Thanks to a donation of 98.5 acres of undeveloped land by a Greater Lansing family, the Mid-Michigan Land Conservancy, Okemos, has opened its eighth nature preserve to the public for recreation activities such as hiking, birdwatching, nature observation and cross-country skiing.
Kindel Natural Area is located north of Sleepy Hollow State Park. It is open year-round, sunrise to sunset, though visitors are discouraged Nov.1-Dec. 31 when hunting by permission is allowed.
The Kindel family, Paul and Judy and their three adult children, have owned and enjoyed the property since 1971, and now want others to enjoy it and connect with nature. The Kindels support the worldwide initiative 30×30 that has the goal to conserve 30% of terrestrial and marine habitat by 2030 to protect life on earth.
Under Conservancy ownership, Kindel Natural Area is protected from development in perpetuity, and its ecological function will continue to be improved.
“Kindel Natural Area is special to us as Paul is one of the Conservancy’s founders,” said Jared Harmon, Mid-Michigan Land Conservancy executive director. “This extraordinary donation is the capstone of the more than two decades that Paul has worked tirelessly to help amass the more than 3,000 acres of land the Conservancy now protects from development in perpetuity.”
The preserve is two-thirds savanna-style terrain — a mixed woodland-grassland biome and ecosystem with trees widely spaced for an open canopy. There is also forestland with some wetland. It is an ideal attraction for birds and mammals.
Visitors are asked to stay on the mowed walking trails — about 1.5 miles — to protect the flora and fauna and to prevent erosion. More information, including a map, is on the Conservancy website, www.midmilandcons.org/kindelfamilynaturalarea.
Paul Kindel is a retired biochemistry professor at Michigan State University; Judy is a retired librarian of the East Lansing Public Schools.
