The Vision

OUR MISSION: to lead, facilitate and inspire exploration, appreciation, conservation and restoration of our natural world.

Conservation & Restoration Education BoardmanOttaway River Stewardship

The Grand Traverse region is home to some of the most remarkable natural and farm lands in the United States. For over 81 years, it has been the privilege of the Grand Traverse Conservation District to steward these natural resources to ensure our community thrives, with health and vitality for all the wildlife, plants, and humans who call it home.

Since 1941, we have been working to connect the community to the land in an active way through restoring natural areas, training future generations of conservation leaders, supporting sustainable, local agriculture, and stewardship of the Boardman-Ottaway River.

We now have the unique opportunity to not only connect all aspects of our work, but also enhance how you engage with the natural world with two remarkable projects.

Our goal, with your support, is to create an innovative incubator farm on the east side of the Boardman-Ottaway River and build a footbridge that spans the river where the Sabin Dam once served as an east-west crossing, providing the missing connection to over 10 miles of trail, a userfriendly trail loop within the Natural Education Reserve (NER), and access to the new incubator farm.

100,000 visitors

The Boardman River Nature Center recently welcomed its 100,000th visitor.

Imagine a place where generations of families can experience the natural world just minutes from downtown Traverse City. Where parents, grandparents, children, and friends can gather to learn, relax, and recharge. The entire family can experience a world-class Nature Center and then enjoy a walk through nearly 10 miles of trails; old friends can catch up and enjoy unparalleled beauty on a bike ride or while fishing a new stretch of the Boardman-Ottaway River; grandparents can experience hands-on stewardship alongside grandchildren while immersed in local agriculture; and young farmers can find support and resources while learning how to make an environmentally responsible living from the land and feeding our community.

The Dams

At the turn of the 19th century, four hydro-electric dams were built to harness the power of the Boardman-Ottaway River in order to supply a growing Traverse City with electricity:

• Boardman Dam (1894)

• Sabin Dam (1907)

• Keystone Dam (1908; washed out in 1961)

• Brown Bridge Dam (1921)

Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians elder, Hank Bailey, speaking to the Traverse City Record-Eagle

Odawa Anishinaabek people have lived in our region since long before European settlers arrived, and they depended on the rivers for fishing, traveling, and ceremonial practices. Colonization from early settlers disrupted the connection that Anishinaabek had with the Boardman River.