National Lakeshore collaborates with Leelanau Conservancy to acquire, preserve Glen Lake ridgeline property
Glen Lakes photo courtesy of Leelanau Conservancy
From staff reports
Late last month Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore acquired 8.66 acres of picturesque Miller Hill ridgeline property with views of the Glen Lakes and Lake Michigan from the Leelanau Conservancy for $685,000. The Conservancy had worked to purchase the properties from the previous landowners through a land contract for approximately $1 million. The collaboration required a minor boundary adjustment and allowed the Lakeshore to stay under its federally-mandated cap of $750,000.
“The tracts feature steep slopes of mixed northern hardwood forest overlooking Big Glen Lake to the west,” said National Lakeshore superintendent Scott Tucker. “The tracts will contribute to the protection of the watershed and add valuable plant and wildlife habitat to the National Lakeshore. In addition, they will increase recreational opportunities and contribute to the preservation of the scenic character and viewshed in the area.”
Conservancy executive director Tom Nelson said the conservation of the Glen Lake Ridgeline project was the result of a collaboration with true, unsung heroes in the Glen Lake community and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
“Gratefully, the sellers of the property liked the idea of conserving the view to and from that very prominent spot that can be seen from Big Glen and Little Glen Lakes, Alligator Hill and Sleeping Bear Bay,” said Nelson. “The lights, glass, and structures from the undoubtedly stately homes that could have been built there would have marred both the forest and view. We expect the generations to come and experience that truly breathtaking view.
“The first time I saw it, I thought, ‘wow—if we can save this place, people are going to come here to propose marriage, celebrate milestones of family members, and simply to be reassured that there’s a community of people who care’.”
The Conservancy and the Lakeshore have an innovative history of working together to acquire and preserve pristine and sensitive land. In 2005 the Conservancy acquired property along the Crystal River that had been potentially slated for a golf course and turned it over to the Lakeshore. The acquisition represented a happy ending to a saga that divided the local community.
