The Land Conservancy of West Michigan is excited to introduce Joe Engel, who will be starting as the new Executive Director in July. A native of Muskegon, Joe spent much of his youth exploring the dunes and shoreline just over the hill from his back
Each Spring, when Peter and Ginny Gustafson’s children were young, they gave a prize to the first child to hear the whip-poor-will make its endlessly repeated call. The fifty acres of the Gustafson property is a welcome refuge for bats and birds and many other
After four years of faithful service and leadership at the Land Conservancy of West Michigan, Executive Director, Vaughn Maatman has announced his intention to retire in the summer of 2016, once his successor is in place. “My years at the Land Conservancy stand out in my
I was taught early in my life to love trees. I have been called a tree hugger many times and I have found a few occasions to actually hug trees. My love of trees led easily to a love of long uninterrupted forest. Forests, being
A winter visit to Saul Lake Bog Nature Preserve There aren’t many bogs near Grand Rapids and Saul Lake Bog has everything a good bog needs. It has insectivorous plants, those fantastical species that lure insects with their sweetness and devour them for their nutrients. It
“Who cooks for you?” This was the sound I heard last week when I was out in my backyard. (It was somewhat ironic since I was grilling at the time!) The question was actually coming from a Barred Owl. Of course, I doubt there was really any
Like a teenager who’s partied past curfew, nature preserves need tough love, too. That’s why a group of us found ourselves in Rockford last week, cutting down perfectly good trees in a nature preserve. Invasives? Nope. These were oaks, mostly, with some maples and cherries too. Quite