In the first couple of years after planting a prairie, the aesthetics leave a bit to be desired. In year one, the entire plot will be brimming with horseweed, a native weed that thrives in disturbed soil. The next year, it’ll be covered in Queen
Terry Stranz’s family has vacationed in northern Newaygo County for generations. He and his wife Kris restored a log cabin on a lake where their five children and five grandchildren enjoyed swimming and fishing. One evening before dinner, Terry and Kris decided to stop by a
At the Black Friday Prairie Planting this fall, we will plant the remaining available acres of Saul Lake Prairie, bringing a 25-year restoration project to completion. “Here we are at the end. It’s amazing,” Chris Baer said. “Where’s the rest of it?” she joked. Work in the
Dear Friends and Fellow Nature Enthusiasts, As a child, I eagerly awaited spring, not just for its warmth, but for the return of a small seasonal creek that ran near my home. Fed by melting snow, it would awaken from its frozen slumber, carving paths through
When Marie Wilson lived and worked in the Detroit area, she would periodically drive an hour to Ives Road Fen Preserve, managed by The Nature Conservancy, to take part in a volunteer effort to remove glossy buckthorn from the fen. The rewarding work made the
In northeast Grand Rapids, Lamberton Lake serves as the headwaters of Lamberton Creek. A tributary of the creek flows out of Lamberton Lake into the Grand River. Where the creek meets the lake is a prairie fen. Prairie fens are groundwater-fed wetlands with alkaline soils
Dave Warners was first introduced to the Land Conservancy of West Michigan by way of Lamberton Lake Fen Nature Preserve. In the early 1990s, Dave was a new arrival in Grand Rapids, having just graduated from his PhD program at the University of Michigan. He had
Thanks to one man’s lifetime commitment to nature, both sides of 2,912 feet and the headwaters of Little Cedar Creek in northern Kent County are now permanently protected. Steve and Karen Mueller’s 56-acre property in Cedar Springs, home to forests, fields, wetlands, waterways, and abundant wildlife,
With Development Manager Han Meadway and Board Member & Financial Advisor Barbara Griffin If you are interested in leaving a legacy of healthy, protected land, then a planned gift to the Land Conservancy of West Michigan (LCWM) might be right for you. Including the Land Conservancy