The May 2014 newsletter from the Land Conservancy of West Michigan announced two new easements on the Pere Marquette, one near Bowman lake/Bowman bridge on the main Branch, and One here on the Big South branch
Jan Potter’s 11 acre property in Mason County lies along
2,000 feet of the Big South Branch (the biggest of the four
tributaries) of the PM. Located on a large bend of the river,
the property is nearly a peninsula, with water surrounding
it on all but the west side. Hemlock, cedar, and beech trees
line the river here.Protection of this property was made possible with the help
of a grant from the Michigan Department of Environmental
Quality intended to address non-point source pollution as
prioritized by the federal Clean Waters Act. Conservation
easements help to prevent pollution by protecting land
in its current state and allowing limited or no additional
development on the land. This protects the river from
additional sediment and thermal pollution in perpetuity.
(From the newsletter)
Easement does not mean the property is open for public use. It means that stretch will remain pretty much the way it is when you or your children pass through kayaking or fishing. More information at the Land Conservancy’s website, www,naturenearby.org