Forty-three Acres on River Raisin Preserved
 he RVLT is pleased
to announce its acceptance of a 43-acre conservation easement on the
River Raisin in Lenawee County’s Palmyra Township. The easement
includes a 27-acre former agricultural field and a 16-acre woodlot.
It is our second CREP easement and thirteenth overall.
The property belongs to Geraldine Drefke, who moved here in 1992 with
her husband, when they retired. Willard Drefke’s family had
farmed the 92 acres for many years, and Mrs. Drefke leased the fields
to a local farmer after her husband’s death. When she learned
that the 27-acre field closest to the river was eligible for the CREP
program (see CREP in the River Raisin Watershed)
she enrolled it in the program. In 2001 it was planted to perennial
grasses. Prior to that the field was planted on a rotational basis
with corn and soybeans. It was not uncommon for the first planting
to be washed away by river flooding. Now the soil is stabilized and
run-off of sediments and fertilizer into the river is reduced. Many
species of insects, birds and mammals now find homes in the grassy
meadow bordered by the woods on the bank of the river.
The 16 acre woods has a diverse array of tree species indicative of
a southern floodplain forest, including American elm, basswood, black
and red ash, black walnut, bur oak, eastern cottonwood, and sycamore.
The woodlands also have a diversity of plants found in a floodplain
forest, including Beak Grass, listed as a threatened species by the
Michigan Natural Features Inventory. The woods have been logged periodically,
and selective logging will still be allowed, under the terms of a
plan that requires any logging be done in a manner that protects the
conservation values of the property and the water quality of the River
Raisin.
Mrs. Drefke is glad that the land will be protected from future development.
As she likes to say, “We will plan our work and work our plan
with God’s help.” The RVLT will do its part to see that
the land is preserved as she intends.
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