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Friday, Augasi . 21, 1981; - 29
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Fresh Atr Society, Tamarack Hills Have Multifaceted Role
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aTh
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Unlike agencies of Feder-
ation, THA has its chair-
man and committee mem-
A short quiz for the bers appointed by Federa-
Jewish community:
tion's board of governors.
• Which committee affil- For operating purposes,
iated with the Jewish Wel- both THA and Fresh Air
fare Federation has kitchen Society are among the be-
facilities large enough to neficiaries of the Allied
prepare up to 1,900 meals Jewish Campaign.
daily?
Burton noted that the
• Which Federation Jewish community long has
committee operates a fleet associated with the THA
of 60 trucks, buses, bulldoz- campgrounds with the 79-
ers and road graders, and year-old Fresh Air Society,
maintains a permanent Federation's communal
garage and staff of camping agency. In fact, al-
mechanics?
though the major user of
• Which Federation camp sites, FAS does not
committee owns a sawmill own the land or its physical
where cords of oak firewood property except at
are chopped and bundled for Brighton. THA receives
public sale?
reimbursement from FAS
If the Tamarack Hills each summer for the
Authority was your answer facilities and services pro-
to all three questions, you vided at all other camp
have won the congratula- sites.
tions of THA Chairman
The
FAS,
under
Lester S. Burton and President Allan Nachman,
Michael Zaks, executive di- is free to establish its own
rector of THA and the Fresh programming and hire its
Air Society. For, according own camping personnel, but
to Zaks, the important work THA also employs year-
of the THA is largely "an round staff to handle build-
untold story."
ing and maintenance work.
Since its inception in Six THA employees reside
1951, under its first chair- on premises at the Benard
man, Nate Silverman, and L. and Rosalyn J. Maas Rec-
later, Bert L. Smokier, THA reation Area, whose nearly
has been a permanent 1,300 wooded acres and
standing committee of Fed- three lakes comprise Camp
eration. THA is responsible Tamarack at Ortonville.
for overseeing six There also are many hourly
campgrounds in Michigan THA employees at the
and Canada, which are campgrounds, which serv-
among the communal prop- ices youngsters between the
erties maintained by Fed- ages of 11 and 15 years old.
eration's senior agency and
When the summer
predecessor, the United camp season is over and
Jewish Charities.
Fresh Air Society staff
(During his 25 years of depart, the THA leases
leadership, Silverman, the facilities to other us-
who passed away on Aug. ers. These include about
8, saw the camp site in Or- 7,000 youngsters who
tonville more than dou- attend 84 different
ble in size to over 1,200 schools in 23 public
acres, and the construc- school systems. The stu-
tion of numerous build- dents participate in a
ings and projects there week-long outdoor edu-
and at Brighton. Silver- cation program, which
man Village, a camping operates Monday
program for emotionally through Friday during
deprived youngsters at the regular school year
Ortonville, carries his between September and
name.)
May.
By ESTHER ALLWEISS
TSCHIRHART
O
Jewish Welfare Federation
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Another 2,500 persons
from synagogue, church,
youth, fraternal and busi-
ness organizations come to
the recreation area for re-
treats Friday through Sun-
day.
The Henry M. Butzel
Senior Citizens Village and
Conference Center, also at
the Maas site, serves as a
comfortable year-round
meeting place for other
groups. Three adjacent
guesthouses can accommo-
date up to 72 persons. Var-
ious groups, including
families enjoying special
holiday weekends, such as
at Purim, help keep the
Butzel Center well-booked,
Zaks said.
DeRoy Village, a resi-
dence for campers, was the
first unit established at
Camp Tamarack at Or-
toville in 1953. Today, the
campgrounds include 154
buildings under roofs.
In the past three years,
several of the buildings
used by Camp Tamarack
have been constructed with
lumber produced at the
site's own sawmill.
"We obtained the sawmill
from its original owners,
who were based at a logging
town in northern Michigan.
The sawmill has been used
since the turn of the cen-
tury," said Zaks.
Fresh Air Society at Or-
tonville has an ongoing
reforestation program,
he said, in which three
rotating interns from
Michigan State Univer-
sity came each summer
to w rk alongside THA's
retired maintenance
superintendent Allen
Brown.
The crew is involved in
thinning out the forest (tree
varieties including pine,
aspen, maple, oak, spruce
and cedar) and re-seeding
new saplings.
One project was planting
a black walnut forest. When
mature in about 20 years,
Zaks said the trees will be
sold for use as wood veneer.
He said the sale of firewood
(about 100 cords last year)
covers the cost of conducting
the reforestation program
and operating the sawmill.
A dance barn is among
the interesting structures
at the Maas site. Camp par-
ticipants in the Dance Vil-
(Continued on Page 30)
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Sunday, August 30, 1981 2-5 P.M.
For Prospective Members
•
•
•
•
•
•
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•
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Bar and Bat Mitzvah Programs
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-
In top photo, Lester S. Burton, left, chairman of
the Tamarack Hills Authority, and Michael Zaks,
executive director of both THA and Fresh Air Society,
show off the working turn-of-the-century sawmill at
the Benard L. and Rosalyn J. Maas Recreation Area
in Ortonville. Several buildings at the campgrounds
have been constructed by the Tamarack Hills
Authority using lumber milled on site here. In bottom
photo, these young Fresh Air Society counselors-in-
training stand outside a log cabin, which is part of the
new Bert L. and Toba Smokier Pioneer Skills Center
at Camp Tamarack. The your-round outdoor educa-
tion center is located on the grounds of the Maas Rec-
reation Area.
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