Garvey Property becomes latest area land preserve

Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy describes the property almost poetically: "The river curls back and forth through the preserve under the canopy of deep floodplain forests. Three tributaries lead up into cool, dark, hemlock-lined ravines with towering beech and tulip trees. The sandy uplands of the preserve blend from meadow to oak woodland and then down into the lowland forests and marshes of the river’s floodplain."

The 120-acre Garvey Preserve is the latest acquisition for the Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy. The property, with more than a mile of banks along the Black River, acres of forest, meadow, swamp, marsh and deep ravines, now will be protected.

The Land Conservancy obtained the property in November 2011 from owner Dan Garvey. It's located along the west side of the south branch of the Black River in Geneva Township, The preserve's collection of forests and meadows makes it an ideal place for both nesting and migratory birds. Yellow-billed cuckoos, hooded warblers, Acadian flycatchers all have been seen nesting there.

"This past October, I had over 100 yellow-rumped warblers and dozens of ruby-crowned kinglets flitting around me down by the river, fattening up on bugs and berries for their big trip south," says Nate Fuller, SWMLC conservation and stewardship director.

Native plants also are flourishing on the property. More than 400 species of native plants already have been identified. "We have southern forest communities of tulip trees and sycamores mixing with northern hemlocks and oaks," Fuller says. "Along the main river, you might think you were on a tributary of the Mississippi 200 miles south, but scrambling into one of the deep tributary ravines is like jumping 200 miles north."

Funding is being sought to expand restoration efforts beyond the life of the grant and provide long-term funding for management of the property.

Writer: Kathy Jennings, Second Wave
Source: Pamela Larson, Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy

Captions:
 
At an "Explore the Habitat – Tour and Paddle" event more than 50 turned out to check out the newly acquired property. Photo by Peter D. Ter Louw, SWMLC executive director

The Black River meanders through thousands of acres of floodplain forest on its way to Lake Michigan in South Haven. Photo by Don Harrell