Calvin Ecosystem Preserve & Native Gardens Land Management Plan Updated 2/1/2021 Prepared by Jen Howell Randy Van Dragt Jamie Skillen 1 Table of Contents LIST OF FIGURES & TABLES ..................................................................................................................................... 4 PREFACE ................................................................................................................................................................ 5 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .......................................................................................................................................... 6 OVERVIEW ............................................................................................................................................................. 7 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................................................. 7 CONSERVATION IMPORTANCE ........................................................................................................................................... 8 EDUCATIONAL IMPORTANCE ........................................................................................................................................... 10 CONSERVATION VISION ................................................................................................................................................. 11 GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPERTY ......................................................................................................................... 12 SITE HISTORY .............................................................................................................................................................. 13 Pre-Calvin Years .................................................................................................................................................. 13 Creating the Calvin College Ecosystem Preserve ................................................................................................. 14 Changes in the Land ............................................................................................................................................ 18 Summary ............................................................................................................................................................. 24 PUBLIC USE ................................................................................................................................................................. 24 ADJACENT LANDS & LANDSCAPE CONNECTIONS ................................................................................................................. 27 ECOLOGICAL & CULTURAL FEATURES ................................................................................................................... 30 GEOLOGY, TOPOGRAPHY, SOILS, AND CLIMATE .................................................................................................................. 30 ECOLOGICAL FEATURES ................................................................................................................................................. 34 CULTURAL FEATURES .................................................................................................................................................... 36 Vestiges from Agriculture and Other Land Uses ................................................................................................. 36 Trails and Infrastructure ..................................................................................................................................... 37 Buildings .............................................................................................................................................................. 39 NATURAL COMMUNITIES AND THEIR MANAGEMENT ......................................................................................... 40 DRY-MESIC SOUTHERN (OAK-HICKORY) FOREST ................................................................................................................. 42 MATURE MESIC SOUTHERN (BEECH-MAPLE) FOREST ......................................................................................................... 45 EARLY SUCCESSIONAL MESIC-SOUTHERN FOREST ............................................................................................................... 49 VERNAL POOLS (EPHEMERAL PONDS) ............................................................................................................................... 52 OPEN WATER .............................................................................................................................................................. 56 INUNDATED SHRUB SWAMP (KETTLE SWAMP) ................................................................................................................... 62 (CONSTRUCTED) DRY-MESIC (TALLGRASS) PRAIRIE ............................................................................................................. 66 DRY SAND PRAIRIE ....................................................................................................................................................... 71 SOUTHERN WET MEADOW (WHISKEY CREEK BIOSWALE) .................................................................................................... 75 (CONSTRUCTED) NATIVE GARDENS .................................................................................................................................. 77 IMPLEMENTATION OF LAND MANAGEMENT PLAN .............................................................................................. 80 REFERENCES ......................................................................................................................................................... 84 APPENDICES......................................................................................................................................................... 87 2 APPENDIX A: A BRIEF HISTORICAL TIMELINE OF THE CALVIN ECOSYSTEM PRESERVE & NATIVE GARDENS ................................... 87 APPENDIX B: PUBLIC USE POLICIES OF THE ECOSYSTEM PRESERVE ..................................................................................... 91 APPENDIX C: RESEARCH PROTOCOLS OF THE ECOSYSTEM PRESERVE .................................................................................... 93 APPENDIX D: MAP AND HISTORY OF THE OPEN WATERS OF THE ECOSYSTEM PRESERVE ......................................................... 94 APPENDIX E: MAP OF THE CULTURAL FEATURES OF THE ECOSYSTEM PRESERVE ..................................................................... 96 APPENDIX F: HISTORY OF VESTIGES OF LAND USE BEFORE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE ECOSYSTEM PRESERVE ........................... 97 APPENDIX G: HISTORY OF ECOSYSTEM PRESERVE TRAILS. .................................................................................................. 99 APPENDIX H: HISTORY OF ECOSYSTEM PRESERVE BRIDGES AND OVERLOOKS ...................................................................... 102 APPENDIX I: HISTORY OF ECOSYSTEM PRESERVE BUILDINGS ............................................................................................. 104 APPENDIX J: LEED GOLD CERTIFICATION FOR THE BUNKER INTERPRETIVE CENTER ............................................................... 105 APPENDIX K: LIST OF SPECIES PLANTED IN NATIVE GARDEN BEDS ..................................................................................... 106 APPENDIX L: PLANT SPECIES INVENTORY OF THE ECOSYSTEM PRESERVE ............................................................................. 109 APPENDIX M: VERTEBRATE SPECIES INVENTORY OF THE ECOSYSTEM PRESERVE ................................................................... 128 APPENDIX N: INVERTEBRATE SPECIES INVENTORY OF THE ECOSYSTEM PRESERVE................................................................. 136 APPENDIX O: INVASIVE PLANT CONTROL PRIORITIES OF THE ECOSYSTEM PRESERVE ............................................................. 138 APPENDIX P: GRAPH OF INVASIVE PLANT CONTROL PRIORITIES OF THE ECOSYSTEM PRESERVE ............................................... 141 APPENDIX Q: MAP OF AUTUMN OLIVE, PURPLE LOOSESTRIFE AND SPOTTED KNAPWEED POPULATIONS .................................. 142 APPENDIX R: MAP OF CROWN VETCH, GARLIC MUSTARD AND HONEYSUCKLE POPULATIONS ................................................ 143 APPENDIX S: MAP OF JAPANESE BARBERRY AND COMMON PRIVET POPULATIONS ............................................................... 144 3 List of Figures & Tables Figure 1: Contextual map of the Ecosystem Preserve. ................................................................................. 8 Figure 2: Map of the management units of the Ecosystem Preserve......................................................... 13 Figure 3: Aerial photo of the Ecosystem Preserve area as it appeared in 1938. ........................................ 15 Figure 4: Map of the Ecosystem Preserve's native garden beds .............................................................. 233 Figure 5: The Bunker Interpretive Center surrounded by newly renovated native garden beds ............ 244 Figure 6: The Ecosystem Preserve seen in its larger landscape context ................................................... 288 Figure 7: Topographical map of the Ecosystem Preserve ..........................................................................