The Land Conservancy of West Michigan is pleased to announce that Jim Sterba, author of Nature Wars: The Incredible Story of How Wildlife Comebacks Turned Backyards into Battlegrounds will serve as keynote speaker at the organization’s annual meeting event. The event is free, open to the public, and will be held in Grand Rapids on April 25.

Jim Sterba is a Michigan native and former correspondent for the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. His book describes how Americans lost touch with the natural landscape, spending 90 percent of their time indoors where nature arrives via television, films, and digital screens in which wild creatures often behave like people or pets. All the while, well-meaning efforts to protect animals and nature allowed wild populations to burgeon out of control, causing damage costing billions, degrading ecosystems, and touching off disputes that polarized communities, setting neighbor against neighbor.

Mr. Sterba will specifically focus his presentation on Michigan. As he describes in his book, Michigan forests were devastated by the logging industry in the 19th and early 20th century. During that time, 92 percent of the Michigan’s original forest was cut down. The native populations of animals such as deer and turkeys were severely diminished. As the forests recovered in the mid to late 20th century, the wildlife returned, adapted, and began living closer than ever to Michigan neighborhoods. The result has been coyote sightings in West Michigan cities, bears moving in closer to heavily populated areas, and flocks of Canada geese flourishing in local yards and soccer fields. As wildlife continues to flourish in these areas, conflict sometimes results.

Event details

• Event title: “How Our Backyards are Becoming Battlegrounds in Michigan”
• Presented by: Land Conservancy of West Michigan
• Date and time: Thursday, April 25, 2013 – 7:00 p.m.
• Location: Performing Arts Center at Aquinas College (1703 Robinson Rd. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49506)
• Description: At this annual meeting event, guests will learn about the migrations of both animals and humans that brought us to the point where our backyards and communities have become battlegrounds with the animals who also call West Michigan home.
• Keynote speaker: Jim Sterba, author of Nature Wars: The Incredible Story of How Wildlife Comebacks Turned Backyards into Battlegrounds
• Cost: Free
• Book signing: Mr. Sterba will be available to sign books at the conclusion of the program.
• Register: Seating is limited. Register online or call 616-451-9476.

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Conservation-minded landowners in West Michigan now have until December 31, 2013 to take advantage of a significant tax deduction for donating a voluntary conservation agreement to permanently protect important natural resources on their land. A conservation agreement or easement is a legal agreement between a private landowner and a land trust like the Land Conservancy that permanently preserves the natural qualities of the land by restricting certain development and uses of the land, but allowing the landowner to continue to own, use, sell, and live on the land.

The enhanced tax incentive applies to a landowner’s federal income tax in the following ways:

• It raises the deduction a donor can take for donating a voluntary conservation agreement from 30% of their income in any year to 50%;
• It allows qualified farmers and ranchers to deduct up to 100% of their income; and
• It increases the number of years over which a donor can take deductions from 6 to 16 years.

“Our whole community wins when thoughtful landowners conserve their land this way, protecting wildlife habitat, clean drinking water, scenic landscapes, recreational spaces, and productive agricultural lands,” said Vaughn Maatman, the Land Conservancy’s Executive Director. “Conservation agreements have become an important tool nationally for protecting our watersheds, farms and forests, increasing the pace of private land conservation by a third – to over a million acres a year. We thank our congressional representatives, Representatives Bill Huizenga, Fred Upton, and Dave Camp, and Senators Debbie Stabenow and Carl Levin, for making this important conservation tool available.”

The tax incentive, which had originally expired at the end of 2011, helped the Land Conservancy work with willing landowners in West Michigan to conserve 4,353 acres of productive agricultural lands and natural areas between 2006 and 2011. Dozens of miles of natural shoreline habitats have been conserved by private landowners along West Michigan waterways, including the Pere Marquette, White, Grand and Muskegon Rivers. Productive farms and orchards, prairies and wetlands with rare natural species, dunes, and scenic rural lands are now protected for future generations.

“This incentive is a win-win opportunity for family farmers, landowners, and those who believe in conserving West Michigan’s natural habitats,” said Rep. Bill Huizenga. “I am proud to support private, voluntary land conservation.”

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The Land Conservancy of West Michigan is pleased to announce the completion of the organization’s 100th land protection project. In total, the Land Conservancy has permanently protected 8,361 acres and 52 miles of shoreline in the organization’s West Michigan service area (an eight county region from Ludington to Saugatuck, and the lakeshore to Lowell).

“As an organization, we are so pleased to celebrate our 100th land protection project,” said Vaughn Maatman, Land Conservancy’s Executive Director. “These properties represent the best that West Michigan has to offer. The permanent protection of these scenic properties ensures that they will still be around – and still be in their natural condition – for our children and grandchildren to enjoy in the years to come.”

Click here to view a photo collection illustrating the Land Conservancy’s 100 land protection projects.

To reach the 100th property milestone, the Land Conservancy recently completed three land protection projects, all of which protect not only land, but also bodies of water:

• Flower Creek Dunes Nature Preserve – Located on the Lake Michigan shoreline near Montague in northern Muskegon County, this 14-acre nature preserve is open to the public. By purchasing this property, the Land Conservancy permanently protected critical dune habitat, home to the federally threatened Pitcher’s thistle, and 1,000 feet of Lake Michigan frontage.

• Shoup conservation easement – Running along the Pere Marquette River in Mason County, the 130-acre Shoup property includes farmland, mature hardwood forest, and an extensive wetland area home to an abundance of wildlife. The Land Conservancy worked with the Shoup Family to create a conservation easement which, while remaining in private ownership, permanently protects and prevents development on this property that has been cherished by their family for generations.

• VandenBosch conservation easement – Protecting ¾ of a mile of property on both sides of the Little South Branch of the Pere Marquette River, the 215-acre VandenBosch conservation easement also protects an extensive area of wetlands. The Land Conservancy worked with the VandenBosh Family to create this conservation easement on their property which remains in private ownership, but is now permanently protected from development.

The 100 land protection projects completed by the Land Conservancy represent the diversity of landscapes in West Michigan – Lake Michigan shoreline, river watersheds, forests, dunes, meadows, and wetlands. Properties protected are home to a number of endangered and threatened species including the prairie warbler, Blanchard’s cricket frog, Karner blue butterfly, lake sturgeon, and Pitcher’s thistle.

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At 12 of our nature preserves, we selected one tree and decorated it with a big red bow. Participants in the Holiday Hike Challenge were tasked with visiting the preserves, locating the decorated trees, and sending us pictures of themselves or family members in front of the tree. As a bonus, we asked the participants to identify the decorated tree as well.

We were thrilled with the response that we received to this event! We really enjoyed the pictures, stories, and feedback that participants shared. Thank you to everyone who participated!

Breaking down the results

• 155 – total entries.
• 27 – families participated.
• 3 – dogs participated (with their families).
• 5 – entrants who visited all 12 nature preserves: (Anne Keller & Sarah Elliott, David Dornbos, Linda Glaza-Herrington, Carlyle & Marcia Miersma). Nice work!
• Lamberton Lake Fen and Wege Natural Area were the most visited nature preserves.

Prizes

Grand prize: A $100 gift certificate for Gilmore Collection Restaurants was awarded to the first participants to visit all 12 nature preserves. The winners are: Anne Keller & Sarah Elliot.

Drawing: All entrants were added into a drawing for additional prizes. Participants received one entry for each preserve they visited and each tree they correctly identified. The winners are as follows:

• Forest Hill Foods gift card (2): Linda Glaza-Herrington; Adam Kroon
• Bill and Paul’s Sporthaus gift card(2): Ashley Swainson; Sue Norman & Craig Ressler
• Wild Birds Unlimited gift card: Eric Smith
• Spare Time Designs hat (2): Carlyle & Marcia Miersma; Joel & Dana Lautenbach
• Meijer gift card (donated by John Fox): Lydia Henning
• Land Conservancy t-shirt (5): Chloe Hartman; Eric Lehman; Eric Dickinson; Suzanne Fedewa; Brett Nelson

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Named Flower Creek Dunes Nature Preserve, the property is located ¼ mile north of Meinert Park, near Montague in Muskegon County. It features nearly 1,000 feet of scenic Lake Michigan shoreline and is designated by the Department of Environmental Quality as critical dune habitat. The property has a high conservation value because of the increasing scarcity of unspoiled Lake Michigan frontage and because it adds to continuing preservation efforts in the area including Meinert Park and a nearby privately owned conservation easement, both projects that were led by the Land Conservancy.

Flower Creek Dunes Nature Preserve is owned and managed by the Land Conservancy. The property will be open to the public to enjoy low-impact activities such as hiking, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, bird watching, and photography.

The total cost of the Flower Creek Dunes project was $1.75 million and was made possible by a number of generous donors. The former landowners agreed to sell the property to the Land Conservancy for a little over half of its actual value. Funding for the remainder of the purchase price was provided by two significant anonymous donors, the J.A. Woollam Foundation, a bequest from Elizabeth (Libby) Getz, and a nearly 100 Land Conservancy members.

The Land Conservancy will be hosting a guided hike of the new Flower Creek Dunes Nature preserve on January 1, 2013. The hike is open to the public and anyone interested in viewing the new nature preserve is welcome to attend. Event details are as follows:

• Date/time: Tuesday, January 1 – 1:00-2:00 p.m.
• Description: Land Conservancy staff will meet the event participants at the north end of the Meinert County Park lot (which will be made available by the Muskegon County Parks). The group will walk out to the lakeshore to access Flower Creek Dunes and then participants will be able to pick their own adventure, either staying on the lakeshore for the entirety of the hike, or for a more strenuous option they’ll be able to hike to the top of the dune on the property to look out over Lake Michigan on the first day of 2013.
• Directions: From US-31, take the Fruitvale exit #131 and head 0.5 mile west to the four-way stop at Old US-31. Head north 1 mile to Meinert Park Road. The road dead ends at Meinert Park, about 5.5 miles down.
• Note: The public restrooms will not be available at Meinert Park.

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The goal of the project is to slow or stop the spread of non-native invasive plant species before they have a chance to become permanently established and damage native eco-systems in Michigan. In west Michigan, LCWM crews targeted Oriental Bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus), which is a fast-growing vine that can overtop and smother native trees and shrubs. The crews also targeted Japanese Knotweed (Fallopia japonica), widely regarded as one of the worst non-native invasive species in the U.S. Like many non-native invaders, these plants are extremely difficult to eradicate and chemical control (herbicide) is often the only practical option.

Unfortunately, an unintended consequence of the herbicide application in 2010 and 2011 has been stress to surrounding trees.  The Land Conservancy is in continued communication with the affected landowners and is committed to working with landowners to resolve these issues.

At the request of the Land Conservancy, Dr. Bert Cregg, a recognized horticulturist with Michigan State University, conducted a site survey of the of the consequences of the herbicide application.  To read his full report, click here.  To read his analysis of the fall 2012 soil sampling click here.

If you have any questions about the consequences of this herbicide application, please contact the Land Conservancy office at 616-451-9476.

Additional information about invasive species and recommended treatment:

• “Invasive species” – Michigan Department of Natural Resources
• “Keep a lookout for unwanted invasive plants” – Michigan Department of Natural Resources
• Midwest Invasive Species Information Network – Michigan State University
• About Oriental Bittersweet – Michigan Department of Natural Resources
• About Japanese Knotweed – Michigan Department of Natural Resources
• Weed Control Methods Handbook: Tools & Techniques for Use in Natural Areas - The Nature Conservancy

LCWM letters to landowners:

• May 24, 2012
• June 13, 2012
• June 29,2012
• August 29, 2012
• November 29, 2012

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#GivingTuesday is the nonprofit community’s answer to ‘Black Friday’ and ‘Cyber Monday’ in the retail world, and encourages communities to show support for their local nonprofit organizations. #GivingTuesday is already generating a conversation in social media about the importance of giving during the holiday season, and inspiring businesses, families and individuals to donate, volunteer and give back.

More than 1,000 nonprofit organizations across all 50 states are taking part in the movement. The Johnson Center is a founding partner of #GivingTuesday and is encouraging the Grand Valley State University community to contribute to the giving season.

The Land Conservancy will be launching a $45,000 matching gift challenge that will run through the holiday season. All gifts to the organization during that time will be matched dollar for dollar if they are a new membership gift, a renewal of a lapsed membership, an increase from last year’s gift, or over $500. The matching gift funds were made possible by the J.A. Woollam Foundation and several anonymous donors.

South End Community Outreach Ministries is using #GivingTuesday to support Pride for Parents, a program that promotes empowerment through volunteerism. For every 10 hours volunteered, parents are able to choose $75 in Christmas presents per child. Funds raised will help support the program and additional support services.

#GivingTuesday is a nationwide movement to celebrate and provide incentives to give, culminating with a national day of giving on November 27. This first-of-its-kind effort harnesses the collective power of a unique blend of partners — charities, families, businesses, and individuals — to transform how people think about, talk about and participate in the giving season.

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Flower Creek Dunes is a 14-acre property that features 1,000 feet of Lake Michigan frontage, open foredunes, and forested dune ridges. It is designated as a critical dunes area and is home to the federally threatened Pitcher’s thistle. It is also important because of its proximity to other protected land in the area including Meinert County Park (which includes 95 acres added by LCWM in 2010) and an adjacent 35 acre private parcel on which LCWM holds a permanent easement restricting future development.

The total cost of the Flower Creek Dunes project was $1.75 million, including an endowment for the permanent maintenance of the property. The current property owners generously offered the property for a little over half of its actual value and funding for the remaining purchase price was led by two significant anonymous donors, plus the J.A. Woollam Foundation.

The property will become LCWM’s 14th nature preserve and its first in Muskegon County.  The staff at LCWM are excited to open this new nature preserve to the public. Guided hikes of the property will be held in 2013. Stay tuned to www.naturenearby.org for more information.

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“We are excited to be an accredited land trust,” said Vaughn Maatman, Executive Director of the Land Conservancy. “It confirms to our members and landowners that we are using the sharpest, modern standards from the land protection community across the country, and we are benchmarking ourselves against the best practices in the nation. Accreditation is both affirmation of who we are and what we do, as well as a continuing goal to become the best practitioners of land protection and stewardship we can become.”

The Land Conservancy is one of only 181 land trusts in the United States that has been awarded accreditation since the fall of 2008.

Since 1976, the Land Conservancy has permanently protected nearly 8,000 acres of forests, fields, meadows, wetlands, and sand dunes in Allegan, Kent, Ottawa, Newaygo, Muskegon, Oceana, Mason, and Lake counties. Most recently, the organization worked with the City of Saugatuck to preserve the 173-acre Saugatuck Harbor National Area, widely considered one of the most important recent conservation projects in Michigan. The Saugatuck Harbor Natural area includes rare dune habitat along 3800 feet of Lake Michigan Shoreline available to residents and tourists to the area for education, hiking, and recreation. The Land Conservancy of West Michigan was the managing partner for the project, which also included Michigan’s DNR, The Frey Foundation, The Meijer Foundation and 600 private donors.”

“Accredited land trusts meet national quality standards for protecting important natural places and working lands forever,” said Tammara Van Ryn, Executive Director of the Land Trust Accredited Commission. “The accreditation seal lets the public know that the accredited land trust has undergone an extensive, external review of the governance and management of its organization and the systems and policies it uses to protect land.”

According to the Land Trust Alliance, conserving land helps ensure clean air and drinking water, food security, scenic landscapes and views, recreational places, and habitat for the diversity of life on earth. In addition to health and food benefits, conserving land increases property values near greenbelts, saves tax dollars by encouraging more efficient development, and reduces the need for expensive water filtration facilities. Across the country, local citizens and communities have come together to form more than 1,700 land trusts to save the places they love. Community leaders in land trusts throughout the country have worked with willing landowners to save over 47 million acres of farms, forests, parks and places people care about. Strong, well-managed land trusts provide local communities with effective champions and caretakers of their critical land resources, and safeguard the land through the generations.

“The Staff at the Land Conservancy, as well as the Board of Directors and all of our volunteers, have worked diligently to make our organization the well-respected land protection institution in West Michigan that it is today,” said Penny Ladd, President of the Land Conservancy’s Board of Directors. “We are thrilled to have earned this recognition at the national level and we will display the accreditation seal with pride.”

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Located ¼ mile north of Muskegon County’s Meinert Park near Montague, Flower Creek Dunes contains almost 1,000 feet of scenic Lake Michigan shoreline, with DEQ designated critical dune habitat.  According to Land Conservancy officials, in addition to the high conservation value of the property, and the increasing scarcity of unspoiled Lake Michigan frontage, this parcel is key to continuing preservation efforts in the area due to its location. The property is accessible by foot from the 183-acre Meinert County Park, which the Land Conservancy helped expand in 2010. The Land Conservancy also holds a conservation easement on an adjacent 35-acre privately owned “back dunes” parcel which limits future development. “Taken together, these properties would preserve a substantial piece of dwindling undeveloped coastal dune habitat for public enjoyment and wildlife,” stated Executive Director Vaughn Maatman.

The total cost of the project includes an endowment for the permanent maintenance of the property. Conservancy officials report $1.57 million already committed by the property owners, private donors & foundations, including a $250,000 matching gift challenge by the J.A. Woollam Foundation which will match all new public donations dollar-for-dollar.  The property is available to the Land Conservancy for a limited time from the property owners, who have offered it for just over half its fair market value for the purpose of creating the preserve. “This project would not be possible without the generosity and vision of the landowners,” said Maatman. “Their commitment to the preservation of this pristine property will contribute to the scenic beauty of West Michigan for generations to come.”

The Land Conservancy invites anyone interested in the project to join them for a guided hike of the property on Thursday, August 2 starting from the north end of the Meinert Park parking lot at 6:30 PM.  Call 616-451-9476 for details or visit www.naturenearby.org. Contributions to the Flower Creek Dunes nature preserve project may be made online via the web site, or sent to the Land Conservancy of West Michigan at 1345 Monroe Ave. NW, Suite 324, Grand Rapids MI 49505.

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