Celebration at Asylum Lake!

May 18 2013 Celebration at Asylum Lake! 2:00 pm Plant Walk!

Join the Michigan Botanical Club on Saturday, May 18 as we continue to explore our urban natural areas by joining the Asylum Lake Preserve Celebration and a tour of the Preserve. Western Michigan University’s Asylum Lake Preserve is 274 beautiful acres on the West fork of the Portage Creek Watershed. This passive-use recreation area has miles of hiking trails, lakes, and even a small river. Steve Keto and Tyler Basset will lead our tour from 2:00-3:00 PM.  Steve will focus on the history of WMU’s natural areas and in particular Asylum Lake while Tyler will show us the plants and explain the ongoing management activities.

You can come just for the tour or spend the afternoon from 1:00 to 5:00 PM for the entire celebration.  There will be refreshments, blue grass music, and a display tent at the Gibbs house across the road from the preserve.  An Audubon tour is scheduled for 1:30 PM, the Botanical tour for 2:00 PM, and a brief ceremony at 3:00 to dedicate a memorial plaque to Renay and Monte Piercy, founders of the Asylum Lake Preserve Association.  There may be another tour at 3:45 PM yet unannounced.

Parking will be across the road from the Preserve at the Gibbs House on Parkview Ave between Drake Rd and Oakland Dr.  The address is 3403 Parkview Ave, Kalamazoo 49008.