“When you live in a wonderful community,” Heckenberg said, “you want to be involved in giving back.” And give back, the long-time Conservancy benefactor has.
A life-long summer resident of northern Michigan, Heckenberg’s original equestrian center and Pony and Horse Camps had their beginnings at her Black Forest Farm on Bester Road. The activities quickly outgrew the space, however, and she purchased the Black Forest Hall property in 1978. Operated as a non-profit organization, Heckenberg has boarded clients’ and school-owned horses and invited young people to join them in the care and upkeep of the beautiful animals through lessons and the Pony and Horse Camps. “These young people are learning a lot more than just the care of horses,” she notes with pride. “They are learning socialization skills, how to be responsible, and truly how to become community citizens.” This last statement is evidenced when large white tents occasionally appear beside the main barn. Heckenberg generously opens up the property for community fundraisers at which the students often volunteer their time.
The school has been associated with Northwood University in the past, allowing students to complete four-year degrees in Equine Business Management. Graduates of the program have gone on to open up their own horse-related businesses all around the country.
Heckenberg’s generosity has made an additional impact on the lives of thousands of young people who have played soccer at the field she leases for these recreational programs for $1 each year. “Our lease with Ceejay is probably the single most significant factor in the history of soccer in Harbor Springs,” said Jim Ford with Harbor Soccer, Inc. “We were able to build an excellent facility early, when it mattered most.”
During the winter, Ceejay and her husband, Jack, spend their time in Sewall’s Point, Florida where she participates in monthly visits to her sister operation in Ocala, Florida, which is a thoroughbred race horse breeding farm. “In Florida, we’ve seen what both planned and unplanned communities look like,” Heckenberg explains. “And when we realized that Harbor Springs did not have a city plan, we started talking to some of the city officiates and even took them to visit examples of both kinds of communities.” She is pleased that Harbor Springs now has a better vision for its future, and with the efforts of groups like the Little Traverse Conservancy that work with private landowners, many options are now available to help ensure Harbor Springs retains the small town character for which it is loved.
Harbor Springs Greenbelt Program
Since its very first project, the West Wequetonsing Preserve, Little Traverse Conservancy has been working to protect the scenic attributes of the Harbor Springs region. The Gateway to Harbor Springs and M-119 Scenic Corridor Protection programs have merged and expanded to become the Harbor Springs Greenbelt Program. All told, a total of 97 projects protecting 3,150 acres of land have been completed in the Harbor Springs vicinity. Outright land protection donations and significant gifts earmarked to the program make the protection of this exceedingly high value land possible. All of us who enjoy the natural beauty of this extraordinary region can be grateful for the foresight and generosity of people like Ceejay Heckenberg.
A conservation easement is a voluntary legal agreement between a landowner and the Little Traverse Conservancy that restricts the type and amount of development on a property to protect its natural resources. In the case of Black Forest Hall, the property will remain useable for the equestrian center, horse paddocks, soccer fields, and occasional special events that are held there. But no longer will it be possible for the land to ever become a subdivision.
|