MARCELLUS — Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy (SWMLC) has acquired a 124-acre nature preserve north of Corey Lake near Marcellus that will be open to the public.

To accomplish the acquisition, SWMLC partnered with Ducks Unlimited (DU) and a consortium of other conservation organizations.

The partnership was awarded funds through a North American Wetlands Conservation Act grant administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

“These funds enabled the Conservancy to purchase the property through a bargain sale with former owners Vernon and Alice Miller of Marcellus,” stated Geoffrey Cripe, land protection specialist with SWMLC. “It was a great pleasure to work with Vernon and Alice. The success of the organizational partnership with DU and others and the Millers’ generosity will enable residents throughout the region to enjoy a marvelous public preserve.”

The new preserve has been named Spirit Springs Sanctuary and is a component of a larger 640-acre wetland complex identified as the largest intact wetland community within the Rocky River Watershed.

The property is designated as a top priority for conservation in the approved Rocky River Watershed Management Plan (funded by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment — DNRE — through the U.S. Clean Water Act).

Chris Bauer, DNRE environmental quality analyst, explained, “The Rocky River Watershed Management Plan places a high priority on preserving open space and protecting identified sensitive areas that provide beneficial water quality functions. Preservation of this property and its wetlands, with their natural filtering and flood storage, supports the goals of the plan as well as the collaborative partnerships the plan promotes.”

Located one mile from Crane Pond State Game Area, the heavily glaciated preserve contains 64 acres of upland forest and 60 acres of spring-fed wetlands, including emergent, forested, scrub-shrub and open water wetlands that support waterfowl and other migratory birds.

Protected wetland habitats on the property will provide nesting and brood-rearing habitat for wood ducks and mallards and migration habitat for ring-necked ducks, American black ducks and other migratory birds, such as American woodcock, wood thrush, prothonotary and cerulean warblers (both state species of special concern) and Acadian flycatchers.

The property’s forested wetlands and uplands also provide habitat for the Eastern box turtle (another state species of special concern).

Spirit Springs Sanctuary will be a featured stop on the Oct. 17 Three Rivers Area Fall Color Tour.

SWMLC hopes to partner with landowners and organizations in the greater Three Rivers/Marcellus region to develop a stewardship endowment to improve public access and support ongoing stewardship of the site.

Site management will focus on maintaining a substantial network of trails for recreational purposes and eradicating invasive species which threaten the ecological integrity of Spirit Springs.

For more information on SWMLC, visit www.SWMLC.org or call (269) 324-1600.

Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy serves the nine counties of southwest Michigan and has protected almost 9,000 acres since its inception as an all-volunteer organization in 1991.

The Conservancy currently has six full-time and two part-time staff and 150 active volunteers and is supported by more than 1,000 household memberships.

SWMLC is partnering with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources on the Barry State Game Area conservation project and with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality on watershed management planning projects for the Rocky River, Paw Paw River, Black River, Dowagiac Creek, Dowagiac River, Prairieville Creek and Augusta Creek.

SWMLC is working on waterfowl conservation, endangered species habitat acquisition and stewardship projects in collaboration with other land conservancies and non-profit conservation partners.