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ITC Copperton Project and the Chippewa Nature Center
I have included the letter that I received from Chippewa Nature Center in its entirety for you to read. The executive committee encourages you to submit comments during the public comment period which is only until the 5th of November. The link is included in the letter below for your convenience.
Dear Friends of Chippewa Nature Center:
We are writing to share an important issue that impacts Chippewa Nature Center ecosystems, facilities, and outdoor education programs. The ITC Copperton Project is a proposed 255-mile network of high-voltage 345-kilovolt (kV) transmission lines stretching across central mid-Michigan. Portions of this project, TI 117, TI 120, TI 125, and NR 598 could cross sections of Chippewa Nature Center, negatively impacting greenspace due to land clearing and the addition of largescale power lines.
As a nature center, we have the following concerns regarding routes that include CNC property:
- Habitat fragmentation: Construction and maintenance of these lines would result in a 200-300-foot-wide corridor through mature forests removing many trees that are over 150 years old. These lines would fracture the contiguous forests many local species need and that CNC has worked to protect over the last 60 years. This fragmentation, as well as the presence of the lines themselves, would have negative impacts on the plants and animals currently present in these areas, including endangered and threatened species and species of special concern in Michigan.
- Loss of educational and visitor value: For 60 years, CNC has worked to provide trails and green space for our community to enjoy while building lifelong connections to the natural world. Infrastructure of this scale will stretch through the property diminishing the quiet, natural setting needed for school programs, nature study, recreation, and restorative experiences.
- Health and safety impacts: Running major high-capacity power lines near our licensed preschool, school programs, and summer camp raises concern regarding construction hazards, operational noise, and electromagnetic fields (EMF).
The CNC board of directors has met to discuss this project and its potential impact. To date, Chippewa Nature Center staff have attended the official public comment meeting on October 6 in Midland to provide formal input about our concerns in person and had our concerns entered into the ITC online comment portal. A letter has been sent to ITC representatives expressing our concerns and we have heard from several neighbors sharing their concerns and encouraged all to share their input with ITC.
We are now asking for your help. Community input continues to be critical at this stage before ITC submits its final plans to the Michigan Public Service Commission. CNC board and staff strongly encourage you to share your feedback and express your support for not routing these lines through Chippewa Nature Center and neighboring properties.
Please take a moment to submit your comments through ITC’s Online Portal for the Copperton Project by the November 5, 2026 deadline at:
https://hdr.jotform.com/form/
Our property address is 400 S. Badour Road, Midland, MI 48640 in Homer Township.
Sincerely, Dennis Pilaske, Executive Director and Jordan Summers, Board President
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Chapter Membership
Tell your friends and neighbors about the Wild Ones and bring them to a meeting, youth are welcome when accompanied by an adult. New ideas about attracting and retaining members can be sent to Rachel LeClair ([email protected]).Welcome to our new member Karen Lee McArdle! Thank you to our renewing members Sarah Galt and Rosemary King. We appreciate your support!
Wild Ones Webinar – The Habitat Check-up
Speaker: Zoe Evans
Organization: Wildr Places
Date: Wednesday, November 18, 2026
Time: 7 p.m. Eastern | 6 p.m. Central | 5 p.m. Mountain | 4 p.m. Pacific
Location: Online, join the premiere on YouTube and participate in the live chat!
Link provided with registration. This webinar will be recorded and shared with registrants after the premiere. Cost: Free
About the Webinar:
Join Wild Ones and Zoe Evans, Cornell Master Naturalist and VP of Education & Partnership at Wildr Places, on November 18th for a practical look at how to assess the habitat value of the place you live. Rather than focusing on a single garden project or plant list, Zoe will walk through the interconnected pieces that make a landscape function as habitat, from native plants and layers of vegetation to water, shelter, healthy management practices, and the small signs that wildlife is already responding.
You’ll learn how to look at your own outdoor space through an ecological lens, recognize what you’re already doing well, spot opportunities for improvement, and choose realistic next steps based on your place and your priorities.
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