Conservation Easements

The most common land protection tool used by the Conservancy is a conservation easement. A conservation easement is a voluntary agreement through which a landowner limits the type or amount of development on their property. Below you will find brief descriptions and information on the conservation easements the Conservancy holds.

2011
	The Hubert Family, 40 acres Homer Township, Midland County Over six decades ago Fred Hubert and Rosalie Miller’s parents settled their family along the banks of… [more]
2010
	Michael and Kathy Helmick, 30 acres Franklin Township, Clare County When Michael and Kathy Helmick were looking for a northern retreat, it didn’t take them long to decide… [more]
	Robert and Cheryl Duda , 25 acres Grout Township, Gladwin County For over thirty years, Robert and Cheryl Duda have brought their family… [more]
2007
	Elizabeth Levi, 8.5 acres Billings Township, Gladwin County Elizabeth Levi and her mother, Pearl, knew their eight and a half acre oasis of mature forest along Wixom Lake and Lincoln Bayou was unique and in need of protection… [more]
	Gerald and Pamela Schmiedicke, 80 acres Grant Township, Clare County Gerald and Pamela Schmiedicke are passionate about farmland preservation… [more]
	Jon and Elizabeth Ringelberg, 70 acres Grant Township, Clare County “It’s one way to keep the country looking like the country,” said Jon Ringelberg… [more]
	Richard and Kathy Shellenbarger, 73 acres Sherman Township, Gladwin County In 2006, Richard and Kathy Shellenbarger signed a conservation easement with Richard’s brother, Bill, to permanently protect the family land that they share. A little more than a year later… [more]
	Robert and Susan Piesko, 140 acres Franklin Township, Clare County A unique partnership between The Little Forks Conservancy, Robert and Susan Piesko and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources protected … [more]
	George and Sue Lane, 80 acres Sage Township, Gladwin County In 2004, the Lanes protected 191 acres of land in Gladwin County by donating a conservation easement to The Little Forks Conservancy. When a neighboring 80-acre property… [more]
	Norman and Patricia Engel, 190 acres SageTownship, Gladwin County Norman and Patricia Engel purchased and restored their land to provide their children … [more]
	David and Anna Spencer, 154 acres Sherman Township, Gladwin County When David and Anna Spencer were looking for a place to raise their children, they found… [more]
2006
	Blanche Stark, 79 acres Homer Township, Midland County For over 50 years, Blanche Stark and her late husband, Philip, cared for their 79-acre property… [more]
	Shellenbarger Land Company, 80 acres Sherman Township, Gladwin County After reading about the Lane’s conservation easement just downstream, Richard Shellenbarger, a co-partner in the Land Company, contacted the Conservancy … [more]
2005
	Scott and Kathryn Whalen, 119 acres Butman Township, Gladwin County When Scott and Kathryn Whalen purchased 119 acres of intensely farmed land in Gladwin County, Mr. Whalen began restoring the land… [more]
	Ceo Bauer, 78 acres Bloomer Township, Montcalm County Two years after donating a conservation easement on 236 acres of land, Ceo Bauer returned to The Little Forks Conservancy… [more]
2004
	George and Sue Lane, 191 acres Sage Township, Gladwin County For George and Sue Lane, a conservation easement was a natural step… [more]
	Saginaw Basin Land Conservancy, 39 acres Pinconning Township, Bay County The Little Forks Conservancy was asked to hold a conservation easement on one of our neighboring conservancy’s properties… [more]
	Phil and Janet Hehnlin, 5 acres Jasper Township, Midland County Over the years, Phil and Janet Hehnlin have participated in a variety of conservation programs… [more]
2003
	Ceo Bauer, 236 acres Bloomer Township, Montcalm County Ceo Bauer’s Montcalm County property has been in his family since the early 1900s… [more]
2001
	Glenn and Carol Sanford, 20 acres Fork Township, Mecosta County When they were looking for a quiet place to retire, Glenn and Carol Sanford purchased a beautiful property… [more]
	William H. Meek, 75 acres Richland Township, Saginaw County Bill Meek asked The Little Forks Conservancy to visit his 75-acre farmstead after being invited to our annual picnic… [more]
2000
	Borys and Lubow Zura, 44 acres Edenville Township, Midland County Decades ago, Borys and Lubow Zura, residents of the Detroit suburbs, purchased an 80-acre parcel “Up North”… [more]
	Hugh and Eileen Starks, 40 acres Fork Township, Mecosta County In 2000, Hugh and Eileen Starks, founding board members of The Little Forks Conservancy, donated 40 acres of land… [more]
1999
	Don Blades, 274 acres Tobacco Township, Gladwin County For over 40 years, Don Blades of Beaverton worked hard to restore and repair portions of his 274-acre homestead… [more]