About the Friends of the Porkies

The Friends of the Porkies has been around for many years. Certainly, citizens interested in the park land and what it was to become have been around since the early 1940s. The Porcupine Mountain Ski Club was probably the first of these organizations. Various meetings of groups of people calling themselves friends have been organized around different park issues for many years.

In April of 1987, the Friends of the Porkies meet to develop “a plan for the park that the public would like to see implemented.” Committees were organized around the following subjects: Skiing, Historical, Harbor and Waters, Snowmobiles, Hunting and Fishing, Nature and Environment, and Liaison.

The formality of an organization began in the early eighties with Dan Urbanski and his friends. Dan also published a newsletter for the Friends called the Quill. At this point in time the Friends had somewhat regular meetings and elected officers. It was decided in January of 1998 that a board of directors and officers should be elected and federal nonprofit status should established. It was decided that the Friends’ mission should be to represent the interests of all users of the Porkies and provide a platform for ideas to improve the park.

The Friends has continued to grow and take on projects, which support and promote the Porkies and its users. You can follow our progress in the Quill and on this Web site.