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Outsiders Film Festival 2020

9/30/2020

October 28, 2020 | 7 PM - 10 PM
Emagine Drive-In Theater
44425 W 12 Mile Rd, Novi, MI 48377

The Outsiders Film Festival is a new, annual film festival in southeast MI on outdoor adventure, conservation and family. OFF 2020 will showcase a total of 10+ films at the drive-in Emagine Theater in Novi, MI on October 28,2020 from 7-10 PM. Films include shorts, feature length, documentaries, profile pieces, and more to share stories from all over the world that will inspire viewers.

Screenings are limited to 225 cars to comply with state COVID safety policy.
Festival organizers are committed to adhering to current state public health guidelines. The screening will observe prevailing crowd limits, social-distancing and face mask recommendations. People traveling from out of state should be aware of the latest state public health guidelines.

OFF celebrates the culture of the outdoors, the businesses and organizations that support it. Proceeds from the film festival benefit our public lands and water and the organizations that are dedicated to connecting Michiganders to life-changing outdoor experiences including Six Rivers Land Conservancy, is a nonprofit land conservation organization working to sustain the quality and character of the natural resources around us and Heart of the Lakes, the collective voice for Michigan’s land conservancies and their friends.

Ticket purchase is $40 per car. Additional swag will be available for purchase at the event.

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Restlessness - A Virtual Summit

5/18/2020

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May 21st, 2020 | 11AM-1PM
VIRTUAL

Heart of the Lakes would like to invite you to a virtual celebration of the passion and purpose that drives Michigan's outdoor culture.

EMBRACE YOUR RESTLESSNESS

WE CONFESS.
WE’RE FEELING RESTLESS.
ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO ZOOM.

And it’s something we didn’t want to admit at first since it's our main means of human interaction -- so we ask you to take some time in advance. Create a space that's meaningful for you.

If you've found yourself working from the same place at home, move your chair into the sun or curl up on the couch. Take your water bottle and a snack and sit outside. Restlessness is creeping into every part of our outdoor-loving minds and bodies. It feels odd, but it’s actually quite natural. It’s human. In fact, it’s a reminder that we are alive.

But take heart— your restlessness is a sign of life. It’s your passion screaming to reconnect with you. And so when you hear it calling, try to remember that restlessness is not from your lack of dreaming — it’s a product of it.

Restlessness is here to stay — for now. So get out that hammock, put your feet up and enjoy a short virtual gathering that focuses on our restless passion for the outdoors.

So, What's On the Agenda?

Hi There and Welcome! - Like every summit, we'll start off with a rad welcome message to get us all grounded and prepared for the rest of the journey.

Abby Mahan Gartland Award Presentation - We mentioned passion & purpose earlier, and this award is in fact, the celebration of those who go above and beyond to protect and steward the places we love! This year we have two recipients to celebrate:

Vic Lane
Senior Conservation Project Manager
Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy

Doug Fuller
Volunteer
Little Traverse Conservancy

Campfire Chat with Lisa & Libby - Libby Rapin & Lisa Thompson are the co-founders of Oh, Infinite Love and their mission is to help people thrive so they can increase their levels of wellbeing. They'll share an approach (the PERMAH model) for wellbeing as described by Marcus Seligman. Libby and Lisa will deep dive into two of the six PERMAH pillars, positive emotions, and engagement. The intention is for all of us to share simple, yet effective, tools to increase our level of self-awareness and connection in order to thrive.

Getting Outside - As for good ol’ restlessness: we’re choosing to start embracing what it actually means and finding other places to put our energy— when we have it— and daydreaming more and more about what adventures come in seasons of better health.

protectMI - sharing the stories of the places we love benefitted by the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund.
Call for Emerging Leaders - training early-career leaders to help develop the work at SHIFT and in America.

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Our Common Ground - 2019

5/30/2019

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Our Common Ground: May 30th, 2019
Pierce Cedar Creek Institute
701 West Cloverdale Road
Hastings, MI 49058

Our Common Ground: A Gathering of Michigan's Nature Centers and Land Conservancies

The Association of Nature Center Administrators in partnership with Heart of the Lakes invite you to join us on May 30, 2019. Our Common Ground will showcase how Michigan's nature centers and land conservancies are creating a lasting conservation legacy. We’ll highlight examples of programming and partnerships that invite all people to benefit from and learn about the outdoors.

Join us to explore creative approaches for connecting youth to the outdoors, examples of innovative partnerships, state level planning efforts, and more! We all have a stake in learning from each other and addressing challenges cooperatively where possible.

This gathering is designed for the board, staff, and volunteers from Michigan’s nature center, land conservancies, and other organizations around themes of commonality and collaboration.

Registration

Agenda

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Clarabella Groad - 2018

10/7/2018

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Clarabella Groad: October 7th, 2018
Herrick Recreation Area
6320 E Herrick Rd
Clare, MI 48617

The Clarabella Groad gravel bike adventure will take you through northern Isabella County. Farmland and forest, rolling terrain, and sparkling lakes provide the backdrop for a true Michigan cycling experience. Hosted by Heart of the Lakes, Ray's Bike Shop and Revolution Racing.

Choose Your Challenge:

Grass Lake Grit: A rugged, 50.7 mile course that winds through northern Isabella County. Male and Female racers will be broken into under/over 40 year old classes.
Brinton Brevet: The same 50.7 mile course as the Grass Lake Grit ridden at 12-15 mph. Challenge your senses and enjoy the fall air with this non-competitive ride.
Herrick Hustle: A rugged, 28.5 mile course that winds through northern Isabella County. Male and Female racers will be broken in under/over 40 year old classes.
Stevenson Shakedown: A 28.5 mile non-competitive ride perfect for both those new to gravel bike riding and those who just want to stretch their legs!

Please note, our event will be capped at 300 participants. Fat bikes and tandems are welcome! Neutral support for the Clarabella Groad will be provided by Ray's Bike Shop. Clarabella Groad's proceeds benefit Heart of the Lakes.

Registration will open this summer!

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Our Common Ground - 2018

5/11/2018

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Our Common Ground: May 11, 2018
Blanford Nature Center
1715 Hillburn Ave NW
Grand Rapids, MI 49504

Our Common Ground: A Gathering of Michigan's Nature Centers and Land Conservancies

The Association of Nature Center Administrators in partnership with Heart of the Lakes invite you to join us on May 11, 2018 in Grand Rapids at the Blandford Nature Center. Our Common Ground will showcase how Michigan's nature centers and land conservancies are creating a lasting conservation legacy. We’ll highlight examples of programming and partnerships that invite all people to benefit from and learn about the outdoors.

Join us to explore creative approaches for connecting youth to the outdoors, examples of innovative partnerships, state level planning efforts, and more! We all have a stake in learning from each other and addressing challenges cooperatively where possible.

This gathering is designed for the board, staff, and volunteers from Michigan’s nature center, land conservancies, and other organizations around themes of commonality and collaboration.

Registration is available at ourcommonground.eventbrite.com

The agenda is available here.

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The Land Makes Us

9/13/2017

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The Land Makes Us: September 13-14, 2017
MSU Detroit Center
3408 Woodward Ave
Detroit, MI 48201

Heart of the Lakes in partnership with MParks invites you to join us on September 13 and 14 in Midtown Detroit.

The Land Makes Us will showcase how organizations and agencies are creating a lasting legacy of stewardship by fostering relevant and inclusive outdoor opportunities for all. We’ll highlight examples of innovation and programming that invite all people to benefit from access to conservation and open space lands.
Learn about creative approaches for connecting youth to the outdoors, examples of innovative solutions to ensure open space is usable and accessible, use of technology to reach visitors, and other programs that present new ideas and tools to create a relevant, sustainable, and inclusive future for conservation.

The Land Makes Us will highlight:

Diversity of opportunity - to better serve the needs of Michigan’s people.
Diversity of engagement - to partner with communities in decision-making and sustainability.
Diversity of the profession - to infuse innovation and excellence in education, and outreach.

Registration is available at thelandmakesus.eventbrite.com

The agenda is available here.

Of special note, the 13th will feature a half day workshop led by the Avarna Group focusing on Planning for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion within your organization. The first three hours, will review the what, why, and how, providing examples and depth to ground attendees in the work.

The last hour will be spent zooming in on one particular strategy for which the group is hungry for tactics. This could include tactics related to building equitable partnerships, culturally relevant environmental education curriculum, marketing and communications, recruitment and hiring, inclusive language, the built environment of public spaces and offices, and building bridges across value divides. (Note: A pre-session poll will determine which topic is focused on.)

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Land Conservancy Day at the Michigan State Capitol

2/12/2015

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Land Conservancy Day at the Michigan State Capitol: February 12, 2015

January 2015 marks the start of a new, two-year session of the Michigan legislature with many new faces in the House and Senate.   Take this opportunity to build and strengthen relationships with your elected Reps and Senators in Lansing early in the session.  Your participation in Land Conservancy Day will help them understand and appreciate the great work of your organization while supporting the state’s land conservancy community overall.

The afternoon of the 12th will be dedicated to face-to-face appointments with your selected legislators (set up by you with help from Heart of the Lakes). But we’ll help you fully prepare for these visits during a morning briefing session in downtown Lansing with land conservancy colleagues from around the state.

We encourage all Heart of the Lakes members to participate, not just those who frequently engage in policy work. Teams of two for each legislator visit work best—consider bringing multiple teams to visit more legislators! To Register: http://heartofthelakes.formstack.com/forms/lobby

For questions, please view the FAQ or contact Julie Stoneman at 989-292-3582, ext. 102 or email julie@heartofthelakes.org

Other events at the Lansing Convention Center that week:

The Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund meets Wednesday morning, February 11th.
The State Park Advisory Committee meets the morning of the 12th

The Michigan Recreation and Parks Association is holding its annual Conference and Trade Show and warmly welcomes conservation partners. http://www.mrpaonline.org/Education/Conference-Trade-Show

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Salesforce for Land Conservation

6/26/2014

Salesforce for Land Conservation – LOCATE: June 26, 2014

On Thursday, June 26 at 11 am ET join Heart of the Lakes and the Colorado Coalition of Land Trusts (CCLT) for an overview of a new land management and property tracking app for Salesforce called LOCATE.

LOCATE stands for Land Organization Conservation Activity Tracking Entity and is a cloud based solution that allows land conservation organizations to manage donor, membership, grant, land acquisition and stewardship activities in one system. LOCATE is built on the Salesforce platform. To learn more about LCOATE in advance of the webinar, please visit: http://www.locateapplication.com/

The app is newly released and is designed to track all aspects of property management for both fee simple and conservation easement transactions including annual monitoring. In partnership with CCLT, Heart of the Lakes will overview the product and discuss options for its use in Michigan.

Making Conservation More Real, Relevant, and Vital

6/7/2014

Making Conservation More Real, Relevant, and Vital: June 7, 2014

This retreat is a requirement for those land conservancies wishing to apply for Heart of the Lakes' Competitive Funding Opportunity. At least one staff and one board member must attend from each organization, or two board members from all volunteer groups. The workshop is free and open to potential applicants, as well as those who do not wish to apply for funding. The retreat will be held at Saginaw Valley State University in the Health and Human Services Building from 10:30 am - 3:30 pm.

The retreat will provide community engagement tools, evaluation measures, and help participants create models for engaging new audiences and partners. Guest presenters include Peter Lane from the Institute for Conservation Leadership and Doug Sarno from The Participation Company. The retreat is for Heart of the Lakes land conservancy members only and is free of cost.

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