Saving Land

Chikaming Open Lands' mission is to preserve the uniquely diverse natural beauty of this corner of Southwest Michigan... Protecting the Land ~ Preserving our Heritage.

How do we do this? By partnering with local landowners. Private land ownership is a vital part of our landscape and more and more private landowners are deciding to preserve the lands they love. Voluntary legal agreements between landholders and Chikaming Open Lands, or conservation easements, permanently limit the uses of the land in order to protect its natural features. Chikaming Open Lands also owns and maintains eight preserves, which have been donated or sold to us by landowners. 

In August of 2001, Chikaming Open Lands protected its first five acres.  Today, we work with numerous landowners at the local level and have been able to save more than 1,000 acres of land,  protecting and preserving the one-of-a-kind natural character of this area.    

Learn more about how you can save your land for future generations.