ACRES Protects Two Steuben Properties

ACRES Land Trust recently acquired two properties in Steuben County for permanent protection. Together, these properties add 62 acres to the land we protect in the region, bringing ACRES total land protected to 7,331 acres. These new properties will continue providing habitat for wildlife and native plants while expanding tracts of natural areas already under ...

The Many Reasons Why People Support ACRES

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 ...

$500,000 Barrett bequest expands ACRES Land Trust’s land management efforts

With support from a $500,000 bequest, ACRES recently expanded its land management efforts, adding a second full-time specialist to the team that cares for the nonprofit’s seven thousand-and-growing acres. The bequest, from the estate of Patricia Barrett, adds to ACRES’ land management endowment, a fund established by Patricia’s husband, the late James W. Barrett, III, ...

Families protect Little Lake legacy with ACRES Land Trust

Inspired by generations of family history, two families recently donated their adjacent land and lake to ACRES Land Trust for permanent protection. Little Lake, just west of Albion, served as outdoor haven to two generations of the Richman family who owned the north portion and to three generations of Tiptons who owned the south portion. ...

Endangered, native plants and critters flourish on rare Grass Lake marl flat

A stunningly unique habitat of native, endangered species flourishes on ACRES Land Trust’s recent acquisition eight miles southeast of LaGrange. The 102-acre Grass Lake property contains a marl prairie – an unusual mix of acid-hungry plants and basic soil-loving plants growing heartily atop the limestone-rich sand and gravel. Some say the marl is almost 30 ...

Welcome Spring!

Land Preservation, Conservation, and Succession

Ecological oases are isolated postage stamps of biological richness surviving in a vast landscape of monocultures controlled by blade or plow. As we locate and preserve these remaining oases—these hidden gems, we realize they have progressed for years through a dynamic ecosystem striving to protect itself from periodically emerging environmental impacts. Conserving land by preserving ...

Year in Review

Thanks to our members, 2017 has been a fantastic year. From new acquisitions and the launch of the 200 year ecological reflections to the dozens of events ACRES hosted, this year was full of celebration, fellowship, and most importantly, preservation. Thank you for the part you played this year. Here are some highlights: Marion’s Woods ...