Save Sibley Prairie

Can you #FindThatLizard and help save Sibley Prairie?

Tonight’s challenge species is the western whiptail lizard. Photo by Amanda Goad. And while you won’t find western skinks in Michigan, #FindThatLizard has never just been about one species or one place. It’s about using our curiosity for reptiles to tell bigger stories about the habitats wildlife depend on and why protecting those places matters.

Photo by Connor Long

In January Antonio, Swdetroitjesus reached out to me to come out and see Sibley Prairie. And it just so happened that I would be visiting the Detroit area in March for a ceramics conference.

Tucked just outside of Detroit, Sibley Prairie isn’t just another patch of open space. It’s the largest remaining lakeplain prairie in all of Michigan—a rare ecosystem that once covered huge parts of the region but has almost disappeared. Today, less than a fraction of these landscapes remain, making places like Sibley not only ecologically important, but historically and culturally important too.

What makes Sibley Prairie so special is the life it still holds. This 440-acre mosaic of prairie, wetland, and woodland supports an incredible diversity of plants and animals, including threatened and endangered species like the American bumble bee, rare milkweeds, butterflies, and reptiles that depend on intact habitat to survive. 

During my visit I was able to work with local scientists to sample the vernal pools, seasonal wetlands, for macroinvertebrate life. We also saw many garter snakes and heard lots of frogs. The prairie is full of life and we need to make sure it remains so.

Right now, Sibley Prairie is at a crossroads. Conservation groups, led by the Michigan Land Conservancy and the Save Sibley Prairie Coalition, are racing to raise the funds needed to permanently protect the land before it can be lost to development. Their goal includes purchasing the property, restoring damaged habitat, and creating long-term stewardship so this ecosystem can survive for generations.

Whether it’s a western whiptail lizard scurrying around looking for food, a garter snake moving through Michigan grasslands, or the tiny macroinvertebrates hidden in a vernal pool, the lesson is the same: wildlife can’t survive without wild places. Once a prairie is paved over, we don’t get it back. But if we act now, we can make sure Sibley remains wild, alive, and full of stories still waiting to be discovered. 

Important milestones:

Pledge deadline: September 30, 2026. The coalition is asking major donors and pledge supporters to submit pledges by this date so they can track fundraising progress. 

The coalition has until the end of 2026 (December 2026) to secure the land. If the money isn’t raised by then, the 440-acre parcel could go back on the market and potentially be developed. The current goal is $9.7 million total. They need $6 million to purchase the land, plus $3.7 million for restoration and long-term stewardship.