07/08/2026
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SIBLEY PRAIRIE UPDATE - JULY 4th, 2026
Happy 4th of July! We now have five months to raise enough money to purchase the core 440 acres of the globally-rare Sibley Prairie! With your continued support, we can do it.
As many of you already know, we made a presentation to the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund Board on June 10th when they held their meeting in Detroit. Brian Peters, Brownstown Township Manager, and I made the main presentation, and several people spoke on behalf of Coalition groups in support of the Township’s grant application. Thank you to everyone who took the time to attend the meeting or who spoke in support. Our presentation went very well and we made a very good impression on the Trust Fund Board members. Many commented favorably on our proposal. We left the meeting greatly encouraged that our chances of receiving a Trust Fund grant are even stronger than before.
As we’ve reported before, though, if a Trust Fund grant for $4,989,800 is approved the grant would not be disbursed until later in 2027. That means we still need to raise enough to purchase the property by this December, so we are stepping up our fundraising efforts. We contracted with a part-time project manager to help coordinate grant applications and we submitted two more grant applications to foundations in the past week. We also have a pending grant application with The Carls Foundation. We have received some positive feedback but their Board opted to defer a decision until their October Board meeting, awaiting assurance that we will be able to purchase the property in December.
I would like to especially acknowledge and thank two of our Coalition members: Wayne County Conservation District and Southeast Michigan Land Conservancy (SMLC). The Conservation District submitted a state legislative appropriation request for $3.7 million. That request is still pending as the legislature finalizes the state budget. We hope to hear whether it gets included in the budget in the next couple of weeks. If approved, that would assure that we would be able to purchase the property.
SMLC has also stepped up in a major way by agreeing to be the fiscal agent for some of the Coalition’s grant requests. There are a number of foundations to which we are submitting grant applications. We are also working out a framework which will hopefully include SMLC participation in overseeing the Stewardship Endowment Fund which we plan to establish to help care for the property in perpetuity.
Finally, in order to assure that we can purchase the property in December, we are starting to line up financing which will cover any potential shortfall. Our goal at this time is to line up $4 million in financing commitments. We are working with The Conservation Fund to cover part of that amount and we will also be looking to secure private loans. One of our supporters has already indicated a willingness to provide $1 million of that financing. If you, or others you know, might be interested in exploring the opportunity to make a loan to protect Sibley Prairie, please contact me directly at [email protected] for details. All loans would be paid back in approximately one year upon receipt of the Trust Fund grant.
I hope that everyone has a great 4th of July weekend! If you are able, help us celebrate by making a donation to Save Sibley Prairie! Thank you, so very much, for your support!
Jack Smiley
President, Michigan Land Conservancy
for the Save Sibley Prairie Coalition
For more info or to donate: SaveSibleyPrairie.org
To avoid online fees, you may mail a check to:
Michigan Land Conservancy
10325 Cherry Hill Rd
Superior Township, MI 48198
