An Exciting Landmark Reached With the completion of several new conservation projects at the end of 2016, The Land Conservancy of West Michigan recently surpassed a total of 10,000 acres of preserved natural land in West Michigan. Five new projects were completed in December and were protected with conservation agreements,...
Today is the winter solstice. The sun is at its lowest point in our Northern sky. Today will be the shortest day of the year and the night will be long and cold. But tomorrow begins the slow lengthening of days. And though we are...
Restoring Land, Restoring Hope. On Black Friday, 23 people came out to Saul Lake Bog Nature Preserve and planted a prairie. While the rest of America was out fighting crowds, standing in line, and getting into altercations over parking spots, 23 people were outside, breathing fresh...
As a young boy I lived in central Illinois, a region better known for its endless seas of windswept corn than any magnificent natural wonders. So I was lucky, perhaps, that my parents’ house backed up to one of the largest oak forests in the...
Flooding in Louisiana, earthquakes in Italy, tornadoes in the Midwest. We constantly hear about the destructive forces of nature and the toll they take. But what else can nature do? On a recent walk, I was reminded of the other side of nature. It’s ability...
[caption id="attachment_6834" align="alignright" width="421"] A Karner blue butterfly spotted during this summer's butterfly survey[/caption] Post Update: This week, a crew will be working at Maas Family Nature Preserve to remove trees from six acres of forest that is encroaching on rare oak barrens. Some may wonder, "why...
"Ugh… day one" says everyone else on Monday mornings. Not a Stewardship Intern at the Land Conservancy of West Michigan. Our week is action packed, full of adventure and beautiful sights! Monday Herbiciding at Wege Foundation Natural Area Dorthea and I spent the day at The Wege...
When it comes to restoring natural areas, instant gratification is hard to come by. Most ecological stewardship projects take a long time to unfold. Progress is marked in increments of years, decades, or even longer. If you plant a forest, for example, don’t plan on...
Creating Images of Changing Landscapes with your Photos Fifteen years ago, Lamberton Lake Fen was at the brink of becoming permanently overrun by the invasive glossy buckthorn. The buckthorn threatened to destroy the endangered plants and animals living there and rid the City of Grand Rapids...