The TLC wants to help protect all natural areas in the Thumb. Because of the many variations of landscapes, soils, moisture, microclimate, influence of the Great Lakes, the Thumb has many different plant communities and species that depend on them. Of the many landscapes and plant communities, we are particularly interested in those areas most at-risk of loss, rare, or unique to the Thumb.

Southern Lake Huron Coastal Park
The Thumb Land Conservancy is acquiring key parcels needed to complete a 4.5-mile coastal park trail along Lake Huron, connecting Port Huron to Lakeport State Park. The Southern Lake Huron Coastal Park will protect most of the remaining beach ridge and swale complex along the eastern Thumb shoreline; a unique landscape of parallel sand ridges and muck wetlands of very limited distribution along the Great Lakes. We are currently purchasing the 42.1-acre Bidwell Preserve, one of the best examples of the landscape complex and well-suited for a high quality coastal trail. If you would like to donate, click here for more details.

For the Silver Trails Boy Scout Camp, special TLC accounts are dedicated to Silver Trails, to be used by the 9-Tree Fellowship to support the camp program, pay for camp improvements, purchase a conservation easement, or purchase the camp if it should be offered for sale. If you would like to donate, click here for more details.

Thank you for your generosity and willingness to support our great conservation projects.

The Thumb Land Conservancy is acquiring key parcels needed to complete a 4.5-mile coastal park trail along Lake Huron, connecting Port Huron to Lakeport State Park. The Southern Lake Huron Coastal Park will protect most of the remaining beach ridge and swale complex along the eastern Thumb shoreline; a unique landscape of parallel sand ridges and muck wetlands of very limited distribution along the Great Lakes. We are currently purchasing the 42.1-acre Bidwell Preserve, one of the best examples of the landscape complex and well-suited for a high quality coastal trail.


For more information, click the link below.

More about Southern Lake Huron Coastal Park >>>



Project Funding Sources

We are pleased to list the following funding sources that have contributed to the Southern Lake Huron Coastal Park Project and we thank them for their continued support. A short description of each organization is provided below along with a link to a PDF document of more detailed descriptions of each source and their charitable activities.


The Carls Foundation

The Carls Foundation of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, has funded a number of land preservation in our region where few other foundations have. Funded projects include the Sharon Rose Leonatti Memorial Nature Sanctuary in Kimball Township with a large population of Michigan Endangered Painted Trillium, and large parts of Anchor Bay Woods in New Baltimore adjacent to our Gerrits Sanctuary in Ira Township. For more information about the Carls Foundation, see their web site at: The Carls Foundation Website


Consumers Energy Foundation

The Consumers Energy Foundation is the charitable arm of Consumers Energy, Michigan’s largest energy provider. The Consumers Energy Foundation enables communities to thrive and grow by investing in what’s most important to Michigan – its people, Michigan’s prosperity, and our planet. The Foundation is dedicated to ensuring Michigan has world-class natural resources, and that includes supporting environmental education and developing environmental stewards who will sustain Michigan’s natural resources for future generations to enjoy. That is why the Wildlife Habitat Council recognized the Foundation for promoting environmental education. In 2019, the Consumers Energy Foundation, Consumers Energy, its employees and retirees contributed more than $11.5 million to Michigan nonprofits. For more information, visit their website: Consumers Energy Foundation Website


SEMCO Energy Foundation

SEMCO ENERGY Gas Company, headquartered in Port Huron, Michigan, delivers natural gas to residential, commercial, and industrial customers in the southern half of the Lower Peninsula, including in and around the cities of Albion, Battle Creek, Holland, Niles, Port Huron, and Three Rivers, and the central, eastern, and western parts of the Upper Peninsula. SEMCO ENERGY Gas Company is a division of SEMCO Energy, Inc., an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of AltaGas Ltd. based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. For more information, see their web site at: SEMCO ENERGY Gas Company Website


Community Foundation of St. Clair County

The Community Foundation of St. Clair County is the oldest and largest foundation in Michigan’s Thumb Coast. The Foundation strives to address the region’s opportunities and challenges through like-minded donors and partners with a goal of increasing regional vibrancy and prosperity. Formed in 1944, the Community Foundation manages approximately $80 million in assets, including the Blue Water River Walk, farmland, Studio 1219, the courtyard in Riverview Plaza along with 260 grantmaking funds. Learn more Community Foundation of SCC Website


Cargill Salt

Cargill Salt of Saint Clair specializes in the production of food-grade salt and other salt products from the natural salt deposits underlying the area. One of their unique salts, produced only in the Saint Clair facility, is Alberger flake salts. Lay’s potato chips and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are made with the Alberger salt produced only at the Saint Clair plant. For more information about Alberger flake salts see their web site at: https://www.cargill.com/food-beverage/na/alberger-flake-salts. Cargill Salt has long supported environmental efforts in the Blue water Area, including the annual Saint Clair County Earth Fair and Saint Clair County Sturgeon Festival. For more information about cargill, Inc., see their web site at: https://www.cargill.com/home. Community Foundation of SCC Website


For more detailed descriptions of each source and their charitable activities, click the link below.

Project Funders Detailed Description >>>

If you are interested in supporting our fundraising efforts to acquire this incredible habitat for future generations to come and wish to make a tax-free donation, please contact us via email at mail@thumbland.org or via phone at (810) 364-2584. Thank you for your generosity and support.



The 9-Tree Fellowship is an initiative of the TLC to foster a Scouting alumni group for Silver Trails Scout Reservation, a 300-acre Boy Scout camp west of Jeddo along the west side of the Black River. With so many scout camps having been closed or sold in recent years, the TLC is hoping to be able to offer support to ensure the same fate does not befall Silver Trails. Camp alumni groups have been able to organize, fundraise, and rescue several scout camps across the US and Canada. Successes have ranged from working with scout councils to increase camp use and develop new programs, to paying for conservation easements, to purchasing all or portions of camps, to ensuring that camps are sold to similar camping organizations or conservation buyers.

Perhaps one of the best examples of an alumni group is the Owasippe Staff Association http://owasippe.com/ that rescued Owasippe Scout Reservation near Muskegon, Michigan, the oldest scout camp in the US, from an impending sale by the Chicago Area Council around 2005 through 2007. They are still working to ensure that Camp Owasippe remains a valued part of the council program.

If you are interested in assisting our efforts to rescue and preserve this very special camp and all it's memories for years to come, click the link below for more information.

More about Silver Trails 9-Tree Fellowship and support info>>>