Cudlip Conservation Easement
Ellis Township, Cheboygan County
“The property and all its 480 acres remains a gem,” said Lynn Cudlip. In that statement, she summed up a feeling shared by other members of her family when they exercised their right to protect the land that has become an important part of their heritage. As a result, 480 acres with nearly a mile of frontage on the Pigeon River have been permanently protected with a conservation easement.
The undeveloped land drains directly into a mile-long stretch of the Pigeon River and lies close to protected land in the Mackinac State Forest , the Pigeon River Country State Forest , the Conservancy’s Pigeon River Wildlife Preserve, and the Conservancy’s Agnes Andreae Preserve. A broad diversity of ecosystems, including everythi
ng from vital river corridor wetlands to meadows and very high uplands that provide spectacular views of the Pigeon River Valley, adds to the unique nature of the Cudlips’ property.
In 1998, Lynn Cudlip called the Conservancy inquiring into the possibility of permanently protecting the land that she and her brothers had recently inherited from their parents. The Pigeon River property has always been a very special part of the Cudlips’ lives, and they knew that a conservation easement would perpetually preserve the integrity of the landscape.
As soon as Conservancy staff walked the property, there was no doubt that the land was a perfect candidate for a conservation easement. When protecting land through conservation easements, the property remains in the 
family’s private ownership, but the easement ensures it will never be subdivided and will always remain wild and natural.
As a biologist, Lynn Cudlip is well aware that the significance of their gift goes beyond the family’s satisfaction. “I can’t emphasize enough the importance of keeping tracts of land intact,” she remarked. “By doing so, the services provided to us by the ecosystems that exist on the landscape - everything we and other critters depend on for life - will also remain.”
When asked if she had advice for others who are considering a conservation easement for their property, Lynn offered the following. “Take your time. It’s your easement, it’s your land, but there are a number of other creatures that need it and use it. We’re just lucky enough to have conservancies willing to take on the task of maintaining, monitoring, and overseeing tracts of land that harbor things such as whip-poor-wills, northern white cedar, clean streams, and forest lands.”
On behalf of the Pigeon River Watershed and all who care about it, the Conservancy would like to thank the Cudlip family for their generous and thoughtful gift. While the land remains in private ownership, its conservation values have been permanently protected, benefiting all who appreciate the importance of wildlife habitat, free flowing rivers, and large tracts of wild land in Michigan’s North Country.
Year protected: 2000
Total acreage today: 480 acres
Total shoreline: 1 mile Pigeon River