Along the banks of the Chippewa River, a small piece of land was purchased by Peter and Cameron Szok with the intent to donate the property to the Chippewa Watershed Conservancy as a resource to the community. The 3.4-acre piece of property has roughly 1,000 feet of frontage on the Chippewa River and will serve as a key entrance point to the river. “The Stephen and Agnes Szok Riverbend Preserve would provide a much needed place of entry between Mt. Pleasant’s Island Park and Geneva Road,” Peter Szok states in a letter to Little Forks. Prior to donating the property to the Chippewa Watershed Conservancy, Peter and Cameron Szok worked with Little Forks Conservancy to develop a conservation easement for the property to ensure the land will be protected while allowing for future river access. This provided a unique opportunity for Little Forks Conservancy to strengthen a valuable partnership with the Chippewa Watershed Conservancy, protect and improve a vital waterway, and establish a lasting relationship with the Szok family – who had previously donated Peter’s parents’ property to Little Forks, one of the organization’s five publicly accessible nature preserves. “I could never have envisaged the network of well-used parks, paths, and preserves which now dot many parts of the watershed and which add so much to residents’ quality of life,” expressed Peter Szok.
Lipschitz, Director of Land Conservation. Little Forks will work closely with Chippewa Watershed Conservancy to create a safe launch area for kayakers and canoeists.
“We were delighted to work with Peter on another successful conservation project. The Stephen and Agnes Szok Riverbend Preserve protects over 1,000 feet of scenic Chippewa River riparian corridor and supports a surprising amount of biodiversity given its size. The location of this nature preserve is strategic as it will serve as an important public access location for activities such as paddling, fishing and wildlife viewing, opening up an entire section of the river that is currently underutilized. The conservation easement held on the property by our partners at The Little Forks Conservancy will ensure an additional layer of protection on this important natural area,” stated Jon Breithaupt, Executive Director at Chippewa Watershed Conservancy. “Peter and Cameron’s dedication to protecting natural areas and sharing with the mid-Michigan community the opportunity to access these special places is remarkable. It speaks volumes to their commitment to conservation,” commented Greg Yankee, Executive Director.
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How do you know you will be on a maintained trail? Trail Blazes! Throughout the summer months you may have noticed theses bright marks on the trees but they weren’t always necessary for you to find your way on the trail. However, to new explorers and in the colder months these markings become essential!
While standing next to a blazed tree you should be able to see the next blaze from that spot to indicate the established path. Right Turn and Left turn blazes are used when there is a sharper turn, but the next blaze should be shortly after the turn. If two trails overlap, you will find two rectangles one of each color with one directly above the other; not offset like the turn blazes.
Blazes are beneficial for knowing your location while hiking. If you happen to get turned around noting the color to the trail you are on will narrow down the possibilities for people to find you or to convey directions on how to get to the parking area. For your safety and the preservation of the natural areas, we urge you to use these trail blazes and stay on the trails. The Conservancy has decided to place approximately 100 acres of the farmland at Riverview Natural Area for sale under a conservation easement. This farmland has been leased to local farmers in previous years, by selling this land with a conservation easement allows us to continue to protect the natural and agricultural heritage of the land while focusing our resources on the rest of Riverview, the other four preserves open to the public, as well as new projects.
We are looking for conservation-minded potential buyers to participate in a closed bid process. If you are interested in obtaining a bid packet, please click here – Farmland Sale Bid Packet. Bids are due by noon on January 9, 2019. If you have any questions, please call Elan or Greg at our office at 989-835-4886 This year we are taking some time to get out into the preserves with the community. Whether it is to learn about a creature or plant in the preserve or to share the unique beauty of each preserve with community members.
Schedule May 17th 6:00pm — Wildflowers at Szok with Chippewa Nature Center- join Interpretive Naturalist Jeanne Henderson from the Chippewa Nature Center for a hike to observe the native wildflowers! May 24th 5:00pm — Vernal Pool Hike at Riverview Natural Area with Sara – Join Sara at Riverview to hike the first loop and explore the vernal pools near the trail. Sara will go into the importance of the vernal pools and which animals rely on them to survive. Wear waterproof boots. June 19th 6:30pm — Dog Hike at Riverview Natural Area – Meet Little Forks Staff members and their dogs! We invite community members to have a puppy play date and hike through Riverview. We ask to keep dogs on a leash during this hike. People without dogs are welcome to join as well. June 28th 7:00pm — Sunset Hike and Campfire with AmeriCorps Member Ted at Riverview Natural Area – Meet Ted at the Riverview north entrance off of 5 Mile Road where he will lead a hike near sunset and end with a campfire where he will share stories of backpacking adventures and others are welcome to share their adventure stories with the group. Bring a chair/blanket, flash light or headlamp. July 19th 6:30pm — Senior Services Social at Averill Preserve with Andrea- Join Senior Services and Little Forks Conservancy for a walk along the new trail. Contact Andrea for more details. July 21st 10:30am — Salamander Hike at Riverview Natural Area with Interpretive Naturalist Michelle Fournier from the Chippewa Nature Center to look under logs and learn how to use the app Herp Atlas! July 25th 5:00pm — Averill Preserve Hike – Join Little Forks Staff to see the completed all access path and all the new features. August 11th 10am Ferns & Fungi at Forestview Natural Area with Chippewa Nature Center- join Interpretive Naturalist Jeanne Henderson from the Chippewa Nature Center for a hike to observe the variety of ferns and fungus growing at Forestview September 13th 6:00pm — Tour the New Preserve in Gladwin County! – Come take a look at the newest preserve at Little Forks Conservancy. A staff member will show you the progress so far and what to look forward to in the coming years. October 19th 5:00pm — Fall Color Hike at Forestview Natural Area- As the weather cools off, join us at Forestview to take in all the fall foliage. Little Forks hopes the entire community will get out to the preserves for at least one of these hikes and finds something new to enjoy right outside of the city. Little Forks’ Stewardship Coordinator, Sara, is excited to expand the workshop series she started last year as an AmeriCorps member. “We had three workshops surrounding stewardship last summer and it was a success!” said Sara “I look forward to developing this program further in the future.” This summer we will provide four workshops covering a variety of topics that were chosen based on a survey sent around to volunteers.
These workshops are free but space is limited; only 20 spots available at Office workshops
Hello! My name is Ted and I’m the newest blog poster (and Land Steward) here at Little Forks. I come to Little Forks through the Huron Pines AmeriCorps program, which provides service members to more than a dozen organizations and government offices in Michigan.
Coming to Little Forks and Michigan has been quite the experience– there are so many new people to meet and places to learn about. There are times when everything seems different, and that can be disorienting. I always find reassurance, however, in knowing that I have something extremely important in common with folks here at Little Forks. Even you, no matter who you are out there reading this post, most likely share this tenet: we care about the environment! So it makes sense to begin my introduction with our commonality: why I care about the health of our planet. For me it began growing up in Newington, Connecticut, a suburb of Hartford. My childhood was spent building boats with my friends on Piper Brook (turns out all you need is plywood and caulk…lots of caulk), going for hikes on the Metacomet Trail with my dad (or “forced marches” as my brother and I affectionately called them), and making a yearly pilgrimage with my mom and cousins to Nickerson State Park on the Cape. I went to college at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, and spent the spring and summer of my junior year thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail (yes I got credit and yes I received a stipend for the project. Clark is amazing!). What blew me away on the hike (besides the endless panoramic views) was that the 2,000+ miles of trail I walked was on unbroken conservation land. I spent an extra year at school digging deeper into conservation, writing a research paper about land management strategies in Worcester. Through all of these experiences I have developed an affinity for our natural world that extends beyond the science of biodiversity or carbon sequestration. For me, the objective need for good stewardship of our Earth has lined up with a deep personal relationship. I’m pretty sure that those two ingredients combine to make something called passion! Anyways, I arrive here in Midland, ready to learn the ins and outs of Michigan (c’s that sound like w’s? Driving 72 mph is slow?), and pursue my passion with a year of service at Little Forks! I’ll finish by asking you the question I’ve asked myself in this post: why do you care about the environment, and why do you support Little Forks? Imagine not being able to stand on the banks of the Tittabawassee River to watch a bald eagle swoop by — or not having the chance to cross the path of a turtle meandering along as you explore a trail. Many people in our community can’t enjoy those sights at Little Forks Conservancy’s Preserves because they aren’t physically able to hike the grass or trails. “Visitors who enjoy Midland County Parks’ new accessible parking area and shelter on the boundary of the Averill Preserve may not be able to experience this beautiful preserve just steps away,” said Board President Jon DeGroot. Thanks to donations from local foundations and members like you, Little Forks Conservancy has changed that. At the Averill Preserve, we've added a hard surface trail to enable people with wheelchairs or families with strollers to easily explore the beautiful, historic preserve. The All Access Path leads to a open area with a Nature Play Area for children to explore nature in a safe place. As part of this project:
Jon added, “We believe that this project will add to County Parks’ investment and create an inviting experience for all visitors to these properties.” Once the largest timber banking grounds in the world, the property has been restored over many years to its current state. “Of all our properties, the Averill Preserve has been the most impacted by previous uses of the land,” said Elan Lipschitz, director of land conservation. “I’m very excited about some of the opportunities for habitat restoration we have planned along the new trail.
Q: Gina, can you tell us why did you decided to implement the Nature/Nurture program at Windover?
A: I'm always looking for new opportunities for my students and I'm very interested in exposing them to opportunities that will allow them to prioritize self-care in their life. Understanding self-care entering the adult world is so important. These students will eventually stop relying on adults in their lives to help calm them down, instead relying on themselves. When they get stressed out, they learn through this program that taking a hike is something that calms them or allows them to process things effectively. The program also gives students an understanding of their place from an environmental standpoint. They see that nature is a resource and they build a respect for it. They reconnect to it. As kids we played outside, and we don't realize that's why we are happier and less stressed during that time in our life. It's during that childhood time we spend more time with nature, so reconnecting students to that is vitally important. Q: Haley, why did you decide to take part in this program? A: Well, my best friend Kayleigh asked me to do it with her, and of course if your best friend asks you to do something challenging, you just do it. It was the best decision I could have made. Before I joined the program, I was very stressed out, in part because my best friend was graduating and I had a lot of anxiety. Doing something like walking in the woods, I didn't know it could be helpful in relieving negative thoughts and stress. So, it brought a lot of good things into my life and replaced or helped me deal with bad things. Q: Gina, can you talk about your relationship with nature? A: This is something I have just realized about myself! Nature grounds me in two different and important ways. One, it takes me away from being so self-important to realize things are part of a much bigger picture. I can stand outside and see how expansive the earth is, how steady nature is and it gives me peace to know that everything natural has been happening for a while, and everything will be okay. The second is that it gives me a sense of tranquility. The different colors and sounds connect to my senses. I'm somebody who as soon as I see a field of grass, my shoes are off. I'm connecting from the top of my head to the tips of my toes and it connects my whole body to what's important, which is those simple moments. Q: Haley what do you now enjoy about nature that you wouldn't have before? A: Quite a bit, actually. Like Gina said, as a child I grew up always outside, but as I got older though, I was always connected to some sort of technology. I also didn't know that going outside with a group of friends could be so fun. It's always nice to go out and see birds you have never seen before – now when I go outside and see a hummingbird, it's so exciting! I would never have thought I would look at a hummingbird and say "Wow, that's so fascinating." It has definitely changed my perspective for the better! Q: Haley, what is something new that you learned about yourself during this program?A: Just that I love nature now. I also make sure to take plenty of walks at home. Mostly alone because I like the quiet, but if I had to choose someone to hike with, it would be with my sister. A: (Gina) And from my perspective as her principal, I have noticed a major difference in her! She has more energy, she's not gloomy, where before she didn't want to be around people. Now she doesn't mind people, but if she does isolate it's for a different reason. It's to focus and be more goal-driven. Q: That's great! What is something you now want to try because of this experience? A: I want to tour the world, but most of all I want to help people succeed at their dreams and do volunteer work to help get people where they want to be in life. Being connected to nature has really allowed me to realize this. Q: Haley, do you think that being outdoors can have an effect on your mental health? A: Oh definitely! I have depression and anxiety, so being outside surrounded by different colors, even that can help me change mentally and physically. It absolutely helps relieve my anxiety. Q: What would you tell your classmates if they were on the fence about joining Nature/Nurture? A: I would say there's nothing wrong with trying. Trying will get you somewhere, but staying behind your own shadow and fears won't get you anywhere. A: (Gina) I would like to say to any other educators who are considering this program for their school – that I know we are ALL busy. I know that our basic goal is to deliver content to the students. But implementing and giving students access to a unique program like this creates more self-monitoring and motivation in students and enhances their ability to do what they are here to do on a daily basis. It gives those students new tools and a new perspective. Schools are a learning environment and if a student hasn't been exposed to nature as a resource, then that's a learning opportunity. To me, it's a perfect fit. In the late fall of 2017, what was once George and Sue Lane’s property in Gladwin County was donated to The Little Forks Conservancy. This was a collaboration between the Conservancy, the Leon P. Martuch Chapter of Trout Unlimited, and Chippewa Watershed Conservancy. George was a longtime Conservancy supporter, a former board member and a conservation easement donor.
The Lane property is 270 acres with three quarters of a mile of frontage on the North Branch of the Cedar River. The property includes important forestland habitat, open grasslands, and scenic views of the surrounding area. George and Sue’s stewardship ethic led to dramatic improvements to the property, specifically regarding wildlife habitat, removing sediment from the river and controlling erosion along the river. The North Branch of the Cedar River is one of a limited number of cold-water trout streams located within the northern reaches of the Saginaw Bay Watershed. The Lane family initially protected the property with a conservation easement and now the property will be a nature preserve to not only benefit the natural resources of the land, but also the local community. With George and Sue’s vision for their land in mind and with partners like Trout Unlimited and Chippewa Watershed Conservancy alongside of us, we cannot wait to see what projects we can accomplish on the first Little Forks preserve outside of Midland county, a strategic goal of the last two strategic plans for the organization. The riparian corridor will be managed by the Leon P. Martuch Chapter of Trout Unlimited with the Conservancy managing the remainder of the property and Chippewa Watershed Conservancy holding the conservation easements. In 2018, we began building trails, installed boundary markers, removed an old house and installed a parking area. The property can be accessed from a parking area located on Shearer Road approximately 1/3 mile south of M-18. “The George and Sue Lane Preserve has a lot of potential; we are starting with a mile of trail but hope to expand in the years to come” said Sara Huetteman, Little Forks’ Stewardship Coordinator. |
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