Michigan’s nonpoint source program leads nation in protecting high quality waters through conservation easements

Michigan’s 76,439 miles of rivers and streams and 11,000 inland lakes are an incredible treasure contributing to Michigan’s legacy of clean water supporting world class fisheries.

Prairieville Creek flowing through land protected by the James Conservation Easement. Courtesy of James Conservation Easement. 

The best way to preserve these exceptional resources, which also provide important ecosystem services like flood storage and corridors for wildlife, is to protect them from pollution. The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy’s (EGLE) Nonpoint Source (NPS) Program helps preserve high quality waters by providing grant funds to protect land around them, through an agreement called a conservation easement.

Michigan’s NPS Program helps reduce NPS pollution and excessive runoff in Michigan communities by supporting efforts to develop and implement watershed management plans. The purpose of watershed management plans is to protect high quality waters from nonpoint pollution threats and restore waters impaired by pollution. These watershed plans create an action plan of tasks to resolve problems and prevent polluted runoff.

Michigan was one of the first states in the country to focus on identifying high quality areas for protection in watershed plans. These areas are identified through an evaluation process based on their ability to protect water quality using criteria such as proximity to a river or lake, wetland acreage, groundwater recharge areas, proximity to other protected lands, naturally vegetated areas, overall size, location on the landscape, and areas that support threatened and endangered species.

This information is then used by local partners, typically land conservancies, to identify opportunities to work with landowners to protect these properties in perpetuity. One option for long-term protection is a private land conservation easement. Property owners maintain ownership but there are permanent protections in place to keep the property from being developed and keep nearby waters clean. The NPS Program has partnered with Land Conservancies across the state to protect healthy rivers and lakes through conservation easements for over 25 years. This work has resulted in 274 conservation easements totaling over 22,000 acres, including over 416,000 linear feet of rivers and lakes protected. 

One successful example is the Prairieville Creek Watershed Protection Project in Kalamazoo County. Through the watershed planning process, Prairieville Creek was identified as a priority conservation area because it is the only cold-water fish spawning area for Gull Lake and provides the majority of incoming water to Gull Lake. The area around Prairieville Creek was also at high risk for development. The Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy (SWMLC) worked with landowners to implement six conservation easements on 310 acres, protecting 6,000 linear feet of the creek and over 50% of the Prairieville Creek watershed using NPS funds. This effort annually prevents an estimated 39 tons of sediment, 183 pounds of phosphorus, and 1,583 pounds of nitrogen from entering and harming Gull Lake.

If you are interested in helping to ensure the health of your river or lake through a permanent conservation easement, please have a conversation with your local land conservancy or land trust conservancy about what options are available to you. To find out more about conservation easements and locate your local land conservancy visit Heart of the Lakes.

Visit the Michigan Nonpoint Source Program website to find out more about the program and connect with local NPS staff.