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March 27,
2018
Contact: Randy Heinze, 269-795-3280
DNR, Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy to celebrate Schoneboom property on April
17
On April 17
at 1:30 p.m., the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the Southwest Michigan
Land Conservancy will celebrate the Schoneboom family and 355 newly added acres
to Barry State Game Area in Barry County. The dedication will be held at 5505
Otis Lake Road in Hastings.
Speakers will
include Peter Ter Louw of the
SWMLC, Tom Groos of Tyden Ventures, DNR Deputy Director Bill O’Neill and DNR Wildlife
Division Chief Russ Mason.
The additional
355-acre land parcel, adjacent to Barry State Game Area and known as the
Schoneboom property, will
help increase the game area’s value for wildlife and wildlife-related
recreation.
The property, the largest addition to Barry SGA in its history, consists
of a mix of farmland, forest and wetlands and a segment of the Glass Creek. The
Glass Creek, recognized as the highest-quality stream in the Thornapple River
watershed, flows north through the game area and into the Thornapple River.
Treva Schoneboom and her late husband, Wayne, spent most of their lives
in Barry County. They have worked very closely with the DNR on several
conservation projects, including trapping and relocating turkeys from their
farm and participating in the Hunting Access Program.
Mason said the property is important because it is a large inholding
within the game area and the property contains
the headwaters of the Glass Creek Watershed, which DNR staff have been involved
in protecting for decades.
“We are extremely pleased that the Schoneboom property is now forever
protected by the DNR as part of the Barry State Game Area, a project which the
Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy’s Emily Wilke had been working to conserve
for the past seven years,” said Peter Ter Louw, the conservancy's president and
executive director. “Partnering with the DNR and the conservation-focused Tyden
Ventures, who provided essential acquisition funding, has been essential to
SWMLC’s success and accelerated our Barry County conservation work.”
Ter Louw said the property is a conservation jewel whose acquisition was
possible due to the Schonebooms’ conservation ethic and love for the land.
“Partnerships, such as the one between SWMLC and Tyden Ventures, are a
clear demonstration of management actions recommended by the Blue Ribbon
Advisory Group for Southern Michigan State Game Areas,” said Mason. “Continuing
to partner with land conservancies, local business and interest groups will
help secure future opportunities for Michigan residents to use and enjoy wild
spaces in southern Michigan.”
Funding for the acquisition of this land came from the Michigan Natural
Resources Trust Fund and the Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy. The Michigan
Natural Resources Trust Fund was established in 1976 from the development of
publicly owned minerals. This fund is used for public acquisition of lands to
state and local units of government for resource protection and outdoor
recreation, as well as for public outdoor recreation development projects. For
more information, visit www.michigan.gov/mnrtf.
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