By rbrewer | Published:
January 7, 2010
In the earlier version of my website, I had a page where I posted reviews of Conservancy: The Land Trust Movement In America, or links to them. The last count was a dozen. Posted here for the sake of completeness is the last one, as far as I know. It appeared in 2006, by [...]
Also posted in Conservation |
By rbrewer | Published:
December 22, 2009
Friday night, 18 December 2009, between 10:30 and 11:00 PM, not long before adjournment, the Michigan Senate passed HB 5207, which would strip the open space/public use restrictions from the Colony Farm Orchard land, allowing Western Michigan University to put it to any use.
Most of the senators voting yes probably bought WMU’s claim that passing [...]
By rbrewer | Published:
December 16, 2009
The following is approximately what I said in my brief remarks at the Save the Colony Farm Orchard Rally last Tuesday night, 8 December 2009. I have, however, expanded on my thoughts under point 3, adding a consideration of conservation easements.
We need to recognize three aspects to the conservation value of this piece of land. [...]
By rbrewer | Published:
October 31, 2009
About a week ago, a group of students opposing the demolition of Western Michigan University’s Enchanted Forest, invited me to one of their meetings. The Enchanted Forest is what they call the land that is sometimes known as the Colony Farm Orchard. Enchanted Forest is a much better name.
This was a Thursday night and they [...]
By rbrewer | Published:
October 27, 2009
I’ve always wondered if there was one fundamental difference between conservationists and those other people whose disposition is exactly opposite–the exploiters, polluters, clear-cutters, mountaintop blasters, and all the other ill-users and abusers of the land and waters. In recent experiences with the case of the Colony Farm Orchard, I think I have an inkling of [...]
By rbrewer | Published:
October 10, 2009
This review was published in 2005 as the second entry in my Land Trust Reading List on the earlier version of this website. Slightly revised and updated, it’s republished here on the occasion of the 2009 Land Trust Alliance Rally.
Private Options: Tools and Concepts for Land Conservation. Barbara Rusmore, Alexandra Swaney, and Allan D. Spader, [...]
Also posted in Conservation |
By rbrewer | Published:
September 28, 2009
Matt Clysdale, a local film-maker (Animals Among Us), will be screening the first part of a two or more part film about Western Michigan University’s planned conversion of the Colony Farm Orchard open space to Business Park annex. Here is his announcement.
Greetings everyone,
Please join me this Tuesday at 9 pm on Channel 19 for the
premiere [...]
By rbrewer | Published:
July 23, 2009
Following are brief descriptions of the major vegetation types in Oshtemo Township (Kalamazoo County, Michigan) about the time of settlement. This is the second and concluding installment of a talk given at the March 2009 meeting of the Oshtemo Historical Society.
Information is also provided about what settlement, agriculture, and development have done to original plant [...]
By rbrewer | Published:
June 21, 2009
Not long ago, a message asking about baseline documentation for conservation easements was posted on the landtrust-L website at Indiana University. The post, which boiled down to a question of how to assure that the baseline document will be admissible in court, drew about three dozen quick responses, several of which were pertinent and [...]