Little Traverse Conservancy

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our Annual Meeting! It was a huge success with a wonderful panel, amazing attendees, a welcoming community, and a great walk on the new Don & Eileen Klein Trail! And a special thank you to the East Jordan Area Chamber of Commerce and Charlevoix County Community Foundation for making this possible!

Clean Coast – Great Lakes Conservation Week

As part of this festival, United by Water, we are raising awareness about protecting our Lake Michigan coast. Join Sarah Mayhew at the Woollam Family Nature Preserve on Friday, August 9 at 10am to learn more about this unique ecosystem and how to be a valuable land steward while soaking in breathtaking lake views. To register for this event visit landtrust.org/events and to learn more about this three-day festival, visit unitedbywater.org.

As you might remember, Forest School is LTC's new take on outdoor education. It is a theme-by-grade approach. Each grade has a different theme they focus on all year.

This year LTC celebrated our year of learning with Three Lakes Academy by hosting a community event in partnership with Three Lakes Academy and the Erikson’s Center for the Arts. Each class was given 2-3 story book display boards along their story book trail to teach the community about what they learned with us last year.

Join Amy Lipson, Conservation Specialist, on Sunday, July 28 at the Elmer Johnston Nature Preserve for a mushroom hunting adventure. Come prepared to hike off trail on steep or soggy terrain. To register for this event, or check out LTC’s other events, visit landtrust.org/events.

Get your tickets while you can!

Save the Trees and Rock the Forest are just over a week away on Thursday, July 25.

You won’t want to miss this year’s Rock the Forest artists, The Castellows, a rising neotraditional country music trio. They’re selling out in cities across the country and we’re lucky to have them coming to northern Michigan for one night only!

Tickets for both events are sold separately at https://landtrust.org/save-the-trees/

LTC’s new “Flat & Friendly Trails” is a map featuring trails in the Lower Peninsula with descriptive language to help those with mobility limitations determine what trails they can access more easily than others. All properties featured are Conservancy owned or transfer and assist projects.

As LTC continues to expand its trail offerings, our goal is to provide options for everyone. We hope that the Flat & Friendly Map will invite those who thought they may not have been able to visit LTC properties in the past the ability to confidently try them out now. To get your copy, please call our office at 231.347.0991 or visit landtrust.org/publications for a pdf version.

Eye of Ursa Major: the great bear is a larger constellation than the big dipper itself...Pictured" the eye of the great bear, Muscida, the star at the point of the triangle lying on it's side. Read more here: from theplanets.org, https://theplanets.org/constellations/ursa-major-constellation/....., www.darkyisland.org.
The Big dipper is visible at Donegal Bay Pavillion in the NNW slightly...and to the North at Wagner Campground Beach....or Little Traverse Conservancy, Little Sand Bay Nature Preserve. And more places as well!

An update from ECAR:

Don’t be surprised if you see local front-page headlines reading “Dung Moss Alive & Well in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula” in the coming weeks! This is Cruet Collar Moss (Splachnum ampullaceum), a specialist moss that only grows on dung (in this case, deer droppings) in humid, boggy environments. As summer begins, the moss sends up tall capsules above the dung that will flatten to create small umbrellas. The flat capsules then emit a stinky odor and function as landing pads for flies visiting the dung! When flies visit, they accidentally pick up sticky moss spores which then get distributed to other nearby clumps of deer p**p as they make new visits. The last documentation of this species on an LTC property are historic records from the 1960s at what is now the Stutsmanville Bog Nature Preserve, though it was also found near Levering as recently as 1994. Habitat for this moss is restricted to bogs and conifer swamps which also host a wide diversity of other unique plants like Pitcher Plants and Sundews that rely on insects to survive.

A second nature megaphone is available for your discovery, and this one can be found at the Robert L. Bytwerk Forest Reserve in Charlevoix County! Built in pieces, the megaphone could be assembled on site, reducing the number of people needed to move it. The installment required three volunteers (huge shoutout to Larry Liebler, Richard Jenkins, and John Baker) and three staff members to get the new megaphone into place.

Some of the many sounds you may experience while sitting inside include grouse drumming, woodcock peenting, and aspen leaves quaking in the wind. But sometimes, the forest is still, allowing you to sit in quiet contemplation.

The new Bytwerk nature megaphone is a perfect place to practice the Bytwerk family’s philosophy: get outside and experience the outdoors in new ways. Thank you Randall and Sharon Bytwerk for making this new trail possible!

Robert L. Bytwerk Forest Reserve: 8065 Grange Road, Charlevoix.

Hike and Hops is back!

Join LTC staff for a fun hike at the beautiful Charlevoix County preserve, Elizabeth B. Hoffman Nature Preserve, on Friday, July 12 at 5:30pm. The hilly trail traverses through a mix of orchards, woods, and farm fields, along Inwood Creek. The hike will be followed by beer and pizza at Bier’s Inwood Brewery. To register for this event, or check out LTC’s other events, visit landtrust.org/events.

Photos by Todd Peterson and Jeff Moyer

The LTC office will be closed the rest of the week for the holiday.

We hope you have the opportunity to spend it outside! Our Woollam Family Nature Preserve pictured here is a beautiful hike with great access to a beach on Lake Michigan.

Note: Because of nesting birds, dogs are not allowed at this nature preserve.

LTC welcomes: Kyle Volp

Growing up in a small farming town in Omro, Wisconsin where the Fox River flows, Kyle spent his childhood fishing the river, exploring the forests and fields as an avid amateur entomologist, and enjoying all the other comforts rural Wisconsin has to offer. Later in life, his career took him to metro areas around the country, further away from how he grew up, further away from his love for being outside surrounded by what the natural world has to offer. That is part of the reason he was compelled to join the LTC Team.

Kyle’s work at LTC will be directly with you, our members, facilitating transformative gifts to our mission. “As I discover more of the area, I look forward to meeting people who are familiar with and have connections to the land, the history, and what I can look forward to appreciating most as Monona(his beloved charcoal lab) and I go exploring on our own and with all of you!”

🌿 Planning a Weekend Adventure? 🌊 Bring your family down to the Friends of the Jordan River building this summer! 🌞 Open every Saturday and Sunday, it's the perfect opportunity to explore and learn more about the Jordan River and check out the fantastic new boardwalk.

ℹ️ Whether you're a nature enthusiast, a local resident, or just looking for a peaceful stroll, you'll love discovering what makes the Jordan River so special. The building is your gateway to information, views, and community spirit!

🕒 Open Hours: 1-4pm - come in anytime during open hours!
📍 Saturdays & Sundays

Don't miss out on this chance to connect with nature and your community. See you there! 🌳💧


East Jordan Area Chamber of Commerce
Little Traverse Conservancy

A couple weeks ago, LTC was invited to an eagle banding with Dr. Bill Bowerman at a nest on a neighboring property to the Round Island Point Nature Preserve in Chippewa County. As the climber made his way up the white pine where the nest was located, the adult eagles circled overhead and the mother was screeching. In the nest there were two eaglets. One at a time, the eaglets were placed in a blue bag that is designed for this exact purpose and lowered to the ground to the research team. They took a blood sample for forever chemicals, specifically PFAS, 3 breast feathers for mercury testing, and measured the length of the 8th primary feather, talons, and beak to see if the bird is male or female. They then banded the bird and sent it back up to the safety of their nest before grabbing the next. In this nest there was one female and one male.

Dr. Bill Bowerman has been working on this project for 40 years to use information gathered from the eaglets to see if there are any significant environmental trends or concerns happening. Thank you for allowing us to have this experience and for the work you and your team is doing!

Our volunteers at LTC mean so much to us, we literally could not do it without you! We are always look for more folks to join our volunteer team too!

If you are interested in helping LTC with a major boardwalk project please join us this week for a big push to get a local trail repair finished. We have removed the old and rotten boardwalk at the Raunecker Preserve in Harbor Springs and now need your help to replace it with new wood. This beautiful trail winds through a cedar forest and around a very old man-made pond. It's a beautiful place to spend your day and for a great cause. The trail is within walking distance from downtown and is one of LTC’s most used preserves in the area. We will be working Wednesday, Thursday, AND Friday, even if it's for just a couple of hours, we would love your help! Our crew will be out there from 9am-3pm each day. Parking is limited, so if you would like to carpool please call our office at 231.347.0991.

Boardwalk Building Work Bee
Naas, Mauger, Raunecker Nature Preserve, Glenn Drive, Harbor Springs
Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday June 26, 27, & 28
9am - 3pm each day

Join Bruce Lynn for on June 28 at 1pm. This is a special onsite opportunity to learn about the unique history of this Lake Superior nature preserve of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum and Grace Truman of S.O.S. Vermilion. To register for this event, or check out LTC’s other events, visit landtrust.org/events.

That’s a wrap of the 2023-24 school year!

From the eastern Upper Peninsula to Charlevoix County, young people of all ages got outside this spring with LTC educators. Their smiling faces tell it all!

LTC education programs are free thanks to funding from the Andreae-Brown Family Environmental Education Endowment Fund and the annual gifts from our members. On behalf of kids who love getting outside with us, thank you!

In bluebird boxes at the Offield Family Viewlands WFR, we have captured not one, not two, but THREE different bluebird nests! 🪺 Here are some photos from the camera inside the box. Enjoy!

Although you are going to be seeing new faces around the LTC office and properties, we also have many familiar faces that are celebrating some impressive anniversaries! Melissa Hansen, Director of Conservation Easements, just celebrated 30 years with LTC. Melissa started as a seasonal employee before moving into the position of Stewardship Coordinator. Then, she shifted to the Education Department before she took on her current role where she has been for the last 5 years. Melissa is an invaluable component of LTC’s staff. Most staff meetings you will hear ED Kieran Fleming say, “Easement people, you're up!” even when it’s just Melissa because she does the job of many. Melissa is someone to look up to, who does great work, cares for her colleagues, and is an amazing mom. Thank you for your dedication to LTC, we are so lucky to have you! Cheers to 30 years and hopefully many more!🥂

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!!

This Friday and Saturday LTC stewardship staff is replacing the boardwalk at one of the favorite Harbor Springs preserves, the Naas, Mauger, Raunecker Nature Preserve and we need your help! Friday, 9:30am-3pm and Saturday 12-4pm we need lots of hands to remove the old boardwalk and help us rebuild a safer one. This will include hauling lumber, removing screws, ripping up old boards and filling a dump trailer with rotten wood. Come out for the day or just an hour. Bring boots that can get muddy, lunch and water for the day; snacks will be provided. Meet us at the preserve trailhead at 593 W Fourth Street, Harbor Springs, MI 49740. If you want to help us create a more user-friendly hiking trail for the community, please call our office at 231.347.0991 or visit our website at landtrust.org/volunteer/volunteerwaiver to become a volunteer with LTC. And thank you in advance!

Join us Tuesday, June 11 at 4 pm, for a dedication of the Melvin Family Hiking and Biking Trails! A short ceremony will be held at the trailhead to thank everyone who made this incredible trail possible, then you are welcome to explore the trails by hiking or biking! We hope to see you there!

Your LTC team!!

Your LTC team (minus Melissa Hansen and Sarah Mayhew) continues to grow to keep pace with the land you help us to protect. The team you see here runs your free education programs, cares for the plants, trails, and animals you love, and always looks for new land to protect. Thank you for loving the land and supporting our work to care for it.

Photo taken on May 20 at Enji-minozhiiyaamigak, The Place of Peacefulness

LTC’s Ecology Technician, Brad, has been cataloging species on LTC properties for almost a year now. Along with capturing amazing wildlife on camera, Brad is guiding the E.C.A.R. (Ecological Conditions and Response) program by documenting the thousands of species found on Conservancy lands. This provides valuable insight about the land within LTC’s care and gives us a deeper understanding so that we can better steward it into the future. If you want to be a part of this amazing project and continue to allow these lands to thrive, visit landtrust.org/ecar or call our office at 231.347.0991.

Good Hart Artist Residency, the Headlands International Dark Sky Park, and Little Traverse Conservancy offer a chance to sharpen the senses with Good Hart Artist Residency Composer-in-Residence Susan Mayo. Mayo is a soundscape artist, composer, and cellist. Participants will embark on a guided hike beginning at sunset, led by Susan Mayo and assisted by Little Traverse Conservancy guides. Participants will silently observe the night music of nature, allowing the dark skies to help them tune in deeply with their ears and hear the magic of sounds that are easily missed if you aren’t paying close attention. Later, participants will gather in the Waterfront Event Center to hear works guided by the muse of nature sounds and composed and played by Susan Mayo.

What life can you find on LTC properties? How can you contribute to conservation and biodiversity as a volunteer? Staff from Little Traverse Conservancy will teach us how, through use of the iNaturalist app. Join LTC Saturday, May 11 from 2-4pm to learn how! Using both the website and mobile phone versions of the app, we will practice using it as we explore a Conservancy nature preserve near Cheboygan. Bring your cell phone to learn, practice, and discover a whole new way of enjoying our great outdoors! Register online at landtrust.org/events