We are the stewards of the outdoors.

Heart of the Lakes is the collective voice for Michigan’s land conservancies and their friends. We believe that places in nature have the power to create stories.

Our community exists because of you.

Your voice is heard in the places we protect and through the wisdom shared in your stories. We’re listening, and we thank you. We thank you for continuing to make your community stronger, more inclusive and compassionate.

With restless, nervous energy. Onwards.

In a time that will be remembered for so many things, few need explaining. But to shed some light around the cloud, it’s also when we played local, explored our backyard with renewed vigor and interest. We noticed the minutiae of the changing seasons, the detail in green spaces around our homes.

So, take heart. Your restlessness is a sign of life. It’s your passion screaming to reconnect with you. And when you hear it calling, try to remember that restlessness is not from your lack of dreaming — it’s a product of it.

The reward for this discomfort?

Your soul will be fuller, your compassion deeper, your horizons wider, and you will awake to a new day.