by Little Traverse Conservancy Executive Director, Tom Bailey

FROM WHAT AND FOR WHAT
Land conservation is often described as land “protection,” but that term is seldom defined. The result can be confusion on the part of the public as to what land conservation is really all about.
At Little Traverse Conservancy, we work hard to ask “from what, for what,” and to define our terms carefully. Nature teaches us that everything is about balance, and LTC works hard to take a balanced approach to conservation. Thus our land conservation efforts are intended not only to prevent development, but also to promote things like environmental education, public recreation, nature study, and good stewardship of the land.

FROM WHAT
Of course, conservation measures protect land from development. As more and more communities across the North are faced with huge projects from large developers, our front pages carry stories about lawsuits and pressure tactics that leave local folks powerless to stem the tide of big box stores, strip malls, subdivisions, and asphalt.
It was to help offset those kinds of development pressures that the Little Traverse Conservancy was created. The organization was not established to confront development or to advocate for regulations as were many “environmental groups” in the 1970s. Instead the Conservancy was designed to work within the system, using the time-honored American tradition of land ownership to protect land. The Conservancy offered private land owners the choice of protecting their land from the commonly accepted myth that all land was destined, some day or another, for development. “You can’t develop it all,” they reasoned, and they added that “it’s important to save some of the land we love not only for ourselves, but for our grandkids.”
Many people had the experience of seeing their nearby natural areas posted and eventually paved to make room for more development. The days of heading out the back door for a walk to the woods, the meadow, the beach, or the stream seemed to be doomed forever as land speculation and rampant development chewed across the landscape of the North.

Things seemed to be out of balance. Nature, the Ultimate Teacher when it comes to the importance of balance and interdependence, was being crowded out of too many neighborhoods in northern Michigan, and the Conservancy’s founders created an organization that would grow into a community institution by offering people a choice.

FOR WHAT
As our founders so aptly demonstrated, it’s not enough to be against something like excessive land development. To be truly effective, an organization and its people need to clearly declare what they’re for, and the Conservancy founders had a clear vision. Land protected by the Conservancy is not just protected from the things we don’t like; it is protected for the things we want to promote.

Wildlife habitat is a good example. Part of the fun of living in the North is the opportunity to view the wildlife that abounds here. And in order to ensure that our grandchildren’s grandchildren are able to enjoy the grace and beauty of wild creatures, the Conservancy works to set land aside so that the animals, birds, plants, and other inhabitants of northern Michigan can grow and survive. People appreciate this. In fact, a recent scientific survey conducted by the Petoskey Area Open Space Task Force revealed that protection of wildlife habitat is an important priority for more than 80 percent of the area’s population!

Recreation is another priority. Conservancy-owned land is open to the public for low-impact recreational uses such as hiking, cross-country skiing, and the simple enjoyment of the Great Outdoors. A Conservancy nature preserve sign is an invitation to enjoy the land that has been set aside for the public.

Good land stewardship is another priority for the Conservancy. Much of the land of Michigan’s North Country has been heavily impacted in the past by excessive logging, unsustainable farming practices, and other stresses that have left the land in a denuded or altered state. Mother Nature needs a little help at times, and the Conservancy works to provide that help. Removal of non-native tree plantations has been undertaken on a number of properties, intended to help re-establish a more balanced and natural forest. Erosion control measures have been taken and trail structures have been placed to prevent excessive impact from preserve users. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, education is a key focus on Conservancy-protected land. Each year, some 7,000 school children across the North participate in outdoor education programs offered free of charge to schools whose shrinking budgets have less and less room for “extras” like field trips. The looks on the childrens’ faces tell the story best: these trips have a huge impact on our young people.

A NEW TOOL: CONSERVATION EASEMENTS
In recent years, a new land protection tool has come on the scene: the conservation easement. Because they occur on private land, conservation easements are ideally suited when physical access for the general public is not important, but maintenance of spectacular vistas is a high priority.

Conservation easements are also ideal for protecting fragile landforms and working lands that provide habitat for wildlife species that range far beyond the easement-protected land alone, thereby again benefitting the general public.

Conservation easements have become an important means for helping to establish an appropriate balance between development and preservation. Easements can allow some development – such as farms, a limited homesite, or a hunting camp. But they prevent the kind of excess in development that destroys natural and community value and erodes the quality of life for all who live in the North.

BALANCE, BALANCE, BALANCE
It surprises many people to learn that the Conservancy says no to more land projects than it accepts. Though it is hard to turn down a land protection project, we work hard to take on only those projects which provide legitimate public benefit and which fit into rational patterns and plans for community expansion and growth. We’re not out to prevent growth, only to provide balance.

Each year, hundreds of millions of dollars are expended on land development across the North. We’re fortunate, indeed, if we can manage to invest ten million dollars in conservation to balance all this development. The Conserv-ancy is not in a position to overshadow development, and there is no shortage of land available for those wishing to build.

But because of the Conservancy’s work over the years, there are some subtle differences in the North. Nature Preserves have been created to protect some of our most continued next page continued from previous page
precious spots for wildlife, recreation, and education. Scenic areas are safe thanks to conservation easements that keep sprawl at bay and assure our great-grandchildren of the same wonderful vistas that we enjoy today.

It is our hope that everyone who loves the North will one day be able to enjoy a nearby Little Traverse Conservancy nature preserve for a quiet walk, an outing with the children, or simply to sit and drink in the peace and natural beauty that we all love in the North. Nature teaches us that it’s all about balance. Thanks to the founders who established a vision for the future, our Trustees who guide our efforts, our members and donors who make it all possible, and our staff members who make it all happen, the Little Traverse Conservancy has made a significant contribution to an appropriate balance in the North between land development and protection of the natural, scenic and recreational features that make this area so attractive.

As we celebrate the milestone of 25,000 acres protected, we should note that this amounts to an area of some 39 square miles in a five-county service area comprising some 4,400 square miles. This is less than one percent of the land in the area we serve. While that one percent includes some wonderful natural areas, great wildlife habitat, and terrific opportunities for outdoor education and recreation, in order to establish an appropriate balance, we’ve got some more work to do!