"I first encountered a moose in the wilds while hiking at UPLC's Indian Lake Watershed Preserve in 2015. I had just started working for UPLC, and we were conducting a routine monitoring visit to the property, and one of our volunteers was telling me a story about the wolves he'd seen the previous week near the Preserve. He was biking along some logging roads and came across a pack crossing a stream near a beaver dam. They disappeared at a leisurely pace back into the woods and he kept going - only to later see a moose calf taking refuge on one of the tiny islands that dot the lake in the Preserve. He was telling me that he thinks that baby moose may have been put there by a protective mother while she was out grazing.
As he was telling me this story, we came around a corner in a marshy area, and there was the most massive, muscular bull moose I could have imagined taking a break in the shade of a swampy area. That story, and that experience, showed me the drama of the wilderness of the UP in a way that I will never forget. And I'll never stop working to protect that ancient story and those magnificent creatures for our community's future." - UPLC's Executive Director, Andrea Denham
Charisma only goes so far...
Moose, Wolves, Cougars, Bears. Step foot in any of the artisan shops or look out at the signs across the UP to see just how popular these animals are. Seeing any of them in the wild is a powerful and memorable experience. But being big and impressive is not enough. All of these animals require and deserve large areas of intact land with deep inner forests - enough space to roam, feed, establish territory, and overwinter.
They deserve places like the Indian Lake Watershed Preserve, where we protect over 1,200 acres of pristine, archetypal Michigamme Highlands wilderness. In that wilderness, you'll find incredibly diverse habitat ranging from steep-sloped old growth hemlock forest to the 100-acre, island-dotted eutrophic lake. This marvelously beautiful place is home to a healthy moose population, black bear, eagles, loons and wolves...to name only the Charismatic Megafuana who call the Preserve home!
By joining the team and donating with the Charismatic Megafauna, you are casting your vote to ensure they have habitat to roam and live - and that experiences like Andrea's above continue to be a part of life in the Upper Peninsula.
Share your enthusiasm for your team by sharing this link and sharing on social media. Use the hashtags #UPLandConservancy, #GivingTuesday #Give906 and #BirdLovers #FinnedFriends #MarshFellows #CharismaticMegafauna and #LeafyBuds!
About #GivingTuesday
Each year, the Upper Peninsula Land Conservancy (UPLC) participates in Giving Tuesday and the local vision #Give906 - a global day to celebrate generosity and support the nonprofits that give so much to our communities spending with purpose.