By Meakalia Previch-liu on Wednesday, June 26, 2024 for the Leelanau Enterprise
New Community Vision (NCV), the local nonprofit organization raising funds to acquire the former Timber Shores campground property, began offering a number of hosted walks this month and will continue to do so through July.
According to NCVs website, each walk is free and will be led by NCV board members to highlight the important environmental and natural features of the former campground property. The walks, which require registration for a free ticket, will be kept to a group size of 10 people and will be about 1.5 hours in duration. The walking path will follow an approximately 1.5 mile, mostly flat loop trail.
The next tour will be on Saturday, June 29 and will be led by NCV board members John Sentell and Beth Verhey. Guest docent Larry Mawby, founder of Peninsula Housing will be accompanying NCV on the walk that is anticipated to be approximately two hours in duration. People will walk a side tangent to view the small upland parcel NCV has designated to be separated from the nature preserve, and to explore attainable housing options in collaboration with Peninsula Housing. The walks in the weeks ahead are scheduled for July 1, July 2, July 10, and July 13 with each day featuring different guests such as ancillary docent Ed Ketterer, a local, avid, experienced birder, Brett Fessell, restoration section leader, and Naomi Louchouarn with the Natural Resources Department of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians.
The property tours come as the group works to reach its summer fundraising goal of $5 million. NCV has been working since last summer to purchase the property with a mission to ultimately preserve and restore the 214-acre lakeshore property off M-22 in Leelanau Township. NCVs initial goal was to raise $5 million by the end of 2023, but has since secured an exclusive option agreement and extension with the property owner, giving the group more time to raise funds through the summer. NCV said the majority of the land is prime for conservation and environmental stewardship, and has plans to create a lakeshore nature preserve as well as attainable housing on a small upland section on the property.
For more information and to sign up for a guided walking tour, visit https://www.newcommunityvision.org/events.
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