07/11/2007

Fish hatchery group gets $25,000 federal grant for museum

Money used to remove asbestos, repair floors

BY SHERI McWHIRTER

smcwhirter@record-eagle.com

GRAYLING — A group that wants to establish a museum at the Grayling Fish Hatchery is getting closer to its vision.

A $25,000 rural business enterprise grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture recently was used to remove asbestos in floor and ceiling tiles inside the old building on the hatchery grounds. Additional floor repairs will be completed within a couple of weeks with that money, said Bruce Patrick, a member of the hatchery's steering committee.

"We're able to work on it and piece it together a little bit at a time,” he said.

About $600,000 in grants and contributions have been spent so far to rehabilitate the historic hatchery. That includes $450,000 to restore the fish raceways and grounds, with the rest invested in building upgrades, said Dr. John Sloan, another member of the hatchery committee.Officials want to create an educational center and museum focused on the Au Sable and Manistee River valleys and local traditions. Displays would highlight the area's fly-fishing and natural history and explain how the logging industry affected the ecosystem of Michigan rivers, specifically leading to the extinction of local grayling.

The hatchery was founded in 1914 in an attempt to restore grayling to the Au Sable River, but eventually was converted to use as a trout hatchery. Plans for the site include a library, museum exhibits, a laboratory and a large area focused on hatchery practices and the watershed.

Sloan said he hopes for an aquarium at the museum that will hold live grayling, the fish for which the town was named.

"But you can't establish a museum until you get the building ready,” he said.

Building renovations are expected to cost more than $1 million in total.

The hatchery is open to visitors. Tickets are $2.50 for adults and $1.50 for children, with those younger than 5 admitted free.

For more information about the hatchery, visit www.graylingfishhatchery.com.