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
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 is the land conservancy removing trees at one preserve while planting trees at
"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
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
I was taught early in my life to love trees. I have been called a tree hugger many times and I have found a few occasions to actually hug trees. My love of trees led easily to a love of long uninterrupted forest. Forests, being
The reasons to incorporate native plants into your yard are numerous: Supporting native animal and insect populations Their long root systems prevent erosion and runoff They are formed by our climate, and thus more tolerable of weather extremes Variety of native plants allow for blooming
Like a teenager who’s partied past curfew, nature preserves need tough love, too. That’s why a group of us found ourselves in Rockford last week, cutting down perfectly good trees in a nature preserve. Invasives? Nope. These were oaks, mostly, with some maples and cherries too. Quite
It was Valentine's Day and Grand Rapids was getting pummeled with blizzard conditions. But that didn't stop a group of rock star volunteers from spending the morning at Lamberton Lake Fen Nature Preserve, working to remove the invasive glossy buckthorn. Just look at these committed volunteers working
Studies show that along with outright habitat destruction, the spread of invasive species is a leading cause of global species extinction. Like many others, we at the Land Conservancy spend a lot of time and energy managing invasive species: Conducting surveys of invasive species and developing