Hello everyone! Welcome to the Fishtown Preservation Society’s (FPS) Summer ‘26 series of blogs! For those of you who may not know me (yet), my name is Emma Nelson, and I’m the FPS intern for the season.
This first blog is going to be a bit of an introduction to who I am, what I study, my interests – all the good stuff so you can paint a picture of the person behind the screen. If you pay close enough attention, you may even be able to pick out some of the topics I will be writing about! My goal here is to reflect on what I learn throughout each week, so I’ll be reviewing my notes, interviews, and different activities on a weekly basis to sum it all up into what I think you will find most interesting.
I was born and raised in Leelanau County, so I basically live and breathe the entire area. Brought up half a mile off the road and in the woods, a majority of my summers were spent outdoors. Wading through creeks, hunting for morels, and wandering the backtrails with my parents are fond memories. Needless to say I didn’t need an iPad to keep myself entertained and if I wasn’t at home, Lake Michigan would be the next place to look for me.
Like many who’ve grown up in the area, Leelanau County is my favorite place on earth. In the blazing heat of July there is relief within the lake, and the streets of Leland are full of life, but summer isn’t the only season we have up here. While many prepare to close up their summer homes, I was one of the lucky ones who got to see the fall foliage colors change day by day on my drive to school, and I got to experience the hush of silence from the fresh snow that blanketed the town on winter nights. These colder seasons that many view as a grievance are some of my favorite parts about living up north year round, and is what makes a place like this as special as it is. This is where my passion for Leland and Lake Michigan stems from, and has been a recurring theme guiding me into my adult life.
My senior year of high school, I was ecstatic to finally graduate and leave the small town that I felt I’d outgrown. I was itching to go somewhere “bigger and better,” but as it turns out, bigger doesn’t always mean better. I graduated from Leland Public School in 2023, and went to the University of Michigan to study Earth Sciences and Conservation Biology. Soon enough (like 5 hours after moving in), that shiny new city I had once longed for felt suffocating. I missed all the different beaches to go swimming at, I missed the comfort of wandering the docks of Fishtown at sunset, and I missed the hiking trails scattered across the county that gave me a breath of fresh air after a busy day. As I’m sure you’ve gathered up to this point, I was VERY homesick, which is why I’ve been determined to return home each summer.
When making plans to come home for the summer, I knew I wanted to do something that would keep me engaged with what I am studying, and this is what led me to the FPS internship position. Environmentalism goes hand in hand with historic preservation, so I knew that this opportunity was exactly what I was looking for. When a historic area is preserved, you’re not only working with people and buildings, but you’re also working with nature. Native flora and fauna, local ecosystems, and water sources are factors that can be susceptible to human impact, but can be just as much of a challenge to the shanties due to the weathering that causes structural deterioration. It’s a tricky area to navigate, but is important to the mission of the Fishtown Preservation Society to work with and not against its surrounding ecosystem.
Finding balance in historic preservation and nature is critical for the town of Leland. The premise of Fishtown is in the name – FISH. As one of the last operating maritime fishing towns on the Great Lakes, it’s important to remember that the success and legacy of Fishtown comes from the fish, which are nurtured by the waters of Lake Michigan. Whitefish in particular play a major role in the tourism industry for Leland, and they require healthy clean waters in which to survive. This is where we see that connection between healthy lakes and a healthy economy for our town, which emphasizes the importance of water quality.
As an intern for FPS, I’m coming to realize that I have countless doors open to me because Fishtown is connected to so many different people and opportunities. In the past I’ve had many of the classic summer jobs Leland offers; from retail at the Harbor House and Tampico, to serving at the Leland Lodge, my summer routine has revolved heavily around these different roles. This will be the first time where my interests get to be the guiding points for shaping my summer position, and I can’t wait to build off of everything my studies have taught me.
If anyone has things they’d like to read about or topics relating to Fishtown that they find particularly interesting, feel free to reach out to me at intern@fishtownmi.org. I’m happy to take suggestions. You can also find me in the FPS Welcome Center on Wednesdays, so come by and say hi if you’re around town! I can’t wait to share my experiences with you over the course of the next few months, and I hope this series will be as enjoyable to read as it is to write.
