ALLEGAN COUNTY, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – Wednesday, the Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy (SWMLC) announced that it has been awarded grant funding to acquire property for a new nature preserve outside of Downtown Allegan.
The organization says $1 million of Kalamazoo River Natural Resources Damages Assessment (NRDA) settlement funds will be used to purchase 140 acres of property along the west bank of the Kalamazoo River.
The new area will be called the Armintrout-Milbocker Nature Preserve.
Officials say the heart of this land is 100 upland acres of mostly pine and oak forest, fringed with 40 acres of diverse wetlands, over three miles of walking trails and three miles of frontage along the Kalamazoo River.
The property features at least 150 plant species, as well as more than 60 bird species counted so far.
The Armintrout and Milbocker families have discussed conserving their family property with SWMLC for the past 20 years.
In 2020, SWMLC applied for multiple sources of funding, including two large grants to raise the funds necessary to finally purchase this property and create a nature preserve for Allegan and the surrounding community.
The largest source of funding toward the purchase is the NRDA settlement funds, awarded by the Kalamazoo River Trustees. Officials say the source of these funds are settlements with companies whose PCB emissions contaminated an 80-mile stretch of the Kalamazoo River.
The purchase of Armintrout is one of 14 projects proposed between Kalamazoo and Lake Michigan that would rehabilitate wildlife habitat harmed by the PCB pollution. The Kalamazoo River Trustees finalized the allocation of the funding on Friday, May 14 after a 30-day public comment period.
“SWMLC is incredibly grateful to the Kalamazoo River Trustees for their leadership and financial support for the acquisition of the Armintrout-Milbocker Nature Preserve property,” SWMLC Director of Land Protection Hilary Hunt said in a statement. “We believe that protecting and restoring this important property is an excellent use of the settlement funds that will protect critical biodiversity and provide impactful environmental and recreational benefits.”
Separately, in early May, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service Community Forest Program (CFP) announced a $400,000 grant to SWMLC to aid in the purchase.
The CFP grant is aimed at protecting the property for use as a Community Forest, defined as a community resource which promotes recreational, environmental, economic and educational benefits.
Meanwhile, SWMLC has convened an advisory committee, and is working with a cross-section of community representatives that will provide guidance in creating a natural area alternative to the Allegan State Game Area.
Officials say it will also support the economic health of the City of Allegan, which is working to promote outdoor recreation and tourism activities.
In addition, SWMLC has been working with the Allegan Public Schools on how to integrate the Armintrout-Milbocker Nature Preserve into the curriculum for local K-12 students.
Under that partnership, the preserve would be used for subjects like environmental science, language arts, media and more.
Kevin Harness, Advisory Committee member and retired Superintendent of Allegan Public Schools, released the following statement:
“I’m extremely pleased to participate in this effort to create a new natural area along the Kalamazoo River. The preserve, located less than five minutes from downtown Allegan, will be easily accessible and a tremendous opportunity for residents, especially Allegan youth, to discover nature.”
Additional funding is provided by a US Fish & Wildlife Service North American Wetlands Conservation Act grant, as well as a significant donation made by the Armintrout and Milbocker families.
Once the purchase is complete, SWMLC will be reaching out to the community to raise money to create public access infrastructure and to care for the natural areas on the preserve.
Photos of the property across multiple seasons can be viewed below:
Future site of the Armintrout-Milbocker nature preserve in Allegan. (Photo courtesy of Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy staff).
Future site of the Armintrout-Milbocker nature preserve in Allegan. (Photo courtesy of Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy staff).
Future site of the Armintrout-Milbocker nature preserve in Allegan. (Photo courtesy of Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy staff).
Future site of the Armintrout-Milbocker nature preserve in Allegan. (Photo courtesy of Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy staff).
