Chippewa Watershed Conservancy

The mission of Chippewa Watershed Conservancy (CWC) is to protect wildlife habitat and open space in the counties of the Chippewa River Watershed. CWC is a nonprofit conservation organization which owns 22 nature preserves open to the public for passive outdoor recreation. Eighteen of the 22 nature preserves are located in Isabella County and 9 of them are on the Chippewa River.

Some of CWC’s flagship nature preserves include Audubon Woods Preserve, Bundy Hill Preserve, Halls Lake Natural Area and Sylvan Solace Preserve. All these properties have parking lots, signage and well-established hiking trails.

CWC also manages 39 conservation easements on private lands which protect a variety of conservation values such as air and water quality, wildlife habitat, forest health and outdoor recreation. To date, it has permanently protected over 5,300 acres.

In addition to protecting wild places, CWC offers a variety of environmental education outings including guided hikes, paddling trips and more. It connects people to public land in their communities by providing opportunities to build and maintain hiking trails, clean up trash, manage invasive species and more.

Visit www.cwc-mi.org for more information on nature preserves, educational outings and ways to get involved with CWC.