A scene from a Cadillac farm that is preserved by a conservation easement. Scenes like this are worth saving and what CALC provides for the community. … [Read more...]
Conservancies Help Place Making
February 5, 2012
Conserving natural areas makes a town the kind of place you would like to live. If you would like to live there, why not start a business there? This is what Place Making is all about. Heart of the Lakes Center for Land Conservation Policy held a January 2012 conference to develop their long term strategic plan. The conference was held in Grand Ledge in a facility overlooking a riverside walkway with scenic views. This downtown river was once brown and pungent with no green area. Today, … [Read more...]
Enhanced Conservation Easement Tax Incentive:
January 26, 2012
Federal tax deduction regarding Conservation Easements Due to the Congress’ debate over the payroll tax extension, the enhanced conservation easement incentive expired at the end of 2011. However, the easement incentive extension could be included with any number of tax bills early this year 2012 and retroactively applied. Conservation easements donated in 2011 will continue to benefit from the enhanced incentive and conservation easements donated in 2012 will be treated just like other … [Read more...]
Another Step Toward Accreditation
January 22, 2012
The Cadillac Area Land Conservancy Board had guest speakers at their January 2012 board meeting. Julie Stoneman, Heart of the Lakes, and Mary Kay O'Donnell, Land Trust Alliance, were the speakers. They further educated the board on how to maintain their charitable status for the IRS, including how to better serve the public. The training also included the tax advantages for individuals that place their land in a conservation easement. See the Summer 2009 Newsletter under the Publications section … [Read more...]
“It ain’t easy being green?” Cadillac’s snow is a no-show
January 4, 2012
By Dave Foley I can't seem to get it right. This column's themes are supposed to be appropriate for the season. With that in mind, I wrote about the freezing of the lakes on November 20th anticipating that they would ice over during the last week of November as they do most years. Not this year, however. The ice didn't come until December 10th. I talked about snowshoeing in my December 9th columnand instead of snowshoeing through powdery snow, I biked and raked … [Read more...]
Tips for Buying Snowshoes
January 4, 2012
By Dave Foley Winter can be tough on those who enjoy daily runs or walks on sidewalks and roads as ice and snow can be treacherous. A safer and fun alternative is snowshoeing. With this super-size foot gear strapped on your feet, you can burn gobs of calories tramping through the woods or have an easier workout walking on packed trails. (Avoid groomed cross country ski trails since snowshoes destroy the ski tracks.) Since winter, at the minimum, delivers us five months … [Read more...]
November 15, 2011
On November 11, 2011 CALC Chairman Larry Copley and Treasurer Lindsey Hall were presented a check for $1,000.00 by Becky N. Assistant Store Manager, Cadillac Meijers. This donation was gifted by Meijer Inc. to CALC and will be utilized by the conservancy to assist in the preservation of conservation easements which have been donated by landowners in the greater Cadillac Area. CALC wishes to express their appreciation to Meijer Inc. for this and other conservation oriented donations which … [Read more...]
Member’s Day 2011
November 6, 2011
There were smiles all around when the Cadillac Area Land Conservancy met on October 8th to celebrate Member’s Day. It was a glorious autumn afternoon and the perfect place to be — outdoors on Tom Harris’s Wildlife Corridor property. The afternoon began with the required business meeting and election of … [Read more...]
Oct. 8th CALC Annual Event Included a glimpse of our lumbering past
October 31, 2011
The Tom Harris property was once the setting of a lumber camp many years ago. For our tour Harris's set up a small cottage as a mini-museum with artifacts collected over the years. Many of those items are believed to be from that lumber camp. It was fun to be on land where the past felt not far away. The Harris's provided everyone handouts that described life in the lumber camp in the words of those that lived it. The below excerpt is from the Bay-Journal Web site on "Michigan Lumbering … [Read more...]
New Volunteer Adds the Computer Angle We Need
July 10, 2011
Mike Elmore has recently become a regular volunteer at the CALC office. He has an MBA with and emphasis on Marketing. His family owns 80 acres near Pleasant Lake and he is an avid outdoorsman. In our office, Mike is assisting with the testing and development for using the membership software to better present CALC's land protection theme to the public. His computer expertise, when tied in to marketing know-how, should be a big plus for our organization. … [Read more...]
124 ½ N Mitchell Suite 115
