The old Northeast Area Park in Ann Arbor has been renamed Olson Park. Bruce ----------------------------------------------------------------- Date sent: Thu, 17 Dec 1998 13:19:21 -0500 To: birders@umich.edu From: David Sing Subject: NE Area Park, A2 Howdy. Explored the newly annointed NE Area Park in Ann Arbor today (corner of DhuVarren and Pontiac Trail). It's an old gravel pit that has long been abandoned - must have driven past it a zillion times over the years, but never walked the land. Most of the area is quickly going from bare ground to a sort of prairie. There is a thick and diversely wooded patch at the eastern side of the tract, which descends eastward into a small swamp and then drains south. The most visible feature is the bottom of the old pit, now a small lake with cattail edges. There is a variety of leftovers from the area's previous tenants, odd mangled pieces of rusty metal, some tires, various culverts and slag heaps, but in general the area is 'gone to seed' as it were. It appears the city is piling up wood chips in one place. Birds were active: ~30 mallards 1 male pintail ~30 canada geese (flyby close to north) 2 ring-billed gulls 1 male hairy woodpkr Pair of downies 1 flicker crows blue jays cardinals ~20 northern juncoes 1 song sparrow (singing) starlings house sparrows The land is hard on M-14, and the roar of traffic dominates. It's a very interesting place, however, a few nice edges, emerging prairie plants, the lake, woods and swamp. The signage and access are rudimentary at this point, but I parked on Pontiac Trail at a pulloff that has a new wire gate and a sign. Cheers DBS -------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Roger Kuhlman" To: birders@umich.edu Subject: Environmentally Damaging Development at Northeast Park in Ann Arbor Date sent: Sat, 24 Mar 2001 03:07:54 -0000 Send reply to: "Roger Kuhlman" I am very upset with the Ann Arbor Parks and Recreation Department's plan to develop Northeast Park into a recreational park. The current site plan calls for building two parking lots holding over 140 cars, a paved road, two soccer fields, several paved game courts, and picnic facilities. This site plan is a very bad idea and it will have a major negative environmental impact on important natural features presently found at the location. The problems can be summarized into five major categories: 1) loss of significant butterfly nectaring habitat 2) possible local extinction of the Wild Indigo Duskywing 3) loss of Woodcock dancing grounds 4) other adverse impacts on breeding and migrating birds and 5) loss of openlands. Butterfly Nectaring Habitat Northeast Park is currently dominated by an old field habitat that contains very large patches of Crown Vetch, Red Clover and Alfalfa. The area is a magnet for adult butterflies because Crown Vetch, Red Clover, and Alfalfa all produce lots of flowers and have a long flowering period that covers most of the butterfly season. Butterfly surveys conducted at the park from mid-July to mid-November of last year (see data summary below), show that diverse butterfly species and numerous individual butterflies routinely use these flowering patches as important sources of food. Some of these butterflies are uncommon or rare in our area. Among the uncommon butterflies found in the park last year were Wild Indigo Duskywing, Buckeye, Variegated Fritillary, Fiery Skipper, Horace Duskywing, Common Sootywing, and Painted Lady. Also, due to the suitability of the nectaring sources and the old field habitat, Northeast Park is a prime location to look for very rare southern immigrant butterflies such as Sachem, Checkered Skipper, Gray Hairstreak, Dainty Sulphur, and Checkered White. None were found there last year but one of these special butterflies could show up in 2001. In thinking about the natural features of Northeast park, it is important to remember that nectaring sites are crucial for adult butterflies. A deficiency or lack of them can limit overall butterfly numbers and can produce extinctions of specific species from local areas. The proposed development at Northeast Park of playing fields, roads, and paved parking lots is to take place in the main butterfly nectaring areas. Almost all Alfalfa, Crown Vetch, and Red Clover at the park will be removed. Results for butterflies could be disasterous. Wild Indigo Duskywing A related loss from development at the Park will occur to the Wild Indigo Duskywing (Erynnis baptisiae). This species is a small spread-wing skipper butterfly. Normally the species uses Wild Indigo and possibly Wild Lupine as host plants. However it has recently adapted to feeding on Crown Vetch. Crown Vetch at Northeast Park is extremely plentiful. Undoubtedly this fact has allowed a large and thriving population of Wild Indigo Duskywings to breed there. Until fairly recently (the last four years) this butterfly was thought to be uncommon or rare in southeast Michigan. Even now the butterfly has a limited distribution and is not at all common. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources lists the butterfly as a species of special concern for the whole state of Michigan. That status does not quite give it legal protections but does mean that its populations should be monitored closely and that future research may show that the butterfly's status needs to be elevated to a legally protected category. Special efforts should be made to preserve and enhance local populations of the species. The size of the local population at Northeast Park may be the largest of its kind in southeast Michigan. In doing butterfly surveys in southeast Michigan over the past four years, I have never encountered another local population anywhere close to it in size. Removal of Crown Vetch from the park, as current plans specify, will almost certainly extirpate the species from the site. Losing Wild Indigo Duskywing from Northeast Park has possible ramifications for the species at the nearby South Foxfire natural area. Over the past couple of years, Wild Indigo Duskywing has been seen with some regularity in South Foxfire's wet meadows. However only small amounts of Crown Vetch exist in direct proximity to the site. It is reasonable to speculate that the Northeast Park population may function as a 'source' that maintains the presence of the species at South Foxfire 'the sink'. If the Wild Indigo Duskywing population at Northeast Park disappears, the South Foxfire population may go as well. Woodcock Dancing Grounds The American Woodcock performs a spectacular aerial courtship display in early Spring. Male birds ascend into the sky in a twisting, erratic path all the while producing a distinctive series of trills and low whistled notes. Once birds reach their zenith, they plunge back to earth and abruptly end their song. The areas where these displays are performed are known as dancing grounds. Northeast Park is a very good place to witness this spectacular behavior. Woodcock dancing grounds are a rare natural feature in the city of Ann Arbor. I personally have seen Woodcocks dancing regularly in only three other sites within city boundaries. One of these other sites South Foxfire hills, probably the best site, has been developed and is now filled with homes and no Woodcocks. A second location the fields at Pioneer High may still be active but its long-term viability is in question. Only the third location Barton Nature Area reliably hosts Woodcock mating displays. The spots where soccer fields, paved game courts and the major parking lot will be placed is where the Woodcocks usually dance at Northeast Park. Other Birding Impacts Park development will probably have additional, important consequences for many other birds. The affected area of the park is breeding habitat for Field Sparrows, Savannah Sparrows, Song Sparrows, Spotted Sandpiper and possibly the Eastern Meadowlark. Still other birds use the park in migration (I estimate that somewhere between 90 and 120 species of birds could be seen at Northeast Park in a typical year). Osprey, Bald Eagle, and many species of Waterfowl use or have used the gravel pit pond. In the spring it would not be surprising to find a Common Loon touching down there . This past October a very interesting movement of Palm Warblers occurred in the park over several weeks. The Palm Warbler can be an uncommon, hard to find bird in the fall migration. Among their favored habitats in the fall are patches of shrubs and weedy plants found in old field habitats--just the kind of situation found at Northeast Park. How good birding will be in the future in the park depends on whether the park remains an open old fields habitat and experiences lesser human impact. Disputing the 'Benefits' of the Development Plan Advocates of development at Northeast Park--and let's be honest it is development--are making a big deal about the storm-water management system to be installed there. They claim this feature is environmentally friendly and a model for development in watersheds. The facts, I think, say otherwise. The system is only designed to handle the excess runoff generated by the proposed development at the park i.e. new paved roads, game courts, parking lots, and soccer fields. That sounds like creating a problem to solve a problem? Does this system have transferability to larger projects like sub-divisions and strip malls? It sounds like a toy system and tokenism. Install a small model system, feel good about what you did and then you can do all the development you like. To be seriously concerned about water pollution from excess runoff means you limit the amount of impervious surface you build in a watershed. You don't first build more impervious surface and then try to mitigate it. A better, more effective approach is limit development and save more open lands. Open lands and natural habitat handle excess runoff quite effectively and efficiently. The major reason given for developing Northeast Park is that there is an overwhelming demand for soccer sites that can not be met with current resources. I wonder if all alternative sites have been checked out and whether the full possibilities of both daily and seasonal scheduling have been explored? When I was growing up in Phoenix, organized baseball and softball was very popular and there was a shortage of playing fields. The problem was handled by scheduling official games daily 5 to 10 pm. Team practice usually meant going to playing fields at 4 pm on weekdays or as early as 8 am on Saturdays. The system was inconvenient but it worked. Similar things could be done for soccer here. I hope the 'problem' of soccer sites isn't just that everybody insists on playing noon to 4pm on the weekend. Another thing to consider about the need for soccer fields is that soccer could be a fad! In ten or fifteen years game preferences or demographics in Ann Arbor may have changed and the fields would then be standing empty and unneeded. However, the destruction of the habitat would remain. Openlands I strongly feel what makes Ann Arbor a special place to live is not that it has a lot of recreational parks--a common enough feature in a lot of cities--but that it has preserved some natural habitats as nature areas. It is great that not all land in Ann Arbor is developed with pavement, buildings, and lawn grasses. It is really fine that children can go to Northeast Park to see and learn about butterflies and begin to develop an appreciation for the natural world. Northeast Park offers a sense of solitude and getting away from the hustle and bustle of suburban-sprawl America. Open areas free of development are rapidly disappearing every day in Southeast Michigan. This trend is very destructive and I think we should strive to do everything in our power to oppose it. Making Northeast Park a "active recreational" park is an inducement and promoter of further suburban sprawl in the immediate area of the park. Is that what we want? I argue that Northeast Park should be preserved as open land similar to Barton Nature Area with its existing lighter human uses and impacts. Trails for walking and dirt bikes are just fine. Also building small graveled spaces for parking a few cars (3 to 5 cars) on the periphery of the park at the two present entrances would be fine too. Roger Kuhlman Ann Arbor, Michigan 3/23/2001 Greater Washtenaw County Butterfly Survey A Public Meeting to discuss Northeast Park will be held 7:00pm, Tuesday, March 27, 2001 at Clague Middle School, Media Room. 2616 Nixon Road at Bluett Drive. Comments and input can be given by calling either Ann Arbor city officials Amy Kuras at 994-1827 or Jeff Dehring at 994-1913. Northeast Park--Butterfly Sightings July 16 - November 2, 2000 ======================================================== Species Latin Name Butterflies First Last -------------------------------------------------------- Clouded Sulphur Colias philodice 503 7/16 11/2 Cabbage White Pieris rapae 416 7/16 11/2 Alfalfa Butterfly Colias eurytheme 342 7/16 11/2 Wild Indigo Duskywing Erynnis baptisiae 100 7/27 10/27 White Colias Colias species 77 8/24 11/2 Pearl Crescent Phyciodes tharos 61 7/27 10/22 Buckeye Junonia coenia 55 7/16 11/2 Eastern-tailed Blue Everes comyntas 52 7/27 10/27 Viceroy Limenitis archippus 23 7/16 9/12 Black Swallowtail Papilio polyxenes 19 7/16 8/24 Silver-spotted Skipper Epargyreus clarus 17 7/27 10/11 Wood Nymph Cercyonis pegala alope 16 7/16 8/24 Monarch Danaus plexippus 15 7/27 10/22 Peck's Skipper Polites peckius 5 7/27 10/22 Tawny Edged Skipper Polites themistocles 4 8/8 8/8 Variegated Fritillary Euptoieta claudia 3 8/8 10/2 Appalachian Eyed Brown Satyrodes appalachia 2 7/16 7/27 Fiery Skipper Hylephilia phyleus 2 9/29 10/27 Least Skipper Ancyloxypha numitor 2 8/8 8/8 Summer Azure Celastrina neglecta 2 7/16 8/8 European Skipper Thymelicus lineola 1 7/16 7/16 Horace Duskywing Erynnis horatius 1 7/27 7/27 Eastern Comma Polygonia comma 1 10/11 10/11 Common Sootywing Pholisora catullus 1 7/27 7/27 Mourning Cloak Nymphalis antiopa 1 9/12 9/12 Painted Lady Vanessa carduii 1 10/2 10/2 Question Mark Polygonia interrogationis 1 8/8 8/8 Little Wood Satyr Megisto cymela 1 7/16 7/16 --------------------------------------------------------- =========================================================