News Photo by Jordan Spence The new Hubbard Lake Nature Preserve was donated to Huron Pines from John and Wendy Frye.

HUBBARD LAKE — There will be more chances for people to take a look at the newly acquired Huron Pines Hubbard Lake property.

The conservation organization Huron Pines had an open house on Tuesday for the public to see the donated property.

The Hubbard Lake Preserve spans 80 acres and was donated by John and Wendy Frye earlier this summer.

“The overall plan and our philosophy is that it’s not enough to preserve nature,” said Huron Pines Executive Director Brad Jensen. “We need to restore it and engage people in nature and that’s what we’re trying to do with this property.”

He said officials want to protect the land in a way that is great for forest health and wildlife, but also engages the local community.

“We want adults and young people and get them out here to walk the trails and understand more about the nature and what’s around them,” he said.

There are two buildings on the property. One is a former home, which Huron Pines officials hope to use as a satellite office. The other is a pole barn, which will be transformed into an education space.

“There’s a lot of oak and, over time, transition to a pine forest,” Jensen said. “There are some invasive species. we know we’ll always have those things. (Using) the property to educate the public about what are the emerging threats, how do we address them and how do we care for the land, are big priorities of ours.”

The organization hopes to have the property open to the public next spring. Officials said they also need to raise $50,000 to do the things necessary to open it and to start a long-term fund to manage the property.

John Frye said he and his wife bought the property 15 years ago and lived on it for two years.

“We then moved away and after that it was a family hunting camp,” he said.

When they first saw the property, they fell in love with it. So, after they moved, they kept it until now.

“Slowly we paid it off and knew at some point we wanted to preserve it,” Frye said. “We decided to do it now instead of when we’re older because we found Huron Pines to be capable and qualified and interested. We knew our goals would be adhered to. It was compatible with our mission.”

Their highest goal is to have families access it and to inspire kids to be stewards of the land.

“We want them to have a quiet place, a real slow-paced area you can reflect,” Frye said.

The next event on the property will be bird-watching at 9:30 a.m. Sept. 19. The address is 720 Holiday Inn Road, Hubbard Lake.

Jordan Spence can be reached at jspence@thealpenanews.com or 989-358-5687.