Great Lakes Land and Water Initiative

The program will involve the quantification of water quality impacts from preventing conversion of land through preservation of Tier 1 prioritized land in the Belle River Watershed. The consultant partner that developed the watershed management plan will oversee an intern secured by Six Rivers Land Conservancy, applying U.S.D.A. Natural Resources Conservation Service loading sheet metrics at the parcel level. The intern will utilize GIS to determine percentages of ground cover and assess impacts to parcels against a developed alternative. The project will be replicable for other watersheds and land conservancies and provide solid data to communicate benefits of land conservation with accepted water quality metrics, which will also be important data to support funding requests from public and private funding entities. After consultation with engineers to develop greater understanding of potential magnitude and tasks, scope is narrowed to Tier 1 parcels, intending expansion to additional parcels and watersheds once system is established and processes and investments are known.

Black Swamp Conservancy acquires farmland in northwest Ohio to restore to functioning streams floodplains and wetlands. With this project, we seek to develop a GIS model to select these project locations and maximize the impact of our work on water quality and wildlife species more strategically. Additionally, we will use this grant to raise public awareness of the benefits of natural habitats in address water quality issues by creating a long-form and several short videos.

This project will resurrect a wetland that has been buried under a pile of soil, broken concrete, yard waste and other debris for nearly a century. Located at The Highlands, a new urban natural area owned and managed by Land Conservancy of West Michigan and Blandford Nature Center, the wetland was used as a dump pit while the site was operated as a golf course. Water from the site currently discharges into a storm drain that empties into Indian Mill Creek, a tributary of the Grand River. By removing the debris, re-creating a natural wetland basin and planting the site with native wetland plants, we have the rare chance to reverse 100 years of environmental abuse. Once completed, this project will allow stormwater to naturally infiltrate, filtering out pollutants, sediment and low-quality surface runoff that would otherwise enter Great Lakes waterways. Located near the entrance of a highly popular natural area, this project will be an inspiration to other land trusts and to the broader community alike.

Since 2019, Landmark Conservancy has been working to address eroding areas along Lake Superior’s shoreline and the Brownstone Trail that travels along it. Like other lakeshore areas, steep slopes have been impacted by natural and man-made factors causing erosion that impacts water quality, natural habitat and public recreation infrastructure. Landmark has continued to lead as the steward of this lakeshore area by collecting data to identify at-risk areas and implementing restoration projects with community partners. The Brownstone Trail swale project focuses on constructing a grass swale near the trail to intercept water. This swale will direct surface water from the upper slope and city street into an existing drainage channel while catching sediment. This solution will improve water quality for Lake Superior as well as lead to drier trail conditions that will improve recreational experiences.

During the last few years, Shirley Heinze Land Trust has worked with partners to thoughtfully develop a water quality program that includes water and land use data collection in a target area, volunteer water quality monitoring, public outreach and events, and student experiences such as internships and classroom engagement. In 2023, Shirley Heinze Land Trust board and staff completed a new strategic plan which integrates water quality and other new conservation tools to target land protection and program implementation. Water quality also was incorporated into land conservation planning by updating existing tools used for land acquisition prioritization, and into the new farmland conservation prioritization plan for the agricultural land program. Through these efforts, Shirley Heinze Land Trust is establishing itself as a resource to improve water quality through land preservation and restoration, shape conversations around land use impacts and increase public awareness and participation in watershed stewardship.

It has been quite a year for Lake Forest Open Lands new gem on Lake Michigan, the Jean & John Greene Nature Preserve at McCormick Ravine. Through the Land Trust Alliance’s grant funding and partnering with local scientific experts, Hey & Associates, a detailed 5-year land management plan was developed with monitoring and restoration activities aimed at improving the water quality of the ravine streams. These important freshwater systems are the natural drainage to Lake Michigan, which is one of the world’s greatest freshwater resources, providing drinking water to approximately six million people locally. Students, volunteers and staff have performed time sensitive fish and water quality monitoring with the assistance of the new barn owl camera at the mouth of the ravine. The grant funded management plan and camera help the plants and animals that call this preserve home and serve as tremendous educational tools for people to participate in water quality protection.

We can’t protect what we don’t know. In the last year, the Land Trust Alliance has helped us to start identifying the resources on all properties in our care that contribute to water quality. We are now on a path to accessing a depth of knowledge about the lands we own and manage. This year we launched our Ecological Conditions Analysis and Response program; we mapped and classified vegetative stands on 5,000 acres and trained a new staff member who is mapping the rest of the lands we own so that it is forever part of our caretaking process! Next year we will further classify the habitats and rank the conditions of these mapped stands so that we can work to improve water quality, biodiversity and other core aspects that we seek to steward. Thanks to the Land Trust Alliance for the critical program launch funding, the trove of information we are soon to have will help Little Traverse Conservancy staff do more conservation that benefits people and the whole ecosystem.

The Saginaw Basin Land Conservancy was founded to protect freshwater wetland ecosystems to offer wildlife habitat and protection for water quality in Lake Huron's Saginaw Bay. To do so, the Saginaw Basin Land Conservancy selected the entire 22-county Saginaw Bay Watershed as its service area. The largest watershed in Michigan, it contains more than 7,000 miles of flowing water within the boundaries of its 8,700 square miles. Even with almost 6,000 acres under protection, can the true impact of our land protection be measured at the Bay? How does an organization prioritize land protection projects that move the needle on water quality at that scale? This is what the 2023 Saginaw Basin Land Conservancy Strategic Conservation Plan is meant to identify. It will help us identify and design land protection projects for maximum impact in terms of water quality. This new document will equip the Saginaw Basin Land Conservancy with the tools to take advantage of new land protection funding opportunities tied specifically to water quality in the Great Lakes.

For the past year, thanks to grant funding from the Land Trust Alliance, Upper Peninsula Land Conservancy has had the honor to learn alongside a graduate student at Northern Michigan University's Center for Native American Studies program from the Keewenaw Bay Indian Community's Natural Resource Department and Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC). Our goal was to integrate traditional ecological knowledge into the Dead River Community Forest management plan by learning from the "Dibaginjigaadeg Anishinaabe Ezhitwaad: Tribal Climate Adaptation Menu" published by the Northern Center for Applied Climate Science and GLIFWC. We were simultaneously updating our Strategic Land Conservation Plan, so Upper Peninsula Land Conservancy decided to deepen our partnership with the local Indigenous community and incorporate traditional ecological knowledge regarding water into our overall conservation plan. Thanks to the Land Trust Alliance, local Indigenous traditional ecological knowledge regarding water quality is now integral to our Strategic Land Conservation Plan.

As dramatic weather events become more and more common, creeks and wetland have a harder time doing their job of slowing and cleaning water. The accredited Ice Age Trail Alliance had an opportunity to help the land and water but needed help to figure out the best methods. So, it hired a highly regarded consultant to help it update an old management plan. The new plan provides clear direction on the best ways to help ensure the water is clean as it enters the Tisch Mills Creek, which meanders for more than one third of a mile through the Alliance’s Weber’s Woods Preserve. Once in the creek, this clean water flows to the East Twin River before entering Lake Michigan in Two Rivers, Wis. To educate others, the Alliance invited more than 50 partners and neighbors to an event on the Preserve. The consultants were onsite to discuss the new plans for the Preserve and how everyone can do their part to help the land and water.

In 2021, the Shirley Heinze Land Trust began monthly water quality monitoring in the east branch of the Little Calumet River watershed located in the Great Lakes basin with help from Porter County SWCD, the Indiana Department of Agriculture and the National Park Service. The data is being used to quantify nutrient and bacteria levels in the watershed to advance our new initiatives focused on promoting agricultural conservation practices, wetland restoration and farmland protection. This is allowing us to engage further with partners and landowners in the watershed, which is also advancing these initiatives. We are requesting support to obtain our own digital water quality meter and other sampling equipment to start a volunteer program for water quality monitoring in this watershed and expand to other watersheds. This will help us continue to prioritize our initiatives and measure impacts, as well as promote the importance of protecting water quality by engaging more people through education and outreach around this program.

The acquisition of the Dead River Community Forest is the Upper Peninsula Land Conservancy's primary focus for the next 12 months, and this grant will allow us sufficient funds to ensure staff have the time and materials to successfully fundraise and close this project. Upper Peninsula Land Conservancy is in the final phases of fundraising to purchase 161 acres of critical forest land on the edge of an expanding industrial/commercial zone. This forest is critical to the city of Marquette's drinking water, cold water fisheries and the health of Lake Superior herself. It is a valuable floodplain forest, protecting the city downstream. The Dead River Community Forest is critical to groundwater recharge, hosts multiple headwater springs and streams as well as ephemeral creeks and the Dead River itself. It is a perfect example of how a watershed works! The Dead River Community Forest will fill a community need for an outdoor classroom in partnership with Northern Michigan University. If we don't make it a preserve, it will be logged heavily and developed.

Cadillac Area Land Conservancy's Waldeck Island Preserve includes an island surrounded by Stone Ledge Lake and associated wetlands which are part of the Manistee River watershed. For access to the island the original owner constructed an 80' earthen berm/causeway/culvert from the mainland. While this intended to allow for water exchange between lake and wetland it has proved ineffective and inadequate for system health. Cadillac Area Land Conservancy would like to remove this berm and replace it with an elevated boardwalk for access. This will allow for natural flow between the two bodies, encouraging water exchange and thereby improving water quality, fish habitat and overall health of the system. This grant allows for development of conceptual layout and cost estimates for culvert/berm removal and access crossing along with preproposal work in preparation for grant application to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources for implementation. A goal of Cadillac Area Land Conservancy preserves is to maintain or improve local water quality, and this project helps by restoring the natural connection.

Before starting a project to restore a natural resource, it is important to understand its status. Chikaming Open Lands has water bodies in 19 preserves that may have potential challenges (e.g., non-point source pollution). We have not undertaken any assessments to date, and until we do, we do not know what restoration may be needed. Thus, Chikaming Open Lands aims to assess the water quality within each of our preserves. Our plan is to test at least one water body at each preserve four times between March 1, 2022, and September 30, 2022 — approximately 80 water quality tests in total. This data will help us understand the water quality status over the seasons. We will recruit volunteers to assist staff. Materials needed include a standard water monitoring test kit from LaMotte. After data is collected, we will evaluate results and compare them to regulatory standards to determine if any water bodies have issues. For the project, we are requesting funds for materials, staff time and travel.

Bay City and Saginaw are urban communities, located adjacent to the Saginaw River and Saginaw Bay, which impacts the quality of essential water resources. Both communities depend on the water of the Saginaw Bay Watershed as a significant component of their identity and economies. More recently, these communities have experienced flash flooding events, underscoring the importance of managing water sustainably. We are in the early stages of a regional tree planting program with overarching goals of improving the regional tree canopy and using trees as a passive resource for mitigating runoff. In preparation for widespread tree installations throughout our watershed, we are requesting $2,500 to pay for staff time, software and report creation to analyze the tree canopies of both Bay City and Saginaw. We plan to use iTree to inform where trees are needed most to have the most significant impact on the urban canopy and improve water quality for the region.

The Green Lake Conservancy and the Green Lake Sanitary District collectively manage 15 Conservancy properties that provide public access and protect Green Lake water quality. Currently, several properties are being impacted in terms of limited accessibility and habitat degradation by excessive aquatic plant growth in their shoreline areas. Duckweed, a free-floating native plant, is thriving in the shallow, nutrient-rich waters of the Silver Creek Estuary (home to several Conservancy properties). The thick mats formed by duckweed are limiting boating access to the Conservancy properties and degrading the natural and scenic beauty. Excessive duckweed is a symptom of high nutrient inputs, but more information is needed to: 1) quantify nutrient cycling and plant growth; and 2) identify solutions to mitigate the environmental impacts. Green Lake Conservancy will seek professional support to address these needs, which fulfills our mission to protect and preserve the ecological condition of Green Lake.

The Walloon Lake Association and Conservancy in partnership with Bear Creek Township are building a permanent boat wash station at Jones Landing in 2022. The first phase of this project is to replace the aquatic invasive species signage that is currently at Jones Landing. In addition to this location, we aim to update signage at the four largest boat launches in the Walloon Lake Watershed. With recent Walloon Lake water quality monitoring showing a decline in areas partially due to the introduction of aquatic invasive species, we plan to implement this signage to help educate boaters both on the dangers of aquatic invasives and a recent Michigan state law that mandates the removal of aquatic plant and animal matter off all boats and trailers. Awareness and prevention are statewide priorities in the fight against aquatic invasive species, and increased signage at Walloon Lake's entry points will go a long way in educating and engaging the public.

Legacy Land Conservancy is seeking $2,500 to support prairie restoration at Reichert Nature Preserve, improving local water quality. This project will use the novel treatment method of solarization in conjunction with herbicide to eliminate cool season grasses and invasive biennial plant populations in a discrete area of the preserve before seeding the area with native grass and forb species. By using solarization in addition to traditional methods of physical and chemical removal, we are reducing potential negative impacts to the watershed from this project. Long-rooted native plants are vital in retaining and infiltrating more water, helping to filter pollutants and sequestering carbon — all contributing to a healthier water system. This project will allow us to outreach to the public about water quality and the importance of a healthy native prairie buffering the lakes and creeks that dot this property, and ultimately the Huron River, using temporary signage and our digital media.