The Highlands is a collaborative project between the Land Conservancy and Blandford Nature Center. It is located in the heart of Grand Rapids at the former Highlands Golf Club and is currently undergoing planning and restoration.
Located near Lowell, the B.D. White Nature Preserve is a natural landscape legacy. With rolling terrain, a cold water stream, and a meandering trail, the preserve provides habitat for a multitude of wildlife and serves as a natural area for people to enjoy and learn.
Overlooking Brower Lake near Rockford, this preserve protects rare bog and oak barrens ecosystems. The land provides quality habitat for a multitude of wildlife and provides people with a quiet natural landscape for hiking and nature study.
This natural area in Cascade Township features a beautiful hardwood forest and a small stream and wetlands that feed the Grand River.
Lamberton Lake Fen Nature Preserve is the Land Conservancy’s most urban preserve. Despite being within the Grand Rapids city limits, the preserve protects a high-quality prairie fen, a type of wetland that is very rare in West Michigan.
Located in Rockford, the Maas Family Preserve is home to a remnant oak-pine barrens ecosystem–a unique savanna community that supports the endangered Karner blue butterfly. The preserve is a popular stop-off point for users of the White Pine Trail, particularly in May and June when
A paved trail leads through former pastures, now being restored to natural habitats, down to the Grand River where there is a canoe landing and river overlook. Looping unpaved trails let visitors explore the lowland forest that shades the river in this Ada Township
Located east of Rockford, Saul Lake Bog Nature Preserve is one of West Michigan’s flagship natural areas. Convenient parking and over a mile of meandering trails allow visitors to appreciate the bog, prairie, forests, and fields–and the diversity of wildlife they support–in all seasons.
Located just outside of Lowell, adjacent to Lowell High School and the Wittenbach/Wege Environmental Center, this preserve is often used as an outdoor classroom by Lowell-area students and nature enthusiasts. Hiking trails wind through mixed hardwood forests, cross over a trout stream, and wander through