Janke Conservation Easement
Readmond Township, Emmet County
217 acres in two separate properties

Excerpted from a Conservancy newsletter story:

In 1998, Sherman and Margo Janke donated two conservation easements on a 152-acre parcel and a 65-acre parcel of land in Readmond Township. The Jankes purchased the property some 30 years ago with the intent of protecting it. They had a premonition of what was to happen in Northern Michigan, and that has come true. With much dismay, they have observed lands being subdivided and developed throughout the county and throughout the country.

When expressing our thanks to Sherm and Margo, they replied, “We are appreciative of Little Traverse Conservancy’s existence. We bought the land with the intent to protect it, and LTC solved our problem of how to protect the land.” This conservation easement prevents development, prohibits new roads from being built, and restricts logging.

The rolling hills on the property are dominated by a Maple-Beech-Birch hardwood forest. Wildlife is plentiful in this environment and the dense multi-layered canopy is the perfect environment in which to watch songbirds flying about. Sherm and Margo were particularly concerned about not increasing edges on the property that are created when roads are cut through. Edges created by roads increase predation on certain avian species, such as warblers and tanagers. These birds need deep woods to survive. This easement should help to maintain the deep woods environment, aiding in preserving habitat for songbirds and other species.

We are grateful to the Jankes for their determination to protect an important piece of Northern Michigan. Sherm mentioned several times, “We only wish it could be bigger.”

Four years later the Jankes decided to remove a 4-acre building envelope they had originally retained and add that property to the conservation easement removing all development potential for the future.