Winter 2022 Burial Forest Update
A brilliant (and warm!!) autumn has officially come and gone here in Michigan. We had GORGEOUS warm and sunny weather well into November! Colors changed, leaves fell, then so did snow. All the while, our work towards opening the burial forest continues into this winter season. A few updates:
Site, Zoning, & Land Approvals
As you know, we have a 20-acre forest in Brooks Township (Newaygo, MI) where we hope to establish the green burial forest. Talks with the Brooks Township Planning Commission, which began in February 2022, are still underway. In July, the township decided that they are willing to move forward with our proposal after we provide: a written agreement with a land conservancy for perpetual care of the property, and a site plan for the cemetery.
We had planned to begin pursuing an agreement with a nature conservancy after becoming an operational cemetery, since the process is typically lengthy. But, as soon as we received that requirement from the township, we began to pursue an easement with the Land Conservancy of West Michigan. We later became aware of an alternative that is moving forward more quickly. We have now been working with the conservation division of the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD). They are excited about what we are doing with the burial forest, and we are starting to draft the easement together!
We are also working to finish the site plan. This has required having the property surveyed, which has been a lengthy process.
In addition to permission from the township, we are working on approval from the County Health Department. We anticipate having the map we need for completion of that approval in the next couple weeks.
FALL PRESENTATIONS
In September, we gave two presentations about green burial in general and our burial forest plans in Grand Rapids, MI. The first was for the biology seminar at Calvin University, which included a good turnout of folks from the Calvin Institute of Lifelong Learning (CALL). We also gave a presentation hosted by the Creation Care Team at Sherman Street Church.
If your organization, church, or spiritual community is interested in learning more about green burial, drop us a line. We’d love to connect and share with your community in person or on Zoom.
NON-PROFIT FORMATION
MI Burial was established as an LLC. We have decided that a non-profit model makes sense and has some significant benefits, so we are working on forming a non-profit. Currently, we are deciding on a new name for this entity and putting together our board. If you’re interested in being involved, let us know.
GroWING WAITLIST
The waitlist for plots continues to consistently grow. We are not yet able to sell burial rights in the forest, but the number of those that are committed to purchasing their burial right once we are operational is encouraging. If you’d like more information or to join yourself, click the button below.
HOLIDAY GIFTS
We have a whole shop full of unique gifts, including a beautiful fine art botanical prints made by yours truly (Annica)! Every dollar of support means the world to us!
