Protecting Michigan’s Natural Treasures

Celebrating a Major Milestone

The bold vision of the founding generation of MNA pioneered the protection of critical habitat for rare, threatened, and endangered species, establishing Michigan’s oldest land conservancy and the only one that serves the entire state. In 2022, MNA celebrated 70 years of maintaining a remarkable sanctuary network which, thanks to supporters past and present, now includes over 180 sanctuaries in 60 counties. For some plants and animals MNA protects the finest—and sometimes the only—remaining habitat.

Supporting Vernal Pool Conservation

Thanks to a generous donation, MNA invested further in vernal pool conservation efforts by hiring a Michigan Vernal Pools Partnership Coordinator. The MVPP Coordinator has worked to connect and grow the partnership through expanded outreach efforts resulting in the 2022 MVPP Annual Meeting more than doubling in attendance over previous years.

Leveraging Technology for Environmental Education

Throughout the year, MNA enlisted the help of the award-winning videography team of Fauna Creative to produce a series of informational videos exploring the wonders of Michigan Nature. From the shallow depths of vernal pools in Ephemeral to the rocky bluffs of The Wild Keweenaw, each of these videos has helped us to tell the story of why protecting Michigan nature is so vital. The videos have also helped us to reach audiences ranging from K-12 schools to university researchers, as well as the general public.

Saving a Rare Natural Community

The extraordinary piece of MNA’s largest land campaign in our 70-year history, announced at the end of 2022, is the 3,436-acre Fox River Wetlands property in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. This area protects a state imperiled natural community known as a patterned fen, as well as a portion of the East Branch of the Fox River—the river made famous by Ernest Hemingway.

Conserving More Than 600 Acres Through the Planet Award

In the spring of 2019, MNA was awarded a $250,000 inaugural Planet Award grant from the Consumers Energy Foundation. The three-year project wrapped up in 2022 with MNA having conducted conservation work on more than 670 acres, nearly 100 acres over the goal. MNA is particularly proud of the fact that we were able to meet and exceed the goals of the grant given that the majority of the implementation period occurred during the Covid-19 pandemic which added unanticipated complications to implementing the project.

Project Research Partners

Poweshiek skipperling habitat research

Poweshiek skipperling ex-situ collection

Plant and orchid surveys

Mitchell’s satyr survey

Central Michigan University

Minnesota Zoo/John Ball Zoo/Haddad Lab Michigan State University

Michigan Natural Features Inventory

Michigan Natural Features Inventory

Colonial nesting bird research Jim Ludwig

Rattlesnake survey

Old growth forest soil microbial study

Wood frog sampling

Dwarf lake iris surveys and management research

Blanding’s and spotted turtle surveys

Statewide Forest Inventory

Michigan Natural Features Inventory

Governors State University

Texas State University

Michigan Natural Features Inventory

Michigan Natural Features Inventory

US Forest Service