The HeadWaters Land Conservancy is looking to expand the Hess Nature Preserve near Rogers City after it bought 40 acres of nearby land.
It was the first “organization-led” land purchase in the conservancy’s 30-year history. The rest of HeadWater’s 7,529 acres of preserved land had been donated.
Executive Director Julie Rubsam said the funding for the $46,000 purchase came from foundations and individual donors. It was HeadWaters largest fundraising campaign to date.
“HeadWaters has a rare and fleeting opportunity to protect large, connected landscapes that define the natural beauty and ecological richness of the northeastern region of the state,” she said.
HeadWaters is a smaller organization compared to other land trusts in the region such as Little Traverse Land Conservancy and Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy.
The main goal of land conservancies is to protect wildlife and natural resources on land both public and private. Some land owned by conservancies are designated as nature preserves and are usually open to the public for recreation.
Conservancies also work with private landowners who have conservation easements — a tool that allows landowners to impose permanent restrictions on their land for its preservation.
Rubsam says HeadWaters is poised to play a larger role in acquiring land as the northeast Michigan region grows. The organization works to protect and restore land in Alcona, Alpena, Arenac, Crawford, Iosco, Montmorency, Roscommon, Presque Isle, Ogemaw, Oscoda, and Otsego Counties.
The Hess Nature Preserve, located in Presque Isle County, consists of 12 acres located 8 miles north of Rogers City.
The property contains 600 feet of Lake Huron shorefront, including habitat for the threatened Houghton's Goldenrod, Lake Huron Tansy, and a bird, the Merlin.
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