Photo(s) by Noah Jurik courtesy of GTRLC
2020 was a big year for land conservation in Northern Michigan fragile wildlife habitats were preserved, forests were fortified and trails were blazed. We touched base with five regional conservancies to hear about their accomplishments and to see what’s in store for 2021.
Note: Acreage numbers were collected in November 2020, prior to publication, and may have increased since then.
Acres Protected in 2020: As of November, Leelanau Conservancy had protected 888 acres, with another 89 expected by year-end. That adds up to a total of more than 15,000 acres since the conservancy’s inception in 1988.
Goals for 2021: “Our 2021 goals are to focus on farmland protection, in addition to protecting forests and wildlife habitat. We’re also looking forward to working on our goal to establish up to 40 miles of recreational trails for public enjoyment at our 1,000-acre Palmer Woods Forest Reserve after having completed the fundraising for purc