The purpose of the O.B. Eustis Award is to recognize environmental protection or improvement efforts in Northeast Michigan. Through a $1500 grant from the Community Foundation for Northeast Michigan, each award winner will be able to designate their portion of the grant to an environmental project in Northeast Michigan. The award winners were recognized at the Huron Pines Annual Meeting on February 3rd in Hillman. The award was named for the late O.B. Eustis, whose career in Northern Michigan was exemplary in balancing economic and environmental issues.

The nominees came from the eleven-county Northeast Michigan region, namely Alcona, Alpena, Cheboygan, Crawford, Iosco, Montmorency, Ogemaw, Oscoda, Otsego, Presque Isle, and Roscommon counties. Nominations were judged by a committee of representatives from the region, including representatives from the Eustis family.

Alcona Township in Alcona County was recognized for their establishment of a park on Lake Huron at the mouth of the Black River. The township, under the leadership of township supervisor Roger Carlin, applied for and received a grant from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to create the park in conjunction with the department's upgrading of the public access on the river. Many residents of the township spent hundreds of hours cleaning and refurbishing the area so now it is a beautiful place to visit.

Loraine Becker was recognized for her educational efforts to teach young people about the ecology of a river. She plans and organizes ‘watershed walks’ for students from the Atlanta, Hillman and Johannesburg-Lewiston high schools, whereby the students meet with resource specialists along the river while canoeing from its headwaters to its mouth at Lake Huron in Alpena learning about the unique environment of a drainage system.

Jerry Smith was recognized for his outstanding contributions to protect and preserve the beautiful Ocqueoc River in Presque Isle County. He has spent many days of his time working with other members of the Ocqueoc River Watershed committee to improve the area.

Huron Pines has been a partner in the O.B. Eustis Awards since the awards were begun in 1995. Nominations forms, along with the criteria by which the applicants are judged, can be obtained by contacting the Huron Pines office.