|
 |
The previous owner of the majority of the property, naturalist Dr. H. Lewis Batts, protected the land from development or degradation, and most of it has remained untouched for the past 50 years.
Pierce Cedar Creek Institute maintains the property as a preserve under an easement granted by Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy. View a property/trail map (190k PDF file - may take 1 minute to download).
The Education Building includes two 24-person classrooms. The Visitor Center features a commons area, 225-person auditorium and a dining room for 100 people. Housing provides accommodation for 42 overnight guests. For more information, please view our facility rental page. |
|
Property Map
253k PDF (large high-quality file) |
The gift shop, located in the Visitor Center, carries a variety of items, including identification guides, bird houses, kites, and puzzles. Bird and nature enthusiasts, can find Swarovski and Kahles Optik binoculars. Children's items include umbrellas, jewelry, and books. If you are looking for a unique gift for that special person, stop by the gift shop. |
|
|
The Land |
 |
|
Geologically, the land has a number of glacial features. There are several kettle-hole wetlands, including a 9.5-acre kettle-hole lake, Brewster Lake. There are kames, an esker, and a glacial outwash ravine which, at 150 feet deep, is one of the two deepest ravines in the county. |
The Institute encompasses a wide variety of upland habitats: 20 acres of active hayfields, abandoned fields, young second growth forests, and two types of mature forest -- beech-maple and oak. Since purchasing the property in 1998, the Institute has converted over 42 acres of fallow field into native, tallgrass prairie.
The wetland habitats found on the property are quite diverse, including tamarack swamp forests and white cedar swamp forests (among the southernmost known), mixed hardwood swamp forests, shallow and deep marsh wetlands, a small bog, many acres of fen, a spring-fed trout stream called Cedar Creek, and Brewster Lake itself.
|
Virtually the entire watershed of Brewster Lake lies within the preserve. The lake has never had any cottages built on it and is one of the more pristine lakes in the region, notable for its lack of non-native aquatic plants and its completely-natural fauna of fish species. |
|
 |
White cedar swamp forests are an important feature of the land. There are also a number of orchid species. A wide diversity of wetland plants grow in the various wetlands. River otters regularly visit Brewster Lake and Cedar Creek and sandhill cranes nest on the property.
In the Summer of 2005, we added a new extension to the Blue Trail. This primitive trail is approximately a mile long and extends off the Blue Trail, just east of where the Yellow Trail intersects the Blue Trail. The trail runs through a sand prairie and along Cedar Creek and loops back to the Blue Trail where you can continue along your hike. Please note that this primitive trail is somewhat more strenuous than other trails. Blue and white trail markers along with white markings on the trees, will help you guide you through the trail. |
Facilities
When planning the Institute, one of the chief goals was to protect the land by minimizing the impact our buildings had on it. The Institute founders asked architect, Jonathon Rambow of Slocum Associates in Kalamazoo, to design buildings, which would blend in with rather than disrupt the landscape, and which would be energy efficient and environmentally safe.
By building into the side of a hill, they were able to partially bury or "earth shelter" the Visitor Center, Education Building, and guest house against summer heat and winter cold, while at the same time ensuring that staff and guests would be treated to exquisite views of the landscape. Partially earth-covered roofs make the buildings appear as little more than grassy bumps on the hillside, while the low profile of the structures keeps them from dominating the view from the valley.
|
The heating and air conditioning is run by a geothermal system, and whenever possible, building materials that were low in volatile organic compounds (the cause of sick building syndrome) were chosen. The building materials were almost exclusively natural, mostly concrete and wood. The use of any lumber from tropical or temperate old growth forest was not allowed.
The facilities were designed to be friendly to people with disabilities and were made safe for those with chemical sensitivities and environmental illnesses. |
|
Solar Panel Demonstration Site Added to Pierce Cedar Creek Institute's CampusIn June 2004, the Institute installed a 1,120 watt solar, or photovoltaic (PV) demonstration system. The system is installed in front of the education building and connected to its power grid. It consists of eight solar panels, each producing 140 watts of power while the sun is at its strongest. |
|
 |
In addition to providing green power or clean energy, the Institute hopes it increases the public's awareness of renewable energy. The system was funded by grants from the Energy Office of the Michigan Department of Labor & Energy and the U.S. Department of Energy and the Barry Community Foundation. For more information about the system, visitors may pick up a brochure (156k PDF file) at the Institute. Informational signs are located next to the solar panels and the inverter, located in the Education Building.
|
|
|
 |
|
