Stewards of Kleinstuck manages Kleinstuck and Little Sister Preserves to restore natural diversity and ecosystem health.

Historic features provide a context to help direct land management priorities by suggesting what the ecosystem has the potential to support. Maps of area vegetation in the 1800s show these preserves were once on the edge of a black oak barren surrounded by a mixed oak savanna. The wetland in the center of Kleinstuck Preserve was once a bog.

What are oak savannas and barrens?

Both oak savannas and barrens are described by Michigan Natural Features Inventory as having sparse canopies of oaks, little to no understory, and a ground layer of grasses, sedges, and rushes.

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Historic records show that humans have significantly impacted this landscape over the last 200 years.

The bog in the center of the preserve was mined for peat in the 1800s.
Portions of the hillsides were cleared for farming and grazing which led to erosion.
Thousands of pine trees were planted in the 1920s to prevent erosion.
Invasive species, some planted intentionally or escaped from nearby yards, have crowded out native plants
The Kleinstuck pond has been largely filled in by erosion and invasive plants.
Since 2007, the Stewards of Kleinstuck have managed the land to prevent continued decline.

Management Plans

Bird List

Support Our Work

What we’re working on

Another great annual Frog Walk. Thanks Nate and Erin Fuller.

Today was one of our biggest volunteer turnouts for a monthly workday. We were all entertained by the Sandhill Cranes and the baby geese. It hasn’t been confirmed yet but we think the cranes are nesting in the marsh. This would be a first. As for the work, we cleared Privet in the space between the marsh and the loop path, between Kazoo School path and the triangle. The plan for this area is 1. Clear the invasive species 2. Plant a diverse, mixed hedge of native shrubs and understory trees for bird habitat 3. Plant the herbaceous layer with a diversity of native sedge plugs/seeds. #ecologicalrestoration #expandhabitat #increasebiodiversity

Seeding!!!! Last night we seeded the area formerly known as “Honeysuckle Hill” with a native woodland mix from @greatlakesnativeseed . Those two garbage cans are full of seed! Now we wait (like two years or more!!) for it to fill in. If you’re curious about the plant list that we chose I added it in the last pic. #ecologicalrestoration

Winter returned for a day as we beat back Bittersweet and Privet with a small volunteer crew this morning.

Restoration Workday is upon us! Join Stewards of Kleinstuck this Sunday from 10 to noon to help remove invasive species from the preserve. Meet at those sad outdoor tennis courts. No experience necessary. Bring gloves. #ecologicalrestoration

Come enjoy this freakishly beautiful weather with a stroll through the woods with us tonight at 6 for our monthly Social Hike. You can learn about what these weird designs are in these grid pics. Meet at the outdoor tennis courts at the Y.

Ad hoc restoration crew of two today to satisfy volunteer hours. Do you have a student that needs to get in their volunteer hours for a class? If so, let us know and we’ll try to accommodate.

Another small, but mighty turnout for our monthly public workday. We started in on one of the messiest sections near the marsh. This spot was a horrible tangle of Eurasian Bittersweet, Privet and Honeysuckle. We cleared most of it today and will continue down the shore next time. Please come help us. We meet on the second Sunday of each month at the outdoor tennis courts at 10 am. We work until noon. All ages, no experience required. #ecologicalrestorarion

“Honeysuckle Hill” was the name we gave this south-facing slope from the Kazoo School trail to “The Triangle” in the Fall of ‘22 (second photo is from a workday in December of 2022) when we began our restoration focus in this area. A year and a half later you’d be hard pressed to find a living non-native Honeysuckle shrub on this hill, thanks to the hours and hours of volunteer stewardship. We have moved on from understory invasive species management to tree canopy invasive species removal. Today the WMU arborists selectively removed exotic Norway Maples from the slope and mulched them up. We just ordered gobs ‘n gobs of native plant seeds for southern mesic forests from @greatlakesnativeseed that we will strategically broadcast as a “frost seeding” once the temperatures drop and snow is forecasted (thoughts and prayers, please). Meanwhile, we have one more task to take care of and we hope that you’ll help us. This Sunday we will meet at the outdoor tennis courts at 10am to cut more invasive shrubs from the sliver of land in front of “Honeysuckle Hill” (we really need a new name!), between the marsh and the loop trail. We’ll work until noon. No experience necessary. Just bring gloves. You’ll have fun. Thanks. #ecologicalrestorarion #volunteerstewardship