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Home A New Nature Preserve in Buchanan!

A New Nature Preserve in Buchanan! 

We are so excited to announce that we have partnered with Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy (SWMLC) to acquire a new nature preserve in Buchanan! The 45-acre forested property was donated to COL in full by the landowners, Julie Dorfman, Jerry Herst and Anne Krantz.

Located on Wolkins Road a few miles northwest of the City of Buchanan, the new property will be named Myron Perlman Nature Preserve after Krantz’s late husband, and will be open to the public for outdoor recreation. COL is developing plans to build a trail system through the preserve next year. “With its high-quality mature forest, this is a really beautiful property,” said COL Executive Director Ryan Postema. “It’s also our first nature preserve in Buchanan Township,” continued Postema. “A big part of our long-term vision as an organization is to increase our impact by working in a broader expanse of Berrien County, and this is a great first step on that path.”

Working with the donors, COL and SWMLC partnered to protect the property. SWMLC holds a conservation easement on the land, while COL owns and manages the new nature preserve. 

“We fell in love with these woods in Michigan 36 years ago,” says Herst. “We long knew that we did not want this precious piece of land to be … compromised when the time came that we would not be able to maintain [it] or address invasive species in the forest as we aged. We knew we wanted to put a conservation easement on the property and turn it into a nature preserve. COL and SWMLC helped us to fulfill this dream.” Added Dorfman, Herst and Krantz, “We hope this forest will inspire others as it has inspired us and so many dear ones. We want people to love and protect this precious gem. We can all share in the satisfaction of doing something positive to encourage biodiversity and protect life on our planet.”