Natural Community Delineation and Floristic Quality Assessments of Grass River Natural Area, Antrim County, Michigan Prepared by: Rachel Hackett, Phyllis Higman, and Liana May Michigan Natural Features Inventory PO Box 13036 Lansing, MI 48901-3036 For: Grass River Natural Area 6500 Alden Hwy, Bellaire, MI 49615 December 31, 2017 Report No. 2017-12 Funding for this project was provided by the Grass River Natural Area through a grant from the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation. Suggested Citation: Hackett, R.A., P. Higman, and L. May. 2017. Natural Community Delineation and Floristic Quality Assessments of Grass River Natural Area, Antrim County, Michigan. Michigan Natural Features Inventory, Report No. 2017-12, Lansing, MI. 64 pp. Appendices: 62 pp. Copyright 2017 Michigan State University Board of Trustees. Michigan State University Extension programs and materials are open to all without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientations, marital status, or family status. Cover photographs: Utricularia cornuta in northern fen, MI #1A, Antrim Co., Mich., June 20, 2017; Sarracenia purpurea in rich conifer swamp, DELANGE #1B, Antrim Co., MI, June 23, 2017. All photographs in report by R.A. Hackett unless otherwise noted. Table of Contents Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................ 1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 2 Survey Site .................................................................................................................................. 2 Methods........................................................................................................................................... 7 Results ............................................................................................................................................. 8 Natural Communities .................................................................................................................. 8 Emergent Marsh .................................................................................................................... 11 Northern Wet Meadow .......................................................................................................... 13 Northern Fen ......................................................................................................................... 15 Northern Shrub Thicket ......................................................................................................... 21 Poor Conifer Swamp ............................................................................................................. 23 Rich Conifer Swamp ............................................................................................................. 26 Hardwood-Conifer Swamp ................................................................................................... 30 Dry-mesic Northern Forest ................................................................................................... 33 Mesic Northern Forest .......................................................................................................... 35 Anthropogenic Systems ............................................................................................................ 37 Vernal pools .............................................................................................................................. 41 Species Documented ................................................................................................................. 44 Threats ...................................................................................................................................... 47 Invasive Species .................................................................................................................... 47 Nutrient loading .................................................................................................................... 51 Groundwater contamination ................................................................................................. 51 Land use restrictions ......................................................................................................... 51 Underground storage tanks ............................................................................................... 51 Environmental contamination ........................................................................................... 51 Abandoned wells ............................................................................................................... 51 Discussion and Recommendations ............................................................................................... 52 Natural Communities ................................................................................................................ 52 Anthropogenic Systems ............................................................................................................ 53 Species Documented ................................................................................................................. 54 Rare species .......................................................................................................................... 55 Invasive Species ........................................................................................................................ 55 Open wetland invaders ......................................................................................................... 56 Early detection species ......................................................................................................... 56 Shrubs ................................................................................................................................... 56 Thistles .................................................................................................................................. 57 Swamp ground covers ........................................................................................................... 57 Natural Community Delineation and FQAs, Grass River Natural Area, Page i Spotted knapweed .................................................................................................................. 57 Other non-native species ....................................................................................................... 58 Invasive Species Decontamination Protocols ....................................................................... 58 Shoreline Habitat ...................................................................................................................... 58 Groundwater Contamination & Water Quality ......................................................................... 59 Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................... 60 References ..................................................................................................................................... 61 Figures Figure 1. A loon visits Clam Lake. ............................................................................................... 2 Figure 2. Location of GRNA in Sub-subsection VII.2.3 Vanderbilt Moraines. ........................... 3 Figure 3. Grass River Natural Area Parcel Map. .......................................................................... 4 Figure 4. Groundwater-influenced northern fen .......................................................................... 5 Figure 5. Circa 1800 vegetation of GRNA ................................................................................... 6 Figure 6. Phragmites australis subsp. americanus in northern fen . ............................................ 9 Figure 7. Natural communities and anthropogenic systems delineated in GRNA ..................... 10 Figure 8. Emergent marsh along the edge of northern shrub thicket .......................................... 11 Figure 9. Emergent marsh delineated within the parcel boundaries of GRNA. ......................... 12 Figure 10. Northern wet meadow borders the Grass River .......................................................... 13 Figure 11. Northern wet meadow delineated within the parcel boundaries of GRNA ................. 14 Figure 12. Horned bladderwort growing in a marl zone of northern fen. ..................................... 15 Figure 13. Peat mounds covered with sphagnum mosses, sedges and stunted conifers ............... 16 Figure 14. Pitcher plant in northern fen ........................................................................................ 16 Figure 15. Many forbs bloom in late summer among the sedges in northern fen ........................ 17 Figure 16. A sandhill crane in northern fen .................................................................................. 18 Figure 17. Kalm’s lobelia in northern fen ..................................................................................... 18 Figure 18. Bulrush in northern fen ................................................................................................ 19 Figure 19. Northern fen delineated within the parcel boundaries of GRNA ................................ 20 Figure 20. Dense shrubs dominate