News from Six Rivers!

St. Clair County awarded a grant to acquire parkland

Clay Township, MI – St. Clair County has secured funding to acquire a 10 acre parcel along the North Channel of the St. Clair River with help from Six Rivers Land Conservancy. On Wednesday, December 2, the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund (MNRTF) recommended the funding of a $1,425,300 grant to help fund St. Clair County’s purchase of the 10-acre North Channel shoreline property from Six Rivers. The MNRTF grant will be matched with funds from the St. Clair County Parks and Recreation millage.

Six Rivers pre-acquired the 10- acre parcel bordering Algonac and adjoining the DNR boat launch on the North Channel of the St. Clair River in Clay Township for St. Clair County Parks. Once the County receives their funds from the MNRTF in late 2021, they will complete the purchase from Six Rivers and turn the property into a public park with beach area, kayak launch and other recreational amenities. “This property contains numerous natural features that provide passive recreation opportunities for wildlife observation, access to open green space, direct waterfront access to the North Channel of the St. Clair River and to the Lake St. Clair Coastal Water Trail Paddling Route,” stated Six Rivers Executive Director Chris Bunch. It will be the southernmost park in St. Clair County and will add badly needed recreational access to the St. Clair River. The initial acquisition by Six Rivers was funded with a loan from The Conservation Fund, a national non-profit that specializes in conservation that makes both environmental and economic sense, including loaning funds for conservation acquisitions.

Once the transfer of ownership is complete, St. Clair County Parks plans to begin development of the property in early 2022. Next spring public input sessions will be held to allow residents to provide feedback on park amenities and design. The tentative plan is to allow public access to the park by the summer of 2022. For more information, call the St. Clair County Park Commission office at 810 989-6960.

Chesterfield Township awarded a grant to acquire the Salt River Nature Center

Chesterfield Township, MI – Chesterfield Township has secured funding to acquire the Salt River Nature Center located on Hooker Road with help from Six Rivers Land Conservancy.  On Wednesday, December 2, the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund (MNRTF) recommended the funding of a $199,500 grant to help fund their purchase of the 33 acre Salt River Nature Center property from Six Rivers.  Six Rivers pre-acquired the property for Chesterfield Township with a loan from First State Bank, and is holding it on their behalf while they complete the MNRTF process. Once the township receives their funds from the MNRTF in late 2021, they will complete the purchase from Six Rivers and develop it into a park.                                           

The property is a central part of the Macomb County Blue Economy Initiative’s Salt River Intracoastal Marina District.  The property is currently undeveloped in a natural state and contains a rich variety of wildlife with wetland and upland wooded areas.  The future development of the property will provide residents and visitors with additional recreational opportunities and access to the Salt River and the Lake St. Clair Coastal Water Trail.  Nature paths, boardwalks, a blueway paddle trail, wildlife viewing areas and wildlife educational resources are planned.

 Six Rivers acquired property on the Salt River in Chesterfield Township with a loan from First State Bank.

In the interim, the Township is leasing the property from Six Rivers to begin utilizing it as a park.  “This is the first acquisition funded for Six Rivers by First State Bank with a newly established line of credit.  It is priority acquisition for the township, adding additional access upstream from the Webber Paddle Park and adding to public access and protected acreage along the Salt River. We are happy to be a part of this exciting project,” stated Six Rivers Executive Director Chris Bunch.

Oakland township awarded a grant to expand lost lake nature park

Oakland Township’s $3.1 million MNRTF grant request for the acquisition of the 235-acre Lost Lake Nature Park Expansion property was recommended for funding on December 2, 2020

The grant will be included in a bill that will go to the legislature for their approval next spring. Once approved, Oakland Township can sign a grant agreement with the state and proceed toward acquiring the property in the 21/22 fiscal year

This parcel is not only important to Oakland Township but equally to our region as it will protect and provide access to environmentally significant and scenic natural areas!

Lost Lake Nature Park Expansion Natural Communities

The Lost Lake Nature Park Expansion protects many excellent natural communities. In a single-day rapid assessment, 281 plant species were documented. The property protects ecological links to the existing Lost Lake Nature Park, Addison Oaks Park, Bald Mountain State Recreation Area; protects the West Branch of Stony Creek and Clam Lake; contains important wetlands like bogs and fens; and includes fields with remnant native vegetation. Enjoy learning about these unique natural communities on the walk from the big green barn to the main house.

1. The fields throughout the property, and the adjacent hedgerows, used to be managed as farmland. However, in several areas remnant native plants persist, including the butterfly milkweed and wild lupine. In several areas oaks are regenerating naturally in the old orchards, beginning the process of oak savanna restoration.

2. After flowing out of Clam Lake, the West Branch of Stony Creek winds through submergent marsh, southern shrub-carr, and rich tamarack swamp until it flows into Tamarack Lake. These wetlands play an important role filtering and cleaning the water, storing floodwater, and providing wildlife habitat.

3. The northwest wetland complex includes prairie fen, southern wet meadow, and southern shrub-carr. The prairie fen lines Clam Lake and extends along the West Branch of Stony Creek all the way to Lake George Road. The fen is beautifully diverse and intact and is very important to protect and steward. Prairie fens support unique plant and animal species and are a statewide priority in the Michigan Wildlife Action Plan. Shrubby cinquefoil, mountain mint, bog birch, Kalm’s lobelia, round-leaved sundew, sage willow, grass-of-parnassus, marsh wild-timothy, common bog arrow-grass, and purple false foxglove are just a few of the unique plants in this prairie fen.

4. Many of the woodlands on the property are mature oak forest. Rich wetlands pocket these forests, including some vernal pools, creating habitat for breeding amphibians.

5. Several of the wetlands on the property are rich tamarack swamp. Tamaracks are a native deciduous conifer. In southeast Michigan, tamaracks are mostly found in high quality wetlands.

Other key natural features of the property include the only known black spruce bog in Oakland Township, and one of only a few in Oakland County. We are near the southern limit of bogs in Michigan in Oakland Township. Many of the plants we noticed are only found in this bog, and few other places in the township. These unique plants include black spruce, pitcher plant, wild cranberry, cottongrass, sundew, leatherleaf shrubs, and rattlesnake grass. Clam Lake, Green Lake and Tamarack Lake are beautiful lakes with large areas of natural shoreline.

(Information provided by Dr. Ben VanderWeide, Natural Areas Stewardship Manager, Oakland Township Parks and Recreation)