Nature Preserves & Natural Areas
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40 Years! Nature Preserves & Natural Areas OF THE LITTLE TRAVERSE CONSERVANCY SPECIAL 40th ANNIVERSARY EDITION - 2012 Chaboiganing Preserve/TMPetersen This 40th Anniversary edition of the Little Traverse Conservancy’s Guide to Nature Preserves & Natural Areas is dedicated to the vision and perseverance of those who founded this organization 40 years ago in 1972: John Fischer, David Irish, Edward Koza, Earl Larson, Seberon Litzenburger, Frank Pierce, and John Tanton. Special mention for this issue goes to volunteer photographer Todd Petersen whose photos appear throughout the guide. This guide is also dedicated to you, our members and supporters who make it possible for us to protect the natural integrity and scenic beauty of the North. Its maps and photo- graphs will help you to discover and explore our largest, most popular preserves as well as some of the small, neighborhood natural areas that dot the North Country. Use this guide to enjoy the natural beauty that our founders and all of our trustees, staff , and volunteers have worked hard to protect for you. All preserve lands are open to the public - conservation easements are not. In addition to the nature preserves and natural areas that are featured in this book, there are more than 20,700 acres of privately-owned land protected through Little Traverse Con- servancy with conservation easements. Though a conservation easement doesn’t make the land available to the public, it is a legally-binding document that ensures the perpet- ual protection of scenic and natural resources such as beautiful roadside views, important wildlife habitat, scenic and productive farm land, and other resources. So, as you journey around northern Michigan, please know that along with our more than 14,000 acres of nature preserves, more than twice as many acres in private lands are protected with con- servation easements. Those private, easement-protected properties are an important part of the Conservancy’s program of ensuring that we preserve northern Michigan’s natural, scenic, and working landscapes. This book may be out of date — and that’s a good thing! Publishing this book is a risky business at Little Traverse Conservancy because as soon as we print it, our generous donors provide us with yet another wonderful nature preserve and the book becomes just a little bit obsolete. It’s a happy problem for us to have. Though we wish we could keep our printed preserve guide up to date, we want to be careful with our print- ing budget and your donated dollars. Please check our web site at www.landtrust.org for the very latest information on our nature preserves. printing date: August, 2012 page 2 PRESERVE GUIDELINES Little Traverse Conservancy works hard to balance the public uses off ered on our preserves with protection of their natural integrity and scenic beauty for future generations. Recreational, educational, and scientifi c use of the preserves is encour- aged, as long as it does not interfere with our primary goals of preservation and protection. We welcome you to explore and enjoy our beautiful preserves, keeping in mind that you are a temporary visitor to the homes of many plants and animals. Please enjoy hiking, birdwatching, cross-country Bicycling skiing, snowshoeing, fi shing, and similar low-impact activities. Many of the properties include water front- Canoeing or age and one could easily canoe or kayak these, but Kayaking please note that none of these properties include boat launch facilities for larger vessels. Fishing Please refrain from camping, fi res, dumping or littering, removal of vegetation, off -road vehicles, and Hiking and Snowshoeing snowmobiling. Please remember: Horseback Riding • Hunting is allowed on designated preserves with written permission only. Visit www.landtrust.org Hunting (by written or contact the offi ce at 231.347.0991 for more permission only) information. • All dogs must be on a leash while visiting pre- serves. Parking Area Please help us keep our preserves in good condition. Scenic view/ Contact the Conservancy offi ce at 231.347.0991 if you birdwatching notice any inappropriate activity on a preserve or if trails, parking areas, or signs need attention. Preserves Skiing (ungroomed and trails require a good deal of management and unless noted) maintenance and we greatly appreciate the assistance of the many individuals who help monitor and pro- Swimming beach vide stewardship for them. Marked Signs and maps Public parks are generally established to handle more Trails mark trails intensive use than our preserves and are maintained Trails by the state and local governments across the North. Not No signs or maps Marked Those parks established with help from the Conser- vancy are identifi ed in this guide. Please refer to the Geocache rules and regulations of the appropriate authorities when visiting these properties. For interactive maps of preserves, visit www.landtrust.org. page 3 G S 22 R 44 13 CCrossross VVillageillage 7 27 9 29 3 I E A 16 23 T EMMET COUNTY 14 32 11 10 U N 1 H L 20 5 31 15 12 17 F C O M D 28 2 19 30 21 26 Q J 8 24 25 4 18 K B P 6 page 4 EMMET COUNTY NATURE PRESERVES EMMET COUNTY FEATURED PRESERVES A Philip J. Braun...................................................................................6 B Bubbling Springs..........................................................................7 C Cameron/Menonaqua/Huff y/Kuebler-Trippe..........8 D Fochtman..........................................................................................9 E Goodhart Farms..........................................................................10 F Hailand...............................................................................................11 G The Headlands (Emmet County).....................................12 H Inland Waterway complex...................................................13 I Elmer Johnston ...........................................................................14 J Ray Johnston..................................................................................15 K Allan and Virginia McCune...................................................16 L Naas, Mauger, Raunecker & Leslie...................................17 M Oden Island ..................................................................................18 N Offi eld................................................................................................19 O Round Lake ....................................................................................20 P Skyline Trail (City of Petoskey)............................................21 Q Spring Lake Park (Bear Creek Township) ....................22 R Stony Point/Smith/Veling.....................................................23 S Sturgeon Bay Dunes (State of Michigan) .................24 T Stutsmanville Bog ....................................................................25 U Thorne Swift (West Traverse Township) .....................26 Thorne Swift Preserve/TMPetersen Thorne OTHER EMMET COUNTY PRESERVES - pages 27-29 1 Arbaugh, Dean, Pack, Sharpe & Hansen 20 MacDonald 2 Black Hole 12 Meadowgate 3 Bryan Wildlife 21 Orchis Fen 4 Clark 22 Pachy 5 Clements 23 Petersen 6 Covert 15 Renker 7 Cranmer 24 Resort Township East Park 8 Curtis 25 Resort Township West Park 9 Dobson 15 Roaring Brook 10 Drayton 26 Rocky Point 11 Edwards 27 Ryan 7 Enje Nkweshdat Wat 17 Schachinger/Bartley 12 A.C. Fischer 28 Sharkey 13 Walter Fisher Family 7 Shurtleff 14 Five Mile Creek 29 Sims-Moff at Forest 15 James 30 South Round Lake 16 John 11 Weimer’s Lake 17 Kalman 31 West Wequetonsing 18 Kinglet 32 Charles S. Winston, Jr. 19 Laughbaum page 5 EMMET COUNTY Philip J. Braun Preserve Size: 125 acres Pellston Frontage: 4,500 feet of the Maple River. Land Description: The uplands of this property are primarily hardwood and aspen with some red and white pine scattered throughout. Mixed conifer species dominate the lowland areas and riparian corridor. Several large planted ‘wildlife openings’ are estab- lished on the upland areas, and recent timber stand manage- ment is evidenced by the large amount of regenerating aspen in the southern half of the prop- erty. This preserve lies adjacent to the Pellston Pioneer Park and State of Michigan land. Trails: A short trail runs from the parking area to the river. Directions: From the intersection of US-31 and Robinson Road on the south end of Pellston, turn west on Robin- son Road. The preserve entrance is 1/4 mile down on the south (left) side. Trails Not Marked Todd Parker Todd page 6 EMMET COUNTY Bubbling Springs Size: 15 acres Frontage: Just a few miles from downtown Petoskey, this 15-acre preserve off ers a short trail system and natural oasis for exploration. Enjoy a mix of mature upland hard- wood forest and a swampy corridor with a small stream, while searching for the springs. Land Description: A mix of wet- lands, uplands, and shoreline, this property provides a natural buff er in a highly developing region near town. Trails: There is a small parking area and a short trail leads towards the springs portion of the preserve. Donated in 2008 by Jay and Clem N O’Neil. Directions: From the intersec- tion of US-31 and US-131 in Petoskey, travel south on US-131 1½ miles to Intertown Rd. Turn right (west) on In- tertown and travel 1.1 miles to the preserve on the left side of the road. Marked Trails page 7 EMMET COUNTY Cameron/Menonaqua/HuffEMMET COUNTY y/Kuebler-Trippe Fochtman Nature Preserve Size: Combined, more than 180 acres are protected with these preserves. Frontage: This complex