KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — A local nonprofit environmental and conservation group known as Stewards of Kleinstuck has purchased property next to an existing nature preserve in the City of Kalamazoo and plans to keep it natural and open to the public.
The group has raised over $200,000 in just 12 months to protect this property, according to a statement released Wednesday. The group had previously announced a purchasing agreement in July.
“The Stewards’ successful fundraising campaign demonstrates the community’s commitment to saving natural land,” Stewards of Kleinstuck President Erin Fuller said in a statement. “We are so grateful for all the support we have received from the Kalamazoo community. Our success has been made possible by the encouragement and generous support from our donors. We want to say ‘thank you’ to everyone who has been able to support our campaign so far.”
The group has received financial donations from over 600 community members and early financial support from the Jim Gilmore, Jr. Foundation, the Beim Foundation, and the Giving Well Family Foundation.
The Irving S. Gilmore Foundation also provided funding to build organizational capacity.
Recent grants from the Audubon Society of Kalamazoo and ENNA Foundation make us hopeful we can pay off the property early,” Fuller said.
A Great Horned Owl roosts on a recently-protected property next to the Kleinstuck Preserve. (Photo courtesy of the Stewards of Kleinstuck, photo by Andrea Zinkus).
The 12 acre property at 2000 Hudson Avenue was listed for sale in October of 2019 and is currently zoned for single-family and multifamily development.
The Stewards hosted a community meeting in October 2019 and gathered input from over 150 stakeholders, neighbors and community members.
Following that meeting, the Stewards resolved to purchase the land and preserve it in its natural, wild state. The Stewards launched their Keep Kalamazoo Wild™ campaign in May 2020 to focus on the preservation and conservation of Kalamazoo’s natural spaces.
The Stewards believe the Keep Kalamazoo Wild motto aligns with the City’s current Strategic Vision, which prioritizes environmental sustainability and inviting public spaces.
In order to close the purchase in October 2020, the Stewards borrowed a substantial portion of the purchase price for the 12 acres from a private lender.
“We’re now making the final push to raise the funds needed to keep this property in its natural state and open to the public forever,” Fuller said. “Our community has been exceedingly generous, but we still have between $100,000 and $200,000 to raise.”
The group also learned that an out-of-state developer made an offer on the parcel just days after they signed a purchase agreement with the sellers.
“We are so grateful for Andrew Gyorkos of Kalamazoo Commercial Real Estate and Attorney Steve Glista who volunteered their expertise to support our organization with this purchase,” Fuller said. “Without their efforts, we doubt our offer would have come in under the wire to purchase the land ahead of the competition. We might have bulldozers just inches from the Kleinstuck Preserve right now.”
As a result, the group is still accepting donations to support the property acquisition. More information about the project, as well as how to donate, can be found at keepkalamazoowild.com.
In addition, the group acknowledges that the land they have purchased is the ancestral homeland of the Three Fires Confederacy and was stewarded by the Ojibwe, Odawa and Bodewadmi nations prior to colonial interest in the property.
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