Ann Arbor Doctor Donates Land for Preservation in Dexter, Putnam Townships

Dr. Rudolph Reichert, a retired surgeon and prominent member of the Ann Arbor community, has donated 92 acres of land to Legacy Land Conservancy.

The land, located in Dexter and Putman townships, was previously protected with a conservation easement held jointly by Legacy Land Conservancy and Livingston Land Conservancy.

The terrain consists of two kettle lakes, several ponds, near-shore habitat abutting Portage Creek and Little Portage Lake, wetlands, swamp, marsh, and dry oak forests. Such habitat diversity provides a home for many Michigan species, including the Dwarf Hackberry and Massasauga Rattlesnakes.

Reichert purchased the land in fragments, over a period of 40 years. Since then, the Reichert family has managed the land with a strong conservation ethic, ensuring a small footprint.

Reichert’s wife Sue was instrumental in the family's decision to protect the land. She was a docent at Matthaei Botanical Gardens, and the farm was a setting to educate her family about wildflowers, birds, and insects.

Sue’s daughter, Kathy, said that her mother taught the rest of the family to “see and appreciate the beauty of the many intricate natural systems of the farm.”

The Reichert family swam in the ponds, hiked, rode horseback, and cross-country skied on a network of trails, and ate produce from a vegetable garden they cultivated.

Legacy Land Conservancy is filled with gratitude for this gift to the community.

Through the partnership, this 92-acre parcel of land will be protected as “Reichert Nature Preserve.”

Due to the sensitive nature of the preserve, it is open to the public by permission only.

Contact Legacy Land Conservancy at 734-302-5263, or email stewardship@legacylandconservancy.org for more information.