Easement Number Nine

ur most recent conservation easement is near the fringes of the River Raisin watershed in Norvell Township, Jackson County. The property has frontage on Mud Lake and Iron Creek, at the creek’s headwaters. As the literal birthplace of Iron Creek, the property’s symbolic value is important to the watershed. The preservation of the existing natural features on this property is a first step in maintaining and improving the water quality along the entire length of the river.

Bernard and Dorothy Ann Coyne bought this thirteen-acre property in 1982, when they lived in Toledo and Bernie taught at the University of Toledo. At that time there was a small, aluminum-sided cottage that had been the first building on the lake, and a small boathouse. It was a “lovely, quiet little 120 acre lake” where, on Memorial Day weekend in 1982 there was only one rowboat; on July 4th there were two. There is more activity now, but “Sunnyside,” as the Coynes named their safe-haven, is still a tranquil location for the Coynes to hold retreats and workshops. Dottie is a Kripalu yoga teacher. Bernie is a Rubenfeld synergist. Together they teach the creative process and alternate approaches to health and healing.

Their first major project, on which many friends helped, was to reconstruct the cinder block boathouse. They re-sided the block with wood from a barn built in Blissfield in 1824 and added a second story and a deck. The deck is supported by un-hewn tree trunks that bridge the gap between nature and the comforts that humans are driven to carve from our natural surroundings. The “boathouse” now serves as additional space for retreats.

The Coynes moved to the property in 1985 after Bernie retired. The next project was to renovate and expand the original cottage. The Coynes, with help from various family, friends and supporters, tore off the aluminum siding and attached a timber frame addition to it. That was the beginning of workshops at the property, this one led by Riverbend Timber Framing, to teach people from around the country how to build a timber frame structure.

Bernie and Dottie have pursued a dream that has included sharing their small piece of paradise with hundreds of other people. They knew that what they had built and nurtured was something that should be preserved. As members of the RVLT for a number of years they learned about conservation easements and they knew that was a way to ensure that their legacy could live on.

The existing buildings can be maintained, but the Coynes have specified that that no additional structures can be built. Future owners, which could include one of their children, will take possession of the property with full knowledge of the restrictions the Coynes have placed on the property. The RVLT’s role is to ensure that their wishes will be honored. We hope that Sunnyside will continue to be an oasis that is treasured by those who visit there, and that the generous spirit in which it was created will continue to be shared a hundred years from now.

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