If you asked a longtime Grosse Ile resident where the island's green space ends, most would point to the same handful of spots: the wooded lot off Blauvelt, the marsh views near the toll bridge, Sunrise Park's little strip of sand. What most people would not mention is the newest, and by far the largest, piece of protected land the island has added in more than three decades. That is because almost no one has walked it. As of the announcement earlier this year, it was not even clear whether the public would be allowed to.
The Grosse Ile Nature and Land Conservancy calls it the Leo G. Stevenson Family Preserve, an 18.8-acre parcel on Meridian Road between Bridge Road and Owen Street. Grosse Ile resident and philanthropist Leo Stevenson, part-owner of Latitudes Restaurant in Wyandotte and managing director at Wyandotte Merrill Lynch, covered the full purchase price himself, according to reporting from the Detroit Free Press picked up by Blue Water Healthy Living. GINLC president Paul Gloor called it the conservancy's largest land purchase in its 33-year history. That is not a small claim on an island where nearly every wooded acre is privately owned and has to be pieced together one lot at a time.
What Actually Changed
The Stevenson parcel breaks down into 7.9 acres of upland forest sitting on Grosse Ile and 10.9 acres of offshore land extending into the Detroit River. The forest holds trees the conservancy estimates at more than 200 years old, including Red Oak, White Oak, Shagbark Hickory, Hackberry, and Ironwood, alongside forested wetlands and spring wildflowers. The offshore portion includes limestone shoals that help shield South Hennepin Marsh, which GINLC describes as one of the most significant fish and wildlife habitats remaining in Michigan's waters of the Detroit River. Mink, muskrat, turtles, waterfowl, and wading birds all use the habitat this single gift now protects in perpetuity.
Gloor put the scale of it plainly in the release announcing the acquisition:
"This parcel not only adds to our existing 176 acres under stewardship, but it is one of the largest remaining tracts available for preservation on the Island. This is a major acquisition for Grosse Ile and will be protected in perpetuity for all generations."
That single sentence is the number worth sitting with. GINLC had spent decades building its holdings acre by acre through easements and small donated lots. Compare the Stevenson gift to what the conservancy typically acquires:
| Preserve | Size |
|---|---|
| Hathorne Preserve (Marlborough & Chicory) | 0.16 acre |
| Coleman Preserve (Coleman & Brook Circle) | 0.48 acre |
| William Heinrich Preserve (Parke Lane & Wendell Court) | 1.18 acres |
| Finazzo Preserve (Meridian & Rucker) | 1.4 acres |
| Leo G. Stevenson Family Preserve (Meridian Road) | 18.8 acres |
Most of the conservancy's protected land arrives in fractions of an acre, the kind of parcel that comes from a single family deciding not to develop a wooded lot behind their house. The Stevenson gift is more than ten times the size of the next largest example on that list. Set against the conservancy's existing 176 acres under stewardship, it represents roughly an eleven percent jump in total protected land from one transaction. On an island where open space is scarce and almost entirely spoken for, that kind of concentration does not happen often.
What has not happened yet is public access. At the time of the announcement, GINLC said it was still unclear whether the preserve would open for walking, birding, or paddling the way its other holdings do. A roadside marker recognizing the Stevenson family's gift was planned for installation along Meridian Road this past spring, which means residents driving by may already see the sign before there is a trail behind it.
Where You Can Actually Go This Weekend
While the island's biggest new preserve sits in limbo, the places residents already know how to reach are worth a second look, especially with the routine parts of summer starting to wind down.
Sunrise Park, at the eastern end of Grosse Ile Parkway where it meets East River Road, remains the island's only public beach and one of the more desirable kayak launch points on the entire Detroit River, according to Michigan Water Trails. The park sits on land the township bought from Wayne County in 2011, and GINLC has spent the years since adding a kayak ramp down the stairway and retaining walls to slow erosion. It is a small footprint, well under half an acre, but it draws kayakers, dog walkers, birders, and anyone who wants a clear view of Stoney Island and the surrounding marsh. The tradeoff is real: the stairway down to the water is not easy for everyone to navigate, and there are still no restroom facilities on site, something GINLC has flagged in its own planning documents as a barrier for older residents and families with young kids.
Further afield, the Airport Nature Area occupies ground once used by a U.S. Naval Station, where debris left behind for decades has since been cleared. GINLC built trails and a photo blind overlooking an old quarry there, giving birders a quiet vantage point that did not exist a generation ago. It is a useful reminder that the island's nature spaces are not static backdrops. They get built, cleared, and reshaped the same way any piece of infrastructure does.
Closer to the water, the Hennepin Marsh Gateway adds a boardwalk and observation deck looking out over the Trenton Channel, giving pedestrians a sightline into marsh habitat that used to be visible only from a boat.
Start at the Resource Center
If any of this makes you want to know more before the next preserve opens, the practical starting point is the John C. Jackson Resource Center at 8801 Macomb Street, which opened in April 2024 in the heart of the island's business district, steps from the DDA storefronts most residents already pass on a normal week. The building itself is only staffed during GINLC events, but the grounds are open for passive visits, and it is the most direct way to ask questions about preserve status, volunteer for a cleanup, or find out when the Stevenson property might eventually welcome visitors.
The island's fall calendar gives residents another reason to pay attention to how much of Grosse Ile is quietly protected versus quietly for sale. The 2026 Grosse Ile Home & Garden Tour runs September 12, and it is one of the few events each year that puts private yards and public green space in the same conversation, even if only for an afternoon.
None of this changes anything about buying or selling a house on Grosse Ile today. What it does change is how residents should think about the island's supply of open land going forward. A parcel this size does not come up often, and when one does, it tends to get absorbed into conservation rather than into a subdivision. That is worth knowing whether you are planning your next walk or just trying to understand why the wooded lot near you never seems to change hands.
If you are thinking about what a property near one of these preserves is actually worth, or want a clearer read on how proximity to protected land shows up in local pricing, Ashley Ridenour can walk you through it. Let's Connect.
