Land Conservancy meets fundraising challenge

Through a combination of pledges and gifts from hundreds of donors, Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy has met the “$125,000 Challenge” from the Carls Foundation.

Funds from the challenge are being earmarked toward the protection and stewardship of the 457-acre LaGrange Valley Wetlands – formerly known as Lake LaGrange property.

The conservancy has the additional $250,000 it needs to purchase, protect and care for the property in perpetuity.

LaGrange Valley Wetlands includes a large, high-quality, intact wetland and is home to two species on the federal endangered-species list, as well as numerous others listed by the state as rare or threatened.

Despite centuries of settlement, farming and development in southwest Michigan, parts of Cass and St. Joseph counties are still home to a wealth of expansive and wild acreage, protecting biodiversity and rural character important to the sense of place and ecology of the region.