Chikaming Open Lands - Preservation and Conservation of our natural lands in Southwest Michigan

About Chikaming Open Lands (COL)

Chikaming Open Lands is incorporated as a non-profit organization in the State of Michigan, and has been granted tax-exempt, 501(c)(3), status by the Internal Revenue Service. As a sponsoring member of the Land Trust Alliance in Washington, DC, our organization meets or exceeds LTS’s Standards & Practices established for land trusts across the country.

COL was founded in 1999 and for the first six years was an all-volunteer organization, governed by a Board of Directors. At this time, COL has over 600 supporting members and contributions from our members cover the majority of our operating expenses with grants, rental income, and interest making up the difference.

On this page

Board

Staff

Current and Past Newsletters

Board Members
Jean Smith – President Jean Smith was born in Chicago and spent many childhood summers in Lakeside. She graduated from Skidmore College with a degree in History. She married Steve Smith and, after twelve corporate moves around the country, settled in Lakeside, Michigan, home to her family’s summer stomping ground. Jean is a civically minded person and has been involved in various organizations including the Junior League; the Board of Trustees for Pine Manor College; the Visiting Nurse Association Board; Chaparral High School site management program in Scottsdale; the YWCA Board of Phoenix; the Community Foundation of Phoenix; and Rainbow Days Board in Dallas, Additionally, she founded the first SIDS Chapter in Erie, PA, and served on the National SIDS Board. Closer to home, she is a member of the Berrien Community Foundation, and is president of the Lakeside Association. Jean loves this area and is committed to preserving it for future generations.
Greg Kaiser – Vice President Greg Kaiser grew up in Three Oaks, Michigan, and studied civil engineering at Ferris State University. He worked for the Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad before starting his own business, Dunes Development, a company specializing in single family/residential construction. “It’s important to balance development and preservation,” says Greg. He appreciates the way some communities have been able to grow while preserving the natural character. This explains his interest in Chikaming Open Lands and why he became a director in 2002. Currently, Greg heads the Administrative Committee which oversees office operations and staff.
Steve Smith – Treasurer of Chikaming Open Lands Steve Smith was born in Schenectady, New York. He graduated from Dartmouth College where he received a BA, BE, and an MBA. He spent 37 years in corporate management with many companies including General Electric, GTE, AT&T, and AVEX Electronics. Steve retired to Lakeside, Michigan, in 1998, but remains busy as the chairman of the Advisory Board for Dartmouth College of Engineering, board member and President of Chikaming Country Club, chairman of Chikaming Township Public Safety Commission, and a member of Chikaming Township’s Master Planning team. In Steve’s free time, he enjoys hiking, golfing, and fishing.
Al Chapman – Secretary of Chikaming Open Lands Al Chapman was born in Pasadena, California. In 1948, he earned a BA in International Relations from Stanford University and went on to attain a PhD in Geography from Northwestern University in 1954. Before entering the U.S. Foreign Service in 1957, Al taught geography at several universities. In addition, Al served overseas at embassies in Asia and Europe as a Geographic Attache and later, a Science Attache. In 1985, he retired to the generations-old Sizer family home in Harbert, Michigan. Al has served 12 years on the Planning Commission and the Zoning Board of Appeals for Chikaming Township. He joined the Board of Directors at Chikaming Open Lands in 2001. "In my working and personal travels I have been fascinated with nature and sought time for mountain hiking. I have supported COL from its founding, became a member of its board, and now head the Stewardship Committee, which seeks to preserve the conservation values of properties committed to our care. There is an urgent need to protect the most valuable natural features of southwest Berrien County before they are compromised by indiscriminate development." In his free time, Al enjoys spending time with his wife, Suzanne Sizer, their three children, and several grandchildren.
Don Flinn – Board Member Don Flinn has been a director since COL’s founding in 1999. Currently, he assists Jean Brokish with implementation of the DEQ Galien River Watershed Project, chairs the Land Protection Committee, serves on the Stewardship and Major Gift Campaign Committees, oversees COL’s Insurance coverage, and participates in other organizational matters for which the board is responsible. He is a graduate of Princeton and Harvard Law School and was a litigator with the New York law firm White & Case. He credits the following to his resume: Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and a member of its New York governing committee; Trustee, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law; Board of Directors, United States Trademark Association; Lecturer, Graduate Program In Antitrust law, Columbia Law School; and Ruling Elder, Hitchcock Presbyterian Church (Scarsdale, NY). As a child Don became acquainted with southwest Michigan during the summers starting in the 1930’s and he is still in love with this area, making it his sole residence since 1999.
George Platz – Board Member George Platz graduated from Northwestern University in 1960 and Harvard Law School in 1963. He practiced law in Chicago as a partner in the firms of Sidley & Austin from 964-1995 and Lovells from 1995-2002. George retired in 2002. Since 1981, George and his wife Andrea have owned an 80-acre farm adjacent to Warren Woods State Park in Chikaming Township. Prior to becoming a director of COL, George and Andrea donated a conservation easement covering a 10-acre portion of their farm that contains old growth beech/maple climax forest and a creek that is a tributary of the Galien River.
Terry Hanover – Board Member Terry Hanover is a woodworker from New Troy in Weesaw Township, Michigan. Although his work involves cutting down trees, he also has great interest in preserving green space. Terry graduated from Western Michigan University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Arts. Before devoting his life to woodworking, he taught for three years. Right now, Terry is Chairperson of the Recreation Committee of Weesaw Township and servws as President for the Friends of New Troy. His pastimes influenced his interests in these organizations including: backpacking, hiking, tennis, and bird watching. Recently, Terry has become involved with Chikaming Open Lands because of the important efforts being done by COL to preserve green space and create filtering strips for the water. For Terry, this is an important legacy to leave for future generations.
Linda Anderson – Board Member Linda Anderson is originally from Ann Arbor, Michigan. She worked 23 years for Guardian Photo, a national photo-finishing company. In 1984, she transferred to St. Joseph, Michigan, where she worked the western Michigan, northern Indiana, and Chicago territories. Linda looks forward to helping COL with publicity and reaching out to the community. Linda lives in Shorewood of Sawyer, Michigan.
George Lucas – Board Member George is a life-long resident of Chikaming Township and has a deep appreciation for the natural characteristics that make this area such a special place. George is a real estate Broker with REMAX Harbor Country in Union Pier and has also held management positions with ConAgra, Jewel Companies, and Caravali Coffees. He holds a BS in Business Administration from Valparaiso University, is the past president of Chikaming Country Club, and is a former vice-president and director of Santa Claus Anonymous charity. George currently serves as a Director for the Lakeside Association and was recently elected to the Southwest Michigan Association of Realtors Board of Directors. George resides in Harbert.
Paul Miller – Board Member Paul Miller is a relative newcomer to Lakeside, but in the eleven years he and his wife have lived here, he has developed a passion for the land and what it grows. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, he is a graduate of Boston Public Latin School, Yale, and Harvard Law School. After a few years in Army JAG, he moved to Chicago where he practices law in the firm of Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal. Paul specialized in corporate and securities law and has a wide range of experience in those fields, including extensive experience in advising corporate boards and management. He served as a Trustee of The Latin School of Chicago from 1985 to 1991 and is currently a member of the Board of Trustees of Chicago’s Newberry Library.
Don Hermann - Board Member Don Hermann grew up with an appreciation of nature, born in the Bluegrass area of Kentucky and raised in the desert of Arizona. While enjoying the cultural resources of Chicago, Don particularly appreciates and enjoys sharing the rich natural landscape of southwest Michigan. A lifetime learner, Don graduated from Stanford and has law degrees from Columbia and Harvard. He has Master's degrees in art history and liberal arts from the School of the Art Institute and the University of Chicago respectively and a doctorate in Philosophy from Northwestern. Don is an avid collector of art and books and has been threatened with eviction due to his vast collections. He travels extensively – from the Inca trail, to Pagan in Burma, to the monasteries of Tibet. Don has been active in Chicago cultural and public affairs, serving on a number of boards of art, educational, and healthcare institutions. He has a joint appointment in Law and Philosophy as a Professor at DePaul University.

Chikaming Open Lands - Staff
Jean Brokish – Program Director Jean Brokish joined COL in March of 2005. Prior to this, she worked for the Natural Resources Conservation Service doing conservation planning in Wisconsin and Michigan, spent more than two years serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Lesotho (Africa), worked for the Van Wert County (Ohio) Soil and Water Conservation District, and studied plant and soil sciences at the University of Wisconsin – River Falls and Purdue University. Jean’s studies and career path have been heavily influenced by her youth; she grew up on a family dairy farm in southwest Wisconsin. When not in the office or meeting with landowners, Jean can be found enjoying lots of great outdoor activities in beautiful southwest Michigan. Email:
Chikaming Open Lands complies with all applicable federal, state and local laws. As a 501(c)(3), COL files a Form 990 “Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax” with the IRS annually. Interested persons can view this form at www.foundationcenter.org