Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy staff look for a nest on the trail above Lower Woodcock Lake.
Story and photos by Stewart A. McFerran
I first met a bearded Glen Chown near Lower Woodcock Lake in the early 1990s when my neighbor was giving him a tour of that large property just north of our little neighborhood. The conservancy movement was in its nascence, and the idea of raising funds to conserve land was just catching on. But our small group of neighbors was hopeful because our ski trail traversed the ridge above LWL all the way to Lake Ann Pathway.
Twenty years later I was hiking new trails on that same ridge between LWL and the Platte River. I was with the phalanx of talented folks Chown, executive director of the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy, had assembled to do the work of conserving and managing this place. The 230 acres surrounding the lake is only one property in a large portfolio of properties the GTRLC oversees in the region.
I was learning a lot from pros on staff, such as Angie Bouma. She and her team of botanists had surveyed the plants on the shoulders of the esker ⸺ a serpentine-shaped, layered glacial deposit ⸺ that made up the ridge between the lake and the Platte River. There are 225 plant species on the list; 193 of those are native species. The botanists had made unique and important finds, such as 19 kinds of ferns.
Later, I asked Bouma to recall some of those plants’ names for me. She replied:
“The two species I highlighted that were exciting (and ones I don’t find very often and that indicate high-quality habitat) were James’ monkeyflower, Mimulus glabratus (https://michiganflora.net/record/1909), an aquatic plant, and cuckoo flower, Cardamine pratensis (https://michiganflora.net/record/633).”
Also present on the trail was staff from the Conservation Resource Alliance. Biologists Nate Winkler and Kim Balke chimed in on the fish survey conducted at LWL. They told us about important ongoing work updating the intersections of streams where they pass under roads. Apparently, the culvert that had been used under Burnt Mill Road was part of an old steam engine. The alliance was instrumental in securing funds for the timber bridge that now allows water to flow freely from Upper to Lower Woodcock Lake.
I got to chat with GTRLC staffer Chris Garrock, who manages the LWL property and others, as we passed the nest of the red-shouldered hawk and enormous trees gnawed by beavers. He pointed out the lack of understory plants, largely due to overgrazing by an outsized deer population.
At a stop along the trail, Chown pointed out that the Woodcock lakes are not named for the American woodcock (a bird) but for a civil war veteran named Woodcock who settled here. I added that his name was Silas Woodcock, and some have said he had a long beak and big feet, just like the woodcock.
Two state-listed mussel species were found in the connector streambed between LWL and the Platte River. That unnamed creek is replete with woody debris and features a beaver dam at the upstream end. Before the conservancy built a bridge, we would cross the creek on fallen tree trunks while listening to the delightful trickle of the flowing water. From the new bridge, water sounds can still be heard as one looks toward the confluence of the creek and the Platte River.
At another stop, Chown talked about how proud he is that the conservancy’s staff has set goals and taken action to achieve those goals at places like Lower Woodcock Lake. Those of us who live nearby are happy to be a part of the conservation efforts at this special watershed nature preserve.
NOTES: A portion of the Lower Woodcock Lake trail closes April 15–June 15 each year to protect nesting birds, such as the red-shouldered hawk.
For more about LWL, read “Lower Woodcock Lake: Summer and Winter” (August 19, 2020) and “Lower Woodcock Lake: a pristine jewel” (February 2020, Page 6)
Stewart A. McFerran illuminates current environmental issues in a historic context. He hopes readers will gain an understanding of and insight into ways people interact with their environment.
