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616-451-9476

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Newsletter: May 2015

May 19, 2015

in Newsletter Archive

by Colin Hoogerwerf, Communications Director

Newsletter: May 2015

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About Us

The Land Conservancy of West Michigan is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that works to keep nature nearby and conserve ecologically critical land in West Michigan. We protect land by creating public nature preserves, providing support to communities and local governments creating natural areas, and helping private landowners protect their own land.

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237 Steele St, Suite A
Grand Rapids, MI 49534

616-451-9476

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Open post by naturenearby with ID 17887959762403407

On Black Friday, we celebrated the completion of the prairie restoration project at Saul Lake Bog Nature Preserve and planted the last patches of prairie together.

Thank you to the more than 60 people who joined us to celebrate this milestone—and to @breweryvivant for providing the libations!

Saul Lake Prairie is a volunteer-led project: It began 25 years ago, the idea of a single volunteer. With the help of hundreds of volunteers since, it has grown into a 34-acre prairie with over 150 unique species of plants.

The work at Saul Lake Bog Nature Preserve is not done—we've made a promise to protect this land in perpetuity. Together, we'll continue to maintain healthy habitats, trails, and infrastructure so that people can explore, enjoy, and learn from this land for generations to come.

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We are grateful for you and all the time we get to spend together outside.

It's always a pleasure to see you on the trail, whether we are working together to restore healthy habitats or looking at cool bugs. With every solitary preserve hike, every workday spent getting our hands dirty, every time we encounter and learn the name of a new plant, bird, or insect, the land leaves a mark on us. Moments like these add up to deep connections with the natural world and with each other. The result is strong, inspired communities—both human and ecological in nature.

The places where these connections happen exist because you contributed to protecting them. Thank you for being a part of this community! 🌱

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Next Tuesday is Giving Tuesday! 🍁 As we are amidst our fall fundraising season, Giving Tuesday is a great opportunity to show your support for nature nearby. We hope you'll consider the Land Conservancy of West Michigan among the organizations you support on this global day of giving.

Image: A downy woodpecker searches for food at McDuffee Creek Nature Preserve, captured by Steve Jessmore.

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The Holiday Hike Challenge starts next week! 🎀 Soon, a red bow will appear on a tree in several of the Land Conservancy of West Michigan's nature preserves. If you find it and submit a photo, you'll be entered into a drawing for prizes! Bonus points are awarded if you can identify the tree the bow is affixed to.

The challenge kicks off on Monday, November 24, when we'll reveal the preserves where you can look for bows. Learn more on our website at naturenearby.org/events

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Thank you to the more than 50 volunteers who joined us at Saul Lake Bog Nature Preserve for the Second Saturday Workday this past weekend! We collected seeds at Saul Lake Prairie. The seeds collected will be used to plant the final remaining acres of our prairie restoration plot at Saul Lake Bog Nature Preserve, as well as to expand native habitat at Wege Foundation Natural Area and Upriver Nature Preserve. Healthy habitats beget more healthy habitats.

Our 25 years of hard work establishing Saul Lake Prairie will have a ripple effect for generations to come. Thank you for being part of this inspiring legacy! We'll plant the final acres of prairie this Black Friday. We hope to see you there!

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