falls State Park
• Silver Lake State Park
• Mackinac Bridge
• Petoskey State Park

Which places have you been to? I hope to visit them all this summer, especially the amazing Porcupine Mountains. 

I’ll be releasing them all before September 30!

GET INVOLVED

Purchase one of the prints already released in the Michigan Parks and Places series here! A full 20% of what you pay goes to our beautiful state and you get a dreamy reminder of your contribution to hang on your wall. 

Stay tuned for the rest of the illustrations to come out, I’ll post updates regularly on Instagram at @carolynwhittico and to my mailing list, which you can join here. 

Stay strange, and get outdoors!