11037 Thumb Lake Rd, Boyne Falls, MI 49713

Telephone: (231) 549-2728 Fax: (231) 549-2729

Lake Louise

 

The Lake Louise Christian Community, Camp and Retreat Center are located on one of the most beautiful lakes (Thumb Lake) in Michigan. Our physical setting and facilities amidst 2800 acres of rolling conservation forest on a clear, spring-fed lake offer an amazing array of spiritual and recreational opportunities. Hike tree-lined trails or swim from sandy beaches. A cottager community of 125 families, a vibrant summer camp with rustic log cabins and programs for elementary, junior and senior high students and adults, and a year-round retreat center for all ages form the center of a ministry dedicated to "offering an environment and providing leadership for opportunities promoting healthy relationships, personal wholeness, and spiritual well-being." Founded by Methodists, our ministry is broadly ecumenical, inclusive of persons of faith across the Christian spectrum and attempting to understand and learn from other religious traditions.
 

See below for news about the Forest Legacy program at Lake Louise just released by the DNR.

Michigan DNR sent this bulletin at 06/11/2013 12:00 PM EDT

Press Release


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 11, 2013

Contact: Kerry Wieber, 989-275-5151, ext. 2908 or Sarah Lapshan, 517-241-1736


DNR announces $1 million Forest Legacy Program grant for Charlevoix County  

The Department of Natural Resources today announced that approximately 750 acres and nearly three-quarters of a mile of Thumb Lake frontage in Charlevoix County will be protected, available for public use and managed as a working forest thanks to a Forest Legacy Program grant award.

The project, known as the Gitcha-ninj Nebish Forest (Ottawa for “Big Finger Water”), includes the state acquisition of a conservation easement on 750 acres of rolling northern hardwood forests that is strategically positioned to connect larger blocks of protected lands and habitats. The property is adjacent to state forest land on three sides and contains the Thumb Lake frontage on the fourth side.

Bill O’Neill, chief of the DNR’s Forest Resources Division, said state acquisition of the conservation easement means that the property will stay in private ownership, but will be open for public recreational use and will be managed as a working forest under a forest management plan approved by the state forester.

“Whether you enjoy hunting, fishing, bird watching, hiking or one of the many other recreational opportunities our forest land has to offer, this project ensures this area will be sustainably managed for the enjoyment of current and future users,” said O’Neill, who also serves as Michigan’s state forester. “In addition to protecting the recreational values of the land, this project also takes into account protection of wildlife habitat and ensures sustainable timber management continues on the property. This is great news for all forest stakeholders.”

Along with sustainable forest management and public recreational access, the Gitcha-ninj Nebish Forest project will:

  • Help to protect a portion of the tri-county fall color tour area along Thumb Lake Road (County Road 48);
  • Protect the drinking water quality in the area, as the property is located in a high-ground water recharge area; and
  • Offer the potential for hikers on the North Country National Scenic Trail, located on nearby state forest land, the opportunity to hike to Thumb Lake.

The purpose of the Forest Legacy Program, which is providing 75 percent of the funding for this project, is to ascertain and protect environmentally important forest areas that are threatened by conversion to non-forest uses. The Forest Legacy Program seeks to promote forest-land protection and other conservation opportunities. The program, nationally competitive and administered by the U.S. Forest Service, is funded through the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

O’Neill said that with the grant funds now awarded, the DNR will begin the detailed work with the landowner and project partner, Little Traverse Conservancy, so that the project can be successfully completed.

For more information about the Forest Legacy Program, visit www.michigan.gov/privateforestland.

Lake Louise invites you to step back from your regular routines and step into nature for a time of recreation, reflection, and being intentional about life and our relationship with God. In stepping closer to creation in all of its physical elements, we are reminded of what is most elemental in our spiritual lives. Lake Louise offers a renewing outdoor experience. Take a walk in the woods. Claim some conversation or reflection around a campfire. Join us for "re-creation" at one of our camps, retreats or an individual sabbath. Think of Lake Louise as the next location for your church group, or your civic or business organization.

 

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We have created the Lake Louise Giving Tree. The Giving Tree is a list of items big and small, costly and inexpensive that are needed in our operation. The Giving Tree is a registry listed on Amazon.com. How can you help? Go to the giving Tree and see if there is not something there that you can purchase as a gift to Lake Louise.

Click here to explore Lake's Wish List!