Our History

In the late 1960’s, Mr. Tom Bullen worked with a land preservation group in Toledo. This group used William Whyte’s book “The Last Landscape” as its guide. Mr. Bullen and Mr. Gary Stonerock, the Township Supervisor, decided to work with the Independence Township government to encourage the development of land preservation in the township.
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In 1972, the Independence Township Land Trust was formed as a nonprofit corporation. Its purpose was to acquire land or scenic easements through gifts or purchase so that they could be left in their natural state. Mr. Nelson Kimball was elected as the first president.

The Conservancy was one of the first in the State of Michigan.

The group’s purpose was “to preserve the natural and historic resources of Independence Township including water resources, swamps, woodlands, open spaces, plant and animal life...to promote scientific study and to inform the public regarding natural culture and ecological values...to use all property controlled by the Conservancy exclusively for the benefit of all inhabitants of Independence Township.”

The first two properties were acquired as scenic easements – 11 acres of Tamarack Swamp in Waterford Hill Manor and two acres within Spring Lake Estates. Local developers donated both parcels.

In 1975, Independence became the first conservancy in Michigan to purchase land! The parcel became a memorial in honor of a local couple’s son who was killed during the Vietnam War.

The “Poquosin” concept was introduced in 1975. Poquosin is an Indian word meaning wetland or swamp. It represented the first important use of scenic easements to save areas of open space within a development. Several articles appeared in local newspapers as well as national periodicals to discuss this concept.

In 1977, the Conservancy was awarded Michigan Senate Resolution No. 24, which commended the organization for protecting lands in Independence Township.

In 1981, conservancy members took an active role to defeat a proposal to conduct gravel mining in the middle of Independence Township adjacent to the Clinton River.

In 1992, the Conservancy made an important decision to become proactive in the purchase of lands.

In 1996, the Bridge Valley Reserve was acquired as an easement. This was notable as it represented a unique partnership between the developer, Springfield Township and the Conservancy.

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In 1998, with the expansion into Springfield Township, the Independence Land Conservancy needed to find a new name. After much research, the organization agreed to become the North Oakland Headwaters Land Conservancy (NOHLC).

Also in 1998, NOHLC conducted a strategic planning session with a focused outcome to concentrate efforts on preserving natural feature corridors and specifically the headwaters areas.

Partnerships for land preservation with other conservancies also began in 1998.

A banner year, 1998 also saw the first acquisition of a farm property. Contributed by an anonymous donor, the 111-acre parcel became known as the Springfield Nature Preserve.

In 1999, expansion into area townships took place: Bald Eagle Lots (Brandon Township), Haddon Nursery (Holly Township), and Schwartz Preserve (Groveland Township).

In 2000, the Conservancy partnered with Independence Township to protect the 120-acre Spring Lake golf course. Six more parcels were added to our properties list with an additional 105 acres.

June 2003 marked the Conservancy’s 1,000 acre benchmark in protected property with the purchase of the five acre Newsum Property on the Shiawassee River.

In the fall of 2003, NOHLC adopted its first strategic plan. The plan was further re-focused in 2006.

In 2005-06, the first larger parcels in Brandon township came under protection.
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In an effort to increase public benefit of preserved properties, in May 2008, the Nels Kimball Sanctuary (a 41 acre parcel in Independence township owned by NOHLC) was opened to the public for passive use with the installation of new signage including interpretive information and trail maps made possible by a gift in memory of Jewel Schmude by her family.

Additional Information About NOHLC

We currently have interests in 59 properties totaling over 1,500 acres. Of these, 20 are owned by NOHLC while the remainder have Conservation Easements which protect the land from any development while keeping it in private ownership. These Easements are all filed with Oakland County.

The parcels owned by NOHLC are available for regulated use by the public with some having nature trails and guided tours. We continue to explore more ways to provide additional access.

All properties, either owned or with easements, are inspected on a regular basis by inspectors with written reports maintained in our office. These reports are reviewed by our Stewardship Committee which follows up on any problems encountered. The Stewardship Committee has files which contain maps, descriptions of land characteristics and flora and fauna present.

The NOHLC Board has adopted guidelines and polices regarding the evaluation and importance of various lands that may be offered to us for easements or donations. We have never sold or developed any property that we have acquired. We have no role in the valuation of any properties we accept easements for.