Leelanau Enterprise: Women’s Club tours Timber Shores property with NCV

Last week, the Omena Women’s Club (OWC) hosted a special tour of the former Timber Shores property led by New Community Visions (NCV) Board President and Vice President, John Sentell and Beth Verhey. Everyone was very impressed by the property and what this project will be preserving. NCV’s partnership with the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians (GTB) has been an important part of getting to this point. It was recently announced that GTB received a multi-million grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to protect key parts of this property as a nature preserve in perpetuity.

The GTB has a robust and fully- staffed Department of Natural Resources and is admired for its expertise throughout the region on environmental stewardship and restoration initiatives. The natural features of the former Timber Shores property, and the surrounding fisheries, are important ecologically as well as culturally and spiritually to the GTB. This special landscape will benefit greatly from their permanent stewardship of the 187 acres that will include the future nature preserve.

The OWC tour group was particularly impressed by what they learned about the Ennis Creek Watershed. Ennis Creek, which runs through the property, is one of only seven designated cold water trout streams in the West Grand Traverse Bay Watershed. They also learned that experts identified over 40 species of birds on the property this spring. Several participants expressed gratitude that this project will ensure that this property is there for future generations.

The project is, in fact, very close to making that a reality. The NOAA grant put them within $2 million of their goal. Just days after the OWC tour, NCV was able to announce that a donor has made a $1 million matching grant. You can go to newcommunityvision.org to learn more about the property, schedule a tour, and — hopefully — make a pledge to help secure the matching grant.

See the article here: https://www.leelanaunews.com/news/womens-club-tours-timber-shores-property-ncv?check_logged_in=1

NCV Board Update: August 2, 2024

We have an important update for you and an invitation to help us achieve success.

From its founding as a 501(c)3 non-profit two years ago, New Community Vision’s mission has been keenly focused on facilitating the acquisition of the former Timber Shores campground property between Omena and Northport as a permanent nature preserve, along with an appropriate portion of the property identified for attainable housing that is so needed in Leelanau.

The recent news of the federal grant award from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians (GTB) is a game changer for our efforts to permanently protect this special land.

The multi-million-dollar federal grant has not only raised the profile of this project but underlined NCV’s partnership with the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians (GTB), whose commitment was instrumental in being awarded such a large and beneficial grant. Recent media coverage of this exciting news has also highlighted Peninsula Housing, which is collaborating with us on the planned attainable housing. Working together with both the GTB and PH has created strong and broad community-based alliances that have helped accelerate and validate our efforts.

The GTB has a robust and fully-staffed Department of Natural Resources and is admired for its expertise throughout the region on environmental stewardship and restoration initiatives.  The natural features of the former Timber Shores property – and the surrounding fisheries – are important ecologically as well as culturally and spiritually to the GTB. This special landscape will benefit greatly from their permanent stewardship of the 187 acres that will include the future nature preserve.

The terms of the NOAA grant, as well as NCV’s agreement with GTB, includes deed restrictions that this lakeshore gem will be protected as a nature preserve in perpetuity, never to be developed. The land has areas of extremely high conservation value, including significant sections designated as Special Critical Areas in the Grand Traverse Bay Watershed Plan. It deserves the very best care. GTB has the broad expertise and a deep historic connection to this land that ensures it will be stewarded at the highest level possible.   

The terms of the NOAA grant, and NCV’s agreement with GTB, include public access to the nature preserve. The exact scope and design will be determined by the progress of the robust restoration work on the property as well as tribal-led community engagement sessions. As with any nature preserve, low-impact activities like walking, hiking, birdwatching and snowshoeing will be available to all!

NCV believes that the results of these collaborative efforts will become a regional model of success and engagement that will benefit our entire community for generations, connecting all people in the community to the wonders of this remarkable natural asset again.

Securing the future of the former Timber Shores property as both nature preserved and a portion for attainable housing is now well within our reach! Donations and pledges from hundreds of people like you in our community who love and care for the future of Leelanau have been remarkable and are greatly appreciated! 

The task now is to raise the remaining $1.8 million in funding needed to fulfil the exclusive Purchase Option Agreement signed by NCV with the seller. We are incredibly close to success! With your help, we can get there!Please be in touch to discuss your contribution or simply click the buttons below.

Sincerely,

The NCV Board: John Sentell, President; Beth Verhey, Vice President; Dale Lersch, Treasurer; Kate Bulkley, Secretary; Andy Thomas, Board Member

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Glen Arbor Sun NOAA Coverage

Leelanau Enterprise: $11.9M grant awarded

By Meakalia Previch-liu on Wednesday, July 24, 2024 for the Leelanau Enterprise

New Community Vision (NCV), a Northport-based nonprofit, and the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians (GTB) are much closer to purchasing and restoring the former Timber Shores RV resort campground.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced July 18 its recommendation of an $11.9 million grant to go towards preservation projects in the Leelanau and Grand Traverse areas.

With these funds, NCV says it now needs to only raise an additional $2 million to reach its fundraising goal to acquire and permanently protect the 214-acre lakeshore property. While 187 acres will not be developed and will remain as a nature preserve stewarded by GTB, an upland 24-acre section of the property not included in the nature preserve portion has been identified for critically-needed attainable housing.

“We are deeply grateful for our close partnership with the Grand Traverse Band,” said NCV Board President John Sentell in a recent press release. “Their expertise and leadership in the stewardship of natural habitats throughout our region reinforces the importance of preserving this special lakeshore property. This close partnership is key to not only preserving and restoring the property, but connecting all people in the community to the wonders of this remarkable natural asset again.”

With about $6.5 million of those funds, the GTB will be able to preserve and restore coastal habitat on Mashkiigaki, a parcel of sacred ancestral land along West Grand Traverse Bay. Although many know of the land being where Timber Shores once stood, it is historically, culturally and spiritually significant to the GTB.

Mashkiigaki means “the place of the medicines,” and represents the importance of the wetlands as a traditionally significant location for hunting, fishing, gathering, and collecting medicines. According to the GTB, the U.S. government brought a treaty to the tribe in 1855 asking that the remaining third of what is now Michigan be ceded to the U.S. government.

When this treaty was signed, a reserve was established that included most of Leelanau County, including the land of where the Timber Shores property now is, and a large tract of land in Antrim County. The treaty was broken many times following this by the federal government, with most of the land being illegally taken from the tribe and its people. With the help of the NOAA grant, the tribe would regain area once removed from their ownership and care.

The remaining grant monies will also support an innovative fish passage project called Giigook man-jowang (FishPass), which will fully reconnect the Boardman-Ottaway River Trail to Lake Michigan. The project will receive $8.9 million in the first year and up to $11.9 million total over three years.

The grant is part of the second round of funds provided through NOAA’ s Transformational Habitat Restoration and Coastal Resilience funding opportunity under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act. NOAA awarded more than $265 million for 38 projects in its first round, while $220 million was recommended for 32 projects in its second round. Projects span a broad range of habitats and restoration techniques, including reconnecting rivers to their historic floodplains, outplanting corals to rebuild reefs, and restoring salt marshes that protect coasts from erosion and sea level rise.

The latest update comes after NCV announced in May its strategic partnerships with the tribe and Peninsula Housing, a community land trust based in Suttons Bay that aims to provide affordable workforce housing in the county. NCVs initial goal was to raise $5 million by the end of 2023, but has since secured an exclusive option agreement and extension with NM Investment Co. and RVTS Investment, giving the group more time to raise funds through the summer.

Development plans for the camp-ground and sewer over the years have been contentious among county residents and local government officials, resulting in application delays and zoning changes along the way. However, since the purchase option was presented last year, NCV has been actively working not only to raise enough money, but to build awareness about the land’s vulnerable ecosystems and history with the tribe that dates back hundreds of years.

Article: https://www.leelanaunews.com/index.php/news/119m-grant-awarded

NCV thanks the Leelanau Enterprise and Meakalia Previch-liu for allowing us to share this coverage with you.