ISSUE 2, 2019
How much land protection
IS ENOUGH? BY LAURA JUSTIN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
F
olks who aren’t big fans of land conservation have shared with me that “we already have enough state land.” Well, thankfully, we do have a lot of citizen owned/ shared land under the guidance and management of the State of Michigan for all of us to enjoy. But that shared/public land has nothing to do with a privately owned conservation easement. There are still a whole lot of misconceptions out there about the work of HeadWaters and land conservancies in general. Part of our mission is to dispel misinformation and educate our communities about the benefits we all share when land and water resources are conserved, both for public AND private use. HWLC holds 86 conservation easements and 6 nature preserves. Some of these properties are very small but rich in
natural resource values. Other parcels are much larger and hold value as part of a wildlife corridor, connecting unbroken landscapes. But even with our efforts and state owned public lands, there are still so many beautiful and wild places and vulnerable plant and animal populations that need to be conserved before they are lost to development. So, how much land protection is enough? I believed that Michigan was doing pretty well in our private and public efforts until I watched a show called “Wild Ways” in the NOVA series on PBS. The documentary explored how places like Yellowstone aren’t large enough to ensure diversity within large mammal populations. This was mind-blowing to me but I’m not sure why I was surprised as these groups of animals had no obstruction to their travels before roads, fences, dams and buildings existed. Knowing all private lands can’t be acquired, conserved or radically altered, a new plan was devised as a work-around to the challenge.
This new and highly effective strategy is called “connectivity conservation”. It’s a way to create corridors on private or developed land that mammals use to get from one wild place to another. A difficult but manageable solution that will greatly increase the success of numerous species, enhance the enjoyment people have in experiencing wildlife and even help the landscapes that these mammals keep in balance. In our own tiny way, we have focused on “connectivity conservation” long before I had heard the term. We have several conservation easements that are clustered near each other or even adjoining. We have long used “proximity to another conservation easement or protected lands” as a criteria for determining if a property is suitable for protection in perpetuity. Hopefully these corridors that HeadWaters and CE donors have worked hard to create will help sustain wildlife populations, even if in a small way.
HEADWATERS LAND CONSERVANCY
Match Grant Extended to $80,000! Our biggest cheerleader and advocate is at it again! The J. A. Woollam Foundation is extending the $50,000 Match Grant Challenge for HeadWaters Land Conservancy. And for 2019, he is raising the bar even higher, committing to match all qualifying donations up to $80,000! Not only are you, our supporters, HWLC and the J.A. Woollam Foundation working toward creating an amazing “tomorrow” but also making it possible that we have funding for the work that is happening today. We are hoping to share some very BIG news about a pending conservation easement in our next newsletter!
There is a great challenge in fundraising for two very different goals at the same time. We started the endowment challenge a year ago and we want to continue being successful in achieving both of these match grants! And as I mentioned last summer, many of you will only be able to support us for our present day operations OR for the future endowment, and we understand. But we also know that you want to be made aware of these rare and generous opportunities that we are experiencing today! And maybe this will inspire some of you to give in a way you never have in the past. No matter what, we are so very grateful for each and every one of you!
If you are able to help us reach our increased 2019 Match Grant Goal of $80,000, thank you so much! You and the J. A. Woollam Foundation continue to take us to new heights, year-after-year! Please call the office if you have any questions or prefer to give a donation over the phone. Together, we save land forever!
FINISHING STRONGLasting Forever When we told you about our bold plan to raise funds for our “forever endowment” along with the match grant for operations, some folks made a strong statement and a big commitment right away. The Endowment for HeadWaters now stands at $210,000 since its inception last summer. We have 6 months left to reach our goal of $500,000, and the J.A. Woollam Foundation wants to make sure we hit our mark! For the remainder of 2019, for every $1 you give to the endowment, $2 will be given by the J.A. Woollam Foundation! We need to raise $97,000 by December 31 and I know we can do it! 2019 is my eighth year at HeadWaters. Don’t ask me where the time has gone because I couldn’t tell you! Maybe the weeks and months pass so quickly because I love what I do, and the best parts of life always seem to go the fastest. Each year I have been here with you, we have grown together. Thank you for sharing the wisdom and vision of our work. It takes a unique person to understand the value of conservation easements and land protection…each project having a beginning but no end. Protecting northeast Michigan will continue in perpetuity with your support and the Endowment for HeadWaters.
ISSUE 2, 2019
NO PLACE FOR FERTILIZER On Memorial Weekend, I spoke to a large gathering at the Otsego Lake Association annual meeting. Unfortunately, the message I had to share may soon affect many more of us than those living on Otsego Lake. This is an excerpt from my presentation: Last fall, while standing on our dock, looking out toward the lake, I noticed a thick line of something that looked just like blue paint coming down the shoreline. My first thought was that someone had dumped something in the lake which was infuriating, but confusing, because of the way the substance travelled. I tried to find a source but was not successful. Two days later, the canal was a bright milky blue color and the DEQ was on their way to take water samples. The results were bad and the DEQ went door-to-door on both sides of the canal to warn us all to stay away from the water. We were in the midst of a bloom of blue-green algae, which is more specifically cyanobacteria. It’s not hard to understand what’s happening, why it’s happening or how to fix it. There are straightforward causes and solutions but we all have to participate to be successful.
especially in the spring. This is the same time that fertilizers are applied and rapidly washed into the lake during a hard rainfall. •
Fertilizer remains in the “lake-load” for years after it enters the water. It can continue to cause blue-green algae blooms for years into the future, even if all fertilizer applications were ended immediately
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The canal was tested in two different areas for 12 different cyanobacteria microcystin toxin variants. The acceptable level for “recreational contact” is 20 PPB or less. 10 of the microcystin toxin levels came back normal, but 2 of them, known to cause harm to animals and humans, exceeded a safe threshold. The LR variant toxin was recorded at 67 PPB, and more worryingly, the less-studied but possibly more toxic and more persistent variant LA toxin, was found at a concentration of 170 PPB.
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The one factor we can 100% control is to STOP USING SYNTHETIC FERTILIZER ON OUR LAWNS! Although it will take several years for the fertilizer levels to subside in the lake, it can ONLY happen if we stop fertilizing our lawns with synthetic fertilizers
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Cyanobacteria is present in the lake all the time, and almost every part of the environment. In low levels, it’s not harmful and an important part of the biodiverse ecosystem. Just like anything in nature, once an imbalance begins is when things start to go wrong.
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Cyanobacteria can increase rapidly in warm, calm waterbodies. As climate change models indicate, our temperatures will continue to increase over time, allowing for more growth of algae and cyanobacteria.
As I am writing this article, news that the start of another massive cyanobacteria bloom on Lake Erie was just released. Lakes and rivers we thought were pristine could soon join this list unless we spread the word that no level of fertilizer is acceptable – not near Otsego Lake or the Au Sable River or any body of water. This is a vitally important step for keeping “Up North” a place we love.
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Fertilizer run-off from lawns puts phosphate and nitrogen into the water, greatly increasing the likelihood of a toxic bloom. Models for the Great Lakes show a 30% increase in rainfall,
By Laura Justin, Executive Director
HeadWaters Land Conservancy Log Drive Fundraiser August 17th, 2019 Have you ever wanted to help out a non-profit and cheer on a log at the same time? Well now's your chance. The log drive fundraiser will be held during the Lovells Bridge Walk– August 17th, 2019. Drive will start at the Lovells Riverside Tavern and finish at Fullers North Branch Outing Club.
Logs will be sold for $5 a log or 5 logs for $20 Prizes will be awarded to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place logs. Winners will get to choose between a Full Day Fly Fishing Float Trip, a Backpacking Bundle, and a Summertime Fun Package including a Yeti Cooler!
Need not be present to win.
For more information or to purchase logs call (989)731-0573 110 South Elm Ave. Gaylord, MI 49735 www.headwatersconservancy.org
Come cheer on your logs!
Lewis Class Scoring!
Raffles & Prize Giveaways Register by August 8 to be entered to win a flat of shotgun shells!
Special youth rate! Kids 12-15 $50 Register by calling HWLC at (989) 731-0573
Saturday, August 24, 2019 9:30 a.m. Sign In — 10 a.m. Start
Donation Request is $100 (Includes a delicious lunch & 100 targets)
Lewiston Sportsmen’s League 7689 Sheridan Valley Rd., Lewiston, MI
ISSUE 2, 2019
Ogemaw County PRIORITY PARCEL ANALYSIS Billmire Conservation Easement
Chances are, if you’ve driven “Up North” on I-75, you’ve stopped at West Branch in Ogemaw County for gas and a bathroom break. Like many towns in northeast Michigan, the city of West Branch began as a timber town located on the Michigan Central Railroad, the biggest rail line running north and south. At the intersection of three major Ojibwe (Chippewa Indian) footpaths, West Branch had been a hub for centuries. As the lumber era came to a close, farming became the primary driver of the economy in West Branch and in Ogemaw County as a whole. Ogemaw County’s hundreds of lakes, as well as the Rifle River, are a big draw for residents and visitors alike, and driving through rural Ogemaw County yields scenic views of forests and rolling hills dotted with hay bales. Ogemaw County covers a land area of about 574 square miles, the majority of which is privately owned. This distinguishes Ogemaw County from some of the other counties in HWLC’s service area, which contain large swaths of state or federal forest land. This makes HWLC’s work with private landowners in Ogemaw County especially important. With hundreds of thousands of acres of land in Ogemaw County, how should a small organization like HWLC decide where to focus its efforts? Thankfully, HWLC volunteer Jim Kurbel was willing to prepare a Priority Parcel Analysis for Ogemaw County, much like he did for Crawford County in 2018. After painstakingly digitizing parcel data for the county, each parcel was scored based on criteria selected by HWLC’s Land & Stewardship Committee. Parcels were given points based on their size, wetland acreage, amount of lake or river frontage, proximity to protected land, and likelihood of rare species. HWLC contacted the landowners of the 283 parcels with the highest total score to encourage them to learn about options available for protecting their property’s natural resources. We are hopeful this will result in conservation easement donations on these ecologically significant parcels in the years to come.
HEADWATERS LAND CONSERVANCY
HeadWaters Land Conservancy 110 South Elm Avenue Gaylord, MI 49735 989-731-0573 www.headwatersconservancy.org land@headwatersconservancy.org
Recycle your newsletter ~ Pass it on! Printed on Recycled Paper with Vegetable-Based Inks
S TA F F Laura Justin Executive Director Libby Gunderson Land Protection Specialist Lucas Thoms Stewardship & Program Coordinator
Growing
B OA R D
of Trustees Virginia Pierce, Chairwoman Jim Supina, Vice Chairman Robb Smith, Treasurer Martha Eberly, Secretary John Dallas Mike Mang Keith Martell Jeff Twyman Dr. Don Inman, Director Emeritus Stephen Qua, Director Emeritus
Wildlife Exhibit
T
hanks to the wonderful people that donated these mounts, our wildlife exhibit keeps on growing! Mounts like these give us the ability to show folks who may never see these animals in the wild what they look like in person. These are great tools to teach people about the animals that call northern Michigan home, and why HWLC works to protect their habitats. Pictured is a bobcat (bottom left), black bear (top), and grey fox (bottom right). In the background we also have furs of an elk, black bear and beaver (left to right).