Scott Weaver first walked the Grand River prairie fen in southern Michigan as a 13-year-old, pheasant hunting with his father. Years later, he returned as a landowner when he and his wife, Cindy, both avid outdoor enthusiasts, settled on 80 acres.

The Weavers soon learned how special their property was -- home to the largest population of the federally endangered Mitchell's satyr butterfly. Currently, this butterfly is found in only 20 sites worldwide, most of which are found on privately owned lands in southern Michigan.

Now, with the help of the Department of Natural Resources Landowner Incentive Program (LIP), the Weavers are among 375 landowners who are helping to conserve some of the rarest ecosystems in the state.

"With 79% of Michigan's land base in private ownership, the conservation of our rare habitats depends on private landowners," said Sue Tangora, LIP coordinator. "Once maintained through natural mechanisms; today, active management by landowners is needed to counter the growing demands of human influences, such as ditching and filling, fire suppression, and invasive species."

Scott Weaver personally knows how difficult it can be to manage his property.

"In order to preserve the area as it was when we bought the property, we have had to spend a lot of time and money removing exotic plants," Weaver said.

Through a partnership with The Nature Conservancy, the Weavers began working with the DNR LIP biologist Dan Kennedy in 2004.

"Our program is now active at most of the privately owned Mitchell's satyr sites, and in many cases we can document satyr populations expanding into recently improved habitat," Kennedy said.

More than 600 species of plants and animals are listed as threatened, endangered or special concern in Michigan.

"In 2003, there was an opportunity to apply for a federal grant that would provide funding to manage rare species and their habitats," Tangora said. "The DNR was successful in receiving funds and started the Michigan Landowner Incentive Program."

Since then, Tangora said more than 15,000 acres of habitat have been restored for rare and declining wildlife on private lands throughout Michigan.

"We are making good progress, but there is a long way to go," she said.

Prairie fens are just one of several rare habitat types eligible for funding through LIP.

In southern Michigan, landowners with grassland habitat, especially oak savannas, also are a high priority for this program. Oak savannas are prairies with scattered trees that once were kept in an open state by frequent fires.

Over 99% of Michigan's native prairies and savannas have grown into a forest or have been converted to other uses such as agriculture and development. The Karner blue butterfly is an endangered species benefiting from dozens of landowners willing to manage their oak savanna.

Chris Hoving, southwest DNR LIP biologist, has crunched the numbers and is seeing the gains firsthand.

"In recent surveys, we were unable to find the federally endangered Karner blue butterfly on public lands in the Bigelow Creek area," Hoving said, "but the butterfly is thriving on the properties of landowners participating in LIP. I counted 377 on one particular property in a single day."

In the northern portion of the Lower Peninsula, the program focuses on restoring jack pine barrens.

Jack pine barrens are native grassland openings found primarily in conjunction with jack pine forests, which historically were kept open by frequent fires. Over 99% of barrens have converted into forest in the absence of fire and consequently have the rarest species associated with them in this region of the state.

Brian Piccolo, DNR LIP biologist in the northern Lower Peninsula, helps landowners manage and restore pine barrens and oak savannas primarily by coordinating prescribed burns and brush clearing. Piccolo has been successful in promoting the use of prescribed fire to private landowners in a region known for its high fire risk.

"I work with a number of large hunt clubs in the northeastern part of Lower Michigan and almost everyone that I've worked with has been very open to managing their properties with controlled burning," Piccolo said.

In the Upper Peninsula, mesic conifer forests are the target for restoration by Kevin Swanson, DNR LIP biologist.

Mesic conifer forests include species such as white pine, hemlock, spruce and fir that grow on soils that are not wet or dry, but mainly moist. Slow growth rates, past forest practices and browsing of hemlock during winter by white-tailed deer, have limited natural regeneration. These factors have led to a 78% decline in mesic conifer forests in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

Swanson is helping landowners restore these habitat types primarily by planting white pine and hemlock seedlings to increase regeneration within mesic forests.

"Mesic conifers provide thermal protection, food and escape cover for wildlife," said Swanson. "Declining species such as Cerulean warbler and red-shouldered hawks prefer forests with mesic conifers for foraging and nesting."

The key to the success of LIP is the private landowner. Local landowners like the Weavers have been essential in spreading the word about LIP and convincing neighbors to enroll.

The importance of the private landowner's work is affirmed by Scott Weaver.

"How we treat the ground while we are here will determine if it will be forever altered or remain as we found it for the next generation to enjoy."

To learn more about who can participate in the Landowner Incentive Program, visit the DNR Web site at www.michigan.gov/dnr and click on the Wildlife & Habitat link.