As you may have seen in the local hardware store or heard on the news, lumber prices are at an all time high. Turns out it is more than just our local demand post-flood that has skyrocketed these prices but a mountain pine beetle in Canada. According to an article from Quartz, a global economy news source, called “The US wood shortage can be traced to a decades-old beetle infestation in Canada.”

Journalist Samantha Subramanian from Quartz spoke with Kevin Mason from the ERA Forest Products Research in Canada who explained mild winters in the 1990’s allowed the mountain pine beetle to do significant damage. Dead trees have a time limit before they become too brittle, so British Columbia government acted quickly to incentivize harvesters to cut. This increase lasted until 2015 and now we wait for the forest to regrow, prompting many sawmills to shut down due to lowered production.

Fast forward to 2020, sawmill activity was halted but with steadfast demand lumber supplies diminished and left companies behind schedule. Sawmills opened again but regulating COVID cases within staff added hurdles when trying catch up. There are basic economics at play here - low supply and high demand drives the cost up. Mason predicts prices will remain “volatile” for the next 3-5 years. He sees an opportunity for the US to import wood from Europe as they had a similar issue with spruce trees and a bark beetle leaving them currently in surplus. Although as Michigan residents, we are all too aware of the dangers of importing wood products. Major steps should be taken to avoid introducing new invasive beetles to our forests. Just look at the Emerald Ash Borer that was introduced to Michigan in 2002 and spread to 35 states according to the United States Department of Agriculture.

Michigan trees are being attacked from all directions. Beech Bark Disease, Oak Wilt and Hemlock Wooly Adelgid are currently in the state. Foresters are on high alert for the Asian long-horned beetle and spotted lantern fly which are currently in nearby states. Roughly 60% of Michigan forest land is privately owned and Little Forks wants to use this as an opportunity to encourage all landowners to learn how to maintain a heathy forest. Now is a good time to learn about the warning signs and identification of pests so they can be caught early and hopefully treated.

For more information on tree diseases and other care tips check out our 2020 Stewardship Series - Caring for your Trees. You can also contact Sara Huetteman our preserve and volunteer manager to learn more or to find local resources
available in our community.

​Whether you are an avid runner or just starting out — Little Forks wants you to know that our preserves are a perfect way to mix up your routine. Trail running has become increasingly popular. The Outdoor Industry Association reported in 2018 that there are more trail runners than there are off-road bikers – about 9 million!
 
Going to a nature preserve, instead of a track or treadmill, adds variability to your routine with the added mystery of what creatures and sights you’ll come across. With temperatures climbing and the sun shining you can hear a chorus of frogs, spot sunbathing turtles or snakes (harmless garter snakes usually) and a herd of deer running off in the woods. What better way to enjoy nature and avoid those pesky mosquitoes than by getting in some cardio? To help start your journey, we took the guesswork out of adding up miles and outlined a few options at our preserves that will compliment your short or long-distance running needs.

Congrats to Karen Habeck for capturing the most items on our Winter Scavenger Hunt in February! Check out her photos below.

Congratulations to Rebecca and Chuck Neal for capturing the most items on our Winter Scavenger Hunt! Check out their photos below and don't forget to submit your photos for a chance to win some Little Forks swag!

The Little Forks Conservancy is pleased to announce that we are applying for a renewal of accreditation. A public comment period is now open.

The land trust accreditation program recognizes land conservation organizations that meet national quality standards for protecting important natural places and working lands forever. The Land Trust Accreditation Commission, an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance, conducts an extensive review of each applicant’s policies and programs. 
 
The Commission invites public input and accepts signed, written comments on pending applications. Comments must relate to how Little Forks complies with national quality standards. These standards address the ethical and technical operation of a land trust. For the full list of standards see https://www.landtrustaccreditation.org/help-and-resources/indicator-elements.
 
To learn more about the accreditation program and to submit a comment, visit www.landtrustaccreditation.org, or email your comment to [email protected]. Comments may also be faxed or mailed to the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, Attn: Public Comments: (fax) 518-587-3183; (mail) 36 Phila Street, Suite 2, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866.
 
Comments on Little Forks’ application will be most useful by March 19th.

This isn’t the easiest note to write, which gives me some comfort. Decisions like this shouldn’t be easy. But it is exciting and decisions like this should be exciting.
 
February 5th will be my last day with Little Forks Conservancy. I have been offered a position with the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan as a Senior Program Officer with a focus on environmental and arts & culture grantmaking. Anyone who has talked with me for any significant amount of time knows my love for art, music, literature, and my belief in the importance of cultural institutions to communities and place-building. To combine that love with my commitment to conservation and a service area where I was raised is too good of an opportunity for me to pass up.
 
Little Forks has been an incredible place to work over the past 4+ years and I am so honored to have been part of progress on so many fronts. As LFC looks to the future with a new strategic plan to be developed, new office space to be determined, and some really exciting projects coming, I think it is quite good timing for me to step aside.
 
In thinking about what has been accomplished since the fall of 2016, it is quite impressive for a small staff! We opened our first preserve outside of Midland County, completed the Averill Access for All path, closed on the largest conservation easement in our organization’s history, and launched innovative programming aimed at underrepresented communities in the conservation and outdoor recreation worlds, while proactively addressing diversity, equity, and inclusivity issues both in the organization and alongside other partners. Some see the future of conservation as more acres protected and more dollars raised. I think that if we do not broaden the definition of what it means to be a conservationist, those acres and dollars will be for naught. I am proud that Little Forks is a leader in those efforts. 
 
Due to COVID-19 restrictions and remote work availability in my new role, Tara and I will not be relocating immediately. Which means I have a lot of goodbye hikes to schedule at one of our preserves, so please be in touch! I look forward to continuing to support organizations in the community, even when we are no longer in the area.
 
I really want to make sure I do everything possible to have LFC positioned to make its 25th year its best yet. My focus will be on advancing our mission until my last day – and even then, I plan on continuing my involvement as a donor. A search committee, chaired by Mary Haslam, a member of the Board’s Executive Committee, will be forming shortly and more information will be available through email as well as on our website and social media accounts.

​Another highlight from the year was our involvement in the Huron Pines AmeriCorps program. I have been very grateful to work with many AmeriCorps members over the year and have always been impressed by how much they can get done. This year, Forestview Natural Area was hit pretty hard by the dam failures resulting in an enormous amount of trash and debris on the floodplain, and damage to a footbridge. Huron Pines AmeriCorps members decided to hold their day of service to help us repair and clean up the damage from the flood. In one day, we were able to fill a 30-yard dumpster with debris and rebuild a new bridge allowing us to open back up the property which had been closed since May.  I am very thankful for their hard work of all the members and their dedication to conservation. 

Another highlight of 2020 was seeing the increased usage of our preserves during the pandemic. It really helps solidify the importance of our work in the community as our properties were able to provide a space for exploration, exercise and a bit of peace and calm in our world.

​Looking ahead to 2021, I am excited about continuing our work in the Cedar River watershed to promote our conservation programs, and being able to work with volunteers again on our river clean up and stream sampling. In addition, I look forward to continued projects on our preserves to restore habitat and improve recreational opportunities. I am sure 2021 will be a year to remember.

Sara Huetteman
In 2020, with the combined flood and pandemic, we had to adapt stewardship to be more mobile and work with less volunteers than normal. This meant more work on staff and the few wonderful volunteers that continued to help us - mask and all. I’d like to thank our long-time volunteers, Roger Garner and Denny Brooks for showing up multiple times this year to work in often hot conditions fixing the trails and cutting down invasive species. 

We are also always grateful for having partnerships. When we needed help this year, our partners were there for us. Forestview Natural Area was wreaked from the flood waters and our partners from the north, Huron Pines AmeriCorps, came through with helping hands and funds to help rebuild and restore much of Forestview. We would not have had Forestview Natural Area open to you this fall if it wasn’t for them! 

Join the Little Forks Conservancy for snowshoe hikes at some of our natural areas. We will have adult and teen sizes available for use, but feel free to bring your own if you prefer. Space is limited to 15. If there is not enough snow to use the snowshoes, we will go for a regular hike instead. Dress warmly and in layers, wear waterproof and warm boots, bring your own water bottle, and email Andrea with any questions, comments or concerns.

Covid regulations apply, please bring and wear your own mask.

Event dates/times:
January 18th at 2pm - Forestview Natural Area
​February 15th at 4pm - Riverview Natural Area
​
Snowshoes available for events:
4 - size 21 (80-150lbs)
14 - size 25 (120-200lbs)
2 - size 30 (220-300lbs)

Little Forks invites you to visit any of our five public properties this winter and partake in a photo scavenger hunt. Participate at your leisure and submit photos of listed items throughout the winter months for a chance to win a prize! 

Submit your photos to [email protected]

Scavenger hunt details and rules below.

As my service ends, I thought it would be a good idea to reflect on the year and all that I have done as a Huron Pines AmeriCorps member serving at the Little Forks Conservancy in 2020. I never expected this year to turn out the way it did, as I am sure many others did not either.  A global pandemic and a 500-year flood in the same year? I definitely did not sign up for that. Serving remotely for many months was challenging. When I first started, I was expecting to be spending most of my service outside and working with other people. Instead, I spent a good portion of my service on my couch and became very familiar with using Zoom. However, even with all of the challenges that I faced – I was still able to get things done, take part in lots of exciting opportunities, and learn so much. 

Throughout my service, I was tasked with recording the visitor data from our preserves. The conservancy tries to keep track of how many visitors they get so that they can better understand how people are utilizing their properties. Most of my service occurred as the COVID-19 pandemic was taking place. We began to see increases in the number of visitors that were using the preserves. ​I decided to analyze the data and compare it to previous data from 2019. All of the preserves saw greater numbers of visitors in 2020. It was interesting to view just how much people were going outside during a time when they were not able to do much else. Being out in nature is so important for our physical, mental, and emotional health.

​Since many of our in-person events were canceled this year, we had to get creative and come up with some virtual alternatives. I became very familiar with using different types of software and programs to do outreach. I assisted with our virtual Garlic Mustard Pull where we encouraged the public to go out with their families to remove the invasive species. 

Later in the season, once we were able to start working on our preserves and with volunteers, we held some work days doing things like trail building, invasive species removal, habitat restoration, and flood remediation. The 500-year flood damaged three of the conservancy’s preserves along the Tittabawassee river and their office. Forestview Natural Area in particular was affected. Boardwalks were shifted, the floodwaters caused the bridge to move off of the creek (getting damaged in the process), and piles of debris were deposited all over the land along the river. I helped plan a Huron Pines AmeriCorps service event at Forestview during which we spent a day rebuilding the bridge and removing flood debris from the property. 

​During some of my final weeks of service I took the lead on a scout project at Riverview Natural Area where were thinned some trees and removed invasive species. Having too many trees in one area can lead to overcrowding issues where the trees will compete with each other for resources. By removing some, we can establish healthier forests and increase growth in those that were left. The cut trees were used to create piles of brush that will serve as habitat for critters in the area. 

​Conservation easements are agreements with landowners that protect their properties and resources. Little Forks conservancy has over thirty easements and each one must be monitored annually. Over the past few months I learned about easements, various conservation practices, and communicating with landowners. My site supervisor, Elan, taught me how to complete a monitoring visit and create a monitoring report after. I spent many days hiking around some gorgeous properties in Mid-Michigan. I have seen farm fields, wetlands, forests, rivers and lakes. Getting to see firsthand how the conservancy has been able to protect land, resources, and habitats in the surrounding areas was amazing.