Monthly Archives: July 2009

What is the Colony Farm Orchard and What Should Happen to it?

By rbrewer | Published: July 28, 2009

Mark Hoffman, mentioned in an earlier post as the person who knows the most about the history of the Asylum Lake (Kalamazoo, Michigan) property, gave permission to post this white paper on the current situation.  He prepared it for the Asylum Lake Protection Association, one of the leaders in the conservation battle that occupied much [...]

Posted in Conservation, Michigan (including Kalamazoo) | 9 Comments

Synopsis of Oshtemo Township Original (1830) Vegetation Types

By rbrewer | Published: July 23, 2009

Following are brief descriptions of the major vegetation types in Oshtemo Township (Kalamazoo County, Michigan) about the time of settlement. This is the second and concluding installment of a talk given at the March 2009 meeting of the Oshtemo Historical Society. Information is also provided about what settlement, agriculture, and development have done to original [...]

Posted in Conservation, Land Trusts (& other private land conservation), Michigan (including Kalamazoo), Plants and Plant Communities | 1 Comment

New Threat to Asylum Lake Preserve

By rbrewer | Published: July 15, 2009

I sent the following letter, slightly shortened, to the Kalamazoo Gazette on 15 July 2009.  It deals with a long-standing conservation issue in the Kalamazoo area. [Note added 28 July.  The letter was in fact published with an omission or two of no importance on Sunday 26 July.] Western Michigan University has the Asylum Lake [...]

Posted in Conservation, Michigan (including Kalamazoo) | 2 Comments