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Community building projects generally have two hallmarks: 

  • Active engagement of community partners who recognize and support a project because of the potential for economic development, placemaking or the project has a connection to a highly visible community initiative. 
  • Conservation that targets a community asset, sometimes a much-loved place for the community, and provides often difficult to quantify benefits beyond the immediate project. 
Land Conservancies as Community Builders began in 2012 to demonstrate how land conservancies and conservation are important to economic development strategies. Heart of the Lakes' work has two primary goals:

  • Identify, document and showcase a few dynamic land protection projects to build the visibility of land conservancies in their role as community builders.
  • Better equip those working in land protection with lessons learned from these case studies, as well as other protection projects, to encourage more community building projects around the state.
Case Studies

  1. Fruit, Farms, and a Region’s Future:  Acme Farmland
    Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy
  2. Connecting the Dots:  Arcadia and Explore the Shores
    Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy
  3. Universal Access to Nature:  Pine River Collaboration
    Chippewa Watershed Conservancy
  4. Partnering for Prosperity:  Saugatuck Harbor Natural Area
    Land Conservancy of West Michigan
  5. New Life for an Old Summer Camp:  Pilgrim Haven Natural Area
    Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy
  6. Linking Land Conservation, Commerce and Local Communities                 Legacy Land Conservancy
  7. An Island Gets Public Access to Water                                                                       Grosse Ile Nature and Land Conservancy
  8. Protecting the Ultimate Wilderness for All:  International Dark Sky Park Little Traverse Conservancy
  9. Getting Outdoors in Bay City:  Outdoor Urban Recreation                        Saginaw Basin Land Conservancy
Practitioner’s Guide

A Practitioner’s Guide was also created to provide tips and strategies to help conservancies, their partners and others to more effectively engage in community building projects.