A history of land stewardship.
In our minds, “development” is more about what you don’t develop than what you do. It means that, when we develop land, it begins with a deep respect for protecting its wildlife, history and character. It means gentle touches on the land, enhancing it instead of changing it. On each property we work carefully to preserve the trees, wetlands, scenic views and wildlife areas. We strive to protect environmentally sensitive areas with safeguards and covenants. We craft power and roads to work with the land, not against it. Click on our case studies below – you’ll see that, when it comes to development, conservation is our primary guide.
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Homan Lake. A family legacy lives on.
For three generations The Homan family owned what is now Homan Lake inMichigan’s Upper Peninsula. The land was so precious to the family that when they
decided to sell it, they sought to entrust their family heirloom to a company with a deep respect for nature. Someone to partner with that could ensure the land, water and history were well cared for.
When we acquired Homan Lake, we applied all aspects of our Naterra Land Pledge, preserving the properties’ history, natural beauty and scenic views. We then added additional setbacks from the water, included “rain gardens” that improved and protected lake water quality, set bait restrictions to reduce rough fish populations, and enforced a no-wake rule on the entire lake. Today, Homan Lake stands as a shining example of what pristine property can be, and how family legacies live on with Naterra Land.
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Loon Lake: Preserving a fragile ecosystem.
Loon Lake is a 10,000 year-old, crystal-clear body of water in Wisconsin’s ChippewaCounty. It is also an extremely fragile eco-system that cannot withstand heavy use
and development. When we acquired property on Loon Lake, we knew we had a treasure that needed extra care to be preserved. Existing regulations failed to adequately protect the shallow lake, so we took matters into our own hands to increase protections for the vulnerable body of water. We worked with Wisconsin DNR lake specialists to establish what the lake needed most. We then put a conservation and development plan in place that preserved the fragile lake and prevented future degradation. One visit to Loon Lake and you’ll see how “doing right by the land” does right for the spirit, as residents have a rare gem that truly connects them to nature.
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The Story of the Indian Boundary Tree
Centuries ago, the Cherokee Indians in Georgia developed a unique way to marktheir trails and territories. They would locate saplings near their borders and along
their trails and lash them to the ground. As the tree grew older, a significant bend in
the trunk would take shape, making a clear marker. To find a bent tree today is a
treasure, as most have vanished over time.
When we began work on The Preserve at Sharp Mountain near Jasper, Georgia, we discovered several bent trees. We immediately preserved each bent tree, and with it a Cherokee legend that is still told today. Today, hikers can visit the bent trees at The Preserve at Sharp Mountain, where they’ll find them enshrined and untouched- as they have stood for centuries.
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