Together, a dedicated coalition of organizations is uniting their expertise, resources, and shared commitment to protect the Sibley Prairie—standing together to safeguard this rare landscape, its wildlife, and its legacy for generations to come.
To inquire about joining the Coalition to Save Sibley Prairie as an organizational member, we welcome you to email us at mail@savesibleyprairie.org
“This project represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to preserve Michigan’s largest and highest-quality lakeplain prairie remnant—an ecosystem of exceptional rarity and ecological value” – The Michigan Botanical Society, Letter of Support
The Michigan Botanical Society (formerly the Michigan Botanical Club), founded in 1941, is a statewide organization devoted to the study, appreciation, and conservation of Michigan’s native plants and natural communities. With five active chapters, our mission includes the conservation of all native plants and their home places, the education of the public to
value and protect plant life, the support of botanical research, and the establishment of sanctuaries and natural areas that safeguard Michigan’s botanical heritage.
Ducks Unlimited conserves, restores, and manages wetlands and associated habitats for North America’s waterfowl. These habitats also benefit other wildlife and people. Waterfowl conservation is facing important challenges as wetlands and other habitats are being degraded and destroyed across the continent. Ducks Unlimited has a vision to reverse this trend.
Friends of the Rouge (FOTR) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that was founded in 1986 to raise awareness about the need to clean up the Rouge River in southeast Michigan.
Legacy Land Conservancy is a nonprofit organization dedicated to safeguarding southern Michigan’s land and water to support diverse, resilient, and thriving communities-forever.
The primary focus of Detroit Bird Alliance is to protect birds and their habitats by engaging people, communities, and policymakers in conservation. We strive to bring nature and people together, in a way that serves both.
The work of Detroit Bird Alliance supports local activities that foster the preservation of birds and the clean air, water, wetlands, grasslands, woodlands and other natural resources upon which they depend to survive and thrive.
Michigan Land Conservancy
The mission of the Michigan Land Conservancy is to acquire land throughout Michigan in order to preserve natural ecosystems, protect water quality, provide sanctuaries for wildlife and benefit present and future generations.
“If the public would like to experience what parts of the Detroit area were like before most of it was developed, Sibley Prairie is it; an irreplaceable natural heritage for us, future generations, and the many wonderful and increasingly rare species that occur in few other places of the world.“
Thumb Land Conservancy, Letter of Support
The Thumb Land Conservancy is dedicated to protecting the natural heritage of Michigan’s Thumb Region. TLC is working to preserve natural areas in the Thumb of Michigan, a postglacial landscape where northern forest blends with central hardwoods, bordered by Lake Huron, the Saginaw Bay, the Saint Clair River, and Lake Saint Clair.
This project will protect a rare lakeplain prairie and wetland ecosystem of statewide significance while improving water quality, enhancing biodiversity, and strengthening climate resilience in the Detroit River watershed.
Sierra Club Southeast Michigan Group, Letter of Support
The Sierra Club Southeast Michigan Group serves Metro Detroit, including Wayne, St. Clair, Macomb, and Oakland counties. Powered by dedicated volunteers, it hosts educational programs, outings, conservation initiatives, and community meetings focused on pressing environmental issues that affect well-being and family health.
The benefits to wildlife and the public are immeasurable given that [this prairie] is located in a landscape mosaic of industrial enterprises, rural lands and residential neighborhoods. Historically, development pressure here has been high. To be able to protect such a large tract of contiguous land is not only rare in southeast Michigan but invaluable to southeast Michigan residents and visitors.
Southeast Michigan Land Conservancy, Letter of Support
Southeast Michigan Land Conservancy (SMLC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and qualified conservation organization dedicated to conserving and managing wildlife habitat in order to foster healthy ecosystems, protect air and water quality, and provide scenic enjoyment. We also work to promote appreciation of the natural world; educate the public about conservation options; and engage communities throughout southeast Michigan in land protection and stewardship activities.
“Grosse Ile Nature & Land Conservancy is called to help protect Sibley Prairie because its rare remnant ecosystems are part of the same regional natural heritage we are committed to safeguarding. Supporting its preservation directly advances our mission to promote the stewardship and understanding of the natural resources of Grosse Ile and the surrounding area, ensuring that these irreplaceable landscapes endure for public benefit and future generations.”
Grosse Ile Nature & LAnd Conservancy, Letter of Support
Supporting Organizations
Beyond the coalition, many partner organizations are stepping up to support the protection of Sibley Prairie by spreading the word, contributing financial resources, and sharing valuable expertise.
“The Nature Conservancy has recognized the importance of the Sibley Road Prairie for more than three decades, and this collaborative effort to protect the Fritz tract represents the best opportunity in all that time.”
The Nature Conservancy, Letter of Support
Supporting Individuals
“The Sibley Road Complex of prairie remnants represents the one of the largest concentrations of this rare ecosystem type in all of Michigan. The Sibley Road Complex is made up of a mosaic of oak savannah on the drier sand ridges and wet prairie in the lower depressions dominated by clay soils. This mosaic of lakeplain prairie and oak savannah provides critical habitat for a variety of rare plant and animal populations, some of which are listed as critically endangered within the state of Michigan.”
Robert E. Grese, Professor-Emeritus
School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, Letter of Support
Since about 1990 Michigan’s conservation community has been trying to get
protection for Sibley Prairie, a roughly mile-square block of southeast Michigan’s largest, 25-square-mile prairie/savanna complex…Within a few hundred feet of busy Telegraph Road, one [is] surrounded by a magical garden of asters, goldenrods, lupine, ironweed, milkweeds, mountain mint, coreopsis, Indian plantain, prairie dock, lobelia, and many more, within a matrix of tall Indian grass, cord grass, and big bluestem. A gardener’s
delight.
Dennis Albert, ecologist, Letter to Governor Whitmer
Coalition to Save Sibley Prairie 