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Kauffman Nature Sanctuary: ACRES First Michigan Property

June 16, 2020 Acquisition, Your Stories 9 Comments

ACRES Land Trust recently acquired 78 acres of rolling Hillsdale County land for permanent protection. Kauffman Nature Sanctuary is ACRES first Michigan property, bringing ACRES permanently protected land in the tri-state area to a total of 7,230 acres. ACRES will open trails on the preserve this fall. Read more about the Kauffman acquisition by Janet ...

Oak Farm & Detering Partnership: Learning Land Protection through Meaningful Work

June 2, 2020 Field Notes, Land Management, Volunteering, Your Stories 3 Comments

In a nonprofit partnership, students and staff at Oak Farm Montessori School, near Avilla, Indiana, have partnered with ACRES for the last few years. Our first collaboration, students growing seedlings for ACRES in the school’s greenhouse, quickly blossomed into more, led by Brett Bloom. by Brett Bloom I am the Ecoliteracy Coordinator at Oak Farm ...

Everything’s Connected: On stewarding Victory Noll Acres

January 27, 2020 Blog, Your Stories 4 Comments

Many search for the right words to explain why they want to protect land, including Our Lady of Victory Missionary Sisters, who have recently protected 138 acres with ACRES. Their search for clarity in stewarding the land of Victory Noll resulted in a documented land ethic, steeped in their spirituality. They recently shared the origins ...

Imagine: Peace Farm, Jann Prince’s story

September 20, 2019 Acquisition, News, Your Stories 1 Comment

“Places are…defined less by unique locations, landscapes, and communities than by the focusing of experiences and intentions onto a particular setting.” — E. C. Relph, “Place and Placelessness,” The Natural Heritage of Indiana Jann Prince has focused her challenging life experiences, intentions, efforts and strong will on a particular place: Peace Farm in Wells County. ...

Member Volunteer Profile: Sue Diefenbach

April 9, 2019 Blog, Volunteering, Your Stories 1 Comment

“I feel like I’ve made a difference, and it’s been fun,” said Sue Diefenbach, reflecting on serving as ACRES’ recording secretary for the past 12 years. Prior to retiring from her volunteer position at the end of 2018, Sue attended 71 board meetings, taking minutes and producing a near transcript of all conversations. New board ...

To See is The Thing: Photographing ACRES

December 26, 2018 Your Stories No Comments

As 2018 comes to a close and ACRES reflects on the passing year in gratitude, it’s the people and the places we protect together that come to mind. One person, who helps us connect people with places, helps us look back. Enjoy this revitalized article on Thomas Sprunger and his photography. Enjoy, too, an incredible ...

Sharing ACRES: Your vital role in our growth

December 12, 2018 Blog, Your Stories No Comments

Ask any ACRES member about finding ACRES and their reasons for joining to take responsibility for the land, and you’ll most likely get responses ranging from naming other members, social media, and their own, often exceptional experiences hiking in the preserves. As part of ACRES’ strategic plan to evaluate our work, starting last winter, we ...

Janet Canino on protecting land as a family: “How can we afford to wait any longer?”

November 21, 2018 Blog, Your Stories No Comments

Have you seen ACRES’ new video on protecting land? If so, then you’ve “met” a couple members of the Canino family and discovered their passion for the preserves. Janet Canino shares more about what protecting places with ACRES means—they are now life members. Why do you protect land with ACRES? ”‘If not now, when? If ...

Building a Bridge: Eagle Scout Graham Seiler supports Bicentennial Woods, connects community

October 17, 2018 Land Management, Volunteering, Your Stories No Comments

Graham Seiler took the path less traveled. Given options for volunteer work toward earning Eagle Scout status, Seiler chose to replace a slippery, weathered bridge at Bicentennial Woods near Huntertown, Indiana. Wanting something that would last—that his grandchildren might see—Graham, now a senior at Eastside Junior-Senior High School in Butler, chose steel rather than simply ...

Welcome Natasha Manor, ACRES Office and Volunteer Manager

August 2, 2018 Blog, Volunteering, Your Stories 3 Comments

“My appreciation and passion for natural places did not take hold until adulthood. I was not an outdoorsy child or adolescent! I think my love of nature began with plants, indoors. My mother has always been a collector and committed caretaker of houseplants. She shared that hobby with my sister and me and to this ...

The Many Reasons Why People Support ACRES

July 25, 2018 Blog, Your Stories No Comments

Our executive director Jason Kissel has been in awe of land for several decades. He traces his love of natural areas back to when he was just a kid, watching his dad work with the U.S. Forest Service. Below, Jason shares his experiences with ACRES and the main threads in the stories of several of ...

For the Love of Land

July 19, 2018 Blog, Your Stories 1 Comment

Why protect land forever? Culture. History. Spirituality. Health. Conservation. Adventure. Heritage. The motivations behind why folks choose to help ACRES Land Trust protect land are as numerous and varied as the species of flora and fauna on our preserves. Often, there is no singular reason why people visit our properties or become members. Our relationships ...

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