Our Promise to the community

Based out of the Boardman River Nature Center in Traverse City, Michigan, the Grand Traverse Conservation District is a community-serving organization that cares for the people and places that make northwest Michigan so special.

The Ottaway Crossing and Great Lakes Incubator Farm fulfill a promise we made to the community over 80 years ago - to serve the people and natural areas in Grand Traverse County by providing gateways to the natural world. We actively connect the community to the land by restoring natural areas, training future generations of conservation leaders, supporting sustainable, local agriculture; and caring for the Boardman-Ottaway River.