SWMLC Wins South Haven Chamber 2010 Community Partnership Award

The South Haven Area Chamber of Commerce has awarded the Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy (SWMLC) the 2010 Business Excellence Award for Community Partnership for their collaborative conservation work. The award was bestowed upon SWMLC for their partnership work in preserving the North Point Conservation Area, Casco Township Nature Preserve, and Pilgrim Haven.

Left to right (front row only): Peter Ter Louw, SWMLC executive director (wearing crustacean Bermuda shorts); Larry Edris, SWMLC president; Ross Stein, South Haven Township supervisor; Alan Overhiser, Casco Township supervisor; Maureen Lewandowski, Friends of North Point; John "Mike" Henry, Van Buren County commissioner.

The 79th annual meeting and ceremony held last week at HawksHead Links recognized business and community leaders and volunteers for their achievements in helping to build a vibrant and prosperous community by facilitating business success and encouraging economic growth.

"It is a great honor for us to be recognized by the South Haven Chamber for our collaborative partnership work," said Larry Edris, SWMLC president. "This reinforces our strong focus in protecting the forests and dunes along the lakeshore and creating public access to Lake Michigan."

With a vision of conserving the South Haven area’s land and water resources to ensure a high quality of life and to create a permanent conservation legacy for all to enjoy, SWMLC has worked with the Friends of North Point and Van Buren County to ensure the protection of the North Point Conservation Area, assisted Casco Township in the acquisition of the Casco Township Nature Preserve, and is now beginning to work with several partners, including South Haven Township, to protect the Pilgrim Haven property.

Friends of North Point, a citizen-based group represented by Maureen Lewandowski, advocated Van Buren County for the permanent protection of this 16.5-acre beachfront property — well known as a boy scout camp — and helped raise funds to preserve it. In 2009, SWMLC, working with the Friends of North Point and Van Buren County commissioners, restricted the North Point property with a conservation easement that protects the forests and dunes while keeping the property open to the public.

In 2010, SWMLC partnered with Casco Township to acquire the Casco Township Nature Preserve owned by the late Marie and Walter Stefan, who wanted the 9-acre lakefront property protected and accessible to the public for enjoyment. SWMLC helped identify and facilitate the transaction that allowed Casco Township to buy the property for less than fair market value.

And in 2011, working with South Haven Township and other partners, SWMLC will receive the Pilgrim Haven property as a gift from the estate of Suzanne U. D. Parish. This 27-acre Lake Michigan beachfront property will become a natural area park with public access.

As a non-profit land conservancy, the Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy works in the nine counties protecting natural areas, scenic vistas, and cultural and historic landscapes. Established in 1991, SWMLC has protected almost 9,000 acres throughout southwest Michigan, with a special focus on preserving dunes, forests, and wetlands along the Lake Michigan coastline in the greater South Haven region.

SWMLC was recognized in 2010 with the Land Trust Alliance National Excellence Award for its work in conservation planning and stewardship. SWMLC’s strength is bringing together citizen groups, state and local governments, and the business community to leverage resources and produce effective results.

For more information call 269-324-1600. For more information on the South Haven Area Chamber of Commerce, visit their web site, www.southhavenmi.com, or call 269-637-5171.