FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Citizens for Conservation
847-382-7283 | cfc@CitizensforConservation.org
BARRINGTON, IL -- More than 120 people attended the recent Conservation and Native Landscaping Awards ceremony held at the Metcalfe Federal Building in Chicago. The awards recognize exemplary natural landscaping, conservation development, and ecosystem protection sites and projects. Susan Hedman, Regional Administrator for U.S. EPA Region 5 opened this special event and welcomed the diverse group of local government representatives, park districts, forest preserve districts, landscape contractors, volunteer stewards and other shining lights of the conservation community.
The Baker’s Lake Savanna restoration in Barrington was an award recipient. Citizens for Conservation, with a contract from the Village of Barrington, initiated restoration of the 17-ace preserve in 1988. Baker’s Lake Savanna is now a spectacular showplace of over 125 species of woodland wildflowers, including the rare Lespedeza violacea, violet bushclover. For 22 years volunteers have spent thousands of hours collecting seed, removing invasive brush and conducting prescribed burns at the preserve. The work continues and CFC welcomes new volunteers.
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Contact: Sam Oliver
847-382-7283
BARRINGTON, IL -- Lake County Stormwater Management Commission recognized Patsy Mortimer with the 2010 "Stewardship of the Year” Award December 2 for her dedication and leadership of the Flint Creek Watershed Partnership. SMC Chairman, Steve Mountsier, and Executive Director, Mike Warner, presented a framed photo of Flint Creek in winter to Patsy. Partners and supporters from Citizens for Conservation, Barrington Area Council of Governments, Barrington Area Development Council, North Barrington, Schumm Consulting, SMC, Trillium Native Landscapes and the Village of Barrington joined her for the award presentation.
Patsy helped form Flint Creek Watershed Partnership in 2005 and guided development of the Flint Creek Watershed Plan in 2007 to improve water quality, reduce flooding and protect natural resources. The partnership is now implementing the plan with rain gardens, detention basin retrofits, and native stream buffers. Educational presentations, tours, workshops and displays keep watershed stakeholders engaged, further enhancing the quality of life in the watershed. Mike Warner thanked Patsy and remarked, “Your integrity and compassion are hallmarks of a true steward of the land.”
Flint Creek Watershed Partnership brings together stakeholders to preserve, protect and improve the Flint Creek sub-watershed of the Fox River. More information is at www.flintcreekwatershed.org or contact Patsy Mortimer, pmortimer@earthlink.net 847-381-8663.
Photo caption: Lake County Stormwater Management Commission Executive Director, Mike Warner, and Chairman, Steve Mountsier, present Patsy Mortimer the 2010 Stewardship of the Year award. She is joined by Tom Vanderpoel and Karen Hunter, Citizens for Conservation (CFC); Janet Agnoletti, Barrington Area Council of Governments; Meredith Tucker, CFC; Gary Herrmann, North Barrington; Mike Novotney, SMC; Sam Oliver, CFC; Mike Szymanski, Village of Barrington; Kevin Rische, Trillium Native Landscapes. (Behind the cameras and not pictured: Bob Lee, Barrington Area Development Council and CFC; Nancy Schumm, Schumm Consulting
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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: Kevin Joyce
The Black Swamp Conservancy
419.872.5263 | kjoyce@blackswamp.org
PERRYSBURG, OH -- Black Swamp Conservancy has passed the 9,000-acre mark in conserved lands.
The conservancy, based in Perrysburg, Ohio, is a non-profit land conservation organization dedicated to protecting and preserving natural and agricultural lands in northwest Ohio for the benefit of future generations. The organization serves a sixteen-county area that is about the size of the state of Connecticut.
“There are lots of benefits from land conservation, so this is an important milestone for all the citizens of northwest Ohio,” said Kevin Joyce, executive director of the conservancy. “Parks and nature preserves provide space for healthy outdoor activities. Farmland preservation ensures the future of agriculture, Ohio’s #1 industry. Woods and wetlands help keep our water and air clean.”
The conservancy passed the 9,000-acre mark when it reached a land conservation agreement with the owners of a 235-acre family farm west of Fremont.
Since then, Black Swamp Conservancy has added to its protected lands a 63-acre woods outside Tiffin, 145 acres of prime farmland near Delta in Fulton County, a 65-acre nature preserve on the Sandusky River north of Fremont, and an 18-acre wetland and waterway in the city of Oregon.
“9,300 acres is a lot of land,” said Mr. Joyce. “It would cover more than 7,000 football fields, including the end zones. If laid end-to-end, those fields would stretch from our office in Perrysburg to the White House in Washington, D.C.”
The conservancy preserves land mostly through perpetual land conservation agreements known as conservation easements. Through such an agreement, the landowner gives up the right to develop the property – such as by constructing buildings, putting in roads or driveways or subdividing the land – in order to protect its conservation values, which might include its value as prime farmland or as habitat for native plants and animals.
Every land conservation is filed with the county recorder, and the use restrictions become binding on the current owner and everyone else who acquires ownership at any time in the future, in perpetuity.
Under the terms of its conservation agreements, Black Swamp Conservancy is responsible for ensuring that the use restrictions are not violated. However, the conservancy does not become an owner of the property. If the land conservation agreement is broken, the conservancy may take legal action to stop the misconduct and return the property to its original condition.
“Our purpose at Black Swamp Conservancy is to preserve the rural heritage, unique natural habitats, and lakes and streams of northwest Ohio,” said the conservancy’s executive director, Kevin Joyce. “Our hope is that, by protecting our valuable land and water resources, we help create healthier communities with strong, sustainable economies.”
“The economic benefits of land conservation shouldn’t be overlooked,” added Mr. Joyce. “For example, our friends at Black Swamp Bird Observatory tell us that we had 50,000 birdwatchers in the Port Clinton area in just one week in May. Fishermen flock to northwest Ohio when the walleye make their run up the rivers every spring. Those visitors are spending a lot of money while they’re in our area.”
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WASHINGTON, DC – Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy (SWMLC) has been presented with a national conservation award for its pioneering work in the land trust field in developing and implementing conservation management plans for important natural areas and setting the example for effective collaboration in conservation.
The SWMLC was selected by The Land Trust Alliance of Washington, DC, from more than 1,700 land trusts across the country, to receive its National Land Trust Excellence Award, which was presented at Rally: The National Land Conservation Conference in Hartford, Connecticut, on October 3, 2010.
SWMLC’s Stewardship staff members are recognized as both regional and national leaders in conservation management. They have developed partnerships with organizations such as the Stewardship Network, Natural Areas Association (NAA), and Defenders of Wildlife to provide workshops and seminars across the country. They have been sought after to share their expertise at numerous conferences and training events for the Land Trust Alliance, Center for Collaborative Conservation, Stewardship Network, NAA, Heart of the Lakes Center for Land Conservation Policy, and several other conservation organizations.
“Our long-term viability, and our ability to create meaningful work in perpetuity, whether it’s scenic or cultural or protecting natural landscapes, is only going to be effective if we become part of this broader community’s fabric,” said SWMLC Executive Director Pete Ter Louw, who accepted the award for the Conservancy.
SWMLC created an innovative model for prioritization that incorporates broad stakeholder involvement and geographic information systems analysis to identify areas with critical conservation values for protection and management. The long list of stakeholders involved in these projects include federal agencies, state agencies, county officials, conservation districts, township and city officials, community foundations, private conservation organizations, universities, nature centers, community leaders, and private landowners.
The Land Trust Alliance recognized the success of this model and provided SWMLC a Strategic Conservation Planning grant to use to prioritize conservation actions in and around the 25,000-acre Barry State Game Area. Implementation of the resulting plan began immediately as a private family foundation, engaged in the planning process, stepped forward to make its core mission be the protection and restoration of priority lands. The same family foundation, the USFWS, MDNRE, Ducks Unlimited, and SWMLC have begun a long-term relationship coordinating restoration management between adjacent but separately held parcels in the same region. These partners also brought together several additional conservation organizations to receive a $1 million North American Wetland Conservation Act grant.
Rand Wentworth, President of the Land Trust Alliance, said in bestowing the award that “As a direct result of their willingness to seek out regional expertise, intergovernmental cooperation, and coordination with all of the regional members and the neighbors, the SWMLC has been able to make incredible conservation happen.” He added, “Together with fellow consevationists, the members of the SWMLC have found an effective way to preserve the quality of life and unique character of their community — now and forever."
About The Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy (SWMLC)
SWMLC was founded in 1991 to protect the wild and scenic areas in the nine counties of southwest
Michigan. The 3.5 million acre service area, covering an expanse the size of Connecticut, is a crossroads of ecological regions. Eastern deciduous forests meet the Midwest prairies while southern mesic woodlands border northern coniferous forests and bogs. Large river systems wind throughout the countryside on their way to Lake Michigan and the largest freshwater dunes in the world. It is home to rural farms, urban centers, Great Lakes shoreline destinations, and Michigan’s largest State Game Areas – all within a short drive from Chicago, Indianapolis, and Detroit. Visit www.swmlc.org.
About The Land Trust Alliance
The Alliance is a national conservation organization that works in three ways to save the places people love. First, we increase the pace of conservation, so more land and natural resources get protected. Second, we enhance the quality of conservation, so the most important lands get protected using the best practices in the business. And third, we ensure the permanence of conservation by creating the laws and resources needed to defend protected land over time. The Land Trust Alliance is based in Washington, D.C., and has several regional offices. Visit www.landtrustalliance.org.
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Contact: Jim Welsh
Executive Director
Natural Heritage Land Trust
(608) 258 9797
MADISON, WI — Good news that yesterday afternoon the Natural Heritage Land Trust purchased 100 acres to add to Westport Drumlin, a state natural area between Cherokee Marsh and Waunakee. Five years in the making, this acquisition permanently protects the western side of Westport Drumlin, a beautiful and ecologically-rich prairie and savanna. Acquisition of this property also means the permanent protection of four prairie remnants which The Prairie Enthusiasts has been managing for many years. It will also provide a location for a small parking area and trail head to greatly improve public access to the drumlin.
This is our third acquisition at Westport Drumlin; the protected landscape has grown from 14 acres to 217 acres in just two years. Click here for a map of the area.
Funding for the acquisition of the 100 acres came from the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program, The Conservation Fund, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Dane County Conservation Fund, Wisconsin Land Fund, and members of the Natural Heritage Land Trust. The Town of Westport and Village of Waunakee also helped make this acquisition possible.
Our special thanks go to the Koltes Brothers for their willingness to sell this great place so it can be permanently protected. I also want to thank Mark Martin of the DNR State Natural Areas program for his commitment to the Westport Drumlin landscape.