Iron Creek Preserve open to the public!
Two visitors walk the new gravel path at the entrance of the Iron Creek Preserve during the grand opening celebration on June 28, 2025. Photo courtesy of Legacy Land Conservancy.
by Sara Swanson
In early March of 2024, we reported that Manchester would be getting a new nature preserve and we can report that, after a grand opening ceremony on June, 28, it is now officially open to the public!
More than 80 friends, neighbors, and supporters turned out to help Legacy Land Conservancy open the preserve, an event which featured cake, a ribbon-cutting ceremony, and guided tours. U.S. Representative Debbie Dingell gave opening remarks emphasizing the importance of public lands and the value they provide to communities — especially for children to experience nature.
Sybil Kolon, who along with her husband, Maan Abdulbaki, donated the land for the preserve thanked everyone, then gave the following statement:
“This is a dream come true that began 49 years ago, when Maan and I moved out here with much help from my family when we were out of jobs. Two moments in this journey stick in my memory.
A short time after we moved here, I remember reading to my family a passage from Aldo Leopold’s A Sand County Almanac. This could be one of the quotes I read: “That land is a community is the basic concept of ecology, but that land is to be loved and respected is an extension of ethics.” He came up with the concept of the Land Ethic. Aldo Leopold was a conservationist who lived from 1887 to 1948. If you have never heard of him, please look him up.
The second moment was a walk, early on, with my mother, stepfather, sister, two neighbors from Highland Park, and their young sons. We realized the potential of bringing kids out here from the city. It was the beginning of the dream.
Fast-forward: Ten years ago, Maan and I created a living trust that included donating this land to become a preserve upon our deaths. Five years ago the idea that I could have my own nature preserve came into my head. It didn’t take long for me to realize how unrealistic that was. That has become even more obvious as Legacy performed the many steps required to bring this preserve to fruition. But the spark took flame: Why should I wait until I’m dead to create a nature preserve? Legacy was already the intended recipient, and so the process began. I have always wanted to connect people to nature, and that has been my focus since I retired nine years ago.
The vacant 160-year-old farmhouse that once stood on the parking lot was an obstacle that required much time to address. I quickly realized that using the history of the two families who have lived here over generations is a great way to connect people to the land. My own family, since 1948, and the Sutton family, represented [at the opening] by my good friend, Laura Sutton, who is the great-great-granddaughter of Richard and Ann Sutton, who built the farmhouse over 165 years ago. Much of that history has been documented and is available.
I am working on putting on a series of nature-history walks that will focus on the evolving relationship of humans to the land over time. Check out the Iron Creek Preserve page on Legacy’s website, where you will be able to access all of the goings on here, including a link to the Manchester Area Historical Society, where the history we have uncovered is documented. It’s called Deconstructing the Past.
The stewardship of this preserve is a primary focus of Legacy. The resources Legacy is bringing to do that go far beyond what we were able to do over the past 25 years we have been working on stewardship. Sharing this special place with others is also important, and we have done that on a small scale with family and friends; now it will be open to everyone. That will be an adjustment, running into people on the trails, but one that will include more opportunities to connect people to the land. I walk out here almost daily and will be happy to answer questions and help interpret what we see on the land, but I promise not to interfere with your own enjoyment of this place and the serenity that comes with observing the landscapes, flora, and fauna, which are now accessible to everyone.
I will continue mowing many of the trails and doing other tasks in concert with Legacy staff, and hope many of you will join me in making the Iron Creek Preserve the best it can be for its human visitors and the plants and animals that reside here.”
It took an extensive amount of work and collaboration to open Iron Creek Preserve, including intensive stewardship, infrastructure work, thousands of staff hours, and 270-plus volunteer hours. Legacy thanked everyone who had a hand in making it all happen with special thanks to Sybil and Maan for donating their land so the community can enjoy it, forever; the staff — especially the preserve team — who created a safe and welcoming space, and land acquisitions team who spent years navigating this transaction to ensure Sybil and Maan’s vision could become reality; the volunteers who assisted the preserve team through volunteer workdays; and the donors whose generosity is vital to sharing this special place now, and always.
Now that it is open, everyone is invited to visit the preserve with its one-mile trail system winding along wetlands and wildflower fields under lush, towering oak and hickory trees and over rolling hills. The preserve is located at 11703 Noggles Rd in Manchester Township. The preserve is open for hiking, bird watching, cross-country skiing, nature study, and photography. In order to protect the species living there and ensure that others are able to enjoy the experience, too, please follow these guidelines when visiting the Iron Creek Preserve;
- Stay only on marked paths and trails.
- Keep group sizes small. Special permission is needed for groups larger than 15 people.
- Motorized vehicles, off-road vehicles, and bicycles are strictly prohibited, with the exception of vehicles required by individuals with mobility disabilities. Individuals with a mobility disability may use battery-powered personal assistive-mobility devices. Please see their policy related to OPDMD’s. Many trails in Legacy preserves are rugged and some, such as those in marshy and other lowland areas, may cause operational problems. We recommend you contact Legacy for information prior to going to a preserve.
- Dogs are permitted on-leash. Please bring supplies to clean up any waste.
- Hunting and trapping are not permitted at our preserves with the exception of falconry with a license and permit issued by Legacy.
- Firearms are not allowed under any circumstances.
- Smoking, camping, and fires are prohibited.
- Horseback riding is prohibited.
- Removing rocks, plants, dead wood, or animals is prohibited. Please contact Legacy if you would like to help with invasive-plant removal either at a workday or on your own.
- Do not litter. Pick up any litter you may come across.
- Do not trespass on land adjacent to Legacy preserves.
- Do not remove any stakes, poles, signs, markers, or other objects — they may be part of an ongoing study or class.
Iron Creek’s story doesn’t end with its opening. Legacy’s team continues to work in the field and behind the scenes. More signs will be added. Invasive plants will be removed. Restoration projects continue. In fact, they have two volunteer opportunities coming up.
On Saturday, August 23, from 10am to noon, and Saturday, September 20, from 10am to noon, they will be holding invasive-species workdays at the Iron Creek Preserve. Help remove invasive woody species. Volunteers will cut back shrubs to two-inch stumps and help haul cut-plant material. Stumps will be treated by Legacy staff to ensure these hardy invasive plants don’t re-sprout in the spring. Read more about the workdays and RSVP by visiting https://legacylandconservancy.org/events/ and scrolling down and clicking on the workday you would like to attend.
For more information about Iron Creek Preserve or Legacy Land Conservancy in general, visit https://legacylandconservancy.org/.
Land donor Sybil Kolon (L) and U.S. Representative Debbie Dingell (R) steady the scissors before cutting the ribbon. Photo by Susan LaCroix, courtesy of Legacy Land Conservancy.
Attendees of the opening celebration gather for the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Photo by Allene Smith, courtesy of Legacy Land Conservancy.
Legacy Executive Director Diana Kern (L) and land owner Sybil Kolon (R) embrace during the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Photo by David Cappaert, courtesy of Legacy Land Conservancy.
Land donors Maan Abdulbaki (L) and Sybil Kolon (R). Photo by David Cappaert, courtesy of Legacy Land Conservancy.
Visitors enjoy a view of Iron Creek from the new pedestrian bridge. Photo courtesy of Legacy Land Conservancy.
Visitors walk on the main trail. Photo by David Cappaert, courtesy of Legacy Land Conservancy.
Opening celebration attendees sit on a bench Legacy made out of a tree in the former cabin area. Photo courtesy of Legacy Land Conservancy.
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