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    Gaining Ground

    Michigan

    777,211

    Acres Protected

    That’s about 588,796 football fields!

    Land trusts have already conserved 61 million acres of private land across the nation — more than all of the national parks combined. Help us conserve another 60 million acres by the end of the decade.

    Together, let’s keep Gaining Ground.

    Visitors to Land Trust Properties

    531,507

    Visitors in 2020, more than triple that of 2015.

    Percent of Land Trusts That Provide Public Access to Their Lands

    96%

    Land trusts provide opportunities to recreate and recharge.

    Number of People Served

    32,950

    Land trusts provide programs and activities to get people outside and learn about the land.

    Miles of Trails

    464

    Walking, hiking and other outdoor recreation improve people's health and well-being.

    Miles With Universal Access

    23

    Universal access trails are designed to be used by all people, regardless of ability.

    Percent of Land Trusts Who Increased Community Engagement in the Last Five Years

    71%

    Land Trusts Are Deepening Relationships With:

    • People from various racial and ethnic backgrounds

    • Older adults or those living in retirement communities

    • People who identify as LGBTQ+

    • People living with disabilities

    • Veterans

    Land Trusts Are Helping Address Community Needs, Including:

    • Youth education and development

    • Community and economic development

    • Food security and agriculture

    • Health and wellness

    • Social and environmental justice

    Demographics

    Every land trust is as unique as the community it serves.

    Michigan land trusts are community-led and supported and protect lands and waters that help the entire state.

    Active Land Trusts

    32

    A land trust is a nonprofit that conserves land by acquiring and stewarding land or conservation easements.

    Learn more about land trusts
    Alliance Member Land Trusts

    24

    Land Trust Alliance members commit to adopting Land Trust Standards and Practices as their guiding principles.

    Learn about the land trust alliance
    Accredited Land Trusts

    14

    Accredited land trusts undergo a thorough review of their practices in governance, finance, transactions and stewardship.

    Learn about land trust accreditation

    People

    • 22,964

    • 1,582

    • 118

    • 42

    • 347

    Land Trust Longevity

    • 71 years old (1952)

    • 14 years old (2009)

    • 31 years old

    Percent of Land Trusts Who Increased Focus on Climate Change in the Last Five Years

    54%

    Percent of Land Trusts Receiving Funding to Address Climate Change

    25%

    Land Protected

    There has been a 19% increase in Michigan land protected by land trusts since 2010.

    Acre by acre, land trusts are helping to conserve Michigan lands, waters and ways of life.

    2010
    2015
    2020
    Total acres protected
    653,350
    736,669
    777,211
    +19%
    Under easement
    114,200
    147,051
    180,843
    +58%
    Owned
    102,319
    124,033
    147,986
    +45%
    Acquired and reconveyed
    323,352
    347,783
    359,187
    +11%
    Protected by other means
    113,480
    119,032
    89,195
    0%

    Disclaimer: Land trusts conserve land in many different ways and every project is unique. Category totals may change depending on how acres are reported by survey respondents to reflect the most current data and minimize double-counting. In some instances, the total may be greater than the sum of the separate categories due to organizations that provided total acres not broken down by category.

    Percent of Land Owned and Under Easement Held by an Accredited Land Trust

    74%

    Source: 2020 National Land Trust Census

    Total Public Funding for Conservation From 1998-2017

    $390 million

    Source: Trust for Public Land's Conservation Almanac

    Acres of Land Lost to Development From 2012-2017

    68,800

    Source: NRCS - Natural Resources Inventory

    This information reflects data collected in the National Land Trust Census, the longest-running comprehensive survey of private land conservation in America. Learn more about the Census and see which land trusts participated in the 2020 National Land Trust Census.

    Making a Difference

    Michigan land trusts are gaining ground.

    Land trusts across the state are helping find solutions to some of Michigan's most pressing issues.

    • Addressing community needs: After Kim de Bruin developed muscular dystrophy at 17, she thought she would never again take in the views from Old Baldy, a sandy summit towering over Aracadia Dunes in northwest Michigan. Thanks to a universal access trail to Old Baldy built by the accredited Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy, she was able to visit again 43 years later. "Today, I ‘walked’ in the woods in one of my favorite places,” wrote de Bruin after using the new Overlook Trail. “I sat on top of the world, enjoying all the beauty of the greatest lake. After I stopped crying, I could see again.”

      Read more

    • Tackling climate change: Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy is incorporating climate change considerations into comprehensive and far-reaching plans for its 365-acre Wau-Ke-Na preserve. The property, which is open to the public, includes numerous ecosystems, ranging from forests and fields to streams, ponds, bluffs and beaches — all critical to rare bird species, such as sedge wrens, bobolinks and eastern meadowlarks. Specific strategies include reintroducing native flora and fauna and disabling on-site drainage ditches, for example.

      READ MORE

    Land Trusts Working in Michigan

    Land Trust Alliance member land trusts, listed below, commit to adopting Land Trust Standards and Practices as their guiding principles.

    Access Fund
    Access Fund
    Boulder, CO
    American Farmland Trust
    American Farmland Trust
    Northampton, MA
    2,443 acres protected in MI
    Black Swamp Conservancy
    Black Swamp Conservancy
    Perrysburg, OH
    19,467 acres protected in MI
    Blue Heron Headwaters Conservancy
    Blue Heron Headwaters Conservancy
    Clarkston, MI
    1,514 acres protected in MI
    Cadillac Area Land Conservancy
    Cadillac Area Land Conservancy
    Cadillac, MI
    2,407 acres protected in MI
    Chikaming Open Lands
    Chikaming Open Lands
    Sawyer, MI
    2,021 acres protected in MI
    Chippewa Watershed Conservancy
    Chippewa Watershed Conservancy
    Mount Pleasant, MI
    5,329 acres protected in MI
    Ducks Unlimited, Inc.
    Ducks Unlimited, Inc.
    Memphis, TN
    1,108 acres protected in MI
    Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy
    Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy
    Traverse City, MI
    46,000 acres protected in MI
    Grosse Ile Nature and Land Conservancy
    Grosse Ile Nature and Land Conservancy
    Grosse Ile, MI
    161 acres protected in MI
    HeadWaters Land Conservancy
    HeadWaters Land Conservancy
    Gaylord, MI
    13,047 acres protected in MI
    J.A. Woollam Foundation
    J.A. Woollam Foundation
    Lincoln, NE
    Keweenaw Land Trust
    Keweenaw Land Trust
    Hancock, MI
    9,054 acres protected in MI
    Lake Superior Watershed Conservancy
    Lake Superior Watershed Conservancy
    Sault Sainte Marie, MI
    Land Conservancy of West Michigan
    Land Conservancy of West Michigan
    Grand Rapids, MI
    12,244 acres protected in MI
    Leelanau Conservancy
    Leelanau Conservancy
    Leland, MI
    16,994 acres protected in MI
    Legacy Land Conservancy
    Legacy Land Conservancy
    Ann Arbor, MI
    10,054 acres protected in MI
    Little Forks Conservancy
    Little Forks Conservancy
    Midland, MI
    3,810 acres protected in MI
    Little Traverse Conservancy
    Little Traverse Conservancy
    Harbor Springs, MI
    63,317 acres protected in MI
    Livingston Land Conservancy
    Livingston Land Conservancy
    Brighton, MI
    1,005 acres protected in MI
    Michigan Karst Conservancy
    Michigan Karst Conservancy
    Ann Arbor, MI
    590 acres protected in MI
    Michigan Nature Association
    Michigan Nature Association
    Okemos, MI
    13,022 acres protected in MI
    Mid-Michigan Land Conservancy
    Mid-Michigan Land Conservancy
    Okemos, MI
    2,634 acres protected in MI
    National Park Trust
    National Park Trust
    Rockville, MD
    0.14 acres protected in MI
    Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
    Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
    Missoula, MT
    1,582 acres protected in MI
    Saginaw Basin Land Conservancy
    Saginaw Basin Land Conservancy
    Bay City, MI
    5,884 acres protected in MI
    Six Rivers Land Conservancy
    Six Rivers Land Conservancy
    Rochester, MI
    2,685 acres protected in MI
    Southeast Michigan Land Conservancy
    Southeast Michigan Land Conservancy
    Superior Township, MI
    3,481 acres protected in MI
    Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy
    Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy
    Galesburg, MI
    17,793 acres protected in MI
    The Conservation Fund
    The Conservation Fund
    Arlington, VA
    33,015 acres protected in MI
    The Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust
    The Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust
    Washington, DC
    154 acres protected in MI
    The Nature Conservancy
    The Nature Conservancy
    Arlington, VA
    383,848 acres protected in MI
    The Trust for Public Land, National Office
    The Trust for Public Land, National Office
    San Francisco, CA
    69,954 acres protected in MI
    Upper Peninsula Land Conservancy
    Upper Peninsula Land Conservancy
    Marquette, MI
    6,268 acres protected in MI
    Walloon Lake Association and Conservancy
    Walloon Lake Association and Conservancy
    Walloon Lake, MI
    1,885 acres protected in MI
    Wood Land Lakes RC&D Land Trust
    Wood Land Lakes RC&D Land Trust
    Middlebury, IN