Save It, Don’t Pave It!

Just fifteen miles from the bustle of downtown Detroit you’ll find a rare ecological oasis that’s bursting with biodiversity: Sibley Prairie, the largest remaining lakeplain prairie in the whole of Michigan, a landscape found almost nowhere else on earth. 

Prairies like this once covered vast areas, but today almost all are gone. The prairie, woods, and wetlands in this 440-acre parcel of Sibley Prairie represent the most important conservation opportunity in Michigan today. 

These 440 acres were scheduled for auction in August 2025. At the last possible moment, with development looming, the Michigan Land Conservancy secured an option to purchase the property backed by a lender.

Preserving Sibley Prairie will create critical public access and maintain key ecological services that mitigate effects of industrialization, urbanization, and climate change.

We now have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: Together we can protect this ecosystem that is home to endangered and threatened plants and animals, to ensure that it remains a safe haven as well as a healing place for Michiganders and everyone who loves our wonderful state!

Please join us today to save Sibley Prairie. Your gift will make it possible to purchase and preserve this unique parcel, survey and restore it, and create the endowment that will steward and manage it forever.

Donations are tax-deductible to the extent provided by law.

Please visit Donate Now for more information, including on making a pledge.

Read about Coalition members who have banded together to Save Sibley Prairie.