By Krista Gjestland, Development and Communications Director
How time flies! When I started working at Legacy nearly six years ago, I was brought on primarily to help put together our 50th Anniversary Gala in 2021. When the celebration shifted online during the COVID-19 pandemic, we promised ourselves we’d celebrate together when the time was right. Five years later, our community did exactly that.
More than 175 land lovers joined us at Revel Run in Chelsea on June 25 to celebrate our 55th anniversary. Friends, supporters, volunteers, landowners, and partners filled Revel Run with laughter and conversation as they reconnected, swapped stories, made flower crowns, posed for photos, and toasted 55 years of conservation.
Paul Saginaw, Zingerman’s co-founder and the evening’s guest speaker, reminded guests that Legacy has done more than protect land. It has created a culture of conservation across southern Michigan.
“You have made it normal in this region to think long-term about land, to talk about watersheds, to see a farm field as part of the shared inheritance, and not just as a piece of real estate to be sold,” Paul said.
He reflected on Legacy’s grassroots beginning, noting that the organization grew from neighbors working together. Not through a single transformational gift, but through decades of steady commitment.
He remarked on what makes Legacy unique: generations of ordinary people choosing to do extraordinary things together. From kitchen-table conversations and volunteer workdays to conservation easements and community fundraising, he reminded guests that lasting change comes through countless small acts of stewardship.
“It’s small actions repeated over and over again. Phone calls, site visits, conversations at kitchen tables, that taken together amount to thousands of acres of protected land, cleaner water, and healthier habitats,” Paul said. “Small actions are the basis of how the health of any community is built and supported, not through one grand gesture, but through practice, through habits, through lots of people joining together to undertake many small acts with a common goal.”
Capping off the night, former Legacy Board President Larry Doll shared how growing up on his family’s farm instilled a lifelong love of the land and inspired his family’s decision to permanently protect more than 190 acres through conservation easements.
“I grew up on our family farm in Sylvan Township and developed a true love for the land,” Larry said.
Inspired by the evening’s stories and shared commitment to conservation, Larry and his wife Stephanie, announced a $10,000 matching gift to launch Legacy’s next chapter.
In that moment, guests responded with $16,663 in gifts–unlocking the full match and raising $26,664 to safeguard southern Michigan’s land and water!
Reflecting on the evening, and the 55 years of community-driven land conservation Legacy has achieved, I’m deeply hopeful.
Inspired to protect Bird Hills, our founders couldn’t have imagined more than 11,000 acres of protected land today. They couldn’t have seen the eight public nature preserves providing a place for thousands of people to connect with the natural world each year. They couldn’t have envisioned the farmland, creeks, and rivers now safe from development, or heard the laughter from a group of teenagers competing to remove garlic mustard during a preserve workday.
Yet, looking around the room that evening, it was easy to imagine what the next 55 years might hold.
While we can’t predict the future, we can protect it. We can create a resilient, bold future through land protection–cleaner water, thriving pollinator habitats, lush forests, and productive family farms this community relies on.
The evening reminded us that conservation has always been an act of planting something we may never fully see.
Fifty-five years ago, Legacy’s founders planted a vision that has grown into more than 11,000 protected acres. Today, this community is planting the next chapter–one that future generations will inherit, enjoy, and build upon. And like those founders, I trust that what we’re planting together today will grow beyond our wildest hopes into a thriving, resilient, diverse future.
View our 55th Anniversary Gala photo gallery here
Special Thanks!
Thank you to everyone who joined us to celebrate 55 years of protecting the land and water that make southern Michigan so special. Seeing so many friends, supporters, partners, and conservation champions together on such a beautiful evening was truly unforgettable.
We're deeply grateful to everyone who helped make the night a success–from those who generously supported our mission through the silent auction, wine pull, and Mission Moment, to our incredible sponsors whose generosity made this celebration possible.
A special thank you to Revel Run and Food Art for creating such a wonderful experience, to Milan Anderson for playing lovely music, to Leslie Science & Nature Center for bringing native wildlife ambassadors, and to We Adore Flowers for the beautiful flower crown station that added so much joy to the evening.
And to our board members, volunteers, and staff: thank you for the countless hours of planning and hard work that made this magical evening possible. We are extremely grateful to our gala committee members for their support, guidance, and hard work to make this event a reality–Anna Wadhams, Karen Ufer, Ruthann Nichols, Larry Doll and Anne Glendon.
Thank you, sponsors!
Woodland ($5,000)
- Anonymous
- Bank of Ann Arbor
- Chelsea Lumber
- Food Art
- Revel Run
- ITC Holdings
Tree ($2,500)
- Jack & Ginny Sinn Family Foundation
- Arbor Land Consultants, Inc.
- Ruthann Nichols
Sapling ($1,500)
- Applied Environmental
Sprout ($1,000)
- ATA Title
- DTE Energy
- Bund Family Fund
- Elaine & Christopher Graham
- Tamarack Valuation Services
- Wolfpack Ann Arbor
- Zingerman's Community of Giving
Seed ($500)
- Ann Arbor Host Lions Club
- Mothfire Brewing Company
- Kapnick Insurance
- True Community Credit Union
- Hunger Appraisal Services
- Dynamic Edge
- PlantWise