Save Sibley Prairie: Coalition wants to preserve rare grassland in Wayne County

Effort underway to preserve rare Michigan prairie

The Sibley Prairie is the last remaining tract of original forest-wetland in Southeast Michigan that was created when the glaciers receded. While the vast majority of the original prairie land is gone, approximately 440 acres remain. And there are now efforts to purchase the land to preserve it.

(FOX 2) - Located in southern Wayne County off of Telegraph sits an unassuming plot of land that drivers pass by every day.

To many, it appears like any other fenced-off wilderness located within Metro Detroit. But to those with a keen eye on conservation, the 440 acres of untouched land are something else entirely.

The Sibley Prairie in Brownstown Township is the last of its kind. The unique mixture of wetlands and forest represents an era of Southeast Michigan that predates most of the civilization that now calls this region home.

"This is the last and highest quality Lakeplain Prairie remaining in the state of Michigan," said Jack Smiley, president of the Michigan Land Conservancy.

"We're hoping to buy this property," he said. "We have an option that goes through this year, and we need to raise $6 million, so we have a big challenge ahead of us."

The Sibley Prairie

Lakeplain prairies are the remnants of old lake beds that were carved out by glaciers as they receded across the Great Lakes thousands of years ago. One of the best known examples of this process is Lake Erie.

As water shed off the glaciers and accumulated in the beds, fine materials like silt percolated to the bottom.

"(As it) receded, it left this," said Jeff Vornhagen, gesturing to the prairie. "It's very flat, but it's also comprised of a lot of fine participles that are completely impermeable to water."

In other words, when the spring rains arrive, the area floods. That same land will get bone-dry when warmer weather moves in. 

"We have a unique plant community because it has to tolerate both flooding in the springtime and extreme drought in the summer," Vornhagen said. "This corridor is considered globally unique because there's only plant species that occur here."

The Sibley Prairie. 

Dig deeper:

Vornhagen is a member of the Michigan Botanical Society, which is part of the coalition working to purchase the plot of land. Other members include Friends of the Rouge, Ducks Unlimited, the Sierra Club, and the Detroit Bird Alliance.

It's currently owned by Fritz Enterprises Inc. which put the land up for auction. Smiley helped secure an opportunity to purchase the land after convincing the company to hold off for a year.

They will have until 2026 to raise the $6 million to purchase the land.

For more details on the Save Sibley Prairie Coalition, find the link here.