3,000+ People Stood Up for Our Family. Now We Need Your Help to Save Our Cottage.
Hi friends,
Over four years ago, you stood alongside my family in our fight against Kalamazoo County's efforts to take our family cottage on Gourdneck Lake in Prairieview Park. We are so grateful for your support.
This fall, our case reached the Michigan Court of Appeals, where the judges ruled against our family and in favor of the county. Now, unless the county changes course, my family could lose the cottage that has been ours for generations as soon as November.
We are humbly asking for YOUR help one more time.
The courts have ruled that the county can take our property, but that doesn't mean the county HAS to take it. Our hope is that enough public concern will persuade the Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners to reconsider this decision and allow our family to keep our cottage.
Below, you'll find:
- WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW — Contact the county commissioners before their Tuesday, October 20 meeting, and share our story.
- THE LATEST NEWS — An October 16 Detroit Free Press story about our family's fight.
- THE FACTS — Why we believe this taking is unnecessary, an overreach of government power, and a waste of taxpayer dollars.
- A PERSONAL NOTE — What this little cottage means to generations of our family. WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP SAVE OUR COTTAGE
1 PLEASE CONTACT THE KALAMAZOO COUNTY COMMISSIONERS BEFORE THEIR NEXT BOARD MEETING ON TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20!
We are asking you to call and write the commissioners and respectfully but firmly urge them to take immediate action to stop the county's acquisition of the Johnson/Talanda family cottage on Gourdneck Lake in Prairieview Park and allow our family to retain ownership of our property.
Please let them know how you feel about:
*The taking of private property: Our family has owned this little piece of land for generations, long before Prairieview Park existed. We believe the county's efforts to take it represent an unnecessary overreach of government power.
*The spending of taxpayer dollars: The county has already spent more than $180,000 pursuing our property through the courts, according to the figures we've obtained. And the spending won't stop there. The county could still have to pay to acquire the property and demolish the cottage. We don't want the money. We just want our cottage.
*The lack of a demonstrated public need: Prairieview Park encompasses more than 200 acres. Our cottage sits on just 1/3 of an acre, away from public gathering areas. We do not believe the county has demonstrated why taking our family's property is necessary for the public to enjoy the park.
*The opportunity to do what is right: Even though the courts have ruled in the county's favor, we are asking our commissioners to reconsider whether taking this family's home-away-from-home is truly in the public's best interest.
EMAIL THE COMMISSIONERS:
Click the link to send a message to the entire Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners:
https://www.kalcounty.gov/formcenter/Board-of-Commissioners-12/Contact-the-Board-of-Commissioners-55
CALL YOUR COMMISSIONER:
*Tami Rey — 269-329-8512 — District 1 (Downtown Kalamazoo)
*Jen Strebs — 269-903-6429 — District 2 (North/Northwest Kalamazoo — Stuart, Douglass, Vine...)
*Monteze Morales — 269-808-3189 — District 3 (South/Southwest Kalamazoo — WMU, Winchell, Milwood...)
*Abigail Wheeler — 616-951-5363 — District 4 (West Portage and Eastern Texas Township — West Lake area...)
*John Taylor — 815-245-7160 — District 5 (Eastern Portage — Austin and Long Lakes...)
*John H. Gisler — 269-217-2119 — District 6 (Comstock, Brady, Pavilion, Climax...)
*Jeff Heppler — 269-629-5124 — District 7 (Cooper, Richland, Ross, Galesburg, Parchment...)
*Wendy Mazer — 269-372-7198 — District 8 (Western Kalamazoo and Oshtemo)
*Dale DeLeeuw — 269-720-6885 — District 9 (Alamo, Schoolcraft, and surrounding areas)
You don't need to write a lengthy email or prepare a speech. A simple, heartfelt message asking commissioners to stop the acquisition and allow our family to keep our property is enough. Your voice matters!
SHARE, SHARE, SHARE!
Please share this update with everyone you know. Post it on social media. Reach out to friends who know lots of people and ask them to spread the word. Forward it to neighbors, family members, and anyone who cares about private property rights, responsible government spending, and protecting family legacies.
You don't have to live in Kalamazoo County to care about what is happening here.
We need EVERY voice we can get in this Hail Mary effort to save our cottage!
2. THE LATEST NEWS
Detroit Free Press — October 16, 2026
Read the story about Kalamazoo County's efforts to take our family cottage: https://bluewaterhealthyliving.com/news/local-news/michigan/michigan-county-sues-to-seize-familys-cottage/
3. THE FACTS ABOUT OUR FAMILY'S FIGHT
*Our family was there FIRST. My grandparents and great-aunt and great-uncle built our cottage before Kalamazoo County created Prairieview Park in 1963. Our family has owned and cared for this property for generations. *Our cottage does NOT interfere with public use of Prairieview Park. Our family's property is tucked away from public areas and does not block access to any trails, beaches, recreational facilities, or other park amenities. The public has been able to enjoy Prairieview Park for decades while our family has continued to enjoy our cottage. Why can't that continue?
*Our cottage occupies just 1/3 of an acre within a park of more than 200 acres. It sits away from public gathering areas. We believe the public can continue to enjoy Prairieview Park without the county taking and demolishing our cottage. That is what has been happening since the park was built in 1963.
*The county has already spent more than $180,000 pursuing our property through the courts. Those are public dollars that could have been spent meeting other county needs. And if the county follows through, additional money could be spent acquiring our property and demolishing the cottage. Again, we don't want the money. We want to keep our cottage.
*Prairieview Park already requires financial support from the county. According to the financial information we've reviewed, the park does not generate enough revenue to cover its operating costs and relies on county funding. We question why the county is choosing to spend additional public dollars pursuing this small piece of private property.
*The county says taking our property will help complete the park. But how? In an April 19, 2022, press release, Kalamazoo County explained that acquiring our property would allow a park project begun in 1960 to finally be completed for public use and enjoyment. The county also described its work conserving and restoring the park's natural features, including prairie restoration and wildlife habitat. But our family cannot understand how taking and demolishing our cottage will meaningfully advance those goals. We believe the county owes taxpayers a clear explanation of why this particular 1/3 of an acre is necessary.
*Our family isn't asking for special treatment or public money. We are simply asking to retain ownership of the property that has belonged to our family for generations. We want to continue caring for it, gathering there, and passing it on to future generations. *Our family has maintained our property at our own expense for generations. We have cared for our cottage and land without county funding. In fact, at the county's request, our family agreed to use the park road to access our cottage rather than our own access point to help the county better secure the park. We have been willing to cooperate with the county as neighbors.
*The county has not identified a specific park improvement that requires our property. To our knowledge, the county has not presented a specific trail, recreational facility, or other planned improvement that cannot be completed without taking our 1/3 of an acre. Our cottage does not interfere with the public's enjoyment of the park, and we question why taking and demolishing it is necessary.
There is a simple alternative: Leave our family's property alone. Prairieview Park has operated alongside our cottage for more than 60 years. Our family isn't asking the county to spend money, build anything, or change the park. We are simply asking to continue peacefully owning and caring for the property that has belonged to our family for generations.
The courts have ruled in the county's favor, but the county still has a decision to make. Our hope is that the commissioners will listen to the concerns of residents and reconsider whether proceeding with the taking is necessary or wise.
This is about more than our family's cottage. It's about private property rights, government accountability, responsible use of taxpayer dollars, and whether a county should exercise its power to take property when its owners and thousands of concerned citizens believe there is no compelling public need.
4. A PERSONAL NOTE FROM ME
Thank you for making it this far in reading about my family's fight to keep our precious family cottage.
I know many of you will relate to what this place means to us. Perhaps your family place is Grandma's house, where your tribe gathers on holidays. Maybe it's an uncle's cabin where everyone meets to catch up and celebrate. Or maybe your family is a small one, and your special place is your sister's front porch, that welcoming place where you've shared, laughed, cried, and connected.
Now imagine the county coming in and telling you they are taking that place from your family.
A place you've owned for over 60 years. A place where generations of your family have gathered to laugh, cry, celebrate, mourn, and connect.
That's what's happening to my family. And we sure could use your help.
This is part of a message I sent to my parents and aunts and uncles (current owners of the cottage) when I found out we had lost in the appeals court:
"I know you all [parents, my aunts, uncles, and cousins] well, in part, because of the cottage, that place that has always been there, a steadfast part of our family. My kids know you all well because of the cottage. I don't think that I thought that losing it could actually be a reality, but it hit me tonight, and I'm mourning. I'm mourning the loss of the fun and the beauty of the place, but more than anything, I'm mourning the future connections that won't take place there.
Our family is a special one, and the cottage acted as a touchpoint for us all to connect, share, laugh, and sometimes cry. I can picture Grandpa listening to the Tigers game on the deck, and Grandma watching the sunset with a fire burning in the fire pit. I see Matt [my cousin who died tragically on Mount Fuji in Japan and whose ashes are scattered in the lake, his most favorite place in the world] walking down the stairs with hotdogs and his unique smile. I think of four-square, boat rides, good food, aunts pushing candy and treats, babies being passed and cuddled, new members to the clan being introduced and welcomed into the fold, and laughter and smiles and hugs.
I'm praying for each of you and thanking God for each of you. Thank you for fighting for our family cottage for so long and so hard. Your tenacity has taught me and others much - that family holds far greater value than money, and that sharing the truth is paramount. I am proud to be your daughter/niece. You are each a solid example of diligence and grit and selfless sacrifice. Grandma and Grandpa J would be so proud. I know I am."
My family's cottage is SO much more than a cinderblock building on a lake. It is part of our family. It acts like glue, keeping generations together, knowing and loving and supporting one another.
I can't think of a better thing for Kalamazoo County to do than to allow my family to keep what is rightfully ours.
Please help us SAVE THE COTTAGE.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you for standing with us. Blessings, Kristen and family