FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Peter D. Ter Louw
Executive Director
(269) 324-1600 | ConserveLand@SWMLC.org
SOUTH HAVEN/KALAMAZOO, MI -- Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy (SWMLC) has been awarded a $250,000 matching grant to purchase and restore 120 acres of forest and wetland along the banks of the Black River, 3.5 miles east of South Haven. The project, funded by a U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) Joint Venture grant, will become an SWMLC nature preserve dedicated to the protection of water quality and wildlife habitat.
The GLRI is a task force of 11 federal agencies and was developed to coordinate funding in the Great Lakes Basin to clean up toxins, combat invasive species, improve water quality, and restore wildlife habitat. This year, $930,000 has been dedicated for the Joint Venture grant program of which six projects in four states were awarded funding.
"SWMLC’s project received the highest overall ranking of all GLRI Joint Venture proposals," said Barbara Pardo, chief of the Division of Bird Habitat Conservation for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. "Reviewers especially noted the high diversity of flora and fauna that would benefit from the project as well as the strength of the local partnership. The Joint Venture is proud to support this project for the contributions it will make to our bird conservation objectives."
The 120-acre property is located along the west side of the South Branch of the Black River in Geneva Township and includes over one mile of winding riverbanks as well as small streams meandering through deep tributary ravines. Restoration efforts will focus on improving forest health through such methods as invasive species removal and reintroducing prescribed fire to encourage native plants.
Protecting and restoring the Garvey property was a good fit for the GLRI’s Joint Venture grant program, which focuses on birds and is made up of regional partnerships led by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. The natural areas along the Black River protect water quality by reducing sedimentation and contain diverse habitats that provide valuable resources to many different kinds of migratory and nesting birds.
"We were able to identify breeding and foraging habitat for at least 70 different target bird species identified in both state and national plans," explained Nate Fuller, conservation and stewardship director for SWMLC. The species include those from four bird plans developed by Joint Venture: waterfowl (ducks and geese), water birds (herons and rails), shorebirds (sandpipers and woodcock), and land birds (songbirds and raptors).
The property was first identified as important for conservation through a watershed conservation plan developed in 2008 between SWMLC and the Van Buren Conservation District (VBCD). SWMLC worked with VBCD to prioritize lands for conservation that would best improve water quality and wildlife habitat within the Black River watershed. The results were included in the Black River Watershed Management Plan, developed by the VBCD with grant support from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
"During the past three years, SWMLC has been working with landowner, Daniel Garvey, to help him find a solution to permanently protect his property," stated Nate Fuller. "Mr. Garvey was eager to see his land turned into a nature preserve and to share its natural beauty with the surrounding community. He is making this project possible by offering a bargain sale of the property, generously donating a significant amount of the property’s value as a match toward the grant."
SWMLC proposed the project to the GLRI Joint Venture grant program in partnership with the Conservation Research Institute (CRI), Van Buren Conservation District (VBCD), Two Rivers Coalition (TRC), and the Bangor to South Haven Heritage Water Trail Association (BSH/HWTA). SWMLC and its partners in this grant will provide their expertise in ecological restoration, management and public outreach efforts.
Conservation Research Institute was a natural partner for this grant as they had previously worked with Garvey, and SWMLC has an established track record of success in habitat restoration. CRI principals, Dr. Gerould Wilhelm and Jim Patchett, were able to identify over 300 species of native plants in an initial site visit and were excited at the opportunity to be lead partners in the restoration component of the project.
Local partners, such as the VBCD, BSH/HWTA and TRC, joined in support of the project and many more partners are expected to be welcomed as the project gains momentum.
"It is the Two Rivers Coalition’s mission to protect the health of the Black River and Paw Paw River Watersheds through conservation, education, and advocacy," said Sam Ewbank, TRC board member. "Protecting and restoring the Garvey property to improve water quality is exactly the kind of active conservation we would like to see all along our invaluable waterways and is the core mission of the project partners."
The official acquisition of the property is expected to be completed this fall and restoration work will begin shortly thereafter. Additional funding is being sought to expand restoration efforts and provide long-term funding for management. SWMLC and CRI have high expectations that this project will become one of the premiere ecological restoration sites in the Great Lakes region. Plans to integrate public use with the ecological restoration will begin after the acquisition is completed.
For more information about SWMLC, visit their web site at www.SWMLC.org or call 269-324-1600.
SWMLC is partnering with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources on the Barry State Game Area conservation project and with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality on watershed management planning projects for the Rocky River, Paw Paw River, Black River, Gull Lake watershed and Augusta Creek. SWMLC is working on waterfowl conservation, endangered species habitat acquisition and stewardship projects in collaboration with other land conservancies and nonprofit conservation partners through funding from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. SWMLC is also working on watershed planning and management with the Two Rivers Coalition (Van Buren Conservation District) and Friends of the St. Joseph River. In addition, SWMLC works with county and municipal governments to protect natural areas and open space along Lake Michigan as well as land that provides significant public benefit.
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]]>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Ty Ratliff
Little Traverse Conservancy
231.347.0991
CHEBOYGAN, MI -- For much of her childhood, Marion Weberlein and her family would travel from their home in Plymouth to the Eastern Upper Peninsula to fish for pike. “At that time, those fish were our family’s meat. My mother would come prepared to can everything we caught,” Marion explains. Her father had been a master baker who had emigrated from Germany, and this was shortly after the Depression.
Marion went on to study veterinary medicine at what is now Michigan State and established a successful business near her home town. But the family’s heart was always up north. Every year, they rented a cabin for their fishing excursions, eventually spending their trips in the northeastern Lower Peninsula. One day, they discovered the nearly 200-acre farm surrounding the cabin they liked to rent was for sale. “My dad just loved it,” Marion says, “but didn’t feel he could afford it.”
So Marion purchased the farm, enabling her parents to move north while she kept her business going downstate. Her folks loved the land and, with Marion’s help, gardened, canned, and built barns for her horses and other animals. Every year, flowers popped up around the homestead, planted by the prior owners who ran a cut flower business.
Many years later, Marion sold her downstate practice and joined her parents on the land, with the intention of retiring as well as raising and showing Arabian horses.
One thing led to another and her passion for the welfare of animals was too strong and the need for her services was too great. She soon found herself back in business just outside of Cheboygan, and worked right up until she was 70. “Marion’s success as a vet was due to her strong spirit and the fact that she always put animals first,” said Mary Talaske, a close family friend. “When someone brought in an animal to put down because they didn’t have the money to pay for a broken leg, she would just say, ‘Oh, I can fix that.’ She never turned an animal or a person away if there was something she could do.”
It was in this spirit that several years ago Marion started thinking about the future of her farm. Throughout the years, she has had numerous offers to purchase the land, especially the 2,000 feet of river frontage. Similarly, she has always turned down requests from hunters wanting to use her land. “She really wants to pass this land on to her family, but with the assurance that it will not ever be subdivided,” says Ty Ratliff, land protection specialist with Little Traverse Conservancy. “The conservation easement was the perfect estate planning tool for her.”
This spring, Marion donated conservation easements to Little Traverse Conservancy to permanently protect a total of 191 acres of her farm. The river easement excludes the homestead and farm, protecting the surrounding 55 acres. A second easement protects a 136-acre forested tract located just down the road. “This place has always been natural and free for the animals to have refuge, and that is just how I want it to stay,” she said
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]]>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Anne Fleming
Communications and Publications Coordinator
Little Traverse Conservancy
(231) 347-0991 | anne@landtrust.org
HARBOR SPRINGS, MI -- A beautiful property on the outskirts of Petoskey was recently donated to the Little Traverse Conservancy so that it could remain a natural sanctuary for animals for all time.
Martha “Marty” Alice Curtis was described as a private woman who had a strong connection to all living things and the earth. Born in Petoskey, Martha developed a love of farming growing up on her family’s hobby farm. Her formal training was in nursing and she worked as a surgical nurse in both Petoskey and California. But her passion was animals.
One of Martha’s closest friends, Lois Holmes, described Martha as generous, non-boastful, and someone who lived the simple life by choice. “I called her ‘the St. Francis of Petoskey’ because she believed every creature was entitled to life, including insects and spiders,” Lois said. “She always felt that when she was with nature, she was close to God.”
Late in high school, Martha owned and registered a small herd of Galloway cattle and used her own money to raise oats and hay for them. At one time, she started a business raising puppies to be trained as guide dogs for the blind.
In her will, Martha donated 25 acres of mixed forest and field, including beautiful views of Little Traverse Bay. The property has been identified as a “priority area” for the protection of water quality in the Little Traverse Bay Watershed Plan.
As part of her gift, Martha included money to remove the home and associated development and for ongoing stewardship of the property. She requested that hunting would not be allowed and that no trails or parking area be developed. Her desire was that the land be returned to its natural state so that local animals could find refuge there. “It was as if the wild animals knew that they were safe on that land,” Lois said.
“And every year, the monarchs seemed to find refuge in Marty’s woods and converged in the fields because of the milkweed. You could count on it every year.”
The new preserve will be known as the Martha A. Curtis Nature Preserve. Lying adjacent to the Bay View Woods, the property greatly increases both watershed and wildlife protection in an otherwise developing region. “Natural lands like this — sitting amidst neighborhoods — serve a multitude of purposes for both wildlife and humans,” said LTC Executive Director Tom Bailey.
“This preserve is a significant addition to land conservation in the area. Together with the Bay View Woods, it provides significant wildlife habitat and protects water quality by maintaining the natural hydrology of a large area with steep slopes that drain into Little Traverse Bay. It is a wonderful gift to the community and to conservation.”
Since 1972, the Little Traverse Conservancy has been working as the oldest regional, non-profit land trust in Michigan. With the support of more than 4,100 members, the Little Traverse Conservancy works with private landowners and units of local government to permanently protect ecologically significant and scenic lands from development. Since it was founded, more than 40,000 acres and 105 miles of shoreline along our region’s lakes, rivers, and streams have been set aside to remain in their natural state within Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Emmet, Mackinac, and Chippewa counties. In addition, more than 6,000 young people participate in a Conservancy environmental education outing every year. For more information about the Little Traverse Conservancy and land protection options for your land, please contact their office at 231.347.0991 or visit www.landtrust.org.
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]]>Contact: Scott Aiken
ST. JOSEPH — A judge on Tuesday ruled that the Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy is qualified to serve as watchdog to monitor the state’s stewardship of Warren Dunes and Warren Woods parks.
Berrien County Trial Court Judge John Dewane made the finding after a hearing on a proposed amendment to a 2009 judgment that would give title to about 550 acres of park land to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment.
The court heard several witnesses and reviewed other information before concluding that the conservancy is qualified and has the capability to act independently as special trustee.
The hearing provided an opportunity for the public to comment on matters affecting the future of a popular resource. Warren Dunes on Lake Michigan near Bridgman is the state’s busiest park, attracting more than a million visitors a year.
“We’re looking down the road years and years,” the judge said. “We don’t know what’s going to happen.”
Portage-based SWMLC would serve as monitor under the proposed amended judgment, which is supported by the conservancy, the state attorney general’s office and others involved in litigation over the land and its trustee.
Dewane said that when certain changes are made, as agreed by all parties, he will sign the amended judgment.
The Department of Natural Resources, now the DNRE, was appointed successor trustee for the land in 2009, but the judge left the title vested in the court, saying that additional oversight was needed.
Although the state has managed the parks for decades, the judge at the time of last year’s ruling pointed out examples of changing government positions, such as Indiana’s decision to sell the Toll Road to a foreign joint venture group for $3.8 billion.
The amended judgment now before the court would give title to the Warren Dunes and Warren Woods property to the DNRE but prohibit the agency from selling, leasing or granting an interest in any part of it.
Formed in 1991, the nonprofit SWMLC has preserved about 8,450 acres of land, or 13 square miles, in nine counties through conservation easements, purchases and gifts. The organization has 1,200 members, an annual budget of $500,000 and a staff of five full-time and two part-time employees.
SWMLC would not be involved in day-to-day operation or maintenance of the parks but would monitor DNRE’s compliance with restrictions on the property title specified by the judgment. The restrictions include holding and maintaining the land forever as public parks.
During Tuesday’s hearing, Suzanne Klein, lawyer for the land conservancy, called three witnesses to testify about the organization’s capability to serve as special trustee.
Much of the questioning was about SWMLC’s ability to function independently of the DNRE.
George Burgoyne, who retired from the DNR in 2004 after 33 years and is now a member of the SWMLC board, said 80 percent of the conservation organization’s funding is donated by private sources.
“The second thing I see is our board is very proud of our independence,” he said.
Burgoyne, a Berrien County native, said he is familiar with the Warren Woods and Warren Dunes land and is aware of its significance.
“I view this as an extra layer of protection for a very special area,” he said of designating SWMLC special trustee.
Burgoyne said that during his last DNR position he was responsible for the land management functions covering 4.5 million acres. Over the years, he said, it was sometimes helpful to have a local organization watching over land that had special qualities.
Dewane reminded Burgoyne of oil and gas leases on public land sold by the state in past years and asked if SWMLC could bring such a proposal to the court’s attention if one arose involving Warren Woods or Warren Dunes.
“I have no doubt in my mind,” Burgoyne said.
Paw Paw lawyer Harold Schuitmaker, corporate counsel for Van Buren County, and Kip Miller, chief naturalist for Berrien County parks, also testified on behalf of SWMLC.
Under the amended judgment, SWMLC is to be responsible only to the court, and if necessary after giving notice to the DNRE, can enforce compliance with the restrictions in the judgment.
The court could ask the conservancy to examine the property and report findings.
The restrictions are in keeping with those set by Three Oaks industrialist Edward K. Warren and his wife, Mary, who deeded the land to a charitable trust in 1918.
The Edward K. Warren Foundation leased the land in both parks to the state for 100 years.
A 1937 agreement covered 250 acres in Lake Township, now part of the 1,952-acre Warren Dunes park, and a 1949 agreement for the 300 acres in Warren Woods in Chikaming Township.
In 2009, Dewane appointed the Department of Natural Resources, which this year became DNRE, successor trustee for the land. The DNR was named to replace the Warren Foundation, which dissolved in 1964.
While designating the DNR as successor trustee, the court retained title to the property.
The attorney general appealed Dewane’s decision about the title, but while the appeal was pending the parties agreed to the amended judgment.
In October 2008 Dewane dismissed a complaint filed by heirs of Edward K. and Mary Warren, who sought to resurrect the long-defunct Warren foundation.
The judge found that there was no statutory basis for renewal or reinstatement.
The trust then vested in the court until Dewane named the DNR as successor.
The state’s petition for appointment of the DNR as successor trustee was consolidated with the Warren heirs’ complaint.
Little Traverse Conservancy
3264 Powell Road
Harbor Springs, MI 49740
For more information, please call: 231.347.0991
Imagine you are on a boat in Emmet County’s Crooked Lake, moving north along the Inland Waterway. You are heading toward the Crooked River and ahead of you are the Alanson locks which will transport you safely to the Crooked River. To your left, just before the locks, are beautiful, undeveloped wetlands. It is a place where the call of kingfishers is common, as is the water trail of a muskrat or otter that just passed through.
This spring, Little Traverse Conservancy purchased 2,000 feet of this frontage along with 23 acres of marsh and forested wetlands to create the Inland Waterway Preserve. According to wildlife ecologist Burt Ebbers, “I cannot think of any other waterfront parcel in the upper Crooked River watershed more deserving of preservation than this property, both in terms of helping maintain water quality and providing quality habitat for native plants and animals.” Ebbers noted that the new preserve includes a well-defined Northern Fen community, a rarity in this region.
“Protecting this much shoreline near the top of the waterway was a high priority for the Conservancy,” said Tom Bailey, executive director for the Conservancy.
Funding for the purchase came primarily from the Taylor Foundation, and was greatly enhanced with a $15,000 contribution from the Pickerel-Crooked Lake Association (PCLA), a dynamic group that has worked in partnership with the Conservancy throughout the years. Most notably, this group served a significant role in protecting the Oden Island Nature Preserve and the Black Hole Nature Preserve.
“The PCLA is made up of members with a wide variety of backgrounds with the common interest of protecting the environmental well being of our lakes,” said Ray McMullen, president of PCLA. “Unscientifically speaking, one of the best ways to maintain or enhance the quality of a water body is to leave it the heck alone. This is why PCLA has been pleased to work with LTC on many conservation projects.”
The new preserve directly adds to protection provided by other preserves. On June 24, a pontoon ride to the new preserve will depart from Ryde Marine in Oden at 6:30 pm. There is limited space and pre-registration is required, so please call 231.347.0991 for more information or visit www.landtrust.org.
Since 1972, the Little Traverse Conservancy has been working as the oldest regional, non-profit land trust in Michigan. With the support of more than 4,000 members, the Little Traverse Conservancy works with private landowners and units of local government to permanently protect ecologically significant and scenic lands from development. Since it was founded, more than 40,000 acres and 103 miles of shoreline along our region’s lakes, rivers, and streams have been set aside to remain in their natural state within Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Emmet, Mackinac, and Chippewa counties. In addition, more than 6,000 young people participate in a Conservancy environmental education outing every year. For more information about the Little Traverse Conservancy and land protection options for your land, please contact their office at 231.347.0991 or visit www.landtrust.org.
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]]>Traverse City, MI — The Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy and Acme Township have announced the awarding of a 1:1 challenge grant from The Carls Foundation in support of the Acme Shoreline Preservation Initiative. The grant will match, dollar for dollar, donations from individuals and other foundations to protect shoreline properties as part of Phase One of the shoreline project. The project will greatly increase public access to Acme Township’s prized Lake Michigan shoreline along a mile-long stretch south of the intersection of M-72 and US-31, at the gateway to the Grand Traverse region.
Phase One of the township's Shoreline Initiative includes the purchase of three properties adjacent to the existing Bayside Park near the M-72 / U.S. 31 intersection. The three properties are Willow Beach, Knollwood, and Shoreside Inn. The properties cover nearly 4 acres of land and will provide over 540’ of frontage on Lake Michigan and provide for recreational opportunities including shoreline fishing, wildlife viewing, day use areas for picnicking and a swimming beach. The cost of the three parcels is $4,008,000. Acme Township was awarded 75% of needed funds – $3,006,000 – in competitive Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund grant support, conditional on the Township securing $1 million in matching funds by June 1, 2010. The Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy, who is coordinating negotiations with the landowners partnering on this initiative, is also managing the private fundraising efforts to secure the $1 million. A total of $285,000 is still needed - by June 1st - to meet the match requirement for the Trust Fund grant for Phase One.
“The Carls Foundation challenge grant means that every dollar that comes in from the community will be matched 1:1, up to $100,000. Gifts of any size are appreciated and will literally have a lasting impact on the landscape and character of the gateway to the Grand Traverse region. Everyone in the community will be able to enjoy access to the new beachfront,” commented Acme Township Supervisor Wayne Kladder.
Communities throughout Michigan are increasingly realizing that preserving and featuring their best natural assets - their productive farms, their shoreline, their beaches, their dunes, and their riverfronts – can be a key to future prosperity.
Megan Olds, Associate Director of the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy commented, “The Carls Foundation is a state-wide foundation based in Detroit, but with a long history of supporting conservation across Michigan and in the Grand Traverse region. Their support adds to the generous gifts from individuals and local foundations like Rotary Charities of Traverse City, the Oleson Foundation, and the Les and Anne Biederman Foundation, and really speaks to the broad significance of the project.”
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How to help
Donations can be made directly to the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy. Checks should be made out to GTRLC – write Acme Shoreline project in the memo line of the check. You can also donate online at www.gtrlc.org. For information about how to make a stock transfer gift or to explore other giving options, including multi-year pledges, contact Megan Olds at the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy.
Contacts
Wayne Kladder, Acme Township Supervisor, (231) 938-1350
Paul Brink, Acme Shoreline Preservation Committee Co-chair, (989) 430-6946
Pat Salathiel, Acme Shoreline Preservation Committee Co-chair, (231) 938-2128
Megan Olds, Associate Director, Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy, (231) 929-7911, molds@gtrlc.org
Acme Shoreline Protection Initiative Background
In 2006, a broad-based group of Acme Township Shoreline Advisory Committee members, elected and appointed officials, shoreline landowners, regional foundation and agency representatives and state legislators developed a Plan to open Acme’s waterfront. They agreed on the goal of reclaiming and preserving the shoreline for public use in order to:
• Offer public access to scarce waterfront shoreline
• Showcase the natural beauty of Acme Township by opening viewscapes and providing a scenic gateway to Traverse City
• Boost tourism creating a more robust local economy
• Enhance quality of life for Acme Township residents and those who visit
• Encourage non-motorized transportation by connecting to existing amenities, such as the nearby TART trail