Little Traverse Conservancy Has
Record Land Protection Year
More than 3,500 Acres Protected in Northern Michigan

The Little Traverse Conservancy has announced that more than 3,500 acres of land were permanently protected in Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Chippewa, Emmet, and Mackinac Counties during the year 2001. This number sets a new record for the 29-year old land trust. The protected land includes more than 11 miles of lake and river frontage and 1½ miles of scenic road frontage.

"It was a record year for individual and foundation contributions given toward specific land protection projects," said Tom Lagerstrom, associate director for the Little Traverse Conservancy. "These contributions made possible some of the most significant land acquisition projects the Conservancy has undertaken."

Significant accomplishments in 2001 included the following:

· Mackinac County: The 266-acre St. Helena Island, located 7 miles west of the Mackinac Bridge, within the straits, was purchased by the Little Traverse Conservancy. Under Conservancy ownership, the island will be permanently maintained as a public nature preserve. A three-acre light station on the island's east end, in use since 1873, is owned and has been restored by the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association. Click for more information.

· Cheboygan County: A 360-acre property with 2.9 miles of frontage along the Pigeon River was purchased by the Conservancy. The property is the single longest stretch of privately held river frontage along the Pigeon. The land will be retained by the owner through a life lease and relinquished to the Conservancy as a nature preserve thereafter. At that time, the property will be added to the existing 81-acre Agnes Andreae Nature Preserve, protecting a total of four miles of Pigeon River shoreline. Click for more information.

· Cheboygan County: Through its new Conservation Investment Program, the Conservancy purchased a 354-acre tract, restricted it with a conservation easement, and sold it to a conservation-minded buyer. The buyer then placed a conservation easement on his adjacent 120 acres. The two parcels lie within the Cheboygan River Watershed and provide excellent wildlife habitat to the region. Click for more information.

· Charlevoix County: The Conservancy worked with the Raven Hill Discovery Center to purchase, at a bargain price, 140 acres adjacent to the Discovery Center property. The land will be owned and managed as a Conservancy nature preserve, will be open to the public, and will be available for environmental education programs for visitors to Raven Hill. Click for more information.

· Chippewa County: A 360-acre nature preserve was established in 2001 with funds given by Jeannine Palms, in memory of her mother Ginny Palms. The land is located a mile inland from Lake Superior and roughly 11 miles west of the Whitefish Point Bird Observatory near Paradise. Click for more information.

· Chippewa County: The Conservancy's largest nature preserve (710 acres) was formed when the purchase of 210 acres near Brimley was added to 460 acres of land transferred to the Little Traverse Conservancy from the Michigan chapter of The Nature Conservancy. Click for more information.

· Emmet County: The Conservancy acquired 243 acres at the headwaters of the Inland Waterway. With 1,000 feet of frontage on Round Lake and a half-mile of scenic frontage along US-31, the property is one of the largest and most beautiful undeveloped parcels remaining in the Petoskey-Harbor Springs area. One of the few known pairs of successfully nesting loons in northern lower Michigan uses the shoreline for food. The property will be managed as a public nature preserve. Click for more information.

The Little Traverse Conservancy was established in 1972 as a non-profit land conservation organization. Its mission is to protect the natural diversity and beauty of northern Michigan by preserving significant land and scenic areas, and fostering appreciation and understanding of the environment. With the support of more than 4,100 members, LTC has worked with landowners to protect 16,300 acres of land with more than 60 miles of shoreline along northern Michigan's streams, rivers, and lakes. In 2001, members provided more than $570,000 in membership support and another $2.5 million was given specifically to land protection projects. Membership information.

Last year, 152 K-12 classes participated in Conservancy environmental education programs offered free of charge and held at 20 different nature preserves and natural areas across northern Michigan. The organization sponsors a Young Naturalist Club, which engages students in outdoor activities through quarterly newsletters and internet activities. More than 200 young people participated in Young Naturalist programs offered last summer.

The public is also invited to participate in stewardship activities at Conservancy-owned nature preserves. Many local scouting troops and other volunteers have already provided countless hours of work at local preserves, improving their accessibility in a way that protects their natural resources