Emmet County
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The following are Conservancy nature preserves or working forest reserves in Emmet County that do not include formal parking areas or trails. As Little Traverse Conservancy preserves, they remain open to the public for appropriate and respectful use, keeping in mind the land’s ecological protection. Working forest reserves are open to hunting and other activities as allowed through the Commercial Forestry Act Program.
70 acres, 1973+
Little Traverse Township. Donations from Susan Bissell, Mr. and Mrs. John Fischer, Jack and Jacqueline Burley, Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Fairbairn, Margaret Fisk, and Dr. and Mrs. Marshall Morley. A two-acre addition was donated by Mike and Karen Gregory in 2019.
20 acres, 2017
Maple River Township. Donated by Marceil Lasley in honor of her late father and the Kuebler family homestead. Mostly rolling open meadow, historically used as agricultural land.
2 acres, 2010
West Traverse Township. Neighbors pooled together to create this scenic preserve with more than a quarter mile of M-119 frontage.
16 acres, 2017
Springvale Township. Donated by the Armistead Family to help protect Pickerel Lake Watershed.
23 acres, 2008
Little Traverse Township. First protected with a conservation easement in 2005, this property was donated in 2008 by Jack and Ceejay Heckenberg and is currently leased to Rising Hope and Harbor Springs Soccer.
235.15 acres 2005, 2012, 2018, 2022, 2023
Littlefield Township. Located on the Pickerel-Crooked Lakes Channel. Local fundraising and a grant from the J.A. Woollam Foundation made it possible.
- Black Hole Nature Preserve 132.5 acres, 2005-2023
- Elbert Family Nature Preserve 97.9 acres, 2014
- William J. Dickson Nature Preserve 4.75 acres, 2015
31 acres, 2022
Sold for a bargain sale by Brian’s widow, Kate. Many private donations contributed to the purchase of this land that lies close to Crooked Lake and adjacent to the Northwestern State Trail.
180 acres, 1984 +
McKinley Township. Donated by Mr. and Mrs. Garth P. Bryan, Mr. and Mrs. Garth M. Bryan, Joey Arbaugh, Bradley and Cynthia Claes, and Steven and Jane Roberts. See Krapohl Family Nature Preserve.
50 acres, 2005
West Traverse Township. Purchased with donations to the Harbor Springs Greenbelt Program and protected in honor of a long-time Conservancy board member.
1.62 acres, 2021
Readmond Township. Donated by Jim Clarke and his family, this preserve is mostly northern hardwoods with 300 feet of M-119 frontage.
16 acres, 1992
Littlefield Township. Donated by Mr. Forrest Clements who left the property in his will.
Includes views of Crooked Lake.
85 acres, 1980
Resort Township. Donated by Dorothy Covert in memory of her husband, Harold. Located near north arm of Walloon Lake.
8 acres, 2023
West Traverse Township. Including 840 feet on Five Mile Creek. Ian and Sally Bund, longtime LTC supporters, donated the acquisition amount and named the property in the Cumming’s honor.
4½ acres, 1990
Cross Village Township. Donated by Mr. and Mrs. William Cranmer. M-119 Scenic Corridor.
.1 acre, 2008
Cross Village Township. Donated by Thomas F. Graham, Jr. this property lies next to the Shurtleff Preserve and is the small piece of land on which the cross sits. The surrounding land is owned by Cross Village Township, which is not permitted to own a religious artifact.
40 acres, 2004
Littlefield Township. Purchased at a significant bargain price from Ken and Kathy Drayton. Located in the Crooked River watershed, this preserve is mostly wetlands.
20 acres, 2020
Pleasantview Township. Funds for the purchase of this preserve were donated by Karen and Michael Donnelly and the late Edward and Josephine Kusel.
8 acres, 2009
Readmond Township. Lying along the M-119 corridor just south of Good Hart, this preserve was donated in memory of Duncan C. Dobson Jr. by his family.
3 acres, 1987
West Traverse Township. Donated by Herbert and Lorraine Edwards, this preserve is a slim scenic buffer.
10 acres; 2021
275 feet of frontage on Five Mile Creek. Protected with donor funds to this project area. Bargain sale from seller.
40 acres
Division Road.
40 acres
Van Road.
40 acres
Adjacent to the southeast corner of the Elmer Johnston Nature Preserve and across road from Goodhart Farms Nature Preserve.
40 acres
Johnston Road, across the road from Goodhart Farms Nature Preserve.
40 acres
Johnston Road, across the road from Goodhart Farms Nature Preserve.
40 acres
State Road.
40 acres
Webb Road.
40 acres
North of Stutsmanville Road; surrounded by private land.
40 acres
surrounded by private land.
35 acres, 1991
Cross Village Township. Donated by Sarah McPharlin. M-119 Scenic Corridor.
96.5 acres, 1997+
West Traverse Township. Donors include William and Cheryl VonValtier, Joyce Smith, and Bob and Virginia Horner. M-119 Scenic Corridor.
80 acres, 2017
13 acres, 2013
Bear Creek Township. A gift from Robert and Mary Coykendall.
92 acres, 2017
Village of Mackinaw City. Donated by the Hathaway family. Close to town and several neighborhoods as well as Village of Mackinaw City lands. ADDRESS: 1057 West Central Avenue, Mackinaw City
149 acres, 2012
Littlefield Township. Gifted from Scott and June Hymas. Partially forested, good wildlife habitat and wetlands. Near Waldron Fen. 400 feet frontage on Banwell Road, 396 feet on Mission Road, and 1,320 feet on Coors Road.
60 acres, 2021
West Traverse Township. Named after LTC founder, board and committee member, David Irish. 60 acres of rolling, open fields. Historically used for agriculture.
6 acres, 1984+
Little Traverse Township. Donated by Dan and Ruby James, George and Lyda James, Dannie Bea Hightower, and Mr. and Mrs. Davis Family Trust.
11 acres, 1997
Friendship Township. Donated by the John Family. M-119 Scenic Corridor.
6 acres total, 1980+
Little Traverse Township. Donated by John and Helen Schachinger and John and Jane Bartley.
36 acres, 2011
Carp Lake Township. Purchased at a bargain price from cousins Jim Moss and Al Owens. Includes 1,500 feet of Paradise Lake frontage.
3.5 acre, 2013
Little Traverse Township. Small preserve in memory of John Fischer. Funds were raised from variety of sources.
93 acres, 2022
This preserve near Paradise (Carp) Lake was sold to LTC at a bargain sale from John Siegel.
71 acres, 1981
Little Traverse Township. Majority of land donated by Andrew Kalman with additional land gifts from Mr. and Mrs. Max Goldman Jr., Mr. Max Goldman, III, Jerry and Martha Rockwell, and Frank and Catherine Shumway.
83 acres, 2002/2011
Resort Township. Located near Bay Harbor, this project was funded through the US-31 Corridor Protection Program.
35 acres, 2022
Donated by Karen and Tom Mertaugh in honor of Karen’s parents who have also donated land to LTC. Very close to Douglas Lake and considered part of the Bryan Wildlife Management Unit.
34 acres, 2004
Little Traverse Township. Frontage on Powell Road, just down the road from entrance into LTC office and across the road from Round Lake Nature Preserve. Mostly wetlands.
- Horace M. Huffman, Jr. “Huffy” Nature Preserve – 40 acres, 1997
- Kuebler-Trippe Nature Preserve – 34 acres, 2004
2 acres, 2003
Springvale Township. Located on causeway to Oden Island with 1,100 feet of Crooked Lake frontage.
14 acres, 1990
Little Traverse Township. Donated by Murray and Katherine MacDonald. Along M-119 between Petoskey and Harbor Springs.
4.4 acres, 2018
Cross Village Township. Donated by Rob and Kathy Deane. Critical dune habitat, northern hardwoods and conifers, and nearly 600 feet of frontage on Lake Michigan.
6.5 acres, 2010
Little Traverse Township. Originally named in memory of Martha Cameron. and updated when Michael passed in 2023. Adjoins Menonaqua Woods Nature Preserve. Lies along Little Traverse Wheelway and M-119 between Petoskey and Harbor Springs.
25 acres, 2010
Bear Creek Township. Located adjacent to Bay View Woods, this preserve was donated by Martha Curtis and includes a mix of forest and field with views of Little Traverse Bay. Just outside of Petoskey city limits.
11 acres, 1978+
Little Traverse Township. Donated by Mr. and Mrs. Leo Desimpel, Mr. and Mrs. C. Donnelly, Robert and Carolyn Sandford, and FIDODE.
- Sandford Nature Preserve – 1 acre, 1978
113.5 acres, 2004
Lies along M-119 and Beach Drive. Most of this preserve has been donated by the Menonaqua Corporation.
- Michael Cameron Dempsey Nature Preserve – 10 acres, 2015
30 acres, 2018
West Traverse Township. Funds to purchase this property were donated by Bill and Kim Morris in honor of their families. About one mile north of Harbor Springs on Hughston Road.
38 acres, 1984
Bear Creek Township. Protected in conjunction with the Michigan chapter of The Nature Conservancy.
10 acres, 2011
Friendship Township. This preserve links together more than 350 acres of conservation-easement protected land and state land.
10 acres, 2012
Readmond Township. Donated by Ellen Phelan Shapiro. Along M-119 corridor near Goodhart.
32 acres, 2015
Maple River Township. Purchased with funding from J.A. Woollam Foundation and the Henry E. and Consuelo S. Wenger Foundation. Parking area off of US-31 between Brutus and Pellston. 1,500 feet frontage on Maple River.
21 acres, 1989
Littlefield Township. Primarily wetland with 315 feet of frontage on US-31 and Crooked Lake between Oden and Alanson. Donated.
5 acres, 2014
Bliss Township. Donated by Mike, Emily, Joshua & Benjamin Compton in memory of Mike’s parents. Frontage on O’Neil Lake.
3.2 acres, 2004/2011
Bear Creek Township. Purchased in honor of Reg and Vivian. Includes mouth of creek that drains Round Lake to Crooked Lake.
Owned and managed by Resort Township. Flanking Bay Harbor on both ends, these parks both include large paved parking lots and access to Little Traverse Bay. East Park includes a large picnic pavilion and flush toilets. Both lie along the Little Traverse Wheelway bike path. LTC worked with the township to secure these with a grant from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund in 1995.
56 acres, 2017
Resort Township. Donated by Hank and Liesel Meijer. Parcels vary from open meadows to rolling hardwoods and slopes.
20 acres, 1997
Little Traverse Township. Located just outside of Harbor Springs adjacent to Roaring Brook Association property.
5 acres, 2020
Resort Township. Adjacent to Bubbling Springs Nature Preserve.
27 acres, 1986
Springvale Township. 2,000 feet frontage on Crooked Lake. Accessible only by boat. Predominantly swamp consisting of northern white cedar and balsam fir.
40 acres, 2021
McKinley Township. This property is mostly red pine plantations and is enrolled in the Commercial Forest Program (CFP). Mark Melvin funded this bargain sale purchase from Ed Harris who named the preserve in honor of his mother and stepfather.
50 acres, 1998
Cross Village Township. Gift from Marion Ryan. Located along both sides of M-119 Scenic Corridor.
5 acres, 2012
Readmond Township. Donated by Richard and Julie Scott. Located along M-119 Tunnel of Trees between Goodhart and Cross Village.
0.4 acres, 1977
Cross Village Township. Located on a bluff between M-119 and Lower Shore Drive in Cross Village next to Legs Inn. Provides magnificent views of Lake Michigan.
70 acres, 1986
Center Township. Donated by Mrs. Marion Moffat. Located near Larks Lake, the property is managed for sustainable timber production.
10 acres, 1991+
Bear Creek Township. Four acres of this preserve were donated by the M-119 Development Group.
28 acres, 2016
Pleasantview Township. Donated by Kenyon Stebbins in memory of Sally. Located kitty corner from Boyne Highlands pasture along Highlands Pike Drive. No smoking allowed on this preserve.
50 acres, 2000
Carp Lake Township. 3,000 feet of Paradise Lake (Carp Lake) frontage in northern Emmet County.
236 acres, 2016
Springvale Township. The lead gift for this land’s protection came from John and Mary Lou Tanton. Located directly east of the McCune Nature Preserve with frontage along Maxwell Road, southeast of Petoskey.
40 acres, 2015
Readmond Township. State Road.
188 acres, 2021
Carp Lake Township. Mostly wetlands and lowlands with 1,000 feet of shoreline along Carp Lake. It is adjacent to the John and Julia Pachy Nature Preserve.
33 acres, 2020
Center Township. Includes over 1,320 feet of frontage on Larks Lake, making it one of the largest remaining undeveloped parcels on the lake. Michael and Mary Ann Van Lokeren sold the land at a significant bargain sale.
41 acres, 1994+
Cross Village Township. Donated by the Walter Fisher Family. Includes a quarter mile frontage on Lake Michigan.
12 acres, 1987
West Traverse Township. Donated by Elizabeth Kennedy, this preserve lies adjacent to Thorne Swift Nature Preserve.
14 acres, 1973
Little Traverse Township. Donated by Jean and Janell Everest. Located between Ottawa Stadium and Pennsylvania Avenue just outside of Harbor Springs.
66 acres, 2011
Carp Lake Township. Adjoins Smith Preserve and near Stony Point, Paradise Lake (Carp Lake) watershed.
80 acres, 2016
Readmond Township. Gift from Jim and Carol Wortley.
23 acres, 2021
Friendship Township. Jim and Margaret Anderson donated this property to LTC and it was named in recognition of the Anishinabek word for the property/area with assistance from Eric Hemenway. primarily wetland areas. The preserve contains many mature hemlock and cedar trees with a dense canopy. Nearly 1,500 feet of Five Mile Creek flows through the property.
30 acres, 2018
West Traverse Township. Adjacent to the Five Mile Creek Nature Preserve. Mostly rolling hardwoods with some forested wetlands along File Mile Creek.
