Mission and Values
Our Mission
We work to safeguard southern Michigan’s land and water to support diverse, resilient, and thriving communities—forever.
OUR GUARANTEE
We will listen and provide thoughtful, personalized expertise to anyone with questions about land protection.
Our Core Values
We believe that southern Michigan contains rare and integral ecosystems, flora, and fauna that provide value and deserve the space to thrive.
We believe the climate is changing and that meaningful local action can soften its impacts and help create a more resilient future.
We believe that fiscal responsibility and transparency are essential to honor the generosity of our donors, volunteers, and supporters.
We believe the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. We cannot do this work alone and choose to collaborate creatively with individuals, organizations, and communities whenever possible.
We believe that anti-racism work and battling other biases is hard work, and we strive to learn and grow from our probable mistakes, while working to acknowledge our privilege and part in this exclusion. We formally seek to remedy historical barriers with a commitment to justice, equity, diversity, accessibility, and inclusion (JEDAI).
We believe the environmental and land trust movements are built on systems that exclude Black, Indigenous, Latin, and other people of color, as well as other members of our communities who have been marginalized, and that Legacy has historically played a role in this exclusion and privilege.
We believe that providing people with places to immerse themselves in the natural world creates healing opportunities that are wide-reaching and intergenerational.
We believe employees are more than their work and strive for a culture of flexibility, compassion, laughter, and meaningful support that empowers a healthy life-work balance.
We believe we must be nimble and open to exploring opportunities that come before us and to utilize our skills to investigate new or innovative ways to protect land.
With your support, we can continue to ensure that Southern Michigan's irreplaceable landscapes remain diverse, resilient, thriving, and accessible for all.