Letter from the EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

I love this time of year! The days are getting cooler, leaves are changing, and falling. Hikes are now accompanied by the musical sound of crispy leaves underfoot. On clear, crisp nights, the stars go on forever overhead. Much of the world outside is slowing down, preparing itself for a restful winter. It is a perfect time to settle into a cozy spot and reflect upon the year.

The end of November will mark a year that I have been with HeadWaters Land Conservancy. My decision to take this position meant moving to a new place where I knew no one and very little about the area. While this year has not been without its less-thanideal moments, I am so glad I came. It has been a year of personal growth filled with new experiences. Because my partner and son are still living in Indiana, I am on my own for the first time in my life. The HeadWaters community and the communities across our service area have been wonderfully welcoming and have served as my educators and guides to this new and unfamiliar place. Many have become dear friends. My weekends are often filled with solo adventures. I have hiked beautiful places, viewed waterfalls, discovered a ‘secret’ stone labyrinth constructed for a beloved many generations ago, became a rock hunter and found my first Petoskey stone, pudding stone, and geode, visited islands, and fell in love with the wild shores of Lake Huron. There is something enchanting about the northeastern part of Michigan. It has completely drawn me in and changed me.

HeadWaters has also had a year of amazing growth and experiences. We acquired our first work vehicle. This vehicle has allowed HeadWaters an opportunity to greatly expand our outreach and stewardship activities. We facilitated our first ever Forest School Friday Program. The program was so popular that we already have people contacting us about next year. Thanks to the generosity of the Peng Family, we added a seventh preserve, Porcupine Run, and we have plans to add a trail system to this property. We completed stewardship activities to restore natural habitats on our preserves. This year, we worked at our Dault Nature Preserve to remove years of waste from this fragile wetland ecosystem. This gave rare, threatened, and endangered species a chance to re-establish. At other preserves, we planted state threatened species and removed invasives. We expanded our trail system at our Luneack Nature Preserve. Luneack is our largest preserve at almost 600 acres and now features almost 5 miles of trails. We hope you get out and explore in the New Year as this preserve is closed for hunting until January. We completed three additional conservation easements, including our first in Iosco County. One of the important ways we help protect natural areas in northeast Michigan is by helping private landowners preserve their land using this conservation tool. It really has been an amazing year so far!

P.S. – Now that our son is settled in at college in Indianapolis, my partner, Jason, will be joining me in Michigan in early 2023. With so many places still to discover and explore, I cannot wait for new experiences with him by my side!