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William Erby Smith Preserve
William Erby Smith's bequest of Wau-Ke-Na ("forest-by-the-water") is the largest of Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy's preserves, and includes forests, fields, streams, ponds, bluffs, and beaches. Wau-Ke-Na gets its name from the rich forest along the shores of Lake Michigan that makes up the northern tract of the preserve. These woods are home to magnificent specimens of red oak, tulip tree, yellow birch, American beech, sugar maple, hemlock, sassafras, and more. On the southern tract, Mr. Smith spent a great deal of time and resources improving wildlife habitat, creating wetlands and sowing grasslands. Fields of prairie grasses and wildflowers provide foraging and nesting areas for rare birds like sedge wrens, bobolinks and eastern meadowlarks. Wau-Ke-Na is a special place for wildlife, and SWMLC plans to maintain the natural areas and expand them. In the coming year, SWMLC will evaluate how to build upon Mr. Smith's efforts to create wildlife habitat in the southern tract. On the northern tract, efforts are already underway to enhance and expand the beech-maple forest by transitioning the pine plantations to hardwoods, providing better food and shelter for wildlife. To read the executive summary of our master plan for Wau-Ke-Na, click here. |
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