Restoring a Prairie: From Conflict to Conservation

 A disagreement between developers ended up in court. The Judge awarded each builder the right to build condos, provided 8 acres was donated to the local conservancy. We accepted the land despite its poor condition and set about restoring it to the type of prairie that existed there before the settlement era. Little blue stem grass has begun resprouting from the “seed bank.” A walking trail has been laid out and volunteers have cleared trash and re-seeded with native prairie plants. It a few years it will flourish with pollinator plants and insect loving birds, all part of the food web typical of the prairies that dotted southern Michigan in the early 1800’s. A few rarities will also be encouraged and visible from busy I-75 as cars whiz by.