The Metro: Belle Isle Conservancy’s efforts helping to improve the island this summer

Despite having one of its largest attractions closed for renovations, Belle Isle saw a 7% increase in visitors last year. And with the scheduled reopening of the Belle Isle Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory, there are many reasons to be excited about what could be on the horizon. 

One important organization behind these efforts is the Belle Isle Conservancy. Formed in 2011 by combining four long-standing Belle Isle support nonprofits, the conservancy has played a vital role in restoring and maintaining the island’s most notable attractions. One prominent example is their fundraising efforts, which allowed them to reopen the Belle Isle Aquarium in 2012. 

Maud Lyon, longtime board member and interim CEO of the Belle Isle Conservancy, joined The Metro on Tuesday to discuss the conservancy’s role and the efforts being made for Belle Isle.

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Lyon says nonprofits like the Belle Isle Conservancy can help raise support that government agencies, like their partner the Michigan Department of National Resources, cannot.

“So we have over 2,000 volunteers every year that are helping to pick up trash on the island, reduce plastic pollution, they serve as greeters at the aquarium, we have some that are tank scrapers,” Lyon says, “We couldn’t do it without the volunteers that make it happen. So that’s the kind of thing that a nonprofit can do much more effectively than a state agency.”

The conservatory is due to reopen soon and the newly modified Belle Isle slide will also be available this summer 2024. 

More headlines from The Metro on May 21, 2024: 

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