Please note that almost all properties listed on this website fall into three broad categories: nature preserves and sanctuaries, which are protected and owned by GTRLC, and natural areas that are protected by GTRLC but owned by various government units.
Unless otherwise noted, the rules listed below apply to GTRLC-owned nature preserves and sanctuaries. While rules for natural areas are often similar, please verify specific questions about rules for a specific property with the relevant government unit. To find more information about each property, including ownership details, visit our preserves and trails page.
Although GTRLC-owned preserves and sanctuaries are open to the public, they remain privately owned. If you plan to hunt on one of our properties, please obtain a hunting license approved for private land use, when applicable. This requirement applies to certain hunting licenses and seasons. You can check the Michigan DNR’s hunting guides here for details about which licenses and seasons require a private land distinction.
If you have any questions, notice a maintenance issue or witness inappropriate activity on a preserve, please contact us directly at (231) 929-7911.
Permitted Activities on GTRLC Preserves:
GTRLC preserves are open from dawn until dusk. Aside from hiking, snowshoeing, bird watching and many other passive activities, the following are allowed on most GTRLC preserves. Visit each individual preserve page for allowable activities and more information.
- Fishing is allowed on Conservancy-owned lakes in accordance with state regulations. Please take care to clean up your litter, pack out any live bait, lines and debris, and follow decontamination protocols when moving between waterbodies.. When ice fishing, shanties are allowed but must be removed daily (seasonal/permanent shanties are prohibited). Snowmobiles and ATVs are also prohibited.
- Dog walking is allowed on most preserves, with the exception of Arcadia Marsh. Your dog must always be on a leash. Here’s why.
- Hunting is allowed on most preserves (see below), but regulations vary. Please read below and be sure to check regulations on the page of the preserve you’d like to hunt before you go. Trails are not closed during hunting season.
- Non-motorized boating is allowed on most Conservancy-owned lakes and streams with the exception of the Upper Manistee Headwaters Preserve. To protect our waterways from aquatic invasive species, please utilize decontamination procedures when moving watercraft from one waterbody to another.
Help Us Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers! Boats and anglers can significantly contribute to the spread of invasive species in our waterways. Every time you launch into or leave a body of water, please do the following to prevent their spread:
- Clean boats, trailers, and equipment and remove all mud, debris, and aquatic plant material
- Drain water from watercraft, including live wells, bilges, and ballast tanks
- Dry watercraft and equipment thoroughly
- Dispose of bait in the trash–please do not release bait into the water!
If you’d like to use a preserve for an activity not listed here, such as an educational or other small gathering, please REQUEST USE HERE.
Prohibited Activities on GTRLC Preserves:
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- Fires
- Camping
- Cutting or collecting live or dead wood for firewood
- Placement of items or structures of any kind
- Removal of natural features, plants or animals outside of allowable hunting seasons
- Commercial harvesting of ANY species, including plants, animals, mushrooms or large stones
- Introduction of plants or animals, dead or alive
- Weddings and other large private events
- Horseback Riding
- Mountain biking (except portions of Arcadia Dunes and Upper Manistee Headwaters)
- Electric bikes (except Class 1 ebikes, which are permitted on preserves where biking is allowed.)
- Geocaching
- Metal detecting (including the use of magnets in waterways)
- Motorized boating
- Drone usage
- ORVs
- Seasonal/Permanent ice fishing shanties
- Target Practice (including skeet or other types of recreational shooting)
- Trapping (exceptions include Green Point Dunes and Arcadia Dunes)
Educational and Group Use:
Before visiting a preserve, sanctuary or natural area, please check that property’s webpage for specific guidelines and permitted uses. They can be found on the Preserves, Trails and Maps page here.
In most cases, we welcome educational uses of our preserves and encourage learning about the land and its wildlife. Please remember that these special places are homes for the plants and animals that depend on the land’s protection and health. If you’re planning a large, commercial, or potentially impactful activity, please contact us first to confirm availability and ensure your visit aligns with our permitted uses.
Not sure if your activity is allowed? Visit our request use of a Conservancy property page for details or to apply for a Special Use Permit.
Hunting Considerations, Rules and Regulations:
NOTE: PLEASE VISIT THE PAGE OF THE NATURE PRESERVE, SANCTUARY, OR NATURAL AREA YOU WISH TO HUNT FOR RULES SPECIFIC TO THAT PROPERTY. They can be found via the Preserves, Trails and Maps page here. Again, please remember that natural and recreation areas listed on this website are not owned by GTRLC. You should check with the owner of each natural area for up-to-date hunting regulations for those properties before you hunt. The owner is listed on each property page.
Please respect all forms of wildlife, neighboring landowners, your fellow sportsmen and others who visit and enjoy these protected lands. GTRLC’s nature preserves and sanctuaries are multi-use areas open to the public on a year-round basis for passive recreation. Please keep this in mind at all times when hunting the properties.
GTRLC has rules specific to each property for hunting and trapping. Beyond those, the rules, regulations and seasons established by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) broadly apply. All persons hunting, fishing or trapping (where allowed) on GTRLC properties are liable to prosecution for noncompliance with the rules and regulations stated by the MDNR. MDNR Conservation Officers (COs) are requested by the GTRLC to patrol its properties. Michigan COs are fully commissioned Peace Officers and are empowered to arrest for all violations of Michigan’s laws. The CO’s primary duties are the enforcement of natural resource and environmental protection laws. MDNR rules and regulations can be found at: www.michigan.gov/dnr.
While open to the public, GTRLC’s nature preserves and sanctuaries are privately owned. If you plan to hunt on one of our properties, please obtain a hunting license that is approved for Private Land use when applicable. This specification only applies to certain hunting licenses and seasons. See the Michigan DNR’s hunting guides here for specifications on what licenses and seasons require a private land distinction.
Rules Applicable to GTRLC Preserves where Hunting is Allowed:
- Hunters are responsible for knowing the rules for each property they hunt. Some preserves and sanctuaries do not allow hunting or have special restrictions. Nearby natural areas or recreation lands not owned by GTRLC may also have different regulations. Please check each property’s webpage for specific details before you visit.
- Generally, the following seasons are observed on GTRLC properties:
- Deer – all seasons
- Small Game
- Turkey
- Waterfowl (GTRLC prohibits hunting coots, common moorhens/gallinules and rail species)
- Any species/season not expressly allowed by GTRLC is prohibited.
- Unless otherwise noted below (Preserve Specific “Permitted Seasons”), rules regulating hunting on Conservancy Preserves open to hunting are the same as those set forth by the MDNR, including special hunting seasons available to youth and hunters with disabilities.
- The Conservancy reserves the right to deny or revoke hunting permission and to add/remove species available for hunting at its sole discretion.
- Baiting is prohibited.
- Permanent deer blinds, tree stands, or duck blinds are prohibited on all Conservancy Preserves.
- Screw-in steps and other devices that penetrate the bark of a tree are prohibited.
- Portable stands and blinds must be labeled with the owner’s name and address such that it is easily visible at ground level.
- Stands cannot be installed before September 1 and must be removed by April 1.
- The Conservancy has no responsibility for tree stands, blinds or other items placed on Conservancy property.
- The cutting of shooting lanes, or the cutting or destruction of brush, trees or other plants for any purpose, is prohibited.
- The release of live animals on Conservancy preserves is prohibited.
- Hunting within 450 feet of any occupied building, or within 100 feet of any maintained parking area or recreational structure, is prohibited.
- Trails: Due to the meandering design of the trails on the preserve, please familiarize yourself with the location of all trails and other structures before hunting. Discharge of any firearm from or across trails is prohibited.
- Motorized vehicles, camping, and open or contained fires are prohibited on Conservancy Preserves.
- The enforcement of hunting rules and regulations is carried out by Conservation Officers. If you experience an issue while hunting or would like to report suspicious activity, please contact MDNR.
- Parking is only allowed in designated parking areas and within the right-of-way of a maintained road, such that no vegetation is harmed.
- There is no charge or fee for hunting on a Conservancy Preserve that is open to hunting.
For a list of nature preserves and sanctuaries open to hunting, please use the sort tool on the Preserves, Trails and Maps page here.