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Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy invites you to help protect the local wild and scenic places you care most about: dunes, wetlands, forests, savannas, prairies, farms and vineyards. It's this diverse beauty that makes the landscape of southwest Michigan such a special place to call home. Working together, we can ensure that future generations will continue to enjoy the extraordinary quality of life our natural lands provide.
For all workdays wear appropriate clothing (boots and long pants, in case of poison ivy, or for swampy conditions and wading at Glenn Allen Island) and bring gloves.
To register for a workday, please call the SWMLC office at (269) 324-1600. We will confirm carpool instructions when you call.
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Saving Habitat in St. Joseph
Hickory Creek Workday
Saturday, July 18, 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon
An “urban green trail” leads from Silver Beach in the city of St. Joseph, south into St. Joseph Charter Township and through SWMLC’s Hickory Creek Preserve. The preserve has a surprising diversity of flora and fauna for being in an urban setting. Prairie and savanna remnants survive along the edges of the trail and rich oak forests lead into a lush swamp forest on the banks of Hickory Creek. Come enjoy the butterflyweed and wild indigo while helping tackle the invasive species that threaten its diversity.
Carpool 7:30 a.m. from Oakland Drive and I-94 Park & Ride. |
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Island Getaway in Kalamazoo
Glenn Allen Island Workday
Saturday, August 8, 9:00 a.m. -12:00 noon
Take advantage of this rare opportunity to visit SWMLC’s only island preserve. We need help cleaning up the flotsam and jetsam that annually collects on the 10-acre island under the shade of towering chinquapin oaks. The water should be low this time of year so wading out to the island will be an option – actually easier than ferrying over by canoe.
Carpool 8:15 a.m. from SWMLC parking lot. |
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Savannas & Sedge Meadows in Paw Paw
Paw Paw River Preserve Workday
Saturday, August 22, 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon
In addition to protecting over 200 acres of diverse floodplain forest, this preserve has a small remnant of oak savanna complete with bottle gentians and big bluestem grass. Volunteers have helped maintain this remnant by opening up the surrounding canopy and cutting back brush. One more workday should be enough to connect the habitat to a nearby sedge meadow, linking the rare habitats!
Carpool 8:15 a.m. from Oakland Drive and I-94 Park & Ride. |
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Landscape Changes in Comstock
Chipman Preserve Workday
Saturday, Sept 26, 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon
Enjoy the new vistas while healing the landscape. Incredible efforts have gone into clearing acres of brush and Scotch pine at the preserve – now we need help planting and sowing to help restore native vegetation. If you are lucky, there might even be a few exotic shrubs left to cut!
Carpool 8:15 a.m. from SWMLC parking lot. |
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Remember the Alamo Prairie
Sand Creek Preserve Workday
Saturday, Oct 10, 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon
Alamo Township hasn’t seen a prairie like this in generations! The tall grasses should be ripe and ready to harvest, as well has many wildflowers. Areas cleared of brush and thinned with fire are ready for some more native species and the planted prairie is rich with plants up to the challenge. Help us redistribute seeds and plant a natural area to remember.
Carpool 8:30 a.m. from Oakland Drive and I-94 Park & Ride. |
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