Support McDuffee Creek Nature Preserve
The Land Conservancy of West Michigan has acquired 300 acres in Newaygo County. The land is home to many high-quality natural features in need of protection as well as degraded habitat in need of restoration. The Land Conservancy is seeking the community’s support to ensure this landscape, its waterways, and its benefits to the public are protected forever.
About McDuffee Creek Nature Preserve
McDuffee Creek Nature Preserve protects a 3,500-feet stretch of the Little South Branch of the Pere Marquette River and over 3,200 feet of frontage on both sides of McDuffee Creek. Both the Little South Branch and McDuffee Creek are designated Natural Rivers within the state of Michigan. Both the Little South Branch and McDuffee Creek are known trout streams.
The property connects U.S. Forest Service land on its south and east borders, creating a natural greenway in this patchwork of protected forest. Wetland areas flank the waterways, with alder shrubs and sedge wetlands along the Little South Branch and a large area of wooded lowland near McDuffee Creek. The lowland forest has many vernal pools during the spring, which are filled with several species of breeding amphibians. The southwest portion of the property, formerly a pine plantation, is being actively restored to oak savanna habitat. Once common on the landscape, oak savannas are now exceedingly rare and can support a number of imperiled plant, insect, and wildlife species.
Images by Steve Jessmore