MacCready Reserve Field Day
June 27, 2008
Ecological Restoration of Rare Habitats

 Click here to register
Thank you for your interest in the MacCready Ecological Field Day!
However please note that since it is past the deadline for registration, those who choose to still register may not be able to receive the provided lunch or informational packet. 

Learn about rare habitat restoration in Michigan
You don’t need to travel to the tropics to find endangered species; there are rare plants and animals found just minutes from Ann Arbor, Jackson, and Kalamazoo. Retreating glaciers created a unique landscape in southern Michigan with prairies, oak savannas and prairie fen wetlands. Although these habitats have been altered by invasive species, human activity, and suppression of natural fires, globally rare species and communities still exist in this stunning landscape. The area surrounding the MSU MacCready Reserve contains several examples of these rare communities.

At this field day, you will:

• See examples of these unique habitats.
• Learn how to protect, restore and manage them.
• Link with organizations who can help you plan and conduct ecological restoration on your property.

Who Should Attend?
This one-day event is targeted to landowners, educators, conservation agency personnel, natural areas stewards, and native ecosystem enthusiasts, and master gardeners.

Agenda
Morning: MacCready Reserve

10:00-Noon: Educational Talks

• Michigan's Interlobate Regions: A Special Landscape
  Doug Landis, Anna Fiedler, Michigan State University
  
• Who we are, what we do, and how we can help you:
  Greg Kowalewski, MSU Forestry- MacCready land management program
  Phyllis Higman, Michigan Natural Features Inventory
  Dan Kennedy, DNR Landowner Incentive Program
  Steve Woods, The Nature Conservancy
  Sherri Laier, Michigan Nature Association
  Lisa Brush, The Stewardship Network

12:00-12:45pm: Lunch (provided)

Afternoon: Field Trips

1:00-4:00pm: One of the following three field trips, each with different owners and habitats (see descriptions below):

***Each field trip has a 45 person registration limit and will involve walking, often on uneven ground. Be prepared to get wet up to knee level.***

***Please note that Field Trip option #3 has two locations associated with it.***

1. Grand River Oak Savanna and Prairie, The Nature Conservancy: oak savanna and native grass plantings
2. Goose Creek Grasslands Nature Sanctuary, Michigan Nature Association: prairie fen
3. Wet Prairie, DNR Landowner Incentive Program and MacCready Reserve, MSU – oak savanna, hillside prairie

Directions
The day will begin at the MSU MacCready Reserve, 10 miles south of Jackson, Michigan.

Registration Details: Pre-registration is required, deadline is June 24th. The $20 registration fee includes lunch and educational materials. Dress for the weather, including outdoor walking in the afternoon. Again, all field trips will involve walking, often on uneven ground. Be prepared to get wet up to knee level.

Field trip descriptions

1. Grand River Oak Savanna and Prairie, The Nature Conservancy 

While we use the term savanna broadly, forests occurring on the mixed glacial soils of southern Michigan actually cover a gradient from closed canopy oak-hickory woodlands where you might find goldenseal, to true savanna with huge, open-grown oaks, to droughty, nutrient poor barrens with sparse vegetation and open sand for nesting turtles. Temperate oak savanna is one of the rarest natural communities in the world with less than one percent of the original acreage still in existence. On this trip, TNC staff will show you remnants of these rare communities and will discuss the steps TNC has taken to restore natural communities near the Grand River, including reintroduction of fire, grassland plantings and tree removal to recreate open canopy woodlands.

2. Goose Creek Grasslands Nature Sanctuary, Michigan Nature Association

Prairie fen is a unique wetland type found in the glaciated Midwest. Groundwater inflow and fire are both important in prairie fen habitats. On this trip, you will have an opportunity to see rare plants and animals that thrive here, as well as learn about our techniques for managing the invasive plants glossy buckthorn and Phragmites over the past four years.

Once buckthorn was the dominant plant, now, orchids grow by the thousands. A diversity of plant species that staggers the mind fills the fen. Avian, reptile, amphibian, mammal, insect species of untold numbers now thrive here. The diversity has been restored. The fen supports some of the state’s most threatened species.

Sandhill cranes nest here every year. We see sharp-shinned hawks, terns, swallow species, numerous duck species and turkey vultures drifting overhead giving a wondrous depth to the beautiful sky. Migrating passerine species work the fen for food while others vie for territory or nest building. Male Wilson’s snipe fly in full territorial display high above the fen, creating a haunting tone for their mates.

3. Wet Prairie, DNR - Landowner Incentive Program and MacCready Reserve, MSU
Wet Prairie, DNR - Landowner Incentive Program - This prairie is one of the largest in Jackson County. It is classified as wet-mesic prairie, which is dominated by native grasses, including big and little bluestem and indiangrass, and contains a large diversity of plants normally restricted either to dry or wet habitats. This restored area has undergone periodic prescribed fire for the last 12 years. As a result, native plants, including indiangrass and blazing star, are abundant at the site.

While the prairie is in pristine condition, adjacent areas have become overgrown with shrubs. These areas were formerly much more open and connected to the groundwater-fed prairie fen located on nearby property. The current prairie contains good plant diversity and wildlife cover and restoring the area between it and the stream would greatly improve the habitat connectivity for wildlife. Much of this area is currently overgrown with glossy buckthorn, an invasive shrub from Europe that chokes out native species. In the last year, removal of glossy buckthorn has also begun at this site.

MacCready Reserve, MSU - Oak savanna, a park-like habitat with open grown oak trees among grasses and wildflowers, was historically found along the esker of the MSU MacCready Reserve. With fire suppression, this filled in to mixed oak forest. In 2006, restoration was initiated on two areas at the MacCready Reserve, including shrub clearing, prescribed fire, invasive species management, and tree removal. Other portions of the property contain aging red pine plantations.  View a forestry project to convert these plantations, overgrown with exotic, invasive plant species, to native hardwood forests.  Come see the results of restoration activities, as well as the plan for continued restoration at these and nearby areas within the Reserve.

Click here to register for the MacCready Field Day.