Wednesday Warriors

Tucked into a corner of Kalamazoo is a special preserve called Bow-in-the-Clouds. Donated by the Sisters of St. Joseph to the Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy in 2007, this 60-acre gem offers visitors a welcome retreat. The Wednesday Warriors have been just one of many groups dedicated to restoring and maintaining this lovely wetland and oak forest. As volunteers, they work where needed, clearing trails and cutting back invasives. If you come to visit, you may see one of the Pluggers--another volunteer group— planting more native plants around the overlook platform. A contractor corrected the damaged old drainage ditches, restoring the natural fl ow of water that feeds the drinking water of Kalamazoo downstream. Earth Day 2019 brought an army of eager workers, repairing the boardwalk, picking up trash, and pulling garlic mustard along the new barrier-free trail loop. The hardworking Stewardship Crew of SWMLC spent an entire winter clearing a spiky shrub called buckthorn from the wetland, freeing space for the native wildfl ower, joe-pye-weed. A third group of volunteers, the Privateers, worked on Mondays from May to July clearing the edge of the wetland all the way from the Swan Pond to the parking lot. This work has been ongoing since the acquisition of the preserve. The Covid-19 pandemic threw a small monkey-wrench into the works, cancelling public workdays and adding a layer of protocols for the willing volunteers to follow. A do-it-yourself garlic mustard pull turned out to be a huge success, taking advantage of all the visitors looking for the restoration that time with nature provides. The public is welcome to visit this preserve, already a local favorite for many. A brief description, trail map, and driving directions to Bow-in-the-Clouds (and all the other public preserves) can be found on the Conservancy’s website SWMLC.org. And, of course, the Monday and Wednesday volunteer groups always welcome new recruits looking for a chance to dig a little deeper into the less-visited corners, and the chance to meet some interesting characters!

Kristi Chapman, volunteer, Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy