About SMLC

Who We Are

Southeast Michigan Land Conservancy (SMLC) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and stewardship of natural land and agricultural open space in the 7-county (Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair, Washtenaw, Wayne) southeast Michigan region. Founded in 1988 by people who felt there should be a way for land owners to protect open spaces in Southeast Michigan, SMLC remains an organization driven by volunteers who care about land conservation and stewardship. To manage day-to-day operations, the Conservancy's 4-person staff coordinates the efforts of volunteers who are central to the vitality and effectiveness of the organization.

What We Do

The Conservancy works to protect land in the following ways: SMLC can own land - usually through donations (property or financial) to the organization, SMLC can work with landowners to create conservation easements (also known as conservation agreements) to protect privately owned property, and SMLC can assist local government agencies with their land protection projects. At times, when support is strong enough, the Conservancy can purchase land. The Conservancy maintains and cares for the land held in its trust through regular monitoring and stewardship projects, and we work to educate the community about the importance of land conservation in southeast Michigan. Again, volunteers are absolutely critical to the organization's ability to carry out these tasks. Through this work we conserve habitat for wildlife and preserve natural areas and places of scenic beauty for people to enjoy.

How We Do It

The Conservancy has many responsibilities as outlined in the SMLC Articles of Incorporation and Organizational Bylaws. The SMLC Board of Directors governs the organization and oversees SMLC's work. Five Standing Committees, two Local Divisions, and four staff assist the board and implement SMLC's goals and objectives.

The five SMLC Standing Committees are:

• Executive Committee
• Finance Committee
• Land Protection Committee
• Stewardship Committee
• Conservancy Farm Committee

SMLC has two Local Divisions:

• Monroe County Land Conservancy
• Superior Land Conservancy

The four staff are:

• Jill Lewis, Executive Director
  jlewis@SMLCland.org
  
  
• Jack Smiley, Director of Land Protection
  jsmiley@SMLCland.org
  
  
• Scott Tyrrell, Stewardship Coordinator
  styrrell@SMLCland.org
  
  
• Wendy Pellerito, Office Manager
  wpellerito@SMLCland.org
  
  

Board of Directors

The Board of Directors is comprised of people from across southeast Michigan. Each is committed to land conservation and the sustainability of the Conservancy. Our Board of Directors ensures all SMLC expenditures and activities are compliant with SMLC Bylaws and non-profit law. The Board also passed a resolution to adopt the Land Trust Alliance's "Land Trust Standards and Practices" and strives to operate in a manner that ensures the long-term protection of land in southeast Michigan. As described above, the Board relies on the committees, local divisions and staff to advise them on organizational planning and management issues.

The 2010 SMLC Directors are:

Landmarks Newsletter Archive

SMLC Operating Documents

SMLC Articles of Incorporation

SMLC Fiscal Responsibility

The Southeast Michigan Land Conservancy is committed to fiscal responsibility. We strive to keep our operating costs low so that our resources can be used to preserve and care for land in southeast Michigan. Please contact the SMLC office if you have questions about our financial accountability. A copy of our most recent IRS Form 990 is available here:   SMLC 2007 Form 990   (PDF 1.1 MB)