Harbert Road Woods acquisition celebrated at summer gathering

Brooke Long, COL Executive Director Ryan Postema and COL Development and Marketing Manager Jennifer Thompson pose next to the map of the conservation corridor

Cafe Gulistan owner Ibrahim Parlak welcomes guests to his restaurant

A LIVING LEGACY

In the middle of the icy cold winter of 2021, a group of individuals banded together to protect a piece of natural property so that it could be enjoyed in perpetuity.

On a warm and sunny, early summer day over a year later at Café Gulistan in Harbert, that same group of individuals came together to celebrate their success of saving the land that so many of them have held close to their hearts for so many generations.

That land is Harbert Road Woods, a 14-acre parcel that was recently saved from future development and acquired by Chikaming Open Lands (COL).

According to a COL press release, Harbert Road Woods expands COL’s existing fiveacre Harbert Woods Preserve and connects to its neighboring nine-acre The Woods Preserve, creating a corridor of nearly 30 acres of protected land along Harbert Road west of Red Arrow Highway.

The press release also states that more than 460 individuals and organizations participated in the campaign to raise the $1.4 million needed to complete the purchase of the property and protect the valuable woodland and wetland.

The campaign was spearheaded by Brooke Long, who lives right by the preserve.

“It was 10 years in the making, but it was Brooke who really in this last year took the reins, led the effort, helped us close the deal, helped us with the fundraising and made it possible,” COL Executive Director Ryan Postema said at the Sunday, June 19, celebration.

Long, who moved from Oak Park, Illinois, with her husband, Stephen, in August 2020, said she was unpacking boxes that first week when one of the neighbors knocked on her door.

The neighbor informed them that a very large parcel of land close to them was going on the market and “if you don’t do anything about it, it’s highly likely going to be developed.”

“I thought, ‘Oh no, that’s why we came here,” she said, adding that she loves the lake but has a special connection to the woods.

The next morning, she awoke

BY FRANCESCA SAGALA

to the sounds of trees falling.

“It added some new urgency because the owner was preparing an access road,” she said of the property.

A meeting was called with the neighbors. There, Long learned about the wildlife, such as the wild turkeys and foxes and deer, as well as the native threatened species, that inhabited the area.

Most importantly, Long learned that there was a generation of people – those who were sitting at the meeting that day - who grew up running through the woods and reveling in its natural solitude.

“This brainstorming session - the takeaway was we all agreed there was an ecosystem here that was special and irreplaceable, and we had to protect it for generations to come,” she said.

A committee of seven, which consisted of people with different skill sets (including a lawyer and real estate agent), was formed.

One skill set that was missing was conservation – that is, until David Foster introduced Long to Chikaming Open Lands.

“Our committee of seven core people had the green light to proceed with this plan with COL’s support secured and knew we had to activate the entire community,” Long said. They had four months to raise the funds. By now, the committee of seven had grown to 20. Yard signs were created, and a website and Instagram page were launched.

Local businesses also pitched in. On a brutally cold day in February 2021, Whistle Stop catered an outdoor event. Patellie’s put their flyers on their pizza boxes. Red Arrow Roasters put the campaign’s logo on the coffee cups. Harbert Swedish Bakery, Viola’s Café (which raffled off a sweater) and Granor Farm also pitched in.

The effort was worth it: On Oct. 14, 2021, COL announced in press release that it was able to negotiate a deal with the land’s owner and had acquired the property.

Living with Stage 4 metastatic cancer in her bones, Long said she often thinks of the importance of the word “legacy.”

“Thanks to COL and the way their bylaws are written, we could partner to build something that’s bigger than ourselves - something that would outlast ourselves and would endure forever,” she said.

This summer, they’ll be working on a small hiking trail – a loop path that will run through the property – so that people will be able to access it Drive, the restaurant was formerly off Harbert Road located in Valparaiso, Indiana. Earlier

Postema added that they'll this month, the New Buffalo location also be demolishing remnants celebrated its grand opening. of the old Johnson property, such as the old tennis courts. The community is invited to come out Saturday, Aug. 3, to work on the trail. More details professional, opened an office in a plaza in Valparaiso in 2006 (which is still there). Along the way, he also worked as a chef, including at Sand Creek Country Club in Chesterton, Indiana.can be found in the calendar section on COL’s website, www.years as a cook and then worked for chikamingopenlands.org. other companies,” he said, adding that

Postema added, “We’re he has about 18 years’ experience in the looking forward to developing food service industry. that trail and getting the opportunity for people to Grille in the same plaza as his office be able to visit and walk the after his friend suggested they open a property and see how beautiful restaurant. it really is and how important it really is." Porter, Indiana, when he was 15. There,