Located in Oliver Township, Kalkaska County, the proposed 129-acre McShane Brothers Nature Sanctuary offers a fantastic opportunity to protect an ecologically significant landscape that safeguards clean water and essential wildlife habitat in the Manistee River watershed.
Roughly half of the property comprises high-quality wetlands, while the remainder features healthy stands of hardwood-conifer forest. This mix of habitats creates a unique microtopography that supports a host of wildlife. Early observations have noted beavers, songbirds, amphibians and other species that depend on clean water and connected habitat. The property also has healthy populations of Canada yew, a species now uncommon in much of Michigan due to deer overbrowsing. While not yet confirmed, GTRLC staff strongly suspect the presence of vernal pools, further enhancing the property’s ecological value.
Flowing through the proposed sanctuary is 3,200 feet of Pierson Creek, a coldwater tributary of the Upper Manistee River. Protecting the creek and surrounding forests and wetlands helps maintain water quality and supports native aquatic species, including brook trout, dace, and American brook lamprey. The project also sustains the land’s natural filtration, erosion control and cooling forest canopy that keep this stream with a naturally reproducing trout population clean and cold, benefiting the wider watershed and ultimately Lake Michigan.
Additionally, the property borders state land to the east and adjoins large tracts of high-priority lands to the south, strengthening a critical wildlife corridor within the upper reaches of the watershed. This vast, intact landscape allows species to thrive, increasing the region’s biodiversity and ecological resilience.
This project is made possible thanks to the McShane Brothers, who generously offered to donate their land. Their gift enabled GTRLC to leverage additional public funding* to support this property’s protection. GTRLC is now raising funds for the remaining costs associated with the land’s acquisition and long-term stewardship.
*This project has been funded in part through the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy’s Nonpoint Source Program by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.