Presque Isle Co, MI, July 4, 2007, photo by kingsnake user ratsnakeheaven

The Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy is closing on 457 acres of property known as the La Grange Valley wetlands that is known as a "biodiversity hot spot" that houses a pair of nesting bald eagles and two endangered species, including the eastern massasauga rattlesnake.

The agency’s ultimate goal is to protect an important fen habitat with upland islands and tall hardwood trees that harbor a lot of wildlife, including several state threatened or endangered species like the Blanding’s turtle. And no, Hansen says, the agency’s not revealing the other federally endangered species — apart from the massasauga rattlesnake — out of a need to protect it.

To learn more about the project visit swmlc.org

To read the full article, click here.