What is Land Stewardship?
One commitment Chikaming Open Lands makes when creating a nature preserve is to carefully protect and manage the property forever. This process of caring for the land and making sure it keeps its natural integrity for future generations is known as Land Stewardship. On-the-ground stewardship often differs from preserve to preserve and is dependent on the condition of the natural area, the goals for that site, and the ecosystems present. One thing that does not change, however, is that regardless of how many new properties we acquire, our commitment to stewarding each preserve does not wane.
Land Stewardship Techniques
The health of our nature preserves is a critical aspect of successful land stewardship. We practice a wide variety of stewardship techniques to help maintain the natural integrity of our preserves including the following:
Native Species Plantings
Invasive Species Removal
Prescribed Burns
Plant Monitoring
Wildlife Inventories
Prairie Mowing
Involving the Public
One critical aspect of our land stewardship is involving the public. COL’s direct impact on the landscape is limited by the number of acres we own. Therefore, we invite our neighbors to assist us on Volunteer Workdays and educate them about best practices for their land, thereby multiplying our impact.
