News & Blog
April 2, 2018
in News
Flower Creek Dunes Addition Complete
17-acre Addition to Flower Creek Dunes Nature Preserve is Complete The Land Conservancy of West Michigan has announced the completion of a campaign to add 17 acres of Lake Michigan sand dunes, including 1,000 feet of Lake Michigan frontage and 1,200 feet along Big Flower Creek,
March 19, 2018
in Features
Save Michigan Hemlocks
The Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA) is an invasive species that has devastated the hemlock forests in the southeast United States. It was first detected in West Michigan in 2016 and now threatens the hemlocks of our own lakeshore and northern forests. The known extent of HWA
February 16, 2018
in Features
Arctic(ish) Adventure
Recently I have been reading stories of polar explorers. I have long been fascinated by the men and women who strike out into the most desolate places on earth. I love the pictures of their hardened, stoic faces poking out through furry hoods, covered in
January 3, 2018
in Features
New Conservation as Year Ends
A little extra celebration was had this holiday season as a flurry of land protection happened in the last days of 2017. Two conservation agreements were completed as the year wrapped up, bringing the 2017 total to six new conservation agreements and the total acreage
December 8, 2017
Putting Nature in its Place
On a bright clear morning in early December, I watched a bulldozer tear up the land. Back and forth it worked, methodically stripping vegetation from the ground and skimming off the soil. Behind it, an excavator ripped into a hillside and piled the dirt a few
December 5, 2017
in News
Consumers Energy Foundation Awards Highlands Grant
The Consumers Energy Foundation recently announced a grant award of $100,000 to support The Highlands project, a Land Conservancy partnership with Blandford Nature Center to acquire the former Highlands Golf Club property and restore it to a public green space and natural area. Grant funds
November 7, 2017
Highlands Restoration Underway
It has been just under a year since The Highlands, a partnership project with Blandford Nature Center, was turned toward a new future as a natural area. Already the landscape has experienced some significant changes. The manicured greens, fairways, and tee boxes that could be
October 17, 2017
in Features, Preserved!
Capturing Flower Creek Dunes
The following post is from Preserved! artist Randi Ford. The post was originally posted at randifordart.com where you can see more of her work. Learn more about the Preserved! art program here. I visited the Flower Creek Dunes for the first time recently, to become inspired for the Land