TLC MISSION
The Thumb Land Conservancy was founded in 2008 to provide an organization dedicated to filling the gap of nature preservation in Michigan’s Thumb, a largely neglected region with a lot of great natural features.
The mission of the Thumb Land Conservancy is to protect natural areas, native species, and places for passive outdoor recreation in the Thumb region, and to educate the public about our natural environment.
For those not familiar with the Thumb, there has been a popular misconception that little is worth saving because of agriculture and development. While much of the region has been drastically altered, many high quality natural areas remain, not unlike those that existed prior to Euro-American settlement about 200 years ago. These are the last vestiges of our regional natural heritage.
The Thumb Land Conservancy is working to protect both exemplary natural areas and also small remnants, all now important. Despite the broad alteration of our natural areas, even small degraded fragments can be restored, expanded, and often serve as isolated havens for native populations of plants and animals that have been present for centuries. All natural areas are important locally because they represent a unique combination of history and features particular to that location.
The Thumb Land Conservancy also promotes the restoration of native habitat on residential land and other developed areas. Given the widespread destruction of nature across the world, every plant, animal, woods, field, wetland, creek, and even your yard, now matters.
The Thumb Land Conservancy currently owns 9 public nature preserves totaling about 144 acres in Saint Clair, Lapeer, and Oakland Counties. We also own a historic rail station and small preserve in North Street in Saint Clair County. The Thumb Land Conservancy holds 2 conservation easements totaling about 87 acres in Saint Clair County. We manage a 12.5-acre preserve in Huron County. One of our biggest ongoing projects is the establishment of the Southern Lake Huron Coastal Park and coastal trail in northern Saint Clair County.
TLC TERRITORY
The Thumb Land Conservancy is working to protect natural areas in 6 counties of the Thumb region, including Saint Clair, Sanilac, Huron, Tuscola, Lapeer, and Macomb Counties. The Thumb Land Conservancy also works in adjacent areas as opportunities arise, where we seek to work with other conservancies and similar organizations.
The Thumb of Michigan is a post-glacial landscape where northern forest blends with central hardwoods, bordered by Lake Huron, the Saginaw Bay, the Saint Clair River, and Lake Saint Clair. The Thumb is a great place with so much worth protecting including: Lake Huron, Saginaw Bay, Saint Clair River and delta, Lake Saint Clair, Black River, Mill Creek, Cass River, Flint River, Clinton River, Pine River, Belle River, Salt River, Sebewaing River, Pigeon River, Pinnebog River, Rush Lake, New River, and Willow Creek; 29 State Game and Wildlife Areas, and 6 State Park and Recreation Areas; post-glacial landscapes including lakeplain, till plain, hills, pothole lakes, Port Huron Moraine, Deanville Mountain, Lake Huron ravines and bluffs, sandstone outcrops, and Sand Point; a great variety of natural communities including, beaches, dunes, Great Lakes marsh, dune and swale forest, lakeplain prairie, oak openings, hardwood swamp forest, conifer swamp forest, mesic flatwoods, bogs, Minden Bog, one of the southern-most raised bogs in North America, fens, northern and southern upland forests, and floodplain forest; and over 200 imperiled species including Lake Sturgeon, Eastern Sand Darter, Northern Riffleshell mussel, Rayed Bean mussel, Eastern Fox Snake, King Rail, Cerulean Warbler, Prairie White-fringed Orchid, and Painted Trillium.
WHY PROTECT
Regardless of quality, every natural area provides benefits or ecosystem services that are important to maintaining our quality of life. Obviously, many benefits of nature, such as temperature moderation, fresh air, clean water, flood control, pollination, pest control, and natural beauty, are unattainable without the presence of nature at a very local level. Not only do protected natural areas help maintain your quality of life, but they increase your property value by providing natural beauty, seclusion, and places for passive recreation.
Equally as important, we believe it is especially important for children to have natural areas nearby where they can play, learn, and be inspired.
The Thumb Land Conservancy can potentially help you in many ways to:
- Protect your land in perpetuity
- Reduce your property tax
- Reduce your income tax
- Improve native habitat
- Control invasive weeds
- Connect you with resources
- Learn about your land
- Learn about the Thumb region
- Enjoy nature
We have not forgotten what it’s like to see a treasured woods in a neighborhood cut down, or wetlands carved up for more development. The Thumb Land Conservancy wants to work with you before these places are lost.
