MARQUETTE — Starting at 6 p.m. Friday, the Upper Peninsula Land Conservancy will hold an Earth Day fundraising concert at the Honorable Distillery in Marquette. The event will feature voice and guitar duo Deux Saisons, as well as a themed cocktail and raffle prizes.

“Keri Lee Pierson (of Deux Saisons) reached out offering to coordinate and sing for an Earth Day Fundraiser for the UP Land Conservancy and Partridge Creek Compost,” said UPLC Executive Director Emily Leach. “Keri Lee had supported UPLC in a similar fundraiser concert last year. The Honorable Distillery has been great to work with and when Keri Lee reached out to them they were open to hosting! UPLC staff discussed the event with their staff and came up with the idea for a special spring cocktail.”

The U.P. Land Conservancy is an organization which has worked to conserve land across the Upper Peninsula since 1999. They have since protected over 5,000 acres, including ten nature preserves, 24 forest reserves, and 26 conservation easements.

“The UPLC has been working on a lot of wonderful projects lately,” said Leach.

Among these projects was the 2026 Sugar Bush Iskigamizigan event series in partnership with the Northern Michigan University Center for Native American Studies, Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Promise Neighborhoods, Sault Tribe Language and Culture and Marquette Senior High School Title VI. During this event series, maple trees were tapped at the Dead River Community Forest Vielmetti Peters Reserve and boiled at the NMU Sugar Shack.

The UPLC has also recently added a new nature preserve.

“UPLC recently acquired a new nature preserve, Mulligan Pines, in Champion Township,” said Leach. “This 80 acre preserve, near Silver Lake, is now open to the public for use and enjoyment! With Mulligan Creek, a tributary to the Dead River, running through the property and an impressive stand of old growth white pines, this land holds high conservation value. We will install signage this summer and have a grand opening in the fall.”

The fundraiser at the Honorable Distillery will help continue to fund these kinds of educational events and conservation efforts.

“The concert is a fun way to celebrate the Earth and our special lands and waters of the UP through supporting local conservation organizations, the UP Land Conservancy and Partridge Creek Compost,” said Leach. “Join us in listening to the classical voice and guitar duo, Deux Saisons, and enjoying a craft cocktail. Attendees can enter to win 3-months of curbside compost collections from Partridge Creek Compost, an insulated travel mug and hat from the UP Land Conservancy or a swag bag courtesy of NMU and SHINE.”

More upcoming UPLC efforts include the updating of their strategic plan, which will be taking community input in the form of a survey released later this spring, and the UP Stewardship Summit on May 22nd, in which UP conservation organizations, tribes, municipalities and other lands managers convene for collaborative small table discussions.

The UPLC is also looking for new board members. Applications are due at the end of April, and terms would begin in June.

“Thank you to Deux Saisons and the Honorable Distillery for hosting this (Earth Day) event,” said Leach. “We look forward to a vibrant community gathering to connect with folks about the impactful work that UPLC does and share how they can support us.”

Annie Lippert can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 550. Her email address is alippert@miningjournal.net.