A fat grant will help pay for prescribed burning, invasive plant removal, wetland restoration, native plantings, and forest stand improvement in the Shiawassee Basin Preserve over the next seven years.
Springfield Township officials, as well as representatives from federal, state and local environmental organizations, gathered Oct. 24 as township Parks and Recreation director Jennifer Tucker accepted $106,662 in funding from the Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program.
It all started last spring, when Tucker heard about last-minute funds funneled into the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resource Conservation Service and made some quick phone calls.
Although it wasn’t a program they were advertising, the agency heard her out, and after a couple of meetings and several trips to Lapeer, Tucker was able to secure funds’a larger grant than the organization usually awards’for work in the Shiawassee Basin Preserve.
Documented as one of Michigan’s largest, most pristine prairie fens, the 515-acre preserve is said to be a globally rare wetland system known for its array of native wildflowers and rare wildlife.
‘We work kind of hard,? said Tucker later. ‘So it’s nice, after you know you spent long hours and put in a lot of work, when it finally it all pays off.?
Tucker acknowledged the long hours and hard work of her staff, especially administrative coordinator Sarah Richmond.
‘We’ve worked together so long, and know each other so well,? she said. ‘I never have to ask her to work late’she just does. We’re a team.?
The group, she said, will sit down over the winter to look at and make adjustments to current plans and begin scheduling forestry, invasive species removal and prescribed burns for the coming spring.
‘We had about 1000 lupines pop up last time we did a burn,? she said. ‘Some things can’t germinate without fire’oak uplands for example’unless planted correctly by some squirrel, oaks don’t germinate without fire.?
Five of the township’s 7 elected park commissioners were among those who attended the event to congratulate Tucker and her staff, and to speak about the ecological significance of the Shiawassee Basin Preserve.
‘Springfield officials have endowed this township with many gorgeous park properties over the years,? said Park Commission chairperson Rich Parke at the Oct. 24 event. ‘I know that they all share our view of improving the property and making it everything that it can be for the residents, but sometimes the money’s just not there for everything you want to do’that’s why today is such a big celebration.?
Those from outside the township spoke highly of the Shiawassee Basin Preserve.
‘Prairie fens are one of the most biologically rich ecosystems in Michigan, providing habitat for hundreds of native plants and animals,? said Yu Man Lee, Interim Director of the Michigan Natural Features Inventory. ?(The Springfield Township) fen supports a number of these rare and declining plants and animals.?
These include, she noted, the Poweshiek Skipperling, a state threatened butterfly species known in less than 20 sites in Michigan; the Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake, Michigan’s only venomous snake; the rare Huron River Leaf Hopper, found only in association with a grass called Mat Muhly; and large colonies of rare white Lady’s Slipper, a native wildflower.
In addition to providing habitat for plants and animals, prairie fens also provide other critical ecosystem services, Lee explained.
‘Prairie fens are often associated with the headwaters of streams, rivers, and/or lakes,? she said. ‘These wetlands help maintain and provide clean water for plants and animals as well as the local human communities that live in or near these ecosystem.?
Interested? For more information on the Shiawassee Basin Preserve, check out the Springfield Township website at www.springfield-twp.us