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Michigan Audubon encourages educational activities and research, with written permission, on its sanctuary lands. Hunting, trapping, fishing, horseback riding, fires, domestic pets and motor vehicles are prohibited. No collecting of any kind is allowed. Geocaching: Michigan Audubon allows geocaching in its sanctuaries subject to its published policy. MAS_Geocaching.pdf Download 2007 Michigan Audubon Sanctuaries brochure MASSanctuaries2007.pdf (520 KB) |
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SANCTUARIES(1) Bernard W. Baker Sanctuary 898 acres, Convis Twp., Calhoun Co., 10 miles NE of Battle Creek. America’s first crane sanctuary, established in 1941, is a refuge for nesting and migrating sandhill cranes. The area is dominated by the 200-acre Big Marsh Lake, a restored wetland flooding. More than 200 species of birds and dozens of species of mammals have been recorded here. There are two separate trails in the sanctuary, the Meadow and Marshland Trail, on the sanctuary’s west side, and the Doty Native Wildflower Trail, starting from Baker Lodge at the main entrance on the sanctuary’s northeast side. Trails traverse through or near much of the varied habitat including ponds, streams, cattail marsh, tamarack bog, oak opening, floodplain forest, wet meadow, and ongoing prairie and wetland restoration projects. Public access to the marsh is restricted. A resident manager coordinates crane viewing from the adjacent Kiwanis Youth Area (private property) on Saturday and Sunday afternoons in October.
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394 acres, Eagle Harbor Twp,. Keweenaw Co., 7 miles E of Eagle Harbor. The sanctuary is entirely wooded with a mixture of northern conifers and hardwoods. Its highest point is along Brockway Ridge which is easily accessible by Brockway Drive. There is a sign, parking lot and a marked trail. The sanctuary is .75 mile long, almost reaching Lake Superior, after dropping in elevation several hundred feet, over a series of conglomerate ridges and swales. Views are spectacular and birdlife abundant. Twinflower, many orchids, plants of rock outcrops and wet forest are found here.
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80 acres, Posen Twp., Presque Isle Co., 3 miles SE of Posen. Duck Lake is the focus of the sanctuary that is surrounded by a white cedar swamp. Several species of orchid and bog plants such as pitcher plants, sundew, and sphagnum grow here. Waterfowl and songbirds frequent the lake and swamp.
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18 acres, Arcadia Twp., Lapeer Co., 9 miles NE of Lapeer. A mixture of upland and lowland woods borders a 2.7-acre lake. A footpath beginning at the end of Cedar Lake Rd. leads around the perimeter of the property through some wet areas.
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963 acres, Leoni Twp., Jackson Co., 6 miles northeast of Jackson. A wide variety of habitats includes a lake, marsh, swamp, fen, beech-maple and oak-hickory woods, abandoned fields and remnant savanna. More than 270 plant species and 200 species of birds have been seen here. Benches on a hill overlooking Mud Lake marsh provide an ideal (handicap accessible) location for viewing large numbers of cranes in October and early November. Public access to the marsh is restricted. A restored wetland and grassland demonstration area at the west side of the sanctuary is accessed from Wooster Rd.
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40 acres, Alamo Twp., Kalamazoo Co., 6 miles NW of Kalamazoo. A mature beech-maple forest with no evidence of logging. A dense canopy of hard maple, beech, black cherry, red oak, and ash inhibit the development of much understory growth except along the road and field boundaries. Wildflowers are varied and plentiful. Carpeting the forest floor in spring are trout lily, toothwort, spring beauty, Dutchman’s breeches, squirrel corn, blue cohosh, violets, wild leek, trillium, Mayapple and more. Hay in the farm field is harvested.
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63 acres Delta Twp., Eaton Co. 3 mi. NW of Lansing. Located on the banks of the Grand River, this property is planned to be the eventual headquarters of Michigan Audubon. Two residences are located on the property. This is a wildlife oasis surrounded by rapidly expanding urban developments. Walking paths lead through grasslands, upland shrub and border the Grand River.
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405 acres, Eagle Harbor Twp., Keweenaw Co., 4.1 miles E of Eagle Harbor. It is entirely wooded by a mixture of northern conifers and hardwoods. A mature cedar bog borders M-26 and then moving south the terrain slowly rises to Lookout Mountain Ridge. Views are spectacular and birds abundant. Twinflower, many orchids, plants of rock outcrops and wet forest floor are common. Notable are rare and threatened plants. Hiking trail starts at parking area on Hwy M-26. Approx. 2 miles to south ridge and back.
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76 acres, Manistee Twp., Manistee Co. 2 miles N of Manistee. Occupies a 1/3 mile of bluff overlooking Lake Michigan. Landscaped as an arboretum, specimens include such exceptional species as California redwood, ginkgo, weeping beech and English oak. A giant sequoia and sycamore maple are Michigan Champion Trees. Three self-guided trails lead through woodland, meadow, and lake bluff. Large numbers of warblers migrate along the shoreline.
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40 acres on Little Lake in the Whitefish Peninsula. This sanctuary is within 5/8 mile from Lake Superior. An upland ridge, forested with balsam fir, birch, some small maple and large white pine, traverses the southwest corner of the property. Approaching the shore of Little Lake, northeast from the ridge, the land abruptly transitions to tag alder and then to a mixed shrub/bog and an open bog with tamarack. The transition zone of the shrub/bog habitat supports the richest diversity of migrating birds in the Whitefish Peninsula.
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80 acres, Almena Twp., Van Buren Co., 5 miles NE of Paw Paw. A former farmstead and woodlot, Mott now offers a variety of habitats. The woodlot is a fine stand of black and white oak, hickory and some walnut with an understory primarily of black cherry, flowering dogwood, hawthorn, red maple and sassafras. There are planted spruces in the southeast corner and a red and jack pine stand in the northwest portion of the sanctuary. The east field has a productive bluebird trail.
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128 acres, Barry County adjacent to Barry State Game Area. Rolling fields, mature forest, expansive marshland, a trout stream, kettle hole marshes, and several springs best describe the Robert and Mildred Otis Sanctuary. Pileated woodpeckers, grasshopper sparrows, barred owls, massasauga rattle snakes, and even river otters have been sighted in the sanctuary.
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20 acres, Grand Haven Twp., Ottawa Co., Grand Haven. One island and part of another comprise this sanctuary which is part of a complement of islands and shoreline wetlands in the lower Grand River. Wetland birds nest and migrate through the area.
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53 acres, Spring Arbor Twp., Jackson Co. 4 miles W of Jackson. This sanctuary is a small oasis of greenery in an increasingly urban landscape. Biotic communities include upland and lowland deciduous woods, a grove of large white pines, and a marsh with natural springs that flow into Sandstone Creek. Mounds of slate denote where early farmers mined supplies of winter coal. This is one of the richest woodlands in Jackson Co. for spring wildflowers. Two champion trees of Jackson Co., American hornbeam and shingle oak, grow here. A host of birds frequent the area. Access is limited to a foot path leading from a small parking area.
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23 acres, Hiawatha Twp., Schoolcraft Co., 2 miles NW of Manistique. Tamarack, black spruce, white cedar, aspen, yellow and paper birch are common in the bog that borders Indian River. The highland with sandy ridges is covered with balsam fir, red and white pine. Black bear, beaver, pileated woodpeckers, bald eagles, common loons and songbirds may be seen.
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40 acres, Whitefish Twp., Chippewa Co., 1.5 mi. W of Whitefish Point. Most of the area is jack pine dominated forest interspersed with seasonally flooded wetlands. This sanctuary and nearby Little Lake Sanctuary are part of the Whitefish Peninsula Important Bird Area, a natural corridor that funnel thousands of birds towards Whitefish Point.
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240 acres, McMillan Twp., Luce Co., 11 miles N of Newberry. A prime sphagnum bog on the edge of a large glacial outwash containing a marsh. White cedar, osiers, viburnums, willow and northern bush honeysuckle form dense growth. Labrador tea, bog laurel, sweet gale and various bog orchids are abundant. The sanctuary and surrounding areas provide prime habitat for nesting sandhill cranes, spruce grouse, solitary vireos, northern parula warblers, boreal chickadees, sedge wrens and gray jays.
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40 acres, Lee Twp., Calhoun Co. 6 miles northeast of Marshall. This is a fine example of a beech-maple woodlot with a delightful profusion of spring wildflowers.
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108 acres, Rutland Twp., Barry Co., 5 miles SW of Hastings. Located in an area of glacial moraines, this sanctuary contains rounded ridges, seasonally flooded ponds, a stream, and lake. Most of it is wooded and contains old-growth beech, oak and tulip trees. Large evergreens provide additional woodland habitat. The sanctuary is botanically quite diverse and includes a number of threatened and endangered plants. A path from the parking lot leads east across the old bridge over Glass Creek. A parking lot on Erway Rd. 0.5 mile south of Hart provides access to the southwest part of the sanctuary.
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313 acres, Dryden Twp., Lapeer Co., 5 miles east of Metamora. The nature center and sanctuary are open all year to members or by admission fee. The property contains 7 glacial lakes, a cedar swamp, marshes, fields, woodlands, reconstructed tallgrass prairie and waterfowl feeding area. Bird viewing can be especially rewarding, as more than 200 species have been sighted here. The nature center has maps, interpretive materials, restrooms, bookstore, over 5 miles of trails and a wildlife viewing window.
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The mission of the Michigan Loon Preservation Association is to conserve and enhance the Common Loon population through research, habitat protection and restoration, species protection, and public awareness and involvement.
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America's First Crane Sanctuary
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6011 West St. Joseph Hwy. |
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Contact Michigan Audubon • 517-886-9144 • Fax: 517-886-9466
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