MICHIGAN BOTANICAL SOCIETY

SOUTHWESTERN CHAPTER FIELD TRIP

Phillips Family Memorial Nature Sanctuary

With Stuart Goldman, MNA Conservation Coordinator for the Western Lower Peninsula

Saturday August 12, 2023, 10 AM to Noon

Originally named the Hamilton Township Coastal Plain Marsh, the 79-acre Philips Family Memorial Nature Sanctuary was renamed in 2013 to recognize the Phillips Family's commitment to conservation in the area.  The Philips sanctuary is one of three MNA sanctuaries that protect a coastal plain marsh, a wetland plant community uncommon in Michigan.  Many of the rare plants that grow here are known as coastal plain disjunct plants.  These plants are separated by hundreds of miles from their main populations along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, where these plants are more common.  It is believed that these species arrived in Michigan approximately 11,000 years ago as the last glaciation receded and were deposited in southwest Michigan because of a drainage channel down the Hudson River connecting with the Atlantic coastal plain.

Disjunct plants that can be found at Phillips Family Memorial Nature Sanctuary include bald-rush, seedbox, and tall beak-rush—a few of the 40 different disjunct species that only grow in Michigan’s coastal plains. Virginia meadow beauty is a striking special-concern species found in the sanctuary; it can be identified by its showy pink-purple petals and contrasting yellow anthers.

Wear rubber boots or expect to get your feet wet.  There may be ticks at this time of year and poison sumac.  Insect repellent, sunscreen, water as well as suitable clothing are suggested.  The trip difficulty level is rated moderate. If you have a sturdy walking stick, bring it.

Stuart Goldman has over two decades of stewardship and ecological land management experience.  He has worked for two different chapters of The Nature Conservancy, multiple government agencies at the county and state levels, and as a contractor.  Stuart began his career in conservation as a volunteer and continues to participate in volunteer opportunities even after entering the field professionally.  When not working he is usually hiking, botanizing, birding, or reading.

Directions from the Kalamazoo area.  Take I-94 west past Paw Paw to exit 56 then take M-51 south toward Decatur.  Stay on M-51 through Decatur where M-51 bends and heads west.  Turn right (north) at 52nd Street (County Road 215).  The sanctuary is located at the intersection of C.R. 215/52nd St. and 84th Ave, behind the Historic Hamilton Grange Hall.  The address for the Grange Hall is 84040 Co Rd 215, Decatur MI. 

For a summary of coastal plain disjuncts see Rutherford, R., (2023) “Two Southern Plant Species, Nutallanthus canadensis (L.) D.A. Sutton and Opuntia cespitosa Raf., Discovered as Disjunct in the Huron Mountains, Marquette County, Michigan”, The Great Lakes Botanist 61(3-4): 1, 65–69. doi: https://doi.org/10.3998/glbot.4114