Mission – Vision – Values

Upper Peninsula Land Conservancy:

Protecting “Land Today for Life Tomorrow“

Our Purpose

The Upper Peninsula Land Conservancy (UPLC) has been working since 1999 to conserve and protect the land of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. We aim to promote healthy natural ecosystems – including clean water, wildlife habitat, and recreation opportunities – for generations to come. With the help of volunteers, partnering organizations, and donors like you, we currently protect more than 6,000 acres in the Upper Peninsula! Our protected properties include 10 dedicated Preserves, 24 experimental working forest Reserves, and 21 Conservation Easements with private land owners and partnering organizations. Read through our website to discover more about who we are, what we protect, and opportunities to get involved with our cause.

Our Mission: 

The Upper Peninsula Land Conservancy promotes healthy ecosystems and communities by providing permanent legal protection and ecological management of conservation lands and by engaging the public in the protection and enjoyment of these lands.

Our Vision: 

The Upper Peninsula Land Conservancy envisions a future where residents and visitors enjoy clean waters, abundant wildlife, inspiring scenery, working lands, and a thriving economy. We see a future where our community values and supports UPLC as a vital institution that protects and contributes to the quality of life in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. We will be an integral link between a healthy ecosystem and a healthy community as we prepare the land for changes such as those due to global climate change and shifting demographics. The U.P. Land Conservancy will prepare for and meet these changes with a broad base of support and the financial independence to fulfill the commitments we have made.

As an organization, we value:

  1. Conservation for the sake of the Environment  
    1. We believe that the existence of healthy, bio-diverse ecosystems are naturally more resistant to climate change and have value beyond human needs.
     
    1. We believe that ensuring the permanent protection of these lands, especially wilderness and water resources, will show respect for and have a far-reaching benefit for all life forms, even in those areas we are unable to protect.
  1. Conservation for the Sake of People  
    1. We believe that protecting land benefits more than just the plants, animals and landscapes. Protecting land provides educational, recreational, public health, social, mental, economic, and other innumerable benefits.  
    1. We believe that as a land trust, we are responsible to the people that benefit from our land protection and it is our duty to ensure that they receive those benefits no matter their personal background or identity, history, physical capabilities, or financial means.
    2. The mission of the Upper Peninsula Land Conservancy is to protect land today for life tomorrow, for our community – all of our community. As a land trust, we are responsible to the people that are affected by the land, and it is our duty to ensure that all people feel welcome and safe in our communities and on the trails, no matter their race, religion, background or identity. We acknowledge the systemic racism that prevents Black and Indigenous People of Color from experiencing the same benefits from nature and land protection as their non-BIPOC neighbors. As an organization we are committed to increasing equity and improving access to clean water, fresh air, and safe recreation for all people.
  1. Organizational Excellence  
    1. We believe that meeting or exceeding industry best practices, such as those laid out in the Land Trust Alliance Standards and Practices, should be integral to all of our operations.
     
    1. We have a legal and ethical responsibility to ensure that all management decisions and projects taken will be within our capacity for in perpetuity care. The lack of foresight in one decision will impact the viability of all of our projects.
  1. Integrity  
    1. We have a legal and moral responsibility to the land and to the community. All our transactions and operations will be transparent and understandable, and staff and board will be held to the highest standards of ethics and professional practices.