Founders Preserve

Join us to protect a special natural open space in honor of the people whose vision launched COL!

The Property

Chikaming Open Lands (COL) is seeking to acquire a 87-acre tract of high-quality forest, wetland and former agricultural land prominently located on Three Oaks Road in Chikaming Township. Upon acquiring the property, COL will designate it as a nature preserve, permanently protecting this extremely desirable open space in its natural state. Some of the features that make this property special include:

• Ecologically-valuable forest, wetlands, and vernal pools.
• Former agricultural fields which COL plans to restore to native species.
• A prominent location of the property on Three Oaks Road creates an opportunity to provide public access for recreational and educational use.

The Founders

In the late 1990's, Peter Van Nice saw a potential problem brewing in this area: its growing popularity was leading to an increase in development, which was beginning to change the landscape. Always a champion of conservation, Peter decided to set up a land conservancy in southern Berrien County. He recruited his wife Jeanie and friends Jean and Steve Smith and forged ahead, incorporating Chikaming Open Lands in December of 1999.

In the years that followed, Peter, Jeanie, Steve and Jean worked tirelessly to cultivate Peter’s vision, growing COL into a fully operational land trust with full-time staff, offices, and a portfolio of protected natural areas. After Peter passed away in 2022, COL’s Board and staff wanted to pay tribute to Peter’s legacy, and to recognize all four of the organization’s founders by dedicating this new nature preserve in their honor: The Founders Preserve.

How You Can Help

To bring the Founders Preserve to life, COL is working to raise $1.2 million to acquire and restore the 87-acre property. A $250,000 challenge grant from The Carls Foundation is helping to drive the effort, but the grant is contingent on COL raising the remaining funds. To date, $500,000 has been secured (as of July 2025). The deadline to complete fundraising is December 1, with a goal to finalize the purchase by December 31, 2025.

Please consider partnering with us on this important project. Together, we can protect a valuable open space, ensuring it remains natural and undeveloped forever.

Left to right: Steve Smith, Jean Smith, Jeanie Van Nice, and the late Peter Van Nice

"Peter’s father nurtured a love of nature in his two sons through gardening, planting trees, and caring for the land together. That early connection to the outdoors and Peter’s deep love for this area inspired him to become a conservationist and later to share that passion with others by founding Chikaming Open Lands." 

- Jeanie Van Nice, Founder