Lakeplain prairies are globally rare wetlands that harbor high levels of assortment in plants and natural resources and provide potential habitat for numerous rare species. Did you know Algonac State Park is a lakeplain prairie? Sunday was a Stewardship Day at the Algonac State Park and volunteers used the time to remove some damaging invasive plants from the area. The park is home to a special ecosystem and care is taken to make sure the native plants have a chance to thrive.
Glossy buckthorn shades out native plants and threatens the growth of saplings. Kelsey Dillon, Natural Resource Steward for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, said that the removal of the glossy buckthorn was the main focus of last weekend’s efforts. As winter turns to spring, staff and volunteers will turn their efforts toward other invasive species such as garlic mustard. Dillon said the workdays are important because they are engaging community volunteers in the “removal of a harmful invasive species from the lake plain prairie ecosystem at Algonac State Park.”
The next Stewardship Workday at Algonac State Park is March 22. Volunteers can register at the DNR website.
