Dear Board of Northwoods Land Trust,

On behalf of our contributing members, and with assistance of the Friends of Sylvania, we are pleased to present this gift to help mitigate a portion of the expenses of the Popovich Conservation Easement.

As a non-profit conservation organization, the Northwood Alliance acts as an advocate for local communities by engaging in education, strengthening conservation networking, and assisting in local action. Through our Land Conservation Initiative, and with our standing focus on the border lakes region, we recognize, respect and appreciate the value of the Popovich easement to the community.  Like other conservation efforts in this region faced with stringent development pressure, this easement represents a timely opportunity to protect a tract of land in an area rich with habitat and recreation attributes.  

The "Friends of Sylvania" is a young, non-profit organization with a mission to promote the protection and careful management of the Sylvania Wilderness. We have asked for their support of this project, and they soon assisted in the fundraising to make this gift a possibility. The proximity of this easement to the Ottawa National Forest and Sylvania Wilderness serve as driving forces behind the desire of this conservation partnership to help protect this very worthy property.  With this gift we enthusiastically endorse, support and congratulate Lee and Margo Popovich on their choice of this conservation plan.

I am proud to be a part of the conception of this conservation project, and wish the Northwoods Land Trust continued success in this region.

 Sincerely,

Joe Hovel

Acting Director of the Northwood Alliance