Headwaters Land Conservancy Fall 2021 Newsletter

Currents Onwards and Upwards FALL ISSUE 2021 CE DONOR LEGACY, PAGE 3 | NATURE PRESERVE UPDATE, PAGE 8

A New Chapter for

LAURA JUSTIN HeadWaters Land Conservancy (HWLC) announces the retirement of Executive Director, Laura Justin after ten years of service to the organization.

HWLC’s Board has immediately initiated the hiring process for her replacement and will announce the new Director as soon as a selection has been made. Laura will continue to work as a consultant to the organization and Libby Benjamin, Director of Conservation, has been named Acting Executive Director.

“It has been the greatest honor of my life to help HeadWaters Land Conservancy protect the most naturally valuable and significant lands and water in N.E. Michigan over the past decade.

I can’t imagine anything more important I could have done, nor could I imagine doing it with a better group of supporters, volunteers, staff and Board Members. I will always be a part of HWLC regardless of where my travels take me,” said Laura.

Laura will be moving to Drummond Island, a lifelong dream fulfilled, along with her husband Curtis and their dog Bella. Taking a respite from conservation work, they plan to enjoy boating, hiking, fishing, rock hunting, nature gazing and wandering in the woods.

As Laura steps away to enjoy some leisure time in nature, she has effectively set HeadWaters Land Conservancy on the course for continued success.

“In her 10 years at HWLC, Laura has made significant contributions to land conservation throughout the 11 counties of N.E. Michigan we serve” said James Supina, Chair of HeadWaters Board of Directors. “Under Laura’s leadership, we have conserved considerable land and water resources in our region and built a dedicated team of staff, volunteers and members. From this solid foundation, HeadWaters Land Conservancy will continue its important work of protecting critically sensitive land for present and future generations to enjoy. We are tremendously grateful to Laura for her hard work and commitment over the past 10 years and wish her and her husband the very best as they enjoy a well-deserved retirement,” continued Supina.

HeadWaters Land Conservancy will continue to focus on land conservation and collaborative projects, working closely with private land owners and conservation partners. Additionally, they will continue their work on long-term goals, including the growth of an Endowment Fund.

This initiative will ensure HWLC takes a proactive role in regional land conservation efforts in perpetuity.

A WORD FROM THE STAFF,

We are excited for what the future brings, as HeadWaters is not one single person, but a collective of volunteers, supporters and friends.

Regardless of who sits in the Executive Director seat, HeadWaters will thrive because all of us that have come together over the years in support of land protection. This new chapter will be different than the last, but like every good book, it will only get better. Onwards and upwards.

Libby Benjamin

Dianne Farner

Cover photo by David Billmire

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HeadWaters Land Conservancy

Rhiannon Erhardt

HEADWATERS

2021

Staff & Board Staff Libby Benjamin Director of Conservation Dianne Farner Community Engagement & Development Coordinator Rhiannon Erhardt Stewardship Technician

Board of Trustees Jim Supina Chairperson Martha Eberly Vice Chairperson/Secretary Robb Smith Treasurer Virginia Pierce John Dallas Jeff Twyman Keith Martell Bill Anderson Frank Ruswick

Gúe

Conservation Easement

DONORS 1 BARBARA MAINS ARMENTO (1927-2021)

305 acres surrounding Anchor Lake in Montmorency County

2 ROBERT HOWARD “BOB” KING

Throughout the life of HWLC, we have grown with a wonderful group of conservation-minded landowners. With grateful hearts we remember those that passed this year and their sacred places that will be protected forever.

(1940-2020)

80 acres of northern hardwoods in Otsego County

3 KEITH A. KRAUSE (1944-2021)

800 feet of Otsego Lake shoreline in Otsego County

4 JAMES EDWARD “JIM” KNOX (1940-2021)

90 acres with frontage on the North Branch of the Au Sable River in Crawford County

5 FAY CHRISTENSON BOVEE (1924-2021)

67 acres with frontage on the Au Sable River “Holy Waters” in Crawford County

6 GEORGE “RUSTY” EBLING III (1944-2021)

20 acres with frontage on the East Branch of Big Creek in Oscoda County

7 JOAN MARY (LENHART) SHIVELY (1930-2021)

100 acres of the Cedar Lake Swamp in Alcona County

headwatersconservancy.org

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Fundraisers AND Outreach A

ugust proved to be one of the busiest months of the year! Coming off of last year’s hiatus, we weren’t sure these events would materialize.

However that uncertainty was quickly washed away by the support of our wonderful members, new and old. The Log Drive, held at the Lovell’s Bridge Walk on August 21st, had a great turnout! We sold out of logs and raised enough funds to upgrade the phone system!

Just one week later we resumed our annual sporting clays shoot, Hotshots for Headwaters! 2021 marked our 8th year hosting this event at the Lewiston Sportsman’s League. A lively group of shooters came out on a humid morning to show their support for land protection in northeast Michigan. Everyone had the chance to win door prizes, a variety of baskets and of course the highly coveted ham! Even though the morning was wet, the clouds gave way to sun and revealed the loveliest afternoon, only made better by the company! We want to thank all of our wonderful sponsors that made this event possible, as well as Mark’s Pig roasting for a phenomenal lunch!

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HeadWaters Land Conservancy

Fostering appreciation and understanding of the environment is our goal when hosting community engagement events. This summer and fall were no exception. With humans seeking to reconnect with nature over the last year, we had some outstanding attendance and interest in our events!

While August was for fundraising, September and October were for fun!

The mushroom hike had a large turnout on a gorgeous day. Over 50 species were identified that day, making the 4 mile hike well worth the effort! Enthusiasts found Black Trumpets (Craterellus cornicopiodes), Blue Milky (Lactarius indigo), Painted suillus (Suillus spraguei) and lots of Blue tooth (Hydnellum caeruleum).

This event will definitely be back next year! If you are interested in a good fungus field guide, try this one: “Mushrooms of the Upper Midwest”

by Teresa Marrone and Kathy Yerich.

headwatersconservancy.org

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Learning About

BAT CONSERVATION

WHITE-NOSE SYNDROME White-nose syndrome has killed millions of bats around the world, and has wiped out 90% of the Upper Peninsula bat population. It’s caused by a fungus that attacks the skin of bats while they’re hibernating over the winter. It irritates their face causing them to wake and burn through their fat stores. With no way to refill those stores in the middle of winter they often starve before spring. It has been present in America since at least 2006 and in Michigan since 2014. The spores of the fungus can last on surfaces for a long time, including clothes and shoes. So cave explorers can be carriers for this fungus. It also spreads through bat to bat contact.

Little brown bats are starting to show some genetic immunity, scientists are investigating this, and hope it indicates a chance of survival for the species.

(Info from greatlakesecho.org and pubmed.gov)

WHAT INDIVIDUALS CAN DO TO

HELP BATS 1

Install a bat house in your yard

Don’t tear down dead trees 2 Don’t use pesticides 3 Keep cats inside 4 5 Plant native flowers to attract night pollinators (ex: Fleabane, Goldenrod, and Honeysuckle)

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Bats are pollinators for many essential crops. They also consume many insects that can damage those crops and save billions in pesticides per year. Some bats eat more than 70% of their weight in insects every night, with pregnant females consuming 100% of their body weight.

Just one little brown bat can eat up to 1,000 mosquito-sized insects in just one hour. Having one bat in your yard can be much more effective than fogging it for mosquitos every time you want to go outside.

(Info from batswithoutborders.org and nsf.gov)

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HeadWaters Land Conservancy

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I f a bat is in your house, don’t kill it. Call a professional to remove it safely. pread the word! The S more the public knows about bats and how to help them, the better.

BAT ACOUSTIC MONITORING: In 2018 when the Organization for Bat Conservation disbanded the Detroit Zoological society took in the bat acoustic monitoring program. In 2021 they partnered with the Michigan DNR to continue the project, and gathered volunteers across the state including HeadWaters! We received an Echometer, GPS and IPad for data collection. On an evening at the end of June and July when the weather was clear, warm, and not windy we conducted the surveys which correlate with pupping season. Using the Echometer we tracked our loop via GPS as we drove around the Pigeon River Country and passed multiple conservation easements (starting and ending at our own Sturgeon River preserve). As we slowly drove, the IPad was recording high frequency sounds, a lot of which were bat calls! It was incredible to hear the sounds of bats in the night.

The Detroit Zoological Society still needs to collect our data and clean it up to get numbers and species to us. But below is what the ID showed us at the time of recording.

We heard 6 out of the 9 Michigan Bat Species!

1

Big Brown Bat

2

Little Brown Bat

3

Hoary Bat

4

Eastern Red Bat

5

Silver-Haired Bat

6

Evening Bat

Emitted Wave of Bat

Reflected Wave of Prey

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Preserve Updates!

2 DAULT NATURE PRESERVE:

Dault Preserve is a mere 8 acres, but is home to many wetland species that need to be protected. Over the years Dault has been used as a dumping ground for yard clippings which makes it hard for those species like Marsh Marigold, Water Lobelia, Dwarf Lake Iris and many more to flourish. We gathered volunteers on September 14th and headed out to get as much of the wood, non-native plants, and clippings pulled out as possible. It was a success, but we were not able to get it all out. We plan to go back in the spring to pull the rest. So thank you to Virginia Pierce, Mike and Judy Sumeracki and Cheryl McCormick for all the help this year, and watch for another call next year to get rid of the waste once and for all!

3 LUNEACK NATURE PRESERVE:

Luneack Nature Preserve definitely suffers from Oak decline due to poor soils, gypsy moth activity, and drought. This had us worried this year as many of the Oak trees were dying in groups, which can be an indicator for Oak Wilt. Rhiannon met with the district forester from Oscoda and Ogemaw conservation districts to make sure there was no Oak Wilt present, as it is something we’d want to catch right away. He determined that there is no Oak Wilt fortunately, we will continue to keep a close eye on it in the future.

As an intern, one of Rhiannon’s projects to finish before the summer ended was to survey plants in Luneack’s three former wildlife food plots. The goal being to figure out what percentage of native plants vs non-native that exist in each one.

Rhi used a quadrat system to survey them. The second plot was particularly interesting to us as it had been fully replanted with all native plants in 2019, we wanted to see what remained. This data will be used to possibly replant the other two plots in the future A big project we have been working on at Luneack has been the trail system. We have a sign company that can outfit the preserve with good navigational signs for volunteers, staff members, and the public to safely enjoy the preserve. We plan to have those installed by spring of 2022.

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HeadWaters Land Conservancy

1 HESS NATURE PRESERVE:

Hess Preserve has a spotted knapweed problem! Luckily we caught it before it took over the beach side of the preserve.

HeadWaters staff went out in early September and hand-pulled wherever they could find it, filling two big yard waste bags.

We plan to launch a full scale attack on it next year, ideally getting volunteers or staff to head out there three times (spring, early summer, and late summer) and pull by the shore and the roadside. We want to protect the many native species that are present at Hess, like the rare Houghton’s Goldenrod. If you’re interested in assisting with this please contact Rhiannon Erhardt at rerhardt@headwatersconservancy.org

Plant Survey Results PLOT 1

42%

NATIVE

PLOT 2

54%

NATIVE

PLOT 3

43%

NATIVE

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LEADERSHIP

The following gifts were received between October 13th, 2020 and October 12th, 2021.

Thank you for supporting HeadWaters Land Conservancy.

WATERSHED GUARDIANS ($10,000 and up)

Barbara Armento Woollam Foundation

RIVER GUARDIANS

($5,000-$9,999)

Michael and Lucy Mang Muriel Straight Neil and Mary Hodges Paul and Carol Rose Rev. Roland Schaedig Richard and Cookie Wimmer Tom and Elaine Carlson William and Linda Stevens

John and Jane Dallas Lanette Vanwagenen

GUARDIANS

STREAM GUARDIANS

AuSable Clean Foundation Bill and Pat Duncanson Cutting Edge Computers Dave and Gloria Walker David Pottinger and Faye Peterson Pottinger Dicran Haidostian Donald and Diane Morgridge Frederick Miller and Grace Hedemann Hane Glen and Martha Eberly Herbert Bensinger Jay's Sporting Goods Jeffress-Dyer, Inc. Jerry Boron Joseph and Judith Jarecki Karen Roy Kathleen Fay LPL Financial Margaret Ward Mary and Peter Wellman Michael and Sandra Clark Pete and Ginny Gustafson Sheridan Valley Homes Thomas and Ellen Baird

($1,000-$4,999)

Anglers of the AuSable Anthony and Margaret Feldhus Beach and Marianne Hall David and MaryElaine Billmire David Cozad David Replogle David Starkey Don Inman and Virginia Pierce Doug and Sandra Elser James and Carolyn Schenden James and Christine Supina James and Linda Gregart Kevin and Sue Townsend Moritz and Barbara Ziegler Nancy Parmenter Ned Caveney Pete and Nancy Mutch Rev. Brian and Elizabeth Chace Robb and Christine Smith Ron Bender Roseann Comstock Living Trust Stephen and Charlotte Qua The Oakley Family Thomas Schupbach

SPRING GUARDIANS ($500-$999)

Bill and Debi Anderson Carol Latsch Christine Ambrose Claudia Fischer and Roger Holliday Daniel and Mazie Havens David and Barbara Eberly David and Carol Bricker David Fivenson and Mara Miles Feeny Grayling Gregg and Jane Stecker Harold and Alinda Wasner James and Barbara Kurbel James Shinners JoAnne Baron Keith and Cathy Martell

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($250-$499)

SUPPORTERS

Alan Maag and Audrey Weis-Maag Allen Lavigne Amazon Smile Andrew Jazdzyk Anna Weiser Anthony Barnard Barbara Ro Beverly Benjamin Bill and Charity Steere Bill and Charyl Haelewyn Bob & Ann Eastman Bob and Bette Jordan Brady Borycki Bruce Pregler Carol Roose Carol Stramaglio Charles and Linda Mires Chip Heine

HeadWaters Land Conservancy

Circle

Community Foundation of NE Michigan Connie and Claude Conn Connie Schrieber Dan and Cheryl McCormick Darlene Higgins Debra Stieneker Donald and Dorothy Peacor Douglas and Julie Begick Dr. Eduardo and Maria Garcia Dr. George and Ursula Hess Dr. John Colwell Frank and Diane Ruswick Frank and Elsa Corral Fred Guyor Fredrick Heine Gary Neumann Helen Theisen Hudson Holland Jr. and Margaret Holland James Claus Jan Chapman Janet McBride Janice Porter Jason Laine Jean Leonard Jerry and Francine Rucker Jerry and Linda Smith Jessica Geiger Jo Gallico Joe and Betsy Hemming Joe Guild John Arevalo and Gloria Torello John Petosky Kathleen and James Leh Kathlyn Maldegen Keith Petherick Ken and Elizabeth Gribble Kenneth and Pamela Werth Kenneth Payette Kevin and Cathy O'Neil Larry Younglove Lisa Anneberg Loraine Becker Lori Beale Mark Foucher and Carol Marston-Foucher Mary and James Porter Michael and Annette Holbrook Michael and Beth Benjamin Michael and Judith Sumeracki Mike and Darcy Dombrowski Montmorency County Conservation Club Nancy Lemmen Paul and Debra Bush

Rebecca Morley and Sam Morley Rick and Anne Meeks Robert and Clarice Williams Robert and Dale Burnett Robert and June Hill Robert and Margaret Boshoven Robert Andrus Robert Eliassen Robert Kruch Roger and Mary Fechner Roland and Carol Bernbeck Scot and Jilanne Egleston Stan Galehouse Tad Randolph Terry and Regina Lyons Thomas Gilbert and Marsha Smith Timothy Graham Tom Lancaster Tracy Bosworth Wes and Debra Hills William Kusey William Nash

IN-KIND DONATIONS Alpine Chocolate Haus Bennethum's Northern Inn Detroit Tigers Gill-Roy's of Lewiston Goodale's Bakery Meijer of Gaylord Nolan's Tobacco and Cigar Bar Northbound Outfitters White Birch Outfitters

MEMORIALS & HONORARIUMS

In Memory of Alexander Kade Aviva Meyers Colleen Huntsman Henry Andrusz Jacob, Chance, Andy, Paul, Brian, and the Monarchs Jason Laine Mr. and Mrs. Louis Bertani Nina Coppo Robert Ahrens In Honor of Mike and Lucy Mang Laura Austin

GRANTS

CFNEM Mr. and Mrs. O. B. Eustis Memorial Fund Otsego County Community Foundation Walmart Commmunity Foundation

WELCOME New Members!

WATERSHED GURADIANS ($10,000 and up) Gerald and Marlynne Crawford Marvin and Joyce Stearns

Welcome to all the new members who joined after October 12th 2020 to present.

STREAM GUARDIANS

SPRING GUARDIANS

GUARDIANS

($1,00-$4,999)

($500-$999)

($250-$499)

Allison Short and Gary Short Cindy Stewart Klum

Susan Stewart and Gregg Bryant Wendy Cooper

Charles and Judy Crew Lara Wasner Lori and Yale Miller

SUPPORTERS Donna Lindholm Edwin Rosa Gary and Mary Walther George Haberer Greta Evo James Czarkowski Janet Ross Jerry Doted Joe Wirtz Joseph Stevens Karla Grant Kelsey Ciagala Ken Lovell Jr Kimberly Wright Larry Hulka

Anne Marlowe-Belanger Bernard Schupbach Bill Galvin Bruce Bitely Bruce Rogers Butch McWilliams Carl and Meg Holcomb Carla Mercer Cynthia Hayden Dan Kohn Daniel and Susan Schnee Dave Bremer Dennis Olmstead Denny Inman Dixon Hall

Leaving a

Northbound Outfitters Paul Frost Peg Berry Peter Schmid Rex Graybill Rick Randall Rosemary Malbin Steve Hardin Thomas Peters Tom McKinney Val Hart William Adams William Houston William Lichtenwald

VOLUNTEERS

LEGACY!

to the rescue!

“If you’re going to live, leave a legacy. Make a mark on the world that can’t be erased.”

- MAYA ANGELOU

These generous souls have given HeadWaters immeasurable gifts, in doing so they have created lasting memories for the future.

Barbara Armento of Anchor Lake Keith Krause of Otsego Lake THANK YOU!

Laurie Barteck Leslie and John Porteous Marcia Boyd Marjorie Warner Mark Bayer Mark Hendricks Martin Carpenter Marty Baker Matthew Smith Micah Doyle Michael Inman Michele and Jeff Burke Mike Binion Mike Wisniewski Neil Wallace

We are incredibly lucky to have the most dedicated volunteers, we cannot thank them enough for all the time they have given to HeadWaters this year!

Bill and Debi Anderson Carl and Meg Holcomb Dan and Cheryl McCormick David Nadolsky Don Inman and Virginia Pierce Frank and Diane Ruswick Gary Neumann Glen and Martha Eberly James and Barbara Kurbel James and Christine Supina Jeff and Carol Twyman Jerry and Linda Smith Jessica Geiger Jessica Kane

John and Jane Dallas John Arevalo and Gloria Torello Joseph Jarecki Keith Martell Lisa Anneberg Michael and Annette Holbrook Michael and Judith Sumeracki Michael Mang Robb and Christine Smith Sam Cornelius Scot Egleston Thomas Gilbert and Marsha Smith Tom and Elaine Carlson

headwatersconservancy.org

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Non-Profit Org.

HeadWaters Land Conservancy

U.S. Postage Paid Petoskey, MI Permit No. 110

110 South Elm Avenue Gaylord, MI 49735 989-731-0573 www.headwatersconservancy.org land@headwatersconservancy.org

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What is

ON THE HORIZON? As winter fast approaches, HWLC will continue the Snowshoe Borrower Program and Guided Snowshoe Hikes. Snowshoe hikes are weather contingent and will be scheduled according to snowfall. We love to change up our hike locations, if you have a suggestion for a new snowshoeing spot let us know!

Scan the QR code (left) for more information on the snowshoe program!

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For current dates or more information on all HWLC upcoming events, visit our website. www.headwatersconservancy.org