The Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy on Friday, Aug. 7, announced that it had raised enough money to purchase conservation easement on a 306-acre parcel to create a new nature preserve.
“We’re thrilled to announce that the fundraising goal for the proposed Ridge Nature Preserve — or as we’ve come to call it, ‘The Ridge’ — has been met, and this incredible property is now permanently protected!,” the Conservancy said in a Facebook post.
The Conservancy said it raised $11.09 million, including — with the help East Bay Charter Township — a $4.8 million grant from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund that helped purchased the conservation easement.
“This ecologically rich land protects water quality, provides critical wildlife habitat and offers exceptional potential for recreation,” the Conservancy said.
The site had been proposed for a 1,100 home development, the Conservancy said.
The property is south of U.S. 31 and between Four Mile and Five Mile roads with multiple private parcels abutting the area on all sides. The northern end reaches the TART non-motorized trail.
“Not long ago, this 306-acre property in East Bay Township faced a proposal for more than 1,100 homes that would have damaged its forested ridge, home to an active bald eagle nest, 7,100 feet of stream frontage and 64 acres of water-filtering wetlands that are critical to our region’s drinking water,” the Conservancy said.
The Conservancy said a flat, previously disturbed, roughly 6-acre area of the property that has access to existing water and sewer infrastructure, may be used to construct 30 units of “much-needed housing.
“This balanced approach aims to help address a critical community need while ensuring that The Ridge’s most ecologically significant areas remain protected,” the Conservancy said.
The new preserve is not yet open to the public — it could open in 2027 — but Conservancy staff and volunteers are already on site, laying the groundwork for a trail system. The group suggested people join weekly trail-building workdays on Fridays.
Where is the new preserve?
The property is south of U.S. 31 and between Four Mile and Five Mile roads with multiple private parcels abutting the area on all sides. The northern end abuts the TART non-motorized trail.
The Ridge lies within the Mitchell Creek and East Bay Shoreline watersheds, both part of the larger Grand Traverse Bay watershed. Water flowing through the land directly feeds into the bay, the primary drinking water source for over 40,000 residents and countless visitors.
What’s special about the property?
The property includes 7,100 feet of stream frontage and 64 acres of wetlands, including two headwater wetlands, the group said.
Among its many wetlands are rare and sensitive habitats, including areas of perched rich conifer swamp, listed as vulnerable in Michigan, and part of a remnant dune-swale complex unique to Great Lakes coastal embayment shorelines, the Conservancy said. The Ridge also hosts relic oak pine savanna — one of the rarest habitat types in the Conservancy’s protected lands.
Species of special concern, such as the wood thrush and red-headed woodpecker, along with an active bald eagle nest, are found on the property. The proposed preserve also serves as a key link in a growing network of protected lands, adjoining the Mnaadendan Shkaakimiikwe Nature Sanctuary and located near the Holiday Woodlands Natural Area, Mitchell Creek Meadows: The Don and Jerry Oleson Nature Preserve and the George and Ada Reffitt Nature Preserve.
From its peak, the property overlooks Old Mission Peninsula and downtown Traverse City, with views stretching as far as Charlevoix and Sugarloaf Mountain in Leelanau County on a clear day, the Conservancy said. Its varied terrain and proximity to the popular TART trail create potential for a recreational corridor from Traverse City.
How can I help the Conservancy?
The Conservancy is building trails in the new preserve before it opens next year.
You can volunteer to help each week by signing up online.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Michigan group ‘permanently’ protects 306-acre preserve. How they did it
Reporting by Dan Basso, USA TODAY NETWORK / Lansing State Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Dan Basso, USA TODAY NETWORK | USA TODAY Network
