A conservation nonprofit in Michigan is helping to protect vital habitats while giving people access to green space through a network of public nature preserves.
Digital news magazine Concentrate reported that Ann Arbor-based Legacy Land Conservancy acquired the 79-acre Iron Creek Preserve in early 2024. This is its eighth such preserve, and the organization is now negotiating land for a ninth.
Iron Creek is slated to open to the public in early 2025, but "the work doesn't end with the ribbon-cutting," Legacy's development director Krista Gjestland told the news site, explaining that the organization is trying to raise funds that will help to permanently steward the property.
Legacy land protection director Susan LaCroix told Concentrate that equity and access are important parts of the organization's mission.
"Not everyone is able to live on 10 or more acres and have access to green spaces," she said. "We really believe that part of safeguarding Michigan's land and water is making it available to the public, so they can connect with nature."
According to UC Davis Health, time spent outdoors can lower your heart rate and blood pressure and may often lead to lower rates of heart disease. Numerous studies have linked exposure to nature with improved mental well-being. For instance, one study correlated long-term exposure to green spaces to a reduced risk of anxiety and depression, while another study suggested that spending as little as 10 minutes in nature can help adults who are coping with mental illness.
Plus, wild spaces help protect vital habitat for a variety of species, supporting biodiversity. Biodiversity — or the web of life in an area — helps provide us with crucial ecosystem services like food, clean water, and medicine.
Legacy isn't the only organization dedicated to safeguarding nature. For instance, the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy in North Carolina recently created the South Yellow Mountain Preserve after receiving a 7,500-acre land donation. Meanwhile, a couple from Ontario, Canada, donated 54 acres of land containing more than 10,000 native trees to the Huron Tract Land Trust Conservancy.
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