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Purchasing our 4.5 acres of property outside of Ann Arbor, three years ago, was an opportunity for our family to work towards reconciliation ecology. Our land will never be what it was in the pre-European settlement era, because of historical patterns, current use, climate change, and invasive species; but it can be a wonderful place for us to live and be a natural habitat for many, many species going forward. The property we steward has a mix of sandy, low nutrient soil in the east, and a wetland area (historical remnant since at least 1940) at the lower west side. It has been benignly neglected for at least the last 30 years after serving as a home site/yard and a farm. Many woody and herbaceous invasives had become abundant, often dominant.  We have a lot of deer in the area, so ongoing deer browse is a major challenge.

A tour of Kevin’s property highlights the challenges of managing invasive plants on a larger scale while making realistic choices for the introduction and/or re-introduction, of native trees, shrubs, grasses and forbs. This complex process is often made more challenging when there is high pressure from browsing deer. Kevin has taken up the challenge and has developed some informed strategies to win the battle and claim the wet meadow and wooded upland for a greater diversity of species.

Parking along W. Delhi Road. Gather at the foot of the drive. There will be bugs, including ticks. Come prepared.