Scio Township Completes Land Preservation Project

The Scio Township Land Preservation Program recently made a significant purchase of more than 79 acres, which will be added to the already existing Sloan Preserve. Located on the west side of Baker Rd. north of Marshall Rd., the addition has road frontage on the north side of Marshall Rd. west of Baker Rd. and borders the Sloan Preserve to the south.  Trails on the entire Sloan Preserve –accessible from a parking area on Baker Rd.—will be extended, but the newly added land is not currently open to the public.

The purchased property has been in the Davenport family since 1940 and has long been a priority for Scio’s preservation program.  This purchase more than doubles the size of the 50-acre Sloan Preserve and features 1,800 feet of frontage on Mill Creek (a designated State of Michigan natural river which supports a thriving trout population), 1,500 feet of frontage on an unnamed perennial tributary creek, 12 acres of upland woods, 42 acres of riparian wetlands and floodplain, and 25 acres of hayfields.  The quality and diversity of the natural areas on this land is uniquely high.

The Davenports conveyed a conservation easement on their land to the west of this addition in 2008, which became Scio’s first project with its dedicated land preservation millage.  This new purchase adds to a block of conserved land in this area totaling over 300 acres.  Additional funding was provided by the City of Ann Arbor Greenbelt program and the Washtenaw County Natural Area Preservation Program.

Scio Township’s Land Preservation Program is funded by a dedicated millage which voters passed initially in 2004 and renewed twice, all by large margins.  The Township has attracted almost $13 million of matching funds from other sources, a rate of over $1.5 to $1 of its own.  With this project the Township program has been involved in protecting 1,822 acres, with more projects set to close in the coming months.