News

Groundbreaking restoration work at The Highlands

This summer, ground broke on one of the final pieces of the restoration work at The Highlands, a natural area protected in collaboration by the Land Conservancy and Blandford Nature Center. Β  Construction began on the stream daylighting project in early July. The project will bring...

a prescribed burn progresses along the forest floor at B.D. White Nature Preserve

Where Once were Oaks

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...

Stream daylighting begins at The Highlands

Work has begun to β€œdaylight” 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.Β  As part of the ongoing restoration of...

Remembering Valerino Castro

We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Valerino Castro, a man who played a pivotal role in the establishment of the Land Conservancy’s first nature preserve.Β  Valerino and his wife Maria owned the land thatΒ isΒ nowΒ Saul Lake Bog Nature Preserve.Β Under their care, the land...

Taking on Oak Wilt

If you have recentlyΒ hiked throughΒ Saul Lake Bog Nature Preserve, you may haveΒ noticedΒ thatΒ someΒ of the trees bearΒ blue or red markings.Β  If you guessed thatΒ those markingsΒ denoteΒ treesΒ that will be removed, you are right.Β Unfortunately, oak wilt hasΒ been discovered on the preserveΒ andΒ hasΒ alreadyΒ killed dozens of oaks. The diseaseΒ will continue to spread without action,Β andΒ that...

Land Conservancy of West Michigan expands Flower Creek Dunes Nature Preserve

Thanks to the community’s generous support, theΒ 43 acresΒ adjacent to the preserve are protected forever and open to the public. The Land Conservancy of West Michigan announcedΒ it has finalized its purchase ofΒ 43 acres of forestedΒ backduneΒ habitat adjacent to Flower Creek Dunes Nature Preserve.Β  The addition, named the Huston-Rausch-Paprocki Reserve,...

Winter’s Work: Preserve Stewardship Update

AfterΒ the winter chill sets in, and theΒ dormantΒ plants’ myriadΒ hues of brownΒ are covered by aΒ crisp white blanket,Β fieldworkΒ stillΒ beckons for the staff of theΒ Land Conservancy of West Michigan.Β Although the bulk of our work requires plants to be green and actively growing, there is still plenty to doΒ after the leaves fall.Β So,...

Sign up for our E-news!

Receive the latest West Michigan conservation news, events and volunteer opportunities in your inbox.
* = required field
Subscriptions