Heart of the Lakes
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Conservation & Community Building

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Become a Friend

Your support allows us to continue to strengthen the efforts of Michigan's conservation community. Together, we can protect Michigan for the benefit of generations to come.

Support Our Work

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Questions?

If you would like more information about our programs, please email us at  info@heartofthelakes.org 
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.


Heart of the Lakes strengthens the collective efforts of organizations dedicated to the conservation of Michigan’s environmentally and economically significant land and water. We provide leadership, innovative ideas, and advocate for smart public policy for the benefit of our communities and for generations to come.
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Heart of the Lakes
PO Box 1128
Bay City, MI  48706
Heart of the Lakes is a statewide organization that concentrates and strengthens the efforts of Michigan’s land conservation community. Founded by Michigan’s land conservancies, Heart of the Lakes does what no individual organization can do on its own-- unites them under the common goal of protecting Michigan’s land. 

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Heart of the Lakes
P.O. Box 1128 Bay City, MI  48706
989-292-3582

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