Land Conservancy of West Michigan Strategic Conservation Plan

Increasing pressures on the West Michigan landscape—urban development, habitat fragmentation and degradation, and climate change—all amount to a louder call for the Land Conservancy of West Michigan to be strategic in our approach to land protection and stewardship. It is more critical than ever that we permanently protect key natural areas that contribute to improved quality of water and life for West Michigan’s human inhabitants, as well as the resilience of our native plants and wildlife.

As a nationally accredited land trust, the Land Conservancy of West Michigan is uniquely positioned to meet these challenges through the creation of a strategic conservation plan. We are proud to be the first land trust in our region—and one of the first nationwide—to implement a proactive, climate-responsive conservation strategy.

This example is part of a suite of conservation plans, story maps and communications completed by Land and Climate Grant awardees. The Land and Climate Grant Program is a joint initiative of Land Trust Alliance and the Open Space Institute. The Program provides grants and technical assistance to land trusts and conservation groups to support the development of climate-informed land conservation, stewardship or communications plans addressing issues such as habitat resilience, carbon mitigation and community adaptation to climate impacts such as stronger storms, flooding, drought, fire or extreme heat.