The Nature Conservancy in Michigan

The Nature Conservancy in Michigan The Nature Conservancy works with partners across the state to protect Michigan's land and water. Our global priorities drive us to act locally.

For decades, TNC in Michigan has worked with the people of this Great Lakes state to protect the rivers, lakes and lands that are its natural heritage. We continue to pursue strategies that will help ensure the vitality of Michigan’s people, places and wildlife for generations to come. RESILIENT LANDS | TNC began acquiring and protecting land over 70 years ago, and we continue to build on that leg

acy. Today, our expanded scope includes partnering with those who manage Michigan’s lands, from farms to forests. We collaborate with agencies, policymakers, nonprofits, businesses, universities, Indigenous communities and more to support healthy, connected landscapes that benefit us all. THRIVING COMMUNITIES | Bringing nature into cities can address challenges shared by both people and nature. In Detroit, TNC is advancing nature-based solutions that reduce the stormwater burden on wastewater systems during rain events—helping to prevent floods, protect water quality and save residents money, while also providing more green spaces for people to enjoy where we live and work. HEALTHY WATERS | Sitting at the heart of the Great Lakes, Michigan has vast freshwater resources. From fisheries to farmlands, TNC works to ensure the resilience of systems that provide Michiganders with food and livelihoods, while also protecting a clean, abundant and accessible water supply by advancing sustainable policies and practices. CLIMATE RECOVERY | A changing climate impacts nearly every aspect of conservation. As part of TNC’s global efforts to inform climate action and achieve a net-zero carbon future, we work here in Michigan to demonstrate the potential of natural climate solutions such as wetland restoration and improved forest management, and to build bipartisan support for the reduction of carbon emissions.

🚨HELP US CROWN THE CUTEST BEE IN THE MIDWEST🚨  Our team is locked in a heated debate: Which of these 9 tiny native bees ...
05/29/2026

🚨HELP US CROWN THE CUTEST BEE IN THE MIDWEST🚨

Our team is locked in a heated debate: Which of these 9 tiny native bees is the cutest in the Midwest?

We can't agree AT ALL and it's been DAYS. 🫠 So we need YOU to weigh in:
👉 Swipe through the line-up
👉 Choose your favorite
👉 Comment your pick below

Who deserves the title of Most Adorable Native Bee? 👑 🐝

Bonus: Tell us why you picked your bee! Its fuzzy face? Its color? Behavior?

🏆 Winner gets bragging rights—and we may finally get peace and quiet on our team. For a minute, anyway. 🤭 😇

Community members in the Keweenaw Peninsula are working to establish the Keweenaw Heartland Community Forest, the first ...
05/28/2026

Community members in the Keweenaw Peninsula are working to establish the Keweenaw Heartland Community Forest, the first publicly owned, locally governed forest of its kind in Michigan.

This community fundraising event supports that goal, with event proceeds held by the Keweenaw Community Foundation in the Keweenaw Heartlands Forest Fund and intended for early governance and management of this forest. Public, local governance means the Heartlands will remain accessible and enjoyable for generations to come.

What's for dinner at For the Heartlands on June 5?

Come hungry! We’re serving up a BBQ-style meal with all the fixin’s, prepared by the teams at Fletchy’s Otter Belly Lodge and Mohawk Superette.

Guests will also enjoy snacks from the Keweenaw Co+op Market & Deli and drinks provided by the CLK Rotary Club.

It’s a true taste of the Keweenaw featuring some incredible local vendors, all while supporting the future of the Keweenaw Heartlands Community Forest.🌲

Got your tickets yet? 🎟️ ---> https://bit.ly/4heartlands-tickets

Looking to enjoy nature in a new way? Try birding! 🐦 Spring is the best time to pick up your binoculars and get outside ...
05/23/2026

Looking to enjoy nature in a new way? Try birding! 🐦 Spring is the best time to pick up your binoculars and get outside to start a new hobby and spot migrating birds. No special equipment is really needed to start birding – just get outside and start listening for birds!

🌲 If you live near lush forests, look for a variety of warblers. To spot these little feathered friends, you'll need to look far up into the tree canopy! Our top tip: check out field guides and bird ID apps like Merlin to help you identify these birds by their calls and songs.

🌳 If you live near shrubby woods or in/near an urban area... look for indigo buntings, peregrine falcons and northern house wrens. Our top tip: Join a local birding club or go on birding hikes at your local nature center or park. These are great ways to connect with other, more experienced bird watchers in your area and learn directly from them!

🌾 If you live near open fields or prairies... look for bobolinks, dickcissels and western meadowlarks. Our top tip: bring a pair of binoculars to help you better see these birds from across a grassy meadow (and help you learn how to identify bird species).

💧 If you live near wetlands/marshes... look for bigger birds like white pelicans, great egrets, snow geese and tundra swans. Our top tip: write down the birds you're seeing and hearing and record any other nature observations to learn how these areas (and its avian visitors) change season to season.

Check out our list of bird hotspots and plan a visit to enjoy this natural phenomenon. https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/where-we-work/priority-landscapes/great-lakes/stories-in-the-great-lakes/midwest-migratory-birds/?en_txn1=s_fbo.reg_mw.x.x

Perhaps money does grow on trees — and in wetlands. 💧🐸  Wetlands are natural sponges that soak up extra water and filter...
05/22/2026

Perhaps money does grow on trees — and in wetlands. 💧🐸

Wetlands are natural sponges that soak up extra water and filter pollutants, improving water quality and reducing flooding for nearby communities. These benefits translate into measurable boons for residents, economy and environment — especially when applied on a large scale like the H2Ohio program, a collaborative, comprehensive clean water program in Ohio that TNC helped launch back in 2019.

Wetland restoration projects from H2Ohio have proven to be wise, cost-effective investments where benefits outweigh the costs for people, businesses, governments and, of course, the environment. The data says it all:

💧 For every $1 invested in wetland restoration through H2Ohio, residents saw a return of $8 in economic benefits.
💧 H2Ohio generated more than $330 million in statewide economic benefits in 2024.
💧 Nearly 8.9 million Ohioans benefit from improved water quality because of H2Ohio projects.

Now, imagine the impact that a program like H2Ohio could have in Michigan, or even scaled up to a regional or even national level. Programs like these remind us that nature underpins our economic prosperity.

Learn about more successful programs in the Midwest like H2Ohio that help uplift both our economies and our well-being. https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/where-we-work/priority-landscapes/midwest/stories-in-the-midwest/midwest-nature-economy/?en_txn1=s_fbo.reg_mw.x.x

🌟 🌳 Quiet achievers. Long-term legends. Ecosystem MVPs.  Swipe through to meet the Midwest oaks at the head of the class...
05/20/2026

🌟 🌳 Quiet achievers. Long-term legends. Ecosystem MVPs.

Swipe through to meet the Midwest oaks at the head of the class—and learn why planting and protecting them makes a lasting difference for generations of wildlife, people and our wild spaces. 🐛 🐦‍⬛ 🐿️

On May 14, the Michigan Recreational and Natural Resources Authorities Act was passed. 🌲 This act allows local governmen...
05/14/2026

On May 14, the Michigan Recreational and Natural Resources Authorities Act was passed. 🌲

This act allows local governments to create authorities with boards made up of residents who oversee forests through local, public decision-making and management in counties with a population of less than 4,000. In Keweenaw County, this act is a major step in the transition of much of the Keweenaw Heartlands into local, public community forest.

Located near the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula in Keweenaw County, the Keweenaw Heartlands property had been in private, corporate ownership for many decades until The Nature Conservancy purchased it in 2022 with the support of community leaders and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Since then, the 32,500-acre forest has remained open to the public, as TNC has maintained ongoing care of the property, conducted comprehensive inventory surveys for future public management, and worked toward shifting the Heartlands into public ownership forever.

Now that this legislation has passed, county leaders can consider local Articles of Incorporation for a new Keweenaw Heartlands Recreational & Natural Resources Authority. If those Articles are passed, this will make possible the transition of ~21,000 acres of Keweenaw Heartlands to a public community forest. In the future, other communities may be able to follow this blueprint, ensuring the benefits of Michigan's forests are accessible to locals and visitors for generations to come.

Read more about the Keweenaw Heartlands Project: https://www.keweenawcommunityfoundation.org/keweenaw-heartlands

The key ingredient for adoption of nature-friendly regenerative agriculture on a wide scale? Collaboration. 🤝🌱 A new TNC...
05/07/2026

The key ingredient for adoption of nature-friendly regenerative agriculture on a wide scale? Collaboration. 🤝🌱

A new TNC-coordinated roadmap — developed with partners across agriculture, conservation, and industry — spotlights the critical role that trusted advisors can play in helping farmers implement beneficial ag practices across the Midwest and North America.

Learn more about the report and register for our upcoming overview webinar at 11AM CT on May 13th. https://www.nature.org/en-us/what-we-do/our-priorities/provide-food-and-water-sustainably/food-and-water-stories/north-america-regenerative-crop-systems/farm-advisor-roadmap/?en_txn1=s_fbo.reg_mw.x.x

📸 Alex Snyder/TNC

05/05/2026

This time of year, flocks of American White Pelicans can be found at Erie Marsh Preserve on their spring migration route. But about a decade ago, that wasn't the case.

TNC began a multi-year project in 2011 to restore 946 acres of highly degraded coastal wetlands at Erie Marsh. The project reconnected the marsh to North Maumee Bay and Lake Erie and has improved the coastal marsh and other wetland habitats. As the work continues, unique wildlife has returned to the area.

Erie Marsh represents 11% of the remaining Great Lakes coastal marshland in southeast Michigan. It's home to the threatened American lotus and swamp rose-mallow, plus many fish and birds — like the American White Pelican, who regularly stop by during their migration.

05/04/2026

We're all fired up for spring. 🔥

After living with periodic fires over thousands of years, many plants and animal species in Michigan and across the Midwest have evolved to rely on regular fires to thrive or even survive. While spring is best known for its beautiful blooms, it's also one of the best seasons (along with autumn) to conduct safe and effective prescribed burns—leaving a short 8-12 week window to implement this critical restoration tool.

That's why TNC fire crews have been teaming up with partners and traveling around the Midwest to put fire on the ground this spring. By bringing more crew members to prescribed fires, we are able to strategically burn more acres across state lines. Teamwork makes the dream work! 🤝

Get a glimpse of where sparks have been flying lately across the Midwest:

🏞️ Fire crew members from TNC in Ohio and Michigan, as well as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program (PFW) geared up for a 905-acre prescribed fire among the rolling hills of The Wilds in southeastern Ohio.
🌲 Our Southern Wisconsin Burn Crew and longtime TNC volunteers treated 57 acres of woodlands at the Pine Hollow preserve in Wisconsin's Baraboo Hills. The fire will help knock back thicker underbrush that can crowd out diverse native species that need more sunlight to thrive.
🎑 Fire crews in northern Illinois have been collaborating with partners to burn several units at TNC's Nachusa Grasslands Preserve as well as IDNR's Franklin Creek State Natural Area. Teamwork makes the dream work!

Level up your prescribed fire knowledge. https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/where-we-work/priority-landscapes/midwest/stories-in-the-midwest/midwest-fire/?en_txn1=s_fbo.reg_mw.x.x

Video footage of Pine Hollow burn in Wisconsin by Kevin Sink Photography

The U.S. House of Representatives just passed a Farm Bill, taking an important step toward providing farmers, ranchers a...
05/01/2026

The U.S. House of Representatives just passed a Farm Bill, taking an important step toward providing farmers, ranchers and forest landowners across the country with the resources and support they need to be good stewards of the land. 🌾

The Farm Bill provides $8 billion a year to help private landowners invest in healthy soil, clean water, wildlife habitat and resilient forests—all while keeping their operations productive and economically viable.

Now it’s time to keep that progress going in the Midwest and across the nation. We hope the Senate will advance a new five-year bill to give farmers, ranchers and forest landowners the long-term stability they need.

Photo of wheat field by Ken Geiger/TNC

Read more: https://www.nature.org/en-us/newsroom/farm-bill-passes-house/?en_txn1=s_fbo.reg_mw.x.x

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101 E. César E. Chávez Avenue
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