The TLC wants to help protect all natural areas in the Thumb. Because of the many variations of landscapes, soils, moisture, microclimate, influence of the Great Lakes, the Thumb has many different plant communities and species that depend on them. Of the many landscapes and plant communities, we are particularly interested in those areas most at-risk of loss, rare, or unique to the Thumb.

The TLC has begun fundraising to acquire 30 acres of forested beach ridge and swale habitat along Lake Huron in Burtchville Township. The property is located along the west side of M-25 about ½ mile north of Metcalf Road. The habitat is very unique, restricted along the Great Lakes, composed of sand ridges and low muck swales paralleling the shoreline. The ridges are old beaches that began forming about 4,500 years ago as a higher post-glacial lake level began to subside, leaving a succession of sand bars, then beaches, beyond the waves.

Uncommon species like Purple-flowering Raspberry (the Lower Peninsula's equivalent of the Upper Peninsula's Thimbleberry) and Yellow Lady's-slipper Orchids are found in this habitat.

For anyone that has done any bird watching along the shoreline, it is obvious that this habitat is a critical pathway for an abundance of migratory birds. For more information about this habitat, see the Thumb Habitats article in the December 2003 edition of The Lakeshore Guardian here.

Beach ridge and swale habitat is part of what truly makes the Blue Water Area and Thumb shoreline unique. TLC must raise well over $100,000 in a short time. We hope this will be the first acquisition of a larger shoreline initiative. Please make your tax-deductible donation to the Thumb Land Conservancy today. Please reference "Beach Ridges" in the memo line of your check. Thank you. Here are some photographs of a few species found in this special Great Lakes shoreline habitat –


Landscapes

Beach / Dune Ridge and Swale Complex

This landscape is limited to a narrow band along Lake Huron, in a high development zone along M-25 from Fort Gratiot into Sanilac, and around the tip of the Thumb through Tuscola. It has a very unique formation history, contains uncommon species such as Purple-flowering Raspberry, and is important migratory bird habitat.

Sanilac Shoreline Bluffs

The tall bluffs along Lake Huron from Lexington through Forester are unusual and scenic, caused by gradual erosion of Lake Huron into the Port Huron Moraine.

Port Huron Moraine Ravines

The many deep ravines cut by creeks through the Port Huron Moraine are narrow refuges for a northern plant community due to cool air drainage, shade, and a cooler growing season near Lake Huron. The ravines harbor species well south of their primary range, such as Mountain Maple.

Glacial Interlobate

Glacial Moraines

Port Huron and Deanville Mountain Moraine

River Valleys / Floodplain

Flint River, Cass River, Black River, Mill Creek, Pine River, Belle River, Salt River, Clinton River Floodplain Forest

Great Lakes Shoreline

Beaches, Huron bedrock, Sanilac County bluffs, Great Lakes marsh, Saint Clair River Delta


Forest

Northern – Southern Forest Complex

This forest type is mostly west of Port Huron, in high development areas. It is well south of its primary range, contains several rare species such as Michigan Endangered Painted Trillium, and is a unique blend of northern and southern flora.

Mesic Northern Forest

Mesic Southern Forest

Dry Southern Forest

Hardwood-Conifer Swamp

Southern Hardwood Swamp

Wet-mesic flatwoods

a wet to mesic forest on mineral soils dominated by a highly diverse mixture of upland and lowland hardwoods. The community occurs almost exclusively on poorly drained glacial lakeplain in southeastern Lower Michigan. Dominant trees may include oaks, hickories, maples, ashes, and basswood. Seasonal inundation is the primary natural disturbance factor influencing wet-mesic flatwoods.

Rich Tamarack Swamp

A groundwater-fed peat or muck land of very limited distribution in the Thumb, primarily in wetlands and kettle lake margins of the glacial interlobate landscape of Lapeer and Tuscola Counties, extending through northern Sanilac and southern Huron Counties. Rich tamarack swamp is a groundwater-influenced, minerotrophic, forested wetland dominated by tamarack (Larix laricina) that occurs on deep organic soils predominantly south of the climatic tension zone in southern Lower Michigan. This natural community type was known as relict conifer swamp in previous versions of the natural community classification.

Poor conifer swamp

A nutrient-poor, forested peatland characterized by acidic, saturated peat, and the prevalence of coniferous trees, sphagnum mosses, and ericaceous shrubs. This system is found predominantly north of the climatic tension zone, and much less frequently in southern Lower Michigan. The community occurs in depressions in glacial outwash and sandy glacial lakeplains and in kettles on pitted outwash and depressions on moraines. Fire occurs naturally during drought periods and creates even-aged, often monospecific, stands of black spruce (Picea mariana). Windthrow, beaver flooding, and insect defoliation are also important disturbance factors influencing species composition and structure.

Cedar Swamp

Rich conifer swamp is a groundwater-influenced, minerotrophic, forested wetland dominated by northern white-cedar (Thuja occidentalis) that occurs on organic soils (i.e., peat) primarily north of the climatic tension zone in the northern Lower and Upper Peninsulas. The community is also referred to as cedar swamp.


Savanna

Lakeplain Oak Openings

Oak-Pine Barrens

A fire-dependent communities of limited distribution in the Thumb, primarily in Lapeer, Tuscola, and Huron Counties, with several rare species such as …. a fire-dependent, savanna community dominated by oaks and pines, having between 5 and 60% canopy cover, with or without a shrub layer. The predominantly graminoid ground layer contains plant species associated with both prairie and forest. The community occurs on a variety of landforms on droughty, infertile sand or loamy sands occasionally within southern Lower Michigan but mostly north of the climatic tension zone in the northern Lower and Upper Peninsulas.

Oak Barrens

Oak barrens is a fire-dependent savanna type dominated by oaks, having between 5 and 60% canopy, with or without a shrub layer. Black oak (Quercus velutina) and white oak (Q. alba) typically dominate the scattered overstory. The predominantly graminoid ground layer is composed of species associated with both prairie and forest communities. Oak barrens are found on droughty soils and occur typically on nearly level to slightly undulating glacial outwash in southern Lower Michigan.

Oak Openings

Oak openings are fire-dependent savannas dominated by oaks, having between 10 and 60% canopy, with or without a shrub layer. The predominantly graminoid ground layer is composed of species associated with both prairie and forest communities. Oak openings are found on dry-mesic loams in the southern Lower Peninsula, typically occurring on level to rolling topography of outwash and coarse-textured end moraines. Oak openings have been nearly extirpated from Michigan; only one small example remains. They are known primarily from historical literature and data derived from severely disturbed sites.


Prairie

Lakeplain Prairie

Fire-dependent Great Lakes coastal communities of extremely limited distribution with globally imperiled species such as Prairie-fringed Orchid. Coverage in the Thumb is largely limited to small portions of Macomb County, southern Saint Clair County, from the Saint Clair River delta north through Marine City, a few small outliers in the Marysville area, and along Saginaw Bay in Tuscola County.

Mesic Sand Prairie

Wet prairie

a native lowland grassland occurring on level, saturated and/or seasonally inundated stream and river floodplains, lake margins, and isolated depressions in southern Lower Michigan. It is typically found on outwash plains and channels near moraines. Soils are primarily loam or silt loam of neutral pH and have high organic content. Dominant species include bluejoint grass (Calamagrostis canadensis) and cordgrass (Spartina pectinata), with sedges (Carex spp.) often important subdominants.

Wet-mesic prairie

Native lowland grassland occurring on moist, occasionally inundated stream and river floodplains, lake margins, and isolated depressions in southern Lower Michigan. It is typically found on outwash plains and channels near moraines. Soils are primarily loam or silt loam with neutral pH and high organic content. Dominants or subdominants include big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii), Indian grass (Sorghastrum nutans), bluejoint grass (Calamagrostis canadensis), cordgrass (Spartina pectinata), and sedges (Carex spp.).


Open Wetland

Bog

Bogs are very low-nutrient and acidic peat lands, usually dominated by Sphagnum mosses, low evergreen shrubs such as Leatherleaf, and scattered conifer trees such as Black Spruce and Tamarack. Bogs are of very limited distributiuon in the Thumb, occurring in kettle depressions and other low areas, mostly between the glacial interlobate hills of Lapeer and Tuscola Counties, extending north into Sanilac and Huron Counties.

Minden Bog

Emergent Marsh

Inland Salt Marsh

Interdunal Wetland

Intermittent Wetland

Inundated Shrub Swamp

Northern Shrub Thicket

Southern Shrub-Carr

Southern Wet Meadow

Submergent Marsh


All Natural Areas

  • Valuable for many reasons
  • Young woodlands, shrub lands, fencerows, fields, yards
  • Values to children, recreation, aesthetic, common species, uncommon species becoming rare

The TLC Protects:

  • Natural areas
  • Rare species
  • Common species
  • Natural resources
  • Recreational areas
  • Educational opportunities
  • Childhood places
  • Quality of life
  • Access

The TLC is interested in any opportunity to add lands to it’s existing preserves. If you want to propose a protection project and are willing to take the lead, we can help.