Water quality starts on the land.

It’s a message that conservation organizations have long hammered home. Surface runoff within a watershed has a tremendous impact on the health of lakes and rivers, and protecting natural systems that reduce, filter or absorb runoff is an excellent way to protect water quality.

This fact is just one reason why folks at the Leelanau Conservancy are particularly excited about their newest nature preserve. The nearly 70-acre property south of Suttons Bay includes a large swath of wetlands that surround a main tributary of Leo Creek, itself a significant tributary of Suttons Bay and the larger Grand Traverse Bay.

“If you love the bay and you love the water, you need to think about land protection,” conservancy Land Protection Specialist Jenee Rowe tells The Ticker. “And especially a property like this, with forested, intact, high-quality wetlands.”

Rowe says the property, which recently went up for sale, had long been a conservancy target specifically because of its ecological composition and its position in the Leo Creek watershed. It’s a big chunk of a larger wetland complex that serves to filter the runoff from hundreds of acres surrounding the creek.

“One of the core priorities of the Leelanau Conservancy is protecting the water quality of Leelanau County and all its inland lakes, groundwater, streams (and the bay)…and this one is particularly important,” she says. “Wetland complexes like this one are not only important for wildlife, but they catch a lot of sediments and nutrients early on in the system.”

The preserve is named Phyl’s Forest in honor of Phyllis Stites, the late mother of Jan Pezzi. Jan and husband Ray Pezzi financed the conservancy’s purchase of the property.

The preserve is situated about two miles south of Suttons Bay between Center Highway (Co. Road 633) and TART Trails' tremendously popular Leelanau Trail, which slices through the property’s eastern edge for a stretch. The Pezzis had experienced the parcel from both sides, with each being special for different reasons.

“I have always admired the stretch of 633 upon which it fronts because it reminds me of my childhood on Four Mile Road in Traverse City, back when it was wild and lightly traveled,” Jan Pezzi tells The Ticker. “This woods has that same wetland look, with spires of black spruce above dense walls of cedars. It always gives me a nostalgic feeling when we drive by it.”

On the other side, the Pezzis spent many hours walking the trail along the “pleasantly peaceful and sheltered” property with their dogs. When they first saw that dreaded sign go up, they reached out to the conservancy right away.

“When my husband first noticed the "For Sale" sign posted beside these lovely woods, our hearts sank,” Jan says. “We shiver whenever a pretty piece of land sprouts realtor signage because that is usually a harbinger of doom for wildlife habitat and natural beauty, so much of which is sold off and squandered around these parts.”

The conservancy, already keen on the property, was glad to tackle the project. Leaders there are tremendously thankful to the Pezzis – who have previously supported the conservancy – for making the project happen.

“We’re incredibly grateful to the Pezzis for their generosity in making Phyl’s Forest a reality,” says Brighid Driscoll, interim communications manager. “The Pezzis commitment to the community and protecting these lands speaks to the heart of our mission: to preserve what makes Leelanau, Leelanau. We couldn’t do it without them, and we’re thrilled to be able to share this success with our community.”

Julie Clark, executive director of TART Trails, tells The Ticker that protection of Phyl’s Forest is important in terms of safeguarding the Leelanau Trail experience.

“Part of what makes that trail so special is the diversity of landscapes that you encounter. You have that bucolic farmland and also these beautiful woods that you go through,” she says. “We’re grateful that we have such a phenomenal partner in the conservancy so that some of these landscapes along the trail are protected.”

The conservancy is likely to build a small spur trail off of the Leelanau Trail into the preserve so folks can sit and enjoy it, Rowe says, though most of the property will likely be left untouched due to ecological sensitivity. It is a tremendously productive birding spot and will likely be even more so now that is protected, Rowe adds.

Phyl's Forest joins 29 other Leelanau Conservancy preserves and natural areas.