There are many, many organizations in the State of Michigan whose goal is open space preservation.  Some are governmental, like the tax-funded Washtenaw County and Ann Arbor open space programs.  Others are large-scale, corporate-structured entities like the wonderful Nature Conservancy.

The Michigan Nature Association carves a unique niche in this land preservation movement.  The MNA works on a small scale.  It protects 164 sites across the state for a total of 8,500 acres.

To give you some perspective, the Pinckney State Recreation Area is roughly 10,000 acres.  So, each MNA preserve is usually fairly small.  Many were donated by wonderful families and individuals with a personal connection to the land.

The Lefglen Nature Sanctuary in eastern Jackson County is like that.  It is named after Lefty and Glenna Levengood who spent years purchasing small lots that adjoined Lefty’s family farmland.  Between 1970 and 1982, the Levengoods sold land to the MNA at discounted prices to create this 210 acre preserve.

The preserve is located on the east side of Wolf Lake Road across from Jackson County’s Wolf Lake Park.  The parking area for the preserve is just to the south of the intersection with Rexford Rd.  From this small pull-over, it is possible to hike for almost a mile along the property line through a slightly hilly oak woods past Lake Nirvana and Mellencamp Lake.  Swampy bogs and marshes are also found throughout the preserve.

There is a second, shorter trail on the north side of the property.  It starts behind the MNA cottage located almost directly across the street from the Jackson County Park Wolf Lake access.  This trail runs for about a half mile on the north side of these previously named lakes.

It is important to watch carefully for property markings.  The eastern borders of the preserve are not always well marked.  Generally speaking, if you hit farmland or a homesite, you’ve gone too far.

This is not nature on a grand scale, but it is an impressive piece of southern Michigan, nonetheless.  A visit is certainly worthwhile to this little-known area preserve.

Here’s my Virtual Earth map:

http://tinyurl.com/3xab5c

This is the official Michigan Nature Association web site.  They love contributions and volunteer effort:

http://www.michigannature.org/index.shtml

Here is the official Lefglen website:

http://www.michigannature.org/lefglen.shtml

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