Mackenzie Kelly, a summer resident in Eagle Harbor for over thirty years and an expert chair caner, has rewoven the seat and back of an Indiana hickory rocker which was part of the original furniture at the Noblet cabin. Thank you to Mack for volunteering his time for this. The chair looks great!

A storage shed was completed in June which also includes an area to stack firewood and a room to house a new self-composting toilet.

No running water, but a step up from the Conservancy’s privy, the new shed houses a composting toilet. The Sun-Mar Self-Composting Toilet is an example of an alternative to water flush toilets and a septic system. A fan and heating coil accelerate the decomposition process (at the Noblet cabin this is powered by the solar panel). The unit is self-contained and requires some maintenance. Wood chips or peat must be added on a regular basis and the drum must be cranked to rotate every few days when in use. When used only a few months out of the year, the compost, which is suitable for use on shrubs and flower gardens, is removed once a year.

A picnic table made from recycled plastic milk jugs and plastic pop bottles was purchased from a Wisconsin manufacturer. There are approximately 7 milk jugs or 4 two liter pop bottles to a pound of recycled plastic lumber. This lumber can also be used for decking and some other construction purposes. Since the plastic resists rot and insect infestation and never needs painting, the table will be around for some time. If we ever do decide to dispose of it, it’s 100% recyclable.