Total Project Cost $1,500,000
Gifts for this project should be made to the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation. To support this project, contact Mercedes Bowyer at mbowyer@gtrcf.org or contribute online at www.gtrcf.org/greilick or by clicking this donate button.
For nearly a century, the former Camp Greilick was a beloved place for young people to enjoy the woods and waters of our beautiful area. Located in the Boardman/Ottaway River watershed, the property features 4,310 feet of frontage on Rennie, Spider and Bass Lakes and contains vast areas of upland forests. It is also near thousands of acres of protected land and connects to numerous trail systems.
With the property’s southern 298 acres slated to become part of Traverse City’s Brown Bridge Quiet Area, and the northern 196 acres to be acquired by Grand Traverse County, plans are underway to renew the land’s use as a community hub for recreation and a place to experience nature. In collaboration with the County and the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation (GTRCF), the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy (GTRLC) is working to support this vision and further protect the property.
The land is currently protected with a conservation easement designed to balance its ecological values and the camp’s future growth. Aiming to strengthen these protections, GTRLC is proposing amendments to the easement that would substantially limit the construction of additional buildings and impervious surfaces and widen the protected shoreline and riparian buffers.
Thanks to a generous “conservation angel,” GTRLC has secured the $3.25 million needed to purchase the northern property and will hold it until September 1, 2024. This provides the County time to conduct due diligence and engage the community in determining the best uses for the land, before ultimately purchasing it at a reduced price of $3 million.
Concurrently, the Conservancy is working closely with the Community Foundation to bolster the existing $150,000 Forever Camp Greilick Endowment, which benefits the property, to at least $1.5 million. The Endowment will be invested to ensure sustained funding for the property’s care and maintenance, easing the County’s financial burden and supporting the land’s ecological health.
“The Endowment will provide sustainable and predictable funding year after year to the County to support its stewardship of the Greilick property,” explained GTRCF President and CEO David Mengebier. “This can include restoring and improving habitats for wildlife and water quality and building and maintaining recreation-related infrastructure such as the existing buildings, trails, signage, and parking areas.”
The endowment also seeks to foster community health and wellness through outdoor recreation, particularly benefiting our region’s youth. A recent survey by GTRCF revealed that a majority of local high school students identify outdoor activities as their primary method of stress relief, underscoring the significant positive impact of nature on mental health.
According to Mengebier, “The future park will be an incredible asset to our community as it will not only support the protection of our local land, air, and water but it will also promote health and wellness through outdoor recreation opportunities for area youth and families.”
Gifts to the Endowment should be directed to GTRCF by contacting Director of Donor Engagement Mercedes Bowyer at mbowyer@gtrcf.org or by contributing online at www.gtrcf.org/greilick. For more information about this project, please contact Mercedes or GTRLC’s Senior Charitable Giving Specialist Erin Whiting at ewhiting@gtrlc.org.