Welcome!
Mission Statement: The Stewards of Kleinstuck unite neighbors, ecologists and WMU land managers to create a healthier, more diverse and beautiful ecosystem in the Kleinstuck Preserve, for the benefit of our community and wildlife. |  |
Work Days are normally every 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month - See Calendar
Western Michigan University owns and manages Kleinstuck Preserve. 2008 Annual Report | Nature News:
Nate's Note on Spring 2010 (sample, see end for link) Don’t know if you folks have noticed, but it’s gotten a lot warmer lately. The red-winged blackbirds arrived back in Kleinstuck this week. This unusually cold end of February has them a bit later than usual this year. I’ve stepped into Kleinstuck the past couple nights in hopes of hearing the first frog calls, but it’s been quiet so far. The bowl shape of Kleinstuck keeps things a little extra cool down there and I think “our” frogs get frisky a few days later than more exposed wetlands. They might have started calling at Asylum Lake since the cool air over the wetlands isn’t trapped in a bowl. The first kinds of frogs to listen for are chorus, spring peeper, and wood frogs. Now that our nights are staying above freezing, the ice is going to disappear quickly and the wetlands are going to be rated PG-13 with froggy-love in a hurry! The “warm” rain (by August I doubt we will be calling 45 degrees warm) over the next couple days might inspire the nocturnal migration of salamanders to the Kleinstuck marsh. Erin and I have witnessed a big tiger salamander move through our yard a couple times in years past. Tiger salamanders (6”-8” with yellow mottled bars over dark background) belong to the group of “mole salamanders” that include spotted (4”-6” with yellow polka dots) and blue-spotted salamanders (2”-4” with blue speckles). These are thick-bodied salamanders that spend most of their time living in underground tunnels and occasionally show up in people’s window wells and Michigan basements. So far I’ve only seen tigers in Kleinstuck; I’d be interested to know if we have any of the other kinds too. The salamanders typically move en masse to wetlands to mate on one of the first warm rainy nights of spring. In addition....Nate Fuller
| SoK News: Work Days are normally every 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month - See Calendar We will meet up for work days at Kazoo School playground.(on Cherry Street) Bring tough gloves, and sharp loppers and/or saws (we will have some extras if you don't have any tools). Please remember to only do what you can, even an hour of your time can help us make a huge difference. Steering Committee: Back Row: Jack Scholl, Bob Jorth, Erin Fuller, Patrice Mason, Paul Macnellis, Cari DeLong, Nate Fuller Front Row: Yanis Grants, Heather Ratliff, Liga Dindonis, Jacquelyn Taylor
|
