About Us
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Our Origins The RiverWood Council began with a simple mission: to map the unprotected gaps in our natural landscape. In 2015, Jon Vanderbeek realized that the Saugatuck and Douglas area lacked a cohesive trail map. He began creating his own, envisioning new connections between existing parks and conservation easements. After several years of presenting these visions to the Saugatuck Parks Commission and the City of Saugatuck, a community of activists joined the cause. Together, they formed an urgent movement to protect our local connectivity and conservation before it is lost to development.
Our Unique Role RiverWood Council operates as a vital, independent bridge between municipalities and conservation 501(c)3 nonprofits. As an entirely volunteer-run organization without the overhead of a formal 501(c)3 status, we ensure that every contribution goes directly toward the specific trails and conservation projects we support.
In Jon Vanderbeek’s Words:
"We follow a boots-on-the-ground approach to conservation and trail access. We try to understand the underlying geology and landscapes, rather than just looking at street layouts and property development. If you study parcel maps you can find the natural features and wooded lots that remain. There are hundreds of acres of opportunity!”
Glenna DeJong, Chris Clark, Jon Vanderbeek and Betsy York
RiverWood Council would prefer to conserve large tracts of land. If that’s not possible, we will negotiate hiking trail easements with landowners to ensure public access through the woods. Local municipalities and conservation groups help with easements and deeds, so we have many tools and lots of support!
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Previous major conservations like Tallmadge Woods, Mount Baldhead, Peterson Preserve, and the Saugatuck Harbor Natural Area were spearheaded by a few concerned local citizens, like us. We don’t have the kind of constraints that municipalities have. Volunteers can get things started with landowners, then conservation organizations, municipalities, and the state come in with support.
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Development is exploding to the point where there will soon be no more large tracts of natural land left to preserve. We study the landscape and work with landowners to strike a balance between conservation and development. The Trail Master Plan is committed to preserving the future for our communities.