Stewards of Kleinstuck manages Kleinstuck and Little Sister Preserves to restore natural diversity and ecosystem health.

Historic features provide a context to help direct land management priorities by suggesting what the ecosystem has the potential to support. Maps of area vegetation in the 1800s show these preserves were once on the edge of a black oak barren surrounded by a mixed oak savanna. The wetland in the center of Kleinstuck Preserve was once a bog.

What are oak savannas and barrens?

Both oak savannas and barrens are described by Michigan Natural Features Inventory as having sparse canopies of oaks, little to no understory, and a ground layer of grasses, sedges, and rushes.

Historic records show that humans have significantly impacted this landscape over the last 200 years.

  • The bog in the center of the preserve was mined for peat in the 1800s.

  • Portions of the hillsides were cleared for farming and grazing which led to erosion.

  • Thousands of pine trees were planted in the 1920s to prevent erosion.

  • Invasive species, some planted intentionally or escaped from nearby yards, have crowded out native plants

  • The Kleinstuck pond has been largely filled in by erosion and invasive plants.

    Since 2007, the Stewards of Kleinstuck have managed the land to prevent continued decline.

What we’re working on

Follow us on social media to learn more about the work we are currently doing in the preserves.

Sunset over the marsh #kleinstuckpreserve #urbannature
Sunset over the marsh #kleinstuckpreserve #urbannature
It was a beautiful morning in the preserve! We’re so thankful for these wonderful volunteers who cleared out a huge patch of invasive bittersweet and planted native wildflower seeds (trillium, Solomon’s seal, Jack-in-the-pulpit and swamp
It was a beautiful morning in the preserve! We’re so thankful for these wonderful volunteers who cleared out a huge patch of invasive bittersweet and planted native wildflower seeds (trillium, Solomon’s seal, Jack-in-the-pulpit and swamp rose mallow). #kleinstuckpreserve #stewardsofkleinstuck
Third annual concert in the woods is happening on September 7th. We’ll do a silent hike to a location where a quartet will improvise with each other as well as with the sounds around them. Elizabeth Start on cello, P.M. Tummala on traditional I
Third annual concert in the woods is happening on September 7th. We’ll do a silent hike to a location where a quartet will improvise with each other as well as with the sounds around them. Elizabeth Start on cello, P.M. Tummala on traditional Indian harmonium and percussion, Tyler Bassett on acoustic guitar and Mike Weis on drums. Bring your own chair and be prepared for a short hike. Meet at the outdoor tennis courts at Maple street YMCA. $10. This event is co-hosted by the Connecting Chords Music Festival and Stewards of Kleinstuck.
Pale Indian Plantain (Arnoglossum atriplicifolium). I love this plant, it’s so stoic and unassuming. It doesn’t scream for attention, just hangs out in the dappled shade of oaks, towering above the sedges. A true savanna specialist. Tall
Pale Indian Plantain (Arnoglossum atriplicifolium). I love this plant, it’s so stoic and unassuming. It doesn’t scream for attention, just hangs out in the dappled shade of oaks, towering above the sedges. A true savanna specialist. Tall but sturdy, it aptly passes the Piet Odulf test of “a plant should look interesting in black & white, not just in color” There’s an impressive colony in the Kleinstuck preserve, which tells us that deer have absolutely no interest in it. A rare deer-proof plant. This plant would make an excellent addition to a late-summer living fence. #choosenativeplants
An astonishing cacophony of gray treefrogs in the preserve this evening!
Another great annual Frog Walk. Thanks Nate and Erin Fuller.
Another great annual Frog Walk. Thanks Nate and Erin Fuller.
Today was one of our biggest volunteer turnouts for a monthly workday. We were all entertained by the Sandhill Cranes and the baby geese. It hasn’t been confirmed yet but we think the cranes are nesting in the marsh. This would be a first. As
Today was one of our biggest volunteer turnouts for a monthly workday. We were all entertained by the Sandhill Cranes and the baby geese. It hasn’t been confirmed yet but we think the cranes are nesting in the marsh. This would be a first. As for the work, we cleared Privet in the space between the marsh and the loop path, between Kazoo School path and the triangle. The plan for this area is 1. Clear the invasive species 2. Plant a diverse, mixed hedge of native shrubs and understory trees for bird habitat 3. Plant the herbaceous layer with a diversity of native sedge plugs/seeds. #ecologicalrestoration #expandhabitat #increasebiodiversity
Seeding!!!! Last night we seeded the area formerly known as “Honeysuckle Hill” with a native woodland mix from @greatlakesnativeseed . Those two garbage cans are full of seed! Now we wait (like two years or more!!) for it to fill in. If y
Seeding!!!! Last night we seeded the area formerly known as “Honeysuckle Hill” with a native woodland mix from @greatlakesnativeseed . Those two garbage cans are full of seed! Now we wait (like two years or more!!) for it to fill in. If you’re curious about the plant list that we chose I added it in the last pic. #ecologicalrestoration
Winter returned for a day as we beat back Bittersweet and Privet with a small volunteer crew this morning.
Winter returned for a day as we beat back Bittersweet and Privet with a small volunteer crew this morning.
Sunset over the marsh #kleinstuckpreserve #urbannature It was a beautiful morning in the preserve! We’re so thankful for these wonderful volunteers who cleared out a huge patch of invasive bittersweet and planted native wildflower seeds (trillium, Solomon’s seal, Jack-in-the-pulpit and swamp Third annual concert in the woods is happening on September 7th. We’ll do a silent hike to a location where a quartet will improvise with each other as well as with the sounds around them. Elizabeth Start on cello, P.M. Tummala on traditional I Pale Indian Plantain (Arnoglossum atriplicifolium). I love this plant, it’s so stoic and unassuming. It doesn’t scream for attention, just hangs out in the dappled shade of oaks, towering above the sedges. A true savanna specialist. Tall
An astonishing cacophony of gray treefrogs in the preserve this evening!
Another great annual Frog Walk. Thanks Nate and Erin Fuller. Today was one of our biggest volunteer turnouts for a monthly workday. We were all entertained by the Sandhill Cranes and the baby geese. It hasn’t been confirmed yet but we think the cranes are nesting in the marsh. This would be a first. As Seeding!!!! Last night we seeded the area formerly known as “Honeysuckle Hill” with a native woodland mix from @greatlakesnativeseed . Those two garbage cans are full of seed! Now we wait (like two years or more!!) for it to fill in. If y Winter returned for a day as we beat back Bittersweet and Privet with a small volunteer crew this morning.