Upcoming Conservation Events and Trainings

Midwest Land Conservation Conference
March 6-8, 2008 | Mundelein, IL
Save the date! The Conference Center at the University of St. Mary of the Lakein Mundelein, IL. More

Success Stories

Easement Donated Over 160-Acre "Red-Tail Woods"

Emmet County, MI – It doesn’t take long to be captivated by the land, especially on a brilliant “jeans and fleece” fall day. Almost entirely wooded, the rolling hills of Red Tail Woods hold many sweet surprises, most that aren’t readily apparent at first. Head down one trail and you’ll land at a small trout pond where Peter O’Rourke’s young grandsons play and fish. Try another trail and you’ll come upon a small art studio log cabin perched alongside a creek spanned by a bridge hand built by Peter. Yet another trail takes you on a circular journey through pine and spruce plantations – comfortable needle-cushioned walking terrain. Read full story. (posted 12/12/07)

The Rogers Family Homestead Preserve

Charlevoix County, MI - Ask Marguerite (Rogers) Stokes what year she was born and she’ll tell you: “1909…You do the math,” quickly followed by a warm smile that makes you want to make a cup of tea and stay for the afternoon. With the pleasure of such company, there’s so much to be learned: What crops grow best in a floodplain? What year did the last one room school in the county close? Who married whom? But what most stands out in Marguerite is her deep love of the land that has been in her family for nearly 140 years. There’s something about the land that has kept the family returning to it, over and over again throughout the years. And she is satisfied to know that 86 acres of that land are now permanently protected with the Little Traverse Conservancy as the Rogers Family Homestead Nature Preserve. The new preserve lies along more than a mile of the Jordan River. Read full story. (posted 12/12/07)

Ludwig family protects lands totaling 167 acres

Ann Arbor, MI - Bob Ludwig and his daughter, Connie Ludwig, have protected their Freedom Township lands, totaling 167 acres, by donating a conservation agreement to the Washtenaw Land Trust.

Rural living is nothing new for Bob Ludwig.  He grew up in a small Indiana town where his grandparents had a farm.  From the time he was old enough to reach the pedals, he was working there and became a self-described “country boy.” He bought this property on Bethel Church Road in 1968, and he rents the land to a local farmer to be farmed.  In the early 1990s, Bob gave half the property to his daughter Connie, who now calls this land home.  Bob said he’s glad that both of them have protected what has become, for each of them, a truly treasured landscape.  He is on the land every day, enjoying the quiet, rolling hills and shady woodlands. “This is such a lovely property, and by protecting it forever, the Ludwigs have given a great gift to the whole community,” said Charity Steere, chair of the Washtenaw Land Trust’s Land Protection Committee. Read full story. (posted 12/10/07)

Land Policy Institute at Michigan State University and Heart of the Lakes
To Issue Research Series on Economic Impact of Land Conservation

Lansing, MI.—A much anticipated series of research reports compiled by the Land Policy Institute (LPI) at Michigan State University (MSU) through a joint project with Heart of the Lakes Center for Land Conservation Policy will be available beginning November 13, 2007. Read full press release. (posted 11/28/07)

Parker Family Protects Land with Washtenaw Land Trust
23-acre woods connects to protected lands totaling 256 acres

ANN ARBOR, MI - Stanley & Helen Parker have protected their 23-acre woods by donating a conservation agreement to the Washtenaw Land Trust. The Parker farm is one of the oldest family properties in this area, dating back to 1836. In 1999, most of the farm was permanently protected with conservation agreements sold to the State of Michigan farmland preservation program. It was one of the first properties so protected in Washtenaw County and in the state. Stanley & Helen Parker have now donated a conservation agreement to the Washtenaw Land Trust to protect the remaining acreage of their farm, 23 acres of mature woods on its eastern edge. Read the full press release.

Pinconning Preserve Receives Official Dedication

BAY CITY, MI - Two years of hard work has finally paid off.  On Tuesday, September 18th, Saginaw Basin Land Conservancy staff, board members, and volunteers, gathered with community leaders from Pinconning and Bay County to dedicate the Pinconning Nature Preserve and officially open it to the public.   The weather was warm and sunny, a perfect day for a dedication that stirred many individuals from business, organizations and local communities onto the preserve to attend the dedication. Read full story. (posted 10/11/07) 

York Township Farm Protected - UPDATE
The Rogers family protects farm through bargain conservation deal

YORK TOWNSHIP, MI - The Washtenaw Land Trust announces the completion of a conservation deal to protect 43 acres of prime farmland: the Kendall Rogers farm in York Township. This deal expands a contiguous block of already-protected farmland just outside of Saline to more than 500 acres. Under the terms of the agreement, the land can continue to be farmed, but cannot be developed.

This is the fourth conservation project completed by the Land Trust this year. It brings the total land protected by the Land Trust to 2,942 acres of natural areas and farms throughout Washtenaw, Jackson and Ingham Counties. Read full story. (posted 10/12/07)

For information on land trust success stories, visit our Midwest Success Stories page.

updated 12/13/07