ALLEGAN, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy is unveiling the new Armintrout-Milbocker Nature Preserve in Allegan on Saturday, October 15 with an open house-style Grand Opening.
There will be a brief welcome and remarks at 10:30 a.m. followed by self-guided hikes with SWMLC staff and naturalists on-hand to answer questions.
“This is a dream that has been in the works for over 20 years, and we are so excited to finally be able to share the Armintrout-Milbocker Nature Preserve with everyone,” stated SWMLC Stewardship Director Mitch Lettow. “SWMLC staff and board members first talked with Dave Armintrout in the 1990’s to discuss conserving this land, and today, with the support and assistance of so many people, this nature preserve has finally become a reality.”
The Grand Opening Open House will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Event parking will be at Ascension Borgess Allegan Hospital’s south parking lot, with shuttle service provided by Allegan Public Schools. On-site parking is reserved for visitors with a state-issued disabled parking placard (either temporary or permanent).
For those unable to make it to the Grand Opening Open House, the preserve will remain open after the event for self-guided walks until dusk, and daily from dawn to dusk.
The Armintrout-Milbocker Nature Preserve is a 140-acre property minutes from Downtown Allegan, with over three miles of frontage along the Kalamazoo River. The piece of land consists of 80 upland acres of pine-oak forest, fringed with 60 acres of diverse wetlands, and is home to over 560 documented plant species – more than almost any property of the same size in the region.
SWMLC completed the purchase of the property in December 2021, with funding assistance from the Natural Resources Damage Assessment Kalamazoo River Trustees, USDA Forest Service – Community Forest Program, US Fish & Wildlife Service North American Wetlands Conservation Act, the Carls Foundation, and gifts from SWMLC members and friends.
