This year marks the 25th Anniversary of the Southeast Michigan Land Conservancy! The SMLC conserves natural lands and open space including forests, wetlands, meadows, agricultural lands and places of scenic beauty to provide habitat for wildlife and to enrich the lives of people. Their purpose is to conserve and manage wildlife habitat in order to foster healthy ecosystems, protect air and water quality, and provide scenic enjoyment. The conservancy also promotes appreciation of the natural world, educates the public about conservation options, and engages communities throughout southeast Michigan in land protection and stewardship activities.
The SMLC started in 1988 with an initial goal of protecting a 40-acre parcel of land located next to Wayne County’s William P. Holiday Forest & Wildlife Preserve. Since then, the SMLC has established 18 nature preserves and 17 conservation easements on 2, 838 acres in the seven-country southeast Michigan region. Their work has provided beautiful lands where individuals and families are able to see wildflowers close to home, hear the music of the frogs, enjoy a campfire on protected land or take a hike among the sounds and sights of nature.
Among the most significant accomplishments of the SMLC are the ongoing expansion of the Superior Greenway Initiative, a 2001-acre wildlife corridor that serves as a natural buffer between the suburbs of Western Wayne County and the Ypsilanti-Ann Arbor Metroplex. A few of the notable projects that together compose this greenway include the 325-acre LeFurge Woods Nature Preserve, the Community Organic Garden at the Conservancy Farm, and the $1.3 million purchase of a conservation easement which protected the Schultz Farm and the acquisition of the 100-acre Jack R. Smiley Nature Preserve. Most recently, on August 16th, the SMLC partnered with Six Rivers Land Conservancy and purchased the new 538-acre Lost Lake Nature Preserve located in Genesee and Oakland counties.

For more information about the SMLC and to access their activity calendar, please visit www.smlcland.org.

What can you do? Get educated with quality information, share your concern for the environment and get involved on a local and global level. The Student Environmental Association (SEA) is your connection to becoming an environmental warrior! Our meetings take place on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month at 2:00 p.m. in room C-119 located in the Student and Culinary Arts Center. Our mission as an organization is to raise awareness and nurture actions in support of a sustainable interaction of people and the natural world. We collaborate with organizations such as Sierra Club, Friends of the Rouge (FOTR) and the Southeast Michigan Land Conservancy (SMLC) as well as provide opportunities to get involved.