The Mawby family partnered with the Leelanau Conservancy to help preserve their 151-acre family farmland in Leelanau County.

Featured in the March 2021 issue of Traverse, Northern Michigan’s Magazine. Check it out!

The iconic 151-acre Mawby family farm along M-22 was preserved last summer, allowing the land to be farmed for generations to come thanks to a conservation easement secured by Leelanau Conservancy. Such easements keep land in private hands but permanently restrict development.

Picture of Bucolic farmland.

Rooted in Leelanau County’s agricultural heritage, the Mawby property in Suttons Bay Township features stunning views of Power Island and West Grand Traverse Bay—views that will remain protected as a result of the Mawby family’s work with the conservancy. The project also protects a 10-acre wetland complex that includes a groundwater-fed rich conifer swamp. “It’s a fantastic wildlife corridor that ultimately connects hydrologically to Grand Traverse Bay,” says Kim Hayes, the conservancy’s farmland protection director.

“My parents and siblings [Joan Dunklow and Ron Mawby] always felt a sense of stewardship, to make sure that the land was preserved and left better than we found it,” says vintner Larry Mawby. “The Leelanau Conservancy has a track record of being able to do that, and my family feels comfortable in entrusting it with that responsibility.”

Picture of Bucolic farmland.

Find this and more food and drink articles in the March 2021 annual food and drink issue of Traverse, Northern Michigan’s Magazine; or subscribe and get Traverse delivered to your door each month.