A Shout Out to All The Dog Walkers!

Although, admittedly, it is a poor scan, this is the reasoning behind the University of Michigan's policy on keeping dogs leashed on their properties. We just wanted to thank the many visitors who do follow the rules. You are helping to maintain Stinchfield Woods' natural ecosystems and wildlife-friendly environment. Personally, we haven't seen any woodcocks on the property, but there are plenty of other ground nesting birds, ground squirrels, chipmunks, mice, amphibians, and deer that thank you for protecting their nesting habitat. We thought a little support might provide you with a little peace of mind if you feel discouraged after encountering visitors who don't follow the leash policy. Unfortunately, not everybody realizes that the property is shared by all our guests who visit for a variety of reasons. Birders and wildlife observers, joggers and hikers, students and researchers; all using the property with different expectations and perspectives for how their experience should be while visiting Stinchfield. It is important for all of us to consider the impact of our decisions and behavior on the experience of all visitors. So, thanks again to everyone who considers the Stinchfield community in their actions and cooperates with the rules. The caretaker and his wife appreciate it.

Great event at Hudson Mills Metropark

There is a really cool event this coming Saturday, Sept. 15, at the Hudson Mills Metropark in Dexter. They are giving a PowerPoint presentation about owls, their behavior, and environment followed by a guided tour to call and identify owls. They say they spot at least one every year! This would be a great opportunity for those of you who visit Stinchfield Woods in search of our resident owls, especially the barred and great horned owls. After attending this mini-seminar, one should walk away with a better understanding of where and when to find the owls; and, maybe even be able to call and "talk" with these awesome birds! For more information check out the Huron-Clinton Metroparks website (http://www.metroparks.com/metroparks/calendar_item.aspx?ID=3313&PID=3&r=3).

FYI: UM DPS training with the FBI this Friday, August 10

The University of Michigan's Department of Public Safety (aka University Police) will be conducting a training seminar with the Federal Bureau of Investigation on the Stinchfield Woods property this coming Friday, August 10. They will be running search and rescue type scenarios within the woods and realistic situational training. They WILL NOT be using firearms or doing any target shooting so there is NO DANGER to the public. All the officers will be wearing there usual uniforms and carrying their usual equipment for the purpose of authenticity. The Department has been using the Stinchfield Woods property for this type of training for years without any problems. The property will remain open to the public and all the usual rules apply. PLEASE be sure to keep your dogs leashed. If anyone has any questions or concerns, don't hesitate to let me know. You can call the caretaker's home at 734-426-4742. Thank you for the cooperation.

Careful of this thorny rose bush!

This is multiflora rose. It is a shrub native to Eastern Asia and was brought over to be used as "natural" fence lines, wildlife habitat, and ornamental hedges. In fact, the University planted multiflora rose bushes in Stinchfield Woods after they acquired the property in 1925 in an effort to create a maintenance-free fence along the property lines while providing a source of food and cover for birds to encourage on-site populations.

Now, generally considered an invasive species, you can find multiflora rose growing along many of the walking paths throughout Stinchfield. Like most invasives, it thrives in disturbed areas and tends to grow towards openings in order to have as much sun exposure as possible. This is why you'll often see this prickly shrub stretching into walkways so be careful not to walk through its branches; its thorns can give you a very painful scratch. I've been doing my best to cut the invading stems back from the trails and out of the way of passersby.

You can identify multiflora rose by the light, yellow-green color of its stems and leaves, its alternating compound leaflets, the feathery stipules at the base of each leaflet, and its recurving thorns (as seen in the third photo above). In the spring, they will grow clusters of five-petaled white flowers with many yellow stamens.

Tree seedling survival research

Ever notice those little orange flags and fencing about halfway between the caretaker's home and the gate near the satellites? That is one of PhD student Ben Connor Barrie's research plots! He is looking at the impacts of the surrounding landscape on the growth and survival of 8 native and 2 invasive tree species in forest patches.

He has planted seedlings in 4 forests along a 40-km urban-rural gradient in Southeast Michigan (Stinchfield being one of his 4 research sites). Within each forest site, he planted seedlings along another gradient from the forest edge to the forest interior. So far, he found that invasive species had greater survival closer to urban centers while shade tolerant tree species (think Sugar Maple) had higher survival in the rural forests.

The title of his first completed experiment is "The Impact of Land-uses on the Recruitment Dynamics of Tree Species." He still has a few more years of research ahead of him he will have more results to share with you!

Thank you for your cooperation!

Over the past two years, we have attempted to enforce the "dogs on leash" rule. We wanted to provide safety for all visitors (both human and canine) to Stinchfield without scaring people off with our enforcement. We have observed a great amount of cooperation and we wanted to thank you for it! Your respect for the rule has not gone unnoticed. Please keep up the good work! With your cooperation, there will hopefully never be another attack or lost dog again! 

Annual events

We are often asked what happens here at Stinchfield. Well we compiled a little list to give you an idea of who uses the woods and for what purpose.

• Friends of Stinchfield Group organizes an annual litter clean-up of the surrounding roads in April (all welcome to help out)
• Boy Scouts have orienteering exercises multiple times per year
• Soil Ecology, Woody Plants, and Biology of Fungi courses from the University of Michigan take annual field trips in the fall
• A local church meets on Easter Sunday
• Cross country runners from a local highschool meet at the observatory for group runs
• Mushroom Hunters Club has an annual outing in the fall
• Breeding Birds Survey is conducted by volunteers annually in early June
• University Lowbrow Astronomers hold multiple public events each year where you can view the stars through telescopes

In addition to these annual events, there are multiple research projects located in the woods and students and researchers often use the woods for various educational opportunities.