
The original Covenant Farm Easement protects 29 acres of natural and managed forest. Purchased by five families in 1979, the property is now held by the Covenant Farm Corporation, which includes seven families and is currently used for recreation and wildlife habitat. The property consists of uplands and ravines. The west natural area is cut north to south by a 30-foot deep ravine occupied by a small unnamed stream which joins the Galien River to the south. The southeast natural area has an oxbow of the Galien River and overlooks the 50-foot deep Galien River valley. The oxbow is seasonally flooded. Natural areas are covered by a diverse mixture of tree species of various age and size and there is a wonderful variety of wildflowers, including the unusual American columbo (Swertia caroliniensis) which is known to have been sighted in only two locations in Berrien County, and the state threatened prairie trillium (Trillium recurvatum). Tree species include beech, sugar maple, shagbark hickory, oaks, hop hornbeam, and sycamore.