On Sunday, April 20th, join the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy staff and volunteers for an Earth Day work-bee at Arcadia Dunes: The C.S. Mott Preserve, located along Lake Michigan off of M-22 just a few miles south of Frankfort. Volunteers can come for an hour or spend the whole day outdoors helping improve this truly spectacular site.
There will be two work sessions. 9 am-12 noon will be spent removing trash from former dumpsites. Last year on Earth Day we removed 40 yards of waste! From 1-4 pm we will be planting nearly 1,000 trees in Pete’s Woods and other areas of the preserve. Volunteers are invited to bring a picnic lunch to the site and enjoy the wonders of the preserve from 12 noon – 1pm. Please RSVP to Pam at (231) 929-7911 if you intend to participate in either, or both, of the work-bee sessions.
The meeting location for the clean-up event is the Old Baldy Trailhead parking area along M-22, just south of the Joyfield Road intersection. From the meeting site, volunteers will be led by Regional Land Conservancy representatives to different clean-up and tree planting locations within the nature preserve. Volunteers should dress for the weather and be prepared for moderate off-trail hiking over uneven terrain. Work will require handling potentially sharp objects; volunteers are encouraged to bring their own work gloves and, if possible, shovels, rakes or wheelbarrows. Trash bags and extra water will be provided as necessary.
Arcadia Dunes: The C.S. Mott Preserve, is a 3,000 acre dune and forested area that has been permanently protected from development and is now managed by the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy. Over 2,500 acres of working farms and forests surround the nature preserve, making this landscape-level conservation project one of the largest ever completed by a local land trust in the Midwest. Last year, Conservancy staff and volunteers developed 12 miles of hiking and biking trails that meander through the site which provide access to the property’s forests, unmatched views, and unique natural features, including “Old Baldy” – a distinctive dune face overlooking Lake Michigan.
