The Land Conservancy of West Michigan is an accredited non-profit land trust headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan. We protect natural land in eight West Michigan counties.
The Land Conservancy works with individual landowners who want to protect their private land using conservation easements and organizations or governmental bodies to protect public natural land. We also own and manage the care of 20 nature preserves. Our work is guided by a Strategic Conservation Plan, which identifies the areas in our region that have the greatest potential to support the health and resilience of West Michigan’s wild places, plants, and creatures.
We are governed by a board of directors and have a professional staff dedicated to our mission of protecting West Michigan’s ecologically critical land. We also work with hundreds of volunteers, donors, and community partners. This community of conservationists participates by helping care for our nature preserves, collaborating on restoration projects, raising awareness of the importance of keeping nature nearby, or funding the acquisition of natural land and the day-to-day work to steward it.
Recently, the Land Conservancy of West Michigan worked with the community to protect McDuffee Creek Nature Preserve, a 300-acre natural area in Newaygo County with frontage on McDuffee Creek and the Pere Marquette River’s Little South Branch. Many generous supporters contributed to support the Land Conservancy’s purchase of the land and its transformation into a nature preserve. The Land Conservancy has also worked with partner organizations to begin restoring habitat. We collaborated with Trout Unlimited to install woody debris along McDuffee Creek and improve the habitat for trout. We have also begun to transform a former pine plantation into oak savanna, a rare habitat type, with support from the National Wild Turkey Federation. Volunteers have helped remove invasive species and build boardwalks to support gentle exploration of the preserve’s 4 miles of trail. Through collaboration, we have created a new place for people to connect with nature in West Michigan and will continue to support its health and preservation in perpetuity.
We are grateful to be part of a community of excellent organizations advancing conservation efforts in West Michigan. People who are interested in participating or learning more about the Land Conservancy of West Michigan can join us for a Second Saturday Workday, a volunteer opportunity to help care for our nature preserves that we host every month, or any of our other events. People can also donate to support the work of the Land Conservancy. Sign up for our e-newsletter to stay up to date on the opportunities to get involved!
West Michigan Conservation Network 