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The latest round of Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund grants included monies for several important regional greenspace and trail projects.  During the next several days, I’ll focus on them one-by-one.  In this post, I’ll cite the section of the state’s press release related to the Waterloo State Recreation Area.

For those who are unaware, Waterloo is the largest state park in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula.  It’s 20,000 acres lie in a heavily-populated region between Jackson and Ann Arbor.  The park is contiguous with the 10,000 acre Pinckney State Recreation Area, effectively forming our region’s largest wild area.  Backpackers rely on the area as the region’s only true backpacking trail.

Waterloo finds its origin during the Great Depression when farmers in the area could no longer pay taxes on their farms.  Land was abandoned or reverted to government ownership.  The National Park Service later assembled these lands for a National Park demonstration project.  Efforts by groups like the Detroit News hiking clubs helped to plant trees acrosss the landscape.  Now, the area contains one of the largest collections of threatened species of any park in Michigan.

The challenge is that there are many private inholdings within the Waterloo State Recreation Area boundaries.  The state is attempting to purchase some of these properties.  Here is the excerpt from the state press release:

DNR, Waterloo Recreation Land Initiative, $2.5 million.

The Ann Arbor News has a story describing Wednesday’s “2008 State of the Huron” conference hosted by the Huron River Watershed Council.  Excerpts and link:

The Huron River is healthier than might be expected, for water that winds some 100 miles on its way to the Great Lakes.

The bad news?

It could be better, and the majority of streams that feed the Huron are not nearly as healthy as the river’s watershed council would like them to be.

That was the take-away from the 2008 State of the Huron conference Wednesday, a day-long event that gives members and supporters of the Huron River Watershed Council a chance to learn about the southeast Michigan artery that feeds recreation, drinking water needs and the ecology of its 910-square-mile watershed.

Many speakers focused on treating the river as part of a larger system, rather than trying to fix it alone.

“To preserve the Huron River,” said Kris Olsson, a watershed ecologist with the council, “we need to save the entire watershed, not just the river.”

Full story:

http://www.mlive.com/annarbornews/news/index.ssf/2008/09/measuring_the_health_of_the_hu.html

Todd Scott at m-bike.org has a neat chart comparing the number of biking and walking commuters in cities in Michigan and around the country.  Perhaps the most interesting statistic is that 13.8% of Ann Arborites walk to work.  An additional 2.6% bike to work.  That means that 16.4% of Ann Arbor’s population makes it to work via human power.  I find that to be very impressive, especially considering Chicago’s rate is 6.5% and Portland, OR has a total rate of 8.3%.

BTW, Ann Arbor’s influence has the potential to spread through the region like a virus.  Towns like Tecumseh, Chelsea, Dexter, Saline and Pittsfield Township have become increasingly friendly to pedestrians and bikers.  In many ways, the answer to how we should recreate our region is right under our maize-and-blue-tinged noses.

Here’s the link:

http://www.m-bike.org/blog/2008/11/25/how-many-bike-to-work-in-detroit

Mfophoto has a nice shot of walkers on a bridge over the Huron River in Ypsi’s Depot Town.  Check it out:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mfobrien/3035402408/

Ann Arbor blogger Hirak has some nice Fall pictures from the Arb on the University of Michigan’s Central Campus area.  I have generally shied away from blogging about parks in center-city Ann Arbor because they tend to have a heavy internet presence already.  Eventually, however, I’ll get around to them.  Until then, enjoy these pics:

http://hirak.blogspot.com/2008/11/indian-summer.html

Ann Arbor News excerpt:

The Friends of the Border to Border Trail meets Saturday, at the Ecology Center’s office in downtown Ann Arbor.

Topics include emphasis on completing the trail through Ypsilanti and Ypsilanti Township, and the recent passage of the county parks millage renewal.

Information: Bob Krzewinski, 734-487-9058; or wolverbob@gmail.com. There’s more on the Border to Border Trail at www.bordertoborder.org.

Full story:

http://blog.mlive.com/bulletin_board/2008/11/trail_supporters_to_meet_downt.html

The Ann Arbor News reports that development rights to a 285-acre farm north of the city have been purchased by city and township of Ann Arbor.  Excerpt and link:

The city of Ann Arbor and Ann Arbor Township have struck a deal to purchase the development rights to the 285-acre Charles and Catherine Braun farm, north of the city.

The farm, located on the west side of Whitmore Lake Road, south of Joy Road, has long been eyed by leaders in both communities who want to preserve the open space along the scenic two-lane road.

A federal grant through the Farm and Ranchland Protection Program will be used to pay more than $1.4 million toward the appraised price of about $4 million.

The two communities will split the balance, plus closing and related costs. The city’s share will come from its greenbelt program; the township’s from a land-preservation tax.

Full story:

http://www.mlive.com/annarbornews/news/index.ssf/2008/11/ann_arbor_city_township_to_buy.html

We are about to enter a challenging period for hikers.  Beginning on November 15th, the firearms deer season begins.  Safety and courtesy should be the order of the day during this period.  Given the fact that as many as a million hunters are in the woods, safety dictates that hikers should stay out of lands open to hunting.  Courtesy also is important.  Hunters wait all year for two weeks of hunting fun.  It’s not good form to interfere with this important hobby.

So, hikers should head to nature preserves and parks that do not allow hunting.  One of the best area locations for this is the University of Michigan’s Stinchfield Woods in North-Central Washtenaw County.  Stinchfield Woods is a nearly 800-acre preserve managed by the university’s School of Natural Resources and Environment.  Pine and Oak are predominant plantings on the preserve grounds.

One of the best aspects of Stinchfield Woods is the terrain.  Elevations top out at 1035 feet at the top of Peach Mountain.  This elevation is accentuated by several hundred feet of elevation gain from the surrounding landscape.  For the hiker, this means hills to climb.  There are some steep trails in the preserve and scenic views are possible.

The preserve’s elevation and relatively rural location made it a perfect location for astronomical observation.  Near the centerpoint of the property, two old telescopes rise from the top of a hill.  These telescopes had many years of use by the university before new technologies made them obsolete.

Farther to the west, more modern technology takes the stage.  A giant radio telescope scans the heavens for interesting research information.  A fence surrounds the telescope, but it is possible to walk very close.  There are few hiking destinations SE Michigan as dramatic as the approach to this telescope.

The hills of Stinchfield also provide the home for the Michigan Public Radio (WUOM) broadcasting tower.  I have always been impressed by how far the 91.7 FM signal carries.  One can drive from east of Toledo all the way past Lansing and still catch the broadcasts.  A visit to Stinchfield Woods demonstrates why.  The broadcast tower is amazingly tall.  It has to be one of the tallest structures in the area.  Be careful in winter because ice can fall great distances from the tower to the areas below.

Trails within Stinchfield Woods are unmarked and criss-cross the preserve to provide access to each planting for researchers.  Many sections of trail are tight singletrack dirt.  Other areas are wide two-tracks.  An access path circles the entire property boundary.

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Access to Stinchfield Woods is possible in several ways.  The most popular entrance is from a gate on the south side of Stinchfield Woods Road.  Be sure to park away from the actual gate to provide the university access to its facilities.  From this entrance, a path shoots west to the telescopes.

A paved entryway pushes north from North Territorial Road.  The parking situation in this location is not ideal.  One needs to park at a business down the road a bit to use this entrance.  A de facto parking area on the west side of the preserve has been cut into Pinckney State Recreation Area land on the west side of Toma Road.  From this small pulloff, it is possible to enter the presever by hopping a fence.

Finally, the Huron Clinton Metroparks maintains a parking area along Dexter-Pinckney Road.  This allows access through a gate on the west side of that roadway.

All told, Stinchfield Woods contains about five miles of great pathways.  The terrain is great.  The views are tremendous.  This is a great place to head when the hunters fill the surrounding woods.

http://sitemaker.umich.edu/snre-properties/stinchfield_woods

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I am always amazed by the many “hidden hikes” that are possible in our area.  I am always on the lookout for new spots.  But there have been many occasions in which I find a good long hike in a place that I have passed many times.

Today, I found another.  While traveling to the University of Michigan’s Stinchfield Woods, I decided to stop at the fishing site maintained by Hudson Mills Metropark on the east side of Dexter-Pinckney Road north of N. Territorial Road’s Huron River bridge.

This fishing site is one of many obscure parcels of land owned by the Huron-Clinton Metropark Authority.  The HCMA often amasses land for future projects or regional conservation goals.  Given the organization’s name, it shouldn’t be a surprise that most of these random parcels follow the course of the Huron River.  HCMA even owns land in Monroe County along the Huron.

Along Dexter-Pinckney Road, the Huron Clinton Metroparks own at least two pieces of land.  The northernmost parcel contains a small parking area and signs that focus on area fishing rules.  From this parking area, there are two trail options.

The first route is only about 700 feet in length, but highly recommended.  It is a small dirt pathway that leads quickly down a small bluff towards the river.  After several hundred feet in the woods, the trail reachers a set of Huron River rapids.

These rapids are about as close as we get in SE Michigan to waterfalls.  The rapids extend across the entire river and a large boulder allows a walker to get a view from inside the river itself.  Fishermen frequently use the banks here to set up for a day of fun.  These areas allow for good river and rapids viewing.

A return trip to the parking area leads to the second walking possibility.  A two-track, mowed-grass pathway extends north.  I followed this expecting it to be a short right-of-way.  I was wrong.  For about a mile, this two-track follows the Huron River at a distance of a few hundred feet. 

The route extends almost all the way to Portage Lake.  And while hiking the route, I came to the realization that this must be the planned terminus of Washtenaw County’s Border-to-Border Trail.  The route is not terribly remarkable.  The edge of U of M’s Stinchfield Woods provides some nice forest views to the west.  Mature forests line the route.  Expensive homes on the east side of the Huron occasionally peak out from the trees.

The route ends just before it reaches a Huron River impoundment.  From here, it is possible to hike a loop along several two-tracks and a power corridor that eventually reconnect with the original two-track.  All told, a hike of all the trails at this fishing site probably totals 2.5 miles.  That’s not bad for a “fishing site.”

I have to mention the importance of this location for regional trail planning.  For much of its route, this path parallels paths inside of Stinchfield Woods that are open to hiking.  One can hike across Stinchfield Woods and reach land within the Pinckney State Recreation Area.  With a small road hike or a traverse of an impossible thicket/swamp/stream, it is possible to connect with the Pinckney’s Losee Lake Trail and the Waterloo-Pinckney Trail system.  So, it is hard to overstate how important this path will be when all the trails come together.

What a difference a week makes!

Last weekend, the Fall colors were at their peak.  This weekend, the woods are filled with the somber tones of late winter.  Daylight ends early.  Even the relatively warm temperatures have the hint of winter’s chill.  Still, my visit to Washtenaw County’s Brauer Preserve was quite enjoyable.

Brauer Preserve is located at the intersection of Parker and Waters Roads in Freedom Township.  The 187-acre preserve is just close enough to Ann Arbor to be a nice destination point for urbanites wishing for a taste of rural nature.

The preserve was once farmed and the preserve management plan includes continued farming on areas of cleared land.  That said, many areas of wetlands and woodlots have escaped the plow and provide a good natural experience.

From the parking area on Parker Road, a visitor walks west and then south along an old farm path.  The first quarter mile is filled with typical farm views.  Winter wheat was planted to the north.  A field of harvested corn stalks spread to the south.  A small drain cuts this area in half.

After a quarter mile, however, the scenery changes.  The farm path enters a wooded area.  Fall color was still in abundance along this section.  The trees arched over the path in cathedral-like fashion.  A sharp ridge followed the pathway a few feet to the west.

The payoff for walking this half-mile, one-way route is Lake Isabelle.  This is just a small farm lake, but it has some interesting features.  A small backwater cut provides potential access for kayaks.  Beyond this area of stable ground, however, is an area reminiscent of southern swamp.  Mature trees abound, but the ground is fairly wet.  The ground is deceptive with the fall leaves.  I went mid-calf into mud before abandoning an attempt at circling the lake.

On my return along the farm path, I was serenaded by evening bird song and smelled the aroma of wild leek.  I spied a cathedral-like area of tall pines.  About halfway back on the farm path, it is possible to circle another wooded area.  In fact, the farm terrain makes it possible to follow field edges for additional mileage.

Here is the official preserve website, with maps:

http://www.ewashtenaw.org/government/departments/parks_recreation/napp/preserves/brauer.html