Nature preserve on IHM land a lofty goal

Monroe Evening News Editorial, March 4, 2007

A proposal to purchase 167 acres of IHM land for a nature preserve is a lofty goal that needs and deserves the enthusiastic support of both the public and private sectors in the greater Monroe community.

A group working to preserve 167 acres of land in the center of Monroe as a nature preserve has a tough job ahead of it, but they’re pursuing a lofty goal.

The land owned by the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, is an incredible community treasure – a rare island of tranquility in the heart of the city.
Any city in the country would be envious of this opportunity.

Trying to preserve the grassy meadows and oak woods for posterity is indeed a path worth traveling – at least to see if it can be done.

When a community studies potential land uses, the "highest and best" use of the land should be a prime consideration. It’s hard to imagine a better use for this land than a nature preserve, where future generations could enjoy a walk in the woods without leaving the city.

It also could be easily linked to the bike path along the River Raisin, which is being extended from Lake Erie to Monroe County Community College.

The IHM Sisters announced last summer that they need to sell the land to ensure the financial future of their members. For years, they explained at two public hearings, they’ve planned to use their property to provide for their members health care and pension needs as they grow older.

The sisters were working with a developer to create a progressive, sustainable community on 200 acres of their property, featuring 500 homes, retail shops, parks and walkways. But neighbors opposed the project, which would have needed city approval for a Neighborhood Enterprise Zone. So the project was tabled.

Now a group of neighborhood residents and the Monroe County Land Conservancy have joined together to try to raise the roughly $5 million needed to purchase 167 acres of the land to protect it from development.

They’re tentatively calling it "The Academy Preserve" and are working with Monroe County to get a grant from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to help purchase the land.

The MDNR grant could cover up to 75 percent of the cost, but that still would leave roughly $1 million to be raised. That’s a formidable challenge.

The preserve would be owned by Monroe County. The group chose the county as a partner because part of the land is in the city and part in Frenchtown Township. Public ownership is necessary in order to qualify for the state grants.

A board of citizens would help manage the preserve. The plan is to also raise money for an endowment, so there would be resources to maintain the preserve.

The group is committed to raising the necessary money to purchase the land, develop the preserve and maintain a first-rate passive park.

To succeed, however, the group will need the support of both public and private entities, from the city of Monroe to the Monroe County Community foundation and large private donors.

But if established, the Academy Preserve will be a valuable asset for the future of Monroe, giving it another “quality of life” feature – the kind that attracts people and development to a community.