photo credit: Todd Parker

HARBOR SPRINGS – Wrapping up a year of land protection, the Little Traverse Conservancy announced that a total of 2,102 acres and nearly four miles of water frontage on northern Michigan ’s lakes, rivers, and streams were protected from future development in 2004. Of the variety of land protection tools utilized in 26 separate projects, the conservation easement was the most popular.

A conservation easement is a legal agreement between a landowner and the conservancy which allows the landowner to permanently protect the natural and scenic resources of their land while retaining ownership and control. Easement terms typically restrict future development on the land, but are tailored to fit each property and the owner's conservation needs. Properties protected with a conservation easement are privately owned and not open to the public.

The 2004 Low Down:

By county, the following acreage was protected :

• 437 acres protected in Charlevoix County in 5 projects;
• 105 acres protected in Cheboygan County in 1 project;
• 797 acres protected in Chippewa County in 6 projects.
• 763 acres protected in Emmet County in 14 projects.

Some of the highlights of the year included the following:

• A conservation easement was placed on a 240-acre Chippewa County property in Whitefish Township permanently protecting almost all of the land from future development.
• More than 360 acres on Sugar Island near Sault Ste. Marie were purchased as a nature preserve.
• A 145-acre farm and a 135-acre nursery were protected through the purchase of development rights from the properties, both of which are located in highly developing regions. This protection was made possible with funds contributed to the Harbor Springs Greenbelt Protection Program;
• A 225-acre property with one mile of Bear River frontage just a few miles outside of Petoskey was sold to the Conservancy for a bargain sale (less than appraised value);
• A 30-acre property along the Boyne City-Charlevoix Road corridor was donated to the Conservancy to become a public nature preserve;
• One hundred and five acres of elk habitat near Wolverine was protected when the Conservancy purchased the development rights from the land in a joint project with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.

In addition to land protection, other 2004 highlights included the following:

• More than 6,900 young people participated in environmental education programs offered by the Conservancy at no charge. An additional 300 students participated in the Conservancy’s Nature Discovery Box Program and more than 150 people participated in the organization’s seasonal community field trips.
• This was the third year of the Conservancy’s Young Naturalist Club which is open to young people aged 8-12 in the five-county service area. The club sends monthly mailings, sponsors contests, and hosts outings with the help of local professionals.
• The Conservancy coordinates 83 volunteers who help monitor the organization’s 151 nature preserves on more than 7,600 acres of land. Conservancy staff monitor 142 conservation easement projects on more than 10,221 acres. Staff monitoring is conducted on ground and by air.
• Preserve improvements occurred at several properties to help make the properties more user-friendly for visitors.
• A new GIS expert was hired to assist the organization with updating many of their maps and boundaries.

SIDEBAR : What is the Little Traverse Conservancy?

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, 23,767 acres and more than 70 miles of waterfront along our region’s lakes, rivers, and streams have been set aside to remain in their natural state.

The rate at which land is disappearing to development continues to be cause for alarm, according to Rand Wentworth, executive director of the Washington D.C. based Land Trust Alliance. “The current rate of development essentially means that we have 20 years or less to protect our cherished landscapes before they are lost forever,” states Wentworth. “ Private land trusts are our last best hope, particularly now that deficits will severely limit the ability of the federal government to conserve new lands.”

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.

This beautiful 240-acre property in northwestern Chippewa County was protected with a conservation easement that almost entirely prevents future development on the land.

 

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