NEW PRESERVES
Collins Woods Sanctuary
32 Acres Swamp Forest Complex, Port Huron Township, Saint Clair County
With another Wetland Conservation Program grant from Ducks Unlimited, along with a private donation, on 2026 May 8, the TLC purchased the 32-acre Collins Woods Sanctuary located at the northeast corner of Lapeer Road and Hueling Road in Port Huron Township. The preserve is part of one of the largest forest tracts remaining along the west side of Port Huron. Minus some residential development, about 500 acres of forest remain relatively non-fragmented and intact in this vicinity. Swamp forest is extensive in this large forest tract, which explains why it has remained mostly undeveloped. This forest provides major surface and ground water detention in the Stocks Creek watershed, making it very important for alleviating downstream flooding and for maintaining water quality of Stocks Creek and the lower Black River. Stocks Creek enters the Black River near the I-94/I-69 crossing west of Port Huron, which flows to the Saint Clair River in Port Huron.
Touma Family Sanctuary
31.62 Acres, Fort Gratiot Township, Saint Clair County
The new 31.62-acre Touma Family Sanctuary is located north of Brace Road at Parker Road and is critical to connecting the north and south halves of the Southern Lake Huron Coastal Park and to routing the coastal walking trail that would connect the Shorewood Forrest sanctuaries with the Water Works Preserve and Hamzavi-Peltier Sanctuary to the north. Without acquiring the Touma Family Sanctuary, extending the coastal trail through this area may have been impossible as the TLC had already made purchase offers on adjacent parcels to the east without success.
