BRV deer hunting program
It’s 3 a.m. on a Saturday morning, and while most people are sleeping in their warm beds, the lights in the Tower of Tomorrow kitchen flip on as our Guest Services team reports to work…
MAEAP verification
On Dec. 3, we got a thumbs-up from the Michigan Agricultural Environmental Assurance Program (MAEAP), joining more than 1,600 farms to become certified. A nationally recognized program, MAEAP helps Michigan farmers adopt effective, science-based practices that reduce environmental risks and protect our state’s land, water and wildlife. The program is voluntary and delivered through a partnership between the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) and local conservation…
New greenscapes at BRV
This fall our grounds maintenance team launched a greenscape redesign at Big Rock Valley (BRV) along with our first major plant propagation program. Led by Maggie Chapman, the goal is to improve aesthetics and sustainability while reducing costs.
Conservation steward update
For the past several years the foundation has offered a seasonal conservation steward program to accelerate growth for future natural resources professionals. Below, Dawson Porter, a student at Michigan State University, discusses his experience from this summer.
Better burns: Altering the timing and sequence of prescribed fire
Researchers from Grand Valley State University (GVSU) have been conducting a multi-year study to see how seasonal timing and sequence of prescribed burns may affect restored prairies. This marks the first research in the Great Lakes region to investigate multiple rounds of seasonal burns and compare repetitive fire treatments with alternating ones. “Land managers typically conduct prescribed burns in the…
Mighty microbes: New tools for prairie restoration
In 2022 researchers Eastern Michigan University and Miami University launched a multiyear study at Big Rock Valley to investigate how rhizobia and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, two types of soil microbes, might impact survival and growth of plants in restored prairies.
Prescribed burn update 2024
As part of the Edward Lowe Foundation’s conservation mission, we’ve been restoring areas of Big Rock Valley (BRV), our 2,000-acre campus in southwest Michigan, back to native landscapes…
Farm to table: Feeding the hungry through conservation
Through a partnership with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR), the Edward Lowe Foundation is donating venison to local food banks…