ISSUE 1, 2018
Beyond this Lifetime
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BY LAURA JUSTIN Executive Director
hen we say that we protect land forever it sounds pretty audacious. So few things last “forever” in this world, it makes you realize just how seriously we have to take our work and our commitment to conservation easement donors. We are the people who make the promise to protect the land you love, even if that means defending a conservation easement (CE) in court.
Well, they were justified in their fears and have watched as the old farm fields have been bought up, chopped up and built up, faster than you can imagine. Cutting down trees to place house trailers on 2-5 acre lots. It’s embarrassing to admit that I thought this would never happen in my backyard. I grew up wanting to move away from this boring country setting and now, broken hearted, long for what used to be.
In order for us to plan for the future of your land’s protection, HeadWaters must be a vital and growing organization for decades to come. Because of your financial support and the partnership of the J.A. Woollam Foundation, we are working to secure our today, tomorrow and beyond. With dynamic incentives like the $50,000 Match Grant, we know our land protection projects will steadily increase.
But there is a beautiful end to this story. Because my folks bought the property they could, and cared so deeply for the land and all the plants and animals it sustains, they have created a very special place, a buffer from poorly planned growth. There are hundreds of trees, tall and full, native grasses have returned to the fields and natural habitats flourish. It is a sight to behold when dozens of bluebirds sip from the birdbaths and Sandhill cranes raise a clatter while also raising their chicks each year. Turkeys and grouse visit regularly and walk around with the deer. The list of birds, from orioles to buntings who nest or just pass through for food and rest is endless. In short, this is a little oasis, a splendor of life and beauty that often takes your breath away.
Although we don’t spend our days pulling invasive species out of a field, or repairing erosion on a riverbank, our work is incredibly important in the long term. By keeping land intact, not allowing for dozens of homes to crowd a riverbank or a forest or fertile farm lands, the impact is felt by all of us. My parents were the first people to talk to me about conservation easements, long before I was at HeadWaters. In the ensuing years, they took the limited resources they had and purchased the land around them, knowing growth was coming. I didn’t have their vision and thought they were kind of crazy for spending what little they had on land they weren’t going to farm or timber or hunt. And besides, who would want to build out in the middle of nowhere?
Thank you to my parents and all of you who have the vision I lacked in my younger days. Thank you for conserving places for nature and people to flourish and grow. Planning for “forever” is a daunting task for all of us, especially when our time on this planet is finite. Enjoy each day you have and work hard to do the big, important, lasting things that will outlive us all. Your children will thank you for it… I promise.
HEADWATERS LAND CONSERVANCY
Strategic Land Conservation in Northeast Michigan
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id you know that HWLC’s 11 county service area is over 10,000 square miles? With miles and miles of rivers and thousands of acres of forests, lakes, and wetlands, how should HWLC decide where to focus our land protection efforts? Enter the Priority Parcel Analysis. The analysis uses county parcel data and other publicly available data to determine which privately-owned parcels should be our highest priority for permanent protection. After Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council, a Petoskey nonprofit, shared their priority parcel analysis for Otsego County with HWLC, we knew we wanted to do something similar for our remaining 10 counties. HWLC staff and the Land and Stewardship Committee worked together, and decided to score parcels based on the following criteria:
Parcel Size
Proximity to protected lands
Wetlands
Likelihood of rare natural community or species
Riparian frontage
Scenic view
Jim and Barbara Kurbel have supported HWLC’s work for years and serve as Volunteer Land Stewards, helping HWLC with annual conservation easement monitoring. Jim, a retired engineer, had done a few tutorials with the ArcGIS mapping software and was willing to take a shot at the analysis. We are so thankful for Jim’s help—without him, we couldn’t have gotten this analysis done. Protecting land along the Au Sable River in Crawford County has always been a priority for HWLC, and since Crawford County regularly updates their GIS parcel database, we thought this was a good place to start. We plan to do a similar analysis for the remaining 9 counties! The Crawford County Priority Parcel Analysis places 166 parcels in the high (orange) and very high (red) priority categories. With the help of grant funding from the Au Sable River Watershed Committee, HWLC has sent letters to the roughly 150 landowners of the highest priority parcels to introduce them to HWLC and our mission. This summer, HWLC will invite these landowners to a fun, informative event at a Crawford County conservation easement property. Private landowners in Crawford County have already protected over 1300 acres and 6 miles of riverfront in Crawford County, and we hope our outreach efforts to priority parcel landowners will encourage even more land protection!
ISSUE 1, 2018
Crawford County Priority Parcels for Permanent Land Protection Crawford County Priority Parcels for Permanent Land Protection
Legend Legend
Currently Protected Parcels Currently Protected Parcels Lakes Lakes Rivers and Streams Rivers and Streams Roads Roads
0 0
1 1
2 2
4 4
6 6Miles Miles
Percent of Percent of of Total Acreage Percent of Total Count Total Acreage Parcel Score Range Parcel Count Percent Parcel Score Range Parcel Count 0-3 (Very Low) 5,016 Total Count 29.1% Total Acreage 16,750 Total Acreage 17.2% 0-3 (Low) (Very Low) 5,016 29.1% 16,750 17.2% 4-8 11,139 64.7% 40,636 41.8% 4-8 (Low) 11,139 64.7% 40,636 41.8% 9-13 (Medium) 895 5.2% 21,471 22.1% 9-13 895 5.2% 21,471 22.1% 14-18(Medium) (High) 127 0.7% 11,070 11.4% 14-18 (High) 127 0.7% 11,070 11.4% 19+ (Very High) 39 0.2% 7,269 7.5% 19+ (Very High) 39 0.2% 7,269 7.5% Total 17,216 100.0% 97,196 100.0% Total 17,216 100.0% 97,196 100.0%
$
Data Sources: Crawford County Equalization Dept. GIS Parcel Data, Michigan Geographic Framework Hydrography Lines and Polygons, DEQ Final Wetlands Inventory, MDNR OpenSources: Data PLSS Public County Lands, MIGDL Gap Stewardship_lp, PAD-US, Michigan Natural Features Inventory Biorarity Index, and MIGDL Framework. Data Crawford Equalization Dept. GIS ParcelUSGS Data,GAP Michigan Geographic Framework Hydrography Lines and Polygons, DEQ Final Transportation Wetlands Inventory, MDNR Open Data PLSS Public Lands, MIGDL Gap Stewardship_lp, USGS GAP PAD-US, Michigan Natural Features Inventory Biorarity Index, and MIGDL Transportation Framework.
HEADWATERS LAND CONSERVANCY
YOU DONATE $50,000 Challenge
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J.A. Woollam Foundation Match Grant
ithout you, there is no HeadWaters. Unlike many nonprofits, we do not receive State or Federal funding for our work. We exist solely through the generosity of individual donors and foundations. YOU inspire John Woollam and the J. A. Woollam Foundation by MEETING and EXCEEDING the match grant challenge EVERY year! We are well on our way to meeting the $50,000 goal and I know Mr. Woollam will be very impressed…maybe we can convince him to raise the bar a little higher in 2018 if we meet the goal by April 30! Can we do it? I sure wouldn’t bet against YOU!
To meet the match grant criteria, your donation must be: •
More than you gave in 2017 (if even by $1.00)
•
All donations of $500 or more
•
Lapsed donor - a donation was not made in 2017 but was made in a prior year
•
A new donor that has never given to HeadWaters before
Want to make sure your gift is matched but aren’t sure what you gave in 2017? We’re happy to look it up for you, just call and ask!
Monthly giving... An Easy Way to Make a Difference! As a member of our monthly donor family, you will be a steadfast steward of the water, land and wildlife you love! HeadWaters Land Conservancy welcomes and encourages monthly giving donations. This donation program automatically transfers funds from your credit card to our secure banking site. It’s a hassle free and manageable way to help that you can start or stop at any time. This monthly contribution will help provide financial stability for HeadWaters Land Conservancy throughout the year, and can be made in honor or in memory of someone you love. Call Judy Koronka at 989-731-0573 for more information!
ISSUE 1, 2018
View of Big Lake in the summer
Big Lake Preserve T Short trail through the hardwoods
he Big Lake Preserve was donated to HWLC by the Big Lake Preservation Associates, a group of six Big Lake homeowners, in December 2017. The preserve is located on the southwest corner of Big Lake in Otsego County, just outside of Gaylord. This beautiful property is 8 acres in size with 523’ of shoreline, home to spawning fish and migrating waterfowl. Diverse for its size, the preserve is comprised of 4 different community types: a northern hardwood forest, a transitional zone, a lowland mixed zone, and a bog. HWLC is thrilled to have the opportunity to preserve and protect this beautiful property. This nature preserve is a great example of people taking action to protect natural areas that are important to their community. The members of Big Lake Preservation Associates wanted to protect the great water quality and fish habitat of Big Lake and they care about the health of the different ecosystems, including the bog that the beavers call home, and the lowland and upland woods that are great habitat for a variety of birds and mammals. HeadWaters is so grateful this group of people had the foresight to purchase this property and donate it to HWLC so it can be forever preserved in its natural state.
Big Lake in the winter
HEADWATERS LAND CONSERVANCY
New Grants, New Projects! We are very happy to announce that we received funding for a few projects we have in our sights for 2018. Thank you to the Au Sable River Watershed Committee for accepting BOTH of our grant proposals! The first grant will help fund our outreach campaign to owners of parcels in Crawford County that are our highest priority for permanent protection. The second grant will allow us to plant 60 trees on a conservation easement property along the North Branch of the Au Sable River. Most of the trees will be northern
Earth Day Partnership
white cedar from Cedars for the Au Sable, and we will also plant some balsam fir, white spruce, and tamarack. We’re excited to work with the landowner this summer to get these trees in the ground! We also received a grant from the Wildflower Association of Michigan to restore an old wildlife food plot on our Luneack Preserve near Comins. We will be planting a tallgrass mix that contains a number of native grasses and flowers. Thank you for your support!
ISSUE 1, 2018 smiles eing with Snowsho
SNOWSHOEING
with Vanderbilt Schools s ready to th grader 8 d n a th 7 snowshoe
Lucas helping a first grader put on snowshoes coyote Holding a
High s c snows hool stude n hoe h ike in ts enjoying their schoo the l fores t
OWL PROWL at Pigeon River Discovery Center
Petting a soft beav er pelt
Sharing Our WILDLIFE EXHIBIT
owls aper bag Making p
Father and daug hters dissecting owl pellets
HEADWATERS LAND CONSERVANCY
HeadWaters Land Conservancy 110 South Elm Avenue Gaylord, MI 49735 989-731-0573 www.headwatersconservancy.org land@headwatersconservancy.org
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S TA F F
HeadWaters Land Conservancy
Libby Gunderson Land Protection Specialist
2018 SCHEDULE OF UPCOMING EVENTS:
Laura Justin Executive Director
Judy Koronka Development & Outreach Coordinator Lucas Thoms Preserve Specialist
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
April 21 Earth Day Event at Gahagan Nature Preserve-Roscommon
June 22 Conserving Your Land in Crawford County
May 12 “Skins, Skulls and Tracks” Luneack Preserve
July 14 “Kids at the Creek” Sturgeon River Preserve
May 19 Bird and Wildlife Hike at Wakeley Lake Area-Grayling
July 20 Appreciation Picnic at Michi Lu-Ca
June 16 “Birds, Bees and Blooms” Groen Preserve-Johannesburg
August 25 6th Annual Hotshots for HeadWaters Sporting Clays Fundraiser
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