In late 2025, the Stranz family closed on a conservation easement made possible by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy’s (EGLE) 319 Grant Program. The 319 Grant Program is a part of the federal Clean Water Act and is intended to help
Dear Friends and Fellow Nature Enthusiasts, Roots tell a story. Some grow quickly and shallow, spreading across the surface to meet what’s immediately available. Others reach slowly downward, deep and patient, anchoring themselves against change, wind, and time. In nature, roots adapt to the conditions around
Community support is needed for the protection of the Township’s last significant acreage along the Kalamazoo River The Land Conservancy of West Michigan is collaborating with Saugatuck Township to protect 119 acres of forest, wetlands, and the shores of the Kalamazoo River as it flows into Lake Michigan. Saugatuck Township seeks to acquire a riverfront
Thank you to everyone who participated in the 2025 Holiday Hike Challenge! The winners of our prizes have been contacted. Thanks again to all the wonderful businesses who donated prizes for this year's challenge. Below are the answers to the tree identification portion of the challenge.
Read our Fall Newsletter!
Dear Friends and Fellow Conservationists, Fall is here again, and with it comes one of my favorite traditions: returning to the prairie to collect seeds and prepare them for planting. This year, the ritual carries special meaning. We will be celebrating 25 years of prairie
After the Land Conservancy of West Michigan (LCWM), then the Natural Areas Conservancy of West Michigan (NACOWMI), completed its first project supporting the protection of Saugatuck Dunes Natural Area in 1988, the group faced the question: ”What’s next?” In the coming years, the organization would reach
In 1999, Dwight Baker, a volunteer with a burgeoning and well-researched interest in native tallgrass prairies, looked at the preserve’s expansive old field planted with one species of non-native grass and had an idea. “He looked at the site and said, you know, this can
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