Southeast Michigan Land Conservancy

The Southeast Michigan Land Conservancy conserves natural land and open space -- including forests, wetlands, meadows, agricultural lands, and places of scenic beauty -- to provide habitat for wildlife and to enrich the lives of people.

About SMLC

Vision

Southeast Michigan: a beautiful place where people and nature coexist in healthy, sustainable balance.

Who We Are

Southeast Michigan Land Conservancy (SMLC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and qualified conservation organization dedicated to conserving and managing wildlife habitat in order to foster healthy ecosystems, protect air and water quality, and provide scenic enjoyment. We also work to promote appreciation of the natural world; educate the public about conservation options; and engage communities throughout southeast Michigan in land protection and stewardship activities.

SMLC was founded in 1988 by people who felt there should be a way for land owners to protect natural lands and open spaces in southeast Michigan. Our service area covers the 7-county (Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair, Washtenaw, Wayne) southeast Michigan region. To manage day-to-day operations, the Conservancy's 3-person staff takes care of many tasks including coordination of volunteers. Volunteers are critical to the vitality and effectiveness of the organization. Please click here for information on how you can volunteer.

You can get a current summary of what SMLC does and how we work by reading our most current Fact Sheet:

What We Do

SMLC protects land in, primarily, three 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, Nature Preserve 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.

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 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 chapters and staff to advise them on organizational planning and management issues.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The Southeast Michigan Land Conservancy has a vision of a Southeast Michigan that is a beautiful community where people and nature exist in a healthy sustainable balance and where all people have equitable access to green space. Our organization strives to represent the diversity of the communities we serve and works to ensure equitable access to SMLC's preserves and public events. We are committed to ensuring that people of all colors, ethnicities, religions, ages, sexual orientations, gender identities, and abilities can enjoy the natural spaces we work to protect.


SMLC Director Name

SMLC Board Position

James McIntyre
(James McIntyre Insurance Agency, LLC)

President

Mary Ericson
(Centered Bodywork)

Secretary

Mitch Hall
(Dominos Pizza, Retired)

Treasurer, Finance Committee Chair

Donald E. DeMallie
(Great Lakes Rubber Company, Retired)

At-large Officer

Christopher Flanagan
(Transaction Advisory Services Manager, Plante Moran)

Director

Richard L. Kent
(Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation, Retired)

Director

Fredric Lund
(Vice-President - International, Planet Fitness)

Director

William L. Secrest
(Religious Studies Professor, Retired)

Director / STC Steering Committee Co-Chair

James T. Weiner
(James T. Weiner & Associates, P.C.)


Director, Land Protection Committee Chair

The Staff, Committees and Local Chapter assist the Board in governing and conducting operational work.

Committees:

  • Event Planning Committee
  • Executive Committee
  • Finance Committee
  • Fund Development Committee
  • Land Protection Committee
  • Organic Garden Committee
  • Stewardship Committee

Local Chapter:

Staff:

Additional Resources:

Landmarks Newsletter Archive

Landmarks is the twice-yearly newsletter of Southeast Michigan Land Conservancy. Recent issues of the newsletter can be found below:

For older back issues of Landmarks, contact the SMLC office.

SMLC Operating Documents

SMLC Fiscal Responsibility

SMLC exercises fiscal responsibility and is prudent in managing organizational resources. SMLC strives to keep costs low while maintaining effective operations. A copy of our most recent IRS Form 990 is available here: