Legacy Land Conservancy has organized two community Cleanup Days at the newly established Iron Creek Preserve in Manchester Township on August 22 and 24, 2024.

Volunteers are invited to help prepare this pristine 79-acre property for its tentative public opening in spring 2025. Donated in 2024 by Sybil Kolon and Maan Abdulbaki, Iron Creek Preserve showcases a stunning oak-hickory forest, intermittent wetlands, and rare ecosystems like prairie and domed fens nestled along 1,000 feet of Iron Creek.

“One goal of mine is for this land to be a place where anyone can build a connection with nature, as I did,” Kolon said.

The cleanup efforts are part of Legacy’s ongoing work to make this preserve accessible and safe for visitors. These efforts include trail preparation, installing an information kiosk, and ensuring the safety of a footbridge. A grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation partially funds these efforts.

Iron Creek Preserve holds significant ecological value. With its rolling hills, the oak-hickory forest plays a crucial role in capturing and storing carbon, benefiting water quality, and preserving critical wildlife habitats. The preserve’s wetlands, including the rare prairie fen, support a diverse range of plant and animal species, some of which are threatened or endangered. These unique habitats contribute to the biodiversity of the River Raisin Watershed and the larger Great Lakes Basin.

The preserve is not yet open to the public, and its opening depends on raising the remaining funds needed for a stewardship endowment. So far, Legacy has raised over half of the necessary funds, but $400,000 is still required to ensure the preserve’s long-term management and protection.

Legacy Land Conservancy hopes to open the preserve in 2025, pending successful fundraising. Community support is essential to realizing this vision, ensuring that Iron Creek Preserve remains a place of beauty and refuge for years.

You can sign up for the workday at https://legacylandconservancy.org/events/

For more information on Iron Creek Preserve, visit https://legacylandconservancy.org/preserves/legacy-preserves/iron-creek-preserve/