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Invasive Species Alert

Posted on August 15, 2025

Chikaming Open Lands was recently notified by CISMA that two species on Michigan’s Invasive Species Watchlist, parrot feather (Myriophyllum aquaticum) and cinnamon vine (Dioscorea polystachya), have been documented in Berrien County. CISMA (Southwest by Southwest Corner Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area) works to protect natural resources in Berrien, Cass, and Van Buren counties from the threat of invasive species.

The sightings, confirmed through the community science platform iNaturalist, were on property not owned by COL but close enough to put our stewardship team on alert.

Why This Matters 

Watchlist species are not yet widespread in Michigan, but they have the potential to cause significant environmental harm if they spread. Early detection is critical, as finding and reporting them early gives us the best chance to stop them before they become established. If you’ve heard about the spotted lanternfly, another species on the state’s watchlist, you know how quickly invasive species can spread and the damage they can cause to plants, trees, and crops. Parrot feather and cinnamon vine may not be as well-known, but they pose serious risks to our waterways and natural areas. 

Parrot Feather is an aquatic plant with bright green, feathery leaves that grow both above and below the water’s surface. Its whorled leaves have 4–6 leaflets each, and stems rise above the water like bottlebrushes. Dense mats of parrot feather can crowd out native plants, disrupt water flow, and reduce habitat for fish and wildlife. 

 Cinnamon Vine is a vigorous climbing vine with bright green, heart-shaped leaves and small, cinnamon-scented flowers. It produces aerial tubers that resemble tiny potatoes, as well as underground tubers, allowing it to spread rapidly. Once established, it can blanket and smother native vegetation. 

What You Can Do 

Invasive species are easiest to manage when they are first introduced, since it is much easier to mange just a few plants, instead of acres of them. Because of this, early detection is key to protecting our resources! CISMA leans on partners, residents, and citizen scientists to help report emerging species, since they see far more of the county than the CISMA ever will. When you spot invasive species, report them using MISIN!

MISIN, the Midwest Invasive Species Information Network, is program through MSU to help identify and map invasive species throughout the area. Using either the website or the phone app, you can report invasive species locations for managers and municipalities. Or, visit the website to look at what has been reported in your area!

Chikaming Open Lands Protects 31 Acres in Royalton Township

Posted on July 30, 2025

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 29, 2025

Chikaming Open Lands Protects 31 Acres Near the St. Joseph River

New Nature Preserve Will Offer Future Public Access in Royalton Township

BERRIEN COUNTY, MI — Chikaming Open Lands (COL) is proud to announce the successful acquisition of a 31-acre property near the St. Joseph River in Royalton Township. Adjacent to the Royalton Township Nature Trail property, this newly protected land, featuring forested ravines, wetlands, and a former vineyard, represents an exciting step in COL’s commitment to protecting open space throughout all of Berrien County.

Thanks to the generosity of former landowners Thomas and Eileen Chapman, who offered the land at a significantly reduced price, the property is now permanently protected and will remain natural and undeveloped for generations to come.

“This is a meaningful milestone for Chikaming Open Lands,” said Executive Director Ryan Postema. “It’s our first preserve in this area of the county and adds more than 30 acres of protected natural area to the St. Joseph River corridor.”

Protected land corridors like this one, especially those along river systems, are vital for supporting native plants and wildlife. They help maintain biodiversity, protect water quality, and contribute to a healthy, balanced ecosystem. Because this property sits next to the Royalton Township Nature Trail, it also creates exciting opportunities to expand public access for recreational use.

Highlights of the property include:

• Mature forested ravines with beech, maple, and oak trees.

• A former agricultural field and vineyard, which COL plans to restore to native habitat.

• Expansion of an existing trail system, offering future public access and recreational use.

• Conservation value as part of a natural corridor in a rapidly developing area.

While the purchase is now complete, COL is continuing to seek donations to support restoration, trail development, and long-term stewardship of the preserve.

“We’re deeply grateful to the Chapmans for their generosity, and to all of our donors who made this acquisition possible,” said Executive Director Ryan Postema. “Their support has enabled us to protect land and provide outdoor recreation opportunities for communities in a part of Berrien County that we hadn’t yet reached.”

To support this project and learn more, visit www.chikamingopenlands.org/pre...

A Flurry of Wings: It’s Peak Butterfly Season!

Posted on July 25, 2025

There’s no better time than mid-summer to witness the beauty and diversity of butterflies in Southwest Michigan. Whether you’re exploring Burns Prairie Preserve or any other grassland and prairie habitats, you may be greeted by flashes of orange, yellow, and blue fluttering through the landscape.

Butterflies aren’t just beautiful, they’re also important pollinators and indicators of ecosystem health. That’s why Chikaming Open Lands participates in the Michigan Butterfly Network’s citizen science monitoring program. Stewards and volunteers spend time on our preserves each summer to document butterfly species and help track long-term population trends across the state.

Native Butterflies to Look For

While monarchs tend to get all the glory (and for good reason!), many other butterflies call our region home. Below are just a few that are stewardship team has spotted this week while working on the preserves. Want a resource to take with you on the trails? We recommend this Michigan Butterflies & Pollinators pocket guide

Photos taken by COL Stewardship Field Supervisor, Mandy Allred

Create Habitat at Home

Want to attract butterflies to your backyard? Start by planting native species that provide both nectar for adults and food for caterpillars. Many butterflies are specialists, meaning their larvae can only feed on specific host plants. For example, monarch caterpillars only eat milkweed. Here are some key host and nectar plants to consider:

• Milkweed (especially Asclepias tuberosa and A. incarnata) provides nectar and serves as a larval host for monarchs

• Wild bergamot, coneflower, and black-eyed Susan are excellent nectar sources for many adult butterflies

• Native violets are critical for fritillary larvae

• Herbs such as parsley, dill, and fennel, as well as golden alexander are a great host plant for black swallowtail

By planting a mix of these native plants and wildflowers and leaving some “wild” spaces in your yard, you’ll support butterflies through all life stages, from egg to adult. Learn more about habitat restoration from our friends at Pizzo & Associates.

Take a Walk, Spot Some Wings

While Burns Prairie Preserve is one of the most popular COL preserves for butterfly-viewing, Chris Thompson Memorial Preserve, Sugarwood Forest Preserve, and Castle Keep Preserve are also great spots to visit on a warm, sunny day. 

Together, we can enjoy and protect the vibrant species that make our landscapes so lively and colorful!

COL Launches Campaign to Acquire a New Nature Preserve in Chikaming Township

Posted on July 10, 2025

Chikaming Open Lands (COL) is excited to announce plans to acquire an 87-acre tract of forest, wetland, and former farmland along Three Oaks Road in Chikaming Township. The future preserve—to be named the Founders Preserve—will permanently protect this ecologically valuable landscape while honoring the legacy of COL’s four founders: Steve Smith, Jean Smith, Jeanie Van Nice, and the late Peter Van Nice. 

“In the late 1990s, our founders recognized the growing pressure that development was placing on the natural landscape in this area,” said Ryan Postema, COL’s Executive Director. “They had the foresight to act by starting a land conservancy, and this preserve will serve as both a tribute to their legacy and a space for future generations to enjoy.”

To make this vision a reality, COL is working to raise $1,200,000 for the purchase, recreational improvements, and stewardship of the property. As part of the effort, the organization has been awarded a $250,000 challenge grant from The Carls Foundation, but the grant is conditional.

“In order to receive the challenge grant, we must raise the remaining funds as a match,” said Postema. “It’s an incredible opportunity but one that depends entirely on the generosity and commitment of our community.”

To date, COL has secured $500,000 in gifts and pledges, or more than half of the match goal. The remaining $450,000 must be raised by the December 1st fundraising deadline, in order to close on the property by December 31, 2025.
 
Founding member Steve Smith, who recently toured the property, praised its conservation value:

“The 87-acre property includes a beautiful mix of beech, maple, and oak forest, along with open farm fields that can be restored to prairie filled with native grasses and wildflowers. As a conservation property, I think it has great value and significance.”

Jean Smith, also a founding member, reflected on the origin of COL and continuing the legacy:

“When Peter (Van Nice) first envisioned a land trust, we knew we couldn’t assume the landscapes we loved would stay wild without protection. Seeing the Founders Preserve take shape is a deeply rewarding reminder of why we started COL.”

The future preserve will be open to the public for recreational and educational activities. Plans include a development of a parking area, trail system, educational signage, and other amenities, as well as restoration and enhancement of the natural habitat. COL invites the public to join this important effort. Donations of any size will help protect this cherished landscape in perpetuity while honoring the people who made the conservancy’s work possible.
 
To learn more or make a contribution to the campaign, visit:
www.chikamingopenlands.org/preserving-land/founders-preserve

Pictured: Steve Smith, Jean Smith, Jeannie Van Nice and the late Peter Van Nice

"Peter’s father nurtured a love of nature in his two sons through gardening, planting trees, and caring for the land together. That early connection to the outdoors and Peter’s deep love for this area inspired him to become a conservationist and later to share that passion with others by founding Chikaming Open Lands." 

-Jeanie Van Nice, Founder

More Than a Hike: How Two Couples Turned a Local Challenge Into a Beloved Tradition

Posted on June 20, 2025

Every weekend in July, you’re likely to find four friends—and a pair of happy dogs—walking the winding paths of a Chikaming Open Lands preserve. To outsiders, they might just look like hikers. But to Tim Sullivan (Sully), Mike Humphrey, MK Czerwiec, and Cindy Homan, these trails are something more: a gathering place, a wellness practice, a sanctuary, and over time, a shared ritual that’s deepened their connection to each other—and to the land.

The four have been close friends for more than 25 years, originally brought together by a mutual friend who lives near what is now the Jens Jensen Preserve. Back when they first met, they walked that land when it was just a local secret—a fitting start to a friendship rooted in a love for nature and nurtured by miles of trail. “To see it preserved now, knowing we’ve walked these same paths for decades—it means something," Mike remarked.

Each summer, as Chikaming Open Lands unveils the preserves for the 10Trail Challenge, this tight-knit crew springs into action. Mike and MK, the team’s logistics duo, pull out a paper calendar and start color-coding weekends, mapping out trail groupings to maximize time and mileage. Five hikes in a day? Absolutely. Throw in a stop at a historic site—like the Chicago World’s Fair homes near Indiana Dunes—and you’ve got a full-blown adventure.

“Ten trails? No way. We do the extreme fifteen!” they joke, recalling muddy hikes, selfie-station scavenger hunts, and even that sweltering, bug-filled day when they had to call the COL office for backup mid-hike.

MK and Cindy have completed the 10Trail Challenge every year since it began in 2018. A few years in, they invited Mike and Sully to join them for a hike—and the foursome have been an unstoppable (and endlessly entertaining) trail team ever since. Spend just one hike with them, and it’s easy to see why they’ve become inseparable. They’ve tackled the Challenge together for years—sometimes in matching shirts, occasionally bringing other friends along, and always with snacks, songs, and plenty of laughter. While Mike and MK take the lead on logistics, mapping out routes and packing essentials like animal crackers and gummy bears, Sully and Cindy keep the mood light with their humor. Cindy might break into a Camp Fire Girls song mid-hike, and Sully once showed up to a dog-themed hike with a stuffed pup filling in for their real dog—who clearly isn’t as committed to the hiking challenge as his humans are.

Their reasons for returning year after year are as personal as the trails themselves. For Sully and Mike, who spend their weekdays in the bustling city of Chicago, it’s about escaping the constant noise—both the chaos of city life and the digital distractions. “It frees your mind and body,” Tim says. “You just feel better.” For Cindy, it’s about honoring the harmony between people, animals, and plants: “We need to do our part to ensure there are some spaces in this crazy world where that balance holds true.” And for MK, an artist and end-of-life care nurse, it’s a source of spiritual grounding: “Retreating into the woods is my church. I cherish watching the seasons unfold with their annual cycles of birth and death.”

Their favorite trails mirror their personalities and the stories they’ve written together on the land. Tim delights in the quiet surprises of Robinson Woods and the wildflowers tucked along Sugarwood’s paths. MK is drawn to the shifting terrain and mossy cisterns of the Chris Thompson Preserve, where the landscape feels both sacred and alive. Cindy’s heart belongs to Burns Prairie, especially when it bursts into bloom. And Mike finds peace in places that still feel untouched, where nature hasn’t yet been edged out by progress.

“Even here in Harbor Country, we’re seeing more and more development,” Mike says. “Zoom out to a global level—deforestation, habitat loss, species disappearing—and it can feel overwhelming. That’s why it matters so much to protect what we still have.”

“We support COL because we want these trails to be here—always,” MK adds. “For ourselves, for others, and for the generations who’ll follow us.”

For Mike, Sully, MK, and Cindy, the 10Trail Challenge has become more than a checklist. The miles they log celebrate nature, create memories, and offer space to laugh, reflect, and recharge. In a world of growing development and constant distractions, they’ve built something enduring by walking forward—one trail, one selfie station, one gummy bear at a time.

Learn more about #10Trail and sign-up for this year's challenge: www.chikamingopenlands...