John Barbatano and his family have deep roots in Grand Rapids. His childhood home, where his mother Bernadette still resides, is just down the road from The Highlands. “I grew up playing in the woods at Blandford Nature Center with my friends,” John said. After graduating from
This spring, the Land Conservancy announced its acquisition of a new nature preserve on the shores of the Little South Branch of the Pere Marquette River. On October 8, we held a public dedication to celebrate opening the preserve. The 155-acre property was generously donated to
The Land Conservancy of West Michigan would not be the organization it is today without April Scholtz, who retired this spring after a nearly 30-year tenure as its Land Protection Director. April was the Land Conservancy’s first and longest-serving employee. She was hired as LCWM’s
LCWM volunteer Stephanie Gerling shares her reflections after attending a few Second Saturday Workdays.
The following is a guest post from Maisie Wiler (pictured above), a student at Grand Valley State University studying Natural Resources Management and Writing and a Land Conservancy of West Michigan volunteer. She is an avid hiker, cyclist, gardener, and hobby photographer. This past summer, I
When it comes to helping people protect, enjoy and care for nature in West Michigan, LCWM’s staff make it all happen. This post is part of a series of interviews to help you get to know our team members!
This post is excerpted from an article originally published in the Grand Valley State University College of Liberal Arts & Sciences e-newsletter, CLAS Acts, and is republished here with permission. Anyone fighting a battle in a Michigan backyard with volunteer maple trees could be forgiven for
When it comes to helping people protect, enjoy and care for nature in West Michigan, LCWM’s staff make it all happen. This post is part of a series of interviews to help you get to know our team members!
Work has begun to “daylight” an underground stream at The Highlands, a natural area protected by Blandford Nature Center and the Land Conservancy of West Michigan. Several partners met to break ground on the project on July 11, 2022. As part of the ongoing restoration of
When it comes to helping people protect, enjoy and care for nature in West Michigan, LCWM’s staff make it all happen. This post is part of a series of interviews to help you get to know our team members!