Small-town fest goes global with Bahamian connection

 
By JERRY NUNN

The festival that began in a tiny Northern Michigan town has now gone international, as the Kirtland’s Warbler Festival brings a bit of the Caribbean to its hometown celebration of the little bird’s recovery from near extinction.

Following the lead of the Kirtland’s Warbler Recovery Team and its renowned cooperation, the festival is proud to include scientists from the Bahamas, where the bird makes it winter home.

This past year has witnessed the rapid advancement of that sharing of ideas as researchers travel between the two countries to assist in the recovery effort and to trade findings. For the third straight summer, a Bahamian researcher working hand-in-hand with local efforts, gaining knowledge to share with others back home.

The international flavor has spread to the Festival itself, as Bahamian schoolchildren take part in the annual calendar poster art contest. This popular promotional program has elementary-aged youth designing the artwork for calendars that find huge appeal and widespread use, not only in the area schools and businesses but now in similar places in the Bahamas.

It’s a long way from the festivals humble beginnings.

Eleven years ago, the festival got its start when members of the Mio Area Chamber of Commerce were brainstorming ideas to attract tourists.

"They have festivals for flowers. They have festivals for fish. Why can't we have a festival for a bird?" wondered Virgie Purchase? The bird she had in mind was the extremely rare Kirtland's Warbler. This northern Michigan town and its nearby neighbors lie in the heart of a Jack Pine forest, the world's only nesting grounds of this tiny, yellow-breasted bird.

With the approval and support of the local Chamber of Commerce, and with help from husband Richard, son Wayne Purchase and daughter Holly Gomez, Virgie Purchase set out to organize and promote the first Kirtland's Warbler Festival. Realizing that the success of this now annual Festival depended on publicity, they sent news releases to magazines and newspapers. They also sent invitations to every level of government.

Vice President Al Gore declined his invitation. But Bruce Babbit, Secretary of the Interior, did not. His acceptance gave the Festival the national exposure Purchase was looking for. With his entourage of reporters, Babbit took a tour to the nesting sites and gave a speech at Oscoda County Park, in Mio. Babbit was impressed by what he saw in Mio and the surrounding communities.

The entire Oscoda County community had worked hand-in-hand with The Department of Natural Resources, the U.S. Forest Service and other government agencies. It also worked closely with industry such as Consumers Energy to organize and bring exposure to the festival.

The endangered bird that many local residents had viewed as a hindrance to growth and recreation, because of the restricted areas set aside for its habitat, was turned into a benefit from which everyone would profit. Babbit would, in later speeches elsewhere, refer to this uncommon cooperation and the resulting profitability of a local natural feature as "The Mio Model."

Within two years, the Festival outgrew the manpower and resources of the tiny Chamber of Commerce. In the search for a sponsor of the Festival, the Chamber approached Kirtland Community College, which took its name from the bird. Located nearby, in the Huron National Forest and surrounded by the Jack Pine scrub the bird calls home, the college has played host to the event for the past eight years.

At the college, responsibility of the Festival fell first to Linda Barnes. She brought skills as a conservationist and an environmentalist that allowed her to work closely with the same government agencies the Festival already depended on.

Her connections with local leaders allowed her to include the community in planning the event. Barnes implemented several programs and events that remain a part of the Festival. Her inclusion of a greater educational element saw the event grow to area schools.

For three days prior to the Festival, two hired naturalists (three this year) travel to the schools within the COOR Intermediate School District to take the Kirtland's Warbler Festival directly to the students. Barnes also began the popular musical events and her watch saw the start of the kid's fishing pond and children's activities tent.

Today the event coordinator is Jim Enger, Kirtland's marketing director. Enger said last year's attendance was more than 2,000. Continuing to pursue an international audience, Enger increased advertising in national publications aimed at birders and continues to maintain the focus of events toward the Kirtland Warbler and other local natural resources. Several months before this year's Festival, he had received inquiries from as far away as Texas, Arizona, Minnesota and New York City.

Enger maintains a belief held since the Festival began, that the "owners" of the event are the local communities and people who saw its start. He remains committed to using the Festival to promote the areas other attractions and keeps the areas Chambers of Commerce involved in the event to heavily promote area business.

Enger also hopes to increase attendance of area residents and keeps that thought in mind when booking attractions like the exotic wild animal exhibit that will visit this year. Those animals include a white tiger, a kangaroo and a 70-pound tortoise, among others.

To this day, the Mio Model remains at the heart of the Kirtland's Warbler Festival. The agencies and organizations, the industries and individuals involved in the Festival are many and varied. All are aimed at attracting attention to the Kirtland's Warbler

All agree on a common goal - to serve both the local and national audience with exhibits that are entertaining, educational and enlightening. With one underlying theme: to have fun!