Legacy Land Conservancy took part this solstice (June 21st) in “Day of Action” a city wide volunteering day organized by United Way (formerly known as “Day of Caring”).  Organizations from all over Ann Arbor came out in force to volunteer with non-profits.  Legacy was the proud recipient of a group of 11 very hard workers from Washtenaw Community College staff.  They braved herds of mosquitos and very hot weather to help us remove plants from our new trail at the Johnson Preserve. Native plants were given a new home just off the trail and others were weeded out, encroaching invasive shrubs were trimmed back, and the stump team made the trail safer for us all by digging up stump after stump, after stump, after stump…

Thank you Team WCC!

-Dana

-Dana

For seven years, Suzie has been the moving spirit behind much of the public face of Legacy Land Conservancy.  It is often her enthusiasm and open delight in the tiny wonders of nature – spring flowers hidden in the grass, a single rock, a stray feather – that reminds all of us why we’re here and why we decided to do this work.

Since we began this blog a year ago, Suzie has been our most diligent poster.  I hope we’ll continue to see ‘Suzie tracks’ as she jumps in occasionally to point out things about her new environment, and tell us what she misses about her old home.

Suzie — Thank you!

...Susan

The first of two awards for the 2009-2010 year goes to the Waterloo Hunt Club.  For over 40 years, the Waterloo Hunt Club has made the Waterloo Recreation Area its home – and done all it can to protect the area.  One of the few remaining hunt clubs in Michigan, their claim to fame is their ability to hunt in the public lands surrounding their Waterloo Township Club.  Like other park users, they noted the encroachment of development on the park.  Unlike many other users, they did something about it. 

For many years, they have hosted an Earth Day clean-up of the Recreation Area. This clean-up brings their members and others out for a spring cleaning that removes tons of casually dumped debris from along the roadsides in the public recreation area. 

They have encouraged their members to weigh in when the Natural Resources Trust Fund was considering whether or not to fund projects in Waterloo — the very properties that are now being successfully protected.  The number of letters they were able to generate helped persuade the Trust Fund that this was the time to make an investment there.

When the Department of Natural Resources brought user groups together to see how they could best co-exist in a multi-user park, the Hunt Club was there, making sure their own interests were represented, certainly, but also listening to  the concerns other groups had.

Understanding that land protection takes money, their members have helped to fund our Waterloo Fund, and they have encouraged the visiting riders who come to their annual horse shows to contribute as well.

And recently, as the Conservancy has committed to helping the DNR make their grant dollars go as far as possible, the Hunt Club has challenged 100% of their active members to give to the Waterloo Fund — a challenge that they seem well on their way to successfully completing.

Congratulations to the Waterloo Hunt Club on being awarded Preservationist of the Year 2009-2010.  

For the second award recipient, I’m reminded of a poster I saw in college that said, “Sometimes it’s easier to organize a conference on the environment than it is to pick up a gum wrapper.”  Our second awardee understands that good conservation requires both.  Charity Steere is that rare volunteer who is willing to do it all.

It isn’t enough that she volunteers for nearly every workday that the Conservancy has. She also volunteers for the DNR stewardship volunteer days in Waterloo, and she spends her vacations on The Nature Conservancy and Sierra Club work trips.  

She is also willing to pick up the phone to talk to her congressman about policy, or to let the DNR know when a nice piece of land in their priority area has come on the market.  (And as an aside, we have just been advised that with the support of Charity, the Hunt Club, and the Conservancy, MDNR will soon add an additional 33 NEW acres to the Waterloo Recreation Area. That makes 142 acres in 2010 alone. What’s more, an additional 238 acres are under consideration for protection this year.   The Conservancy has now protected 4,188 acres to date – over 10% in the past year alone.)

Charity is tenacious. With her help, Waterloo is now criss-crossed with designated natural beauty roads that remind visitors to look around them – and help make sure the peace of the area isn’t marred in the future. 

She also kept bringing information on farmland protection to the Jackson County planning committee and Board of Commissioners until they established a Farmland Protection ordinance. And then she was willing to serve on the committee implementing it.  

Charity also works subtly.  She’s the voice on our board that asks the uncomfortable questions - ’Is this an easement we ought to do?’ ‘How are we going to pay for this?’  And, for many years until we finally listened to her,  ’Do we have an endowment big enough that we can ensure landowners that we really can protect their land forever?’  In fact, it was largely because of her urging that we established our Forever Fund.  Her encouragement led us to embark on an ultimately successful campaign to complete the $500,000 Forever Fund Challenge, at an economic time when some fairly experienced people said it couldn’t be done.  We’re grateful that she pushed us to take it on, and we’re thankful to the support of our many donors who helped make it happen.

We didn’t give Charity any fair warning that she was going to receive this award, because we knew that if we told her ahead of time, she’d tell us to honor someone else.

Congratulations to Charity Steere for all her hard work on behalf of conservation in Michigan and throughout the country.  

 - Robert Tetens, President, Legacy Land Conservancy

Event: Identifying Woodland Wildflowers Workshop

Date & Time: Sunday May 2, 1:00-4:00pm

Location: Legacy Land Conservancy’s Creekshead Preserve, a high-quality remnant beech-maple forest home to trilliums, Dutchman’s breeches, blue cohosh, trout lily, spring beauty, and more.  

Hosted by: Stewardship Network and Legacy Land Conservancy

Description: At this workshop, you’ll learn how to identify some of Michigan’s most beautiful spring wildflowers.  Topics will include background on plant identification, an introduction to “indicator species”, and discussion of threats to wildflower areas, including invasive plants such as garlic mustard.   Then, we’ll hit the trail to see what we can find and identify.  By the end of the workshop, you’ll be a wildflower pro (and you’ll have a handy flower identification book to take home too)!

Registration: $10 for Stewardship Network members, $15 for non-members, includes flower id book.  Pre-registration is required; register online at the Stewardship Network website or call (734) 996-3190.  Hope to see you Sunday!

A: Fifty years ago. And the second-best time is now.

This message comes via Conservancy friends Emily and Kurt, who both went in together with other folks on a big tree-order from their local conservation district [Washtenaw / Jackson]. The conservation districts are a great source of native plants – and if you get on their list now, you’ll know when the next sale is coming up, so you can plant your own trees and wildflowers.

Hope you had a lovely Earth Day!  Great to see everybody who came out to WCC for the Ann Arbor-area event, and a special kudos to all the folks who braved some pretty wet weather to celebrate in Jackson.

Volunteer Ambassadors at the Jackson Earth Day Celebration

This Saturday April 17, from 10a.m.-4p.m. local organizations will gather in Tecumseh City Park for the Tecumseh Earth Day celebration.  The same day, the Waterloo Hunt Club will hold an Earth Day Clean-up at the Waterloo Recreation Center. Participants will meet at the Hunt Club at 9 a.m. and then make their way to the Rec Area.  Lunch will be provided.  Contact Jeff Stommen at (517)522-5018 or jstommen@netzero.net to attend.

Next Monday April 19, celebrate Earth Day with delicious local foods! Grange Kitchen & Bar will hold the Local Foods, Local Lands fundraiser for the Conservancy from 5-10 p.m.  Stop by for a quick drink or a full course prix-fixe meal – the proceeds will benefit the protection of valuable nature and farmland here where you live!

Join us at Beckwith Conservancy Nature Preserve, Saturday April 24 from 1:00-4:00 p.m. to commemorate both Earth Day and the National Youth Service Day by getting your hands dirty and preparing the preserve for the coming months.

Two events take place on Sunday April 25.  The Jackson Earth Day celebration will take place from 1:00-4:00 p.m. at Cascade Park, while the Ann Arbor Earth Day festivities will take place at Washtenaw Community College.  If you’re interested in volunteering for the Conservancy at either event, email suzie@legacylandconservancy.org.

On Sunday May 2, this workshop will explore the ephemeral beauty of spring wildflowers.  Participants will learn how to identify Michigan spring wildflowers.  The workshop will cover background on plant identification, an introduction to “indicator species” and a discussion of threats to wildflower areas, including invasive plants such as garlic mustard.   Then, participants will hit the trail at Creekshead to see what they can find and identify.  By the end of the workshop, you’ll be a wildflower pro (and you’ll have a handy flower identification book to take home too)!

The event is $10 for Stewardship Network members and $15 for non-members.  Pre-registration is required on the Stewardship Network website.

If you can’t make it to the workshop, but still want to check out the spring blooms, stop by Creekshead – its located northeast of Ann Arbor on Curtis Road between Brookville and Five Mile Roads. Park along the road by the sign and watch for traffic.  We’d love to see pictures of what you find!

Dining options include a full-course prix fixe dinner of in-season dishes with optional wine pairings on the main level, or a more casual- and just as delicious - bar menu upstairs (check out their seasonal cocktails!).

The full-course prix fixe menu features:

• Spring Garlic Soup, poached Michigan Shrimp
• Sauteed Whitefish, morels & ramp coulis
• Choice of Lamb, goat cheese scalloped potatoes and arugula pesto; or Parisian style gnocchi, fingerlings, goat cheese, radishes and arugula
• Rhubarb Crisp, buttermilk sorbet

The full course Local Foods, Local Land dinner is $65 per person, plus tax and gratuity.  Optional wine pairings with the dinner are $20.  Upstairs bar menu prices vary. Reservations are recommended for dinner.  To make a reservation, you can call (734) 995-2107 or make a reservation online through OpenTable.

Grange Kitchen & Bar is located at 118 W. Washington, in downtown Ann Arbor.

We hope to see you there!