Michigan Natural Areas Council.

The Michigan Natural Areas Council was independently established on October 27, 1951, having operated as a group within the Southeastern Chapter of the Michigan Botanical Club since the mid-1940s. Composed of representatives from leading conservation and educational groups, the MNAC's purpose was to ensure natural areas' preservation and to provide guidelines for their protection.

Early in the MNAC's development, the late Percy J. Hoffmaster, then-director of the Michigan Department of Conservation, noted that State Parks and other state-owned units had incorporated many outstanding natural features but that the Conservation Department had neither the funds nor the trained personnel to make detailed studies of these areas. As the MNAC had members with ecological and scientific training fully qualified to carry out this work, Hoffmaster urged the MNAC to survey areas, incorporate their findings into reports, and make recommendations to the Conservation Commission for their dedication and preservation. The MNAC adopted this program; consequently, preservation of natural areas within state parks constituted a considerable portion of the Council's activities.

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