Land Conservancy of West Michigan

08/21/2026

Thanks to everyone who joined us for Moth Sheeting at Dune Harbor Park last week! 🐛 Thanks especially to GR Bug Club, John Ball Zoo, Querkus Creative, and Muskegon County Parks for co-hosting the evening with us. We love looking at bugs with y'all.

Hope to see you again soon! Check out our upcoming events on our website at naturenearby.org/events.

08/20/2026

The boardwalks at Saul Lake Bog Nature Preserve are open once more! 🛠️ We want to extend a huge thank you to the volunteers and supporters who made the boardwalk repair possible!

When the Land Conservancy protected Saul Lake Bog Nature Preserve in 1989, ensuring safe viewing access to the bog was an early priority. Volunteers came together to create the infrastructure that thousands of preserve visitors have since used to get a closer look at this unique and biodiverse ecosystem. More than 30 years later, parts of the boardwalk were in need of repair. For the last few weeks the LCWM stewardship team and several volunteers have been working to provide the needed upgrades.

When we have the chance to see, experience, and know nature, we become inspired to protect it. Whether you're seeing native carnivorous pitcher plants for the first time or watching sandhill cranes come in to roost at sunset, these boardwalks are places where unforgettable experiences in nature happen. They'll continue to happen for years to come, thanks to the efforts of this team.

08/18/2026

The late summer wildflowers are blooming along McDuffee Creek. Goldenrod, Joe-Pye w**d, and cardinal flower all add beauty and color to the creekside scenery, and their deep roots stabilize the soil along the banks, slowing erosion and keeping McDuffee Creek's waters clear and cool.

Photos shared by Joe Engel, former executive director and current preserve steward of McDuffee Creek Nature Preserve. Learn more about McDuffee Creek Nature Preserve on our website: https://naturenearby.org/portfolio_page/explore/mcduffee-creek-nature-preserve/

08/13/2026

Artists Katie Edmiston and Kathy Mohl spoke about their experiences creating artwork for Preserved! at Saugatuck Dunes State Park. Read the story from Laketown Township: https://laketowntwp.org/state-park-holds-special-spot-in-art-celebration/

Edmiston, Mohl, and several other artists will debut the artwork they have been creating at Land Conservancy-protected lands this year at a gallery opening on October 2, 2026, hosted at LaFontsee Galleries. Their artworks will be available for purchase, with proceeds benefiting the protection and care of West Michigan natural lands.

Come see the beauty they've captured and support nature nearby! Learn more about the event and buy your tickets on our website: https://naturenearby.org/events/preserved-2026/

State park holds special spot in art celebrationPlein air painters mark Land Conservancy of West Michigan’s 50 anniversary. August 12, 2026Conservation Partnerships, Parks, People & Profiles Artists Katie Edmiston, left, and Kathy Mohl, right, working at Saugatuck Dunes State Park, 6575 138th Ave....

08/07/2026

Looking to unplug? Join us for the Explorathon: Guided Paddle on Saturday, August 29. We’ll float down the Pere Marquette River while we learn about the unique ecosystems the river supports and efforts to protect them.

Pre-registration is required for this event. Sign up today! Learn more on our website: https://naturenearby.org/events/50th-explorathon-paddle-082926/

Remix with Found Outdoors

08/06/2026

📢 Our stewardship team needs your help this weekend at McDuffee Creek Nature Preserve! We're looking for 5 more volunteers to join us for our Second Saturday Workday this Saturday, August 8, 9 a.m.-12 p.m.

Spend the morning working with your hands to make a tangible difference for nature in West Michigan. 🌿 Join Conservation Director Justin Heslinga to remove invasive autumn olive to support the restoration of oak savanna habitat on the preserve.

Learn more and register to attend on our website: https://naturenearby.org/events/ssw-at-mcduffee-creek-080826/

Thank you for helping keep nature nearby!

08/04/2026

Does your perfect weekend involve . . .

☀️ Spending time outside,
🤝 making new friends,
💪 and doing a little work to make your community a better place?

Then a perfect weekend awaits: Join the Land Conservancy of West Michigan this Saturday for a Second Saturday Workday! We will be at McDuffee Creek Nature Preserve in Baldwin removing invasive shrubs and plants to improve habitat health. Join us this Saturday, August 8 at 9 a.m. Register to attend on our website: https://naturenearby.org/events/ssw-at-mcduffee-creek-080826/

08/01/2026

UPDATE: Tickets for this event have sold out!

[Original Post] We are moth sheeting again this month! Join us along with Muskegon County Parks, GR Bug Club, John Ball Zoo, and Querkus Creative at Dune Harbor Park in Muskegon for an evening of insect observation after dark.

Learn more and sign up to attend on our website: https://donate.naturenearby.org/monthly-outing-081426

07/31/2026

The Guided Paddle is just under a month away! 📆 This is the final installment of our Explorathon event series celebrating 50 years of keeping nature nearby. Pre-registration is required for this event, and tickets are moving quickly, so be sure to save your spot soon!

At the Explorathon: Guided Paddle, we will paddle our way down the Pere Marquette and see, experience, and learn about efforts to protect and care for this wild river. Over the last 50 years, LCWM has worked with landowners to establish 28 conservation easements along the shores of the Pere Marquette and its tributaries, totaling 19.5 miles of protected riverfront. Conservation easement properties remain in private ownership, but their permanent protection benefits natural features we share with wildlife and each other.

Join us! 🚣 Sign up on our website at https://naturenearby.org/events/50th-explorathon-paddle-082926/

07/29/2026

Join us this fall for Preserved! 🎨 Celebrate the enduring places we've protected together over the last 50 years.

Sixteen local artists have been visiting preserves and parks throughout West Michigan and rendering their beauty in oil, acrylic, watercolor, ceramic, and more. This fall, their works will be displayed in a gallery exhibition held at LaFontsee Galleries in Grand Rapids, where they will be made available for sale. Proceeds from artwork sales will benefit the continued protection of West Michigan's ecologically critical land.

Preserved! is an opportunity for artists, nature lovers, and the greater community to celebrate the scenic land that surrounds us in West Michigan, while coming together in community to support land protection into the future. Join us!

Learn more about the event and purchase your tickets on our website. https://naturenearby.org/events/preserved-2026/

Preserved! is presented by Bloom Credit Union. The event is sponsored by Atomic Object, Baird, and LaFontsee Galleries.