The Wetlands

The land around the NACC (before there was an NACC) used to resemble a city park, with manicured lawns and a concrete-rimmed lake full of non-native animals and no emergent vegetation. To create an appropriate setting in which to place the NACC, the 2-acre site was completely overhauled to recreate a native Michigan wetland. The lake was drained and dredged and a natural clay bottom was added. Nearly 100,000 plants native to the Great Lakes region were brought in to replace the lawns and hedges and recreate wetland habitats such as cedar swamp, quaking bog, sedge meadow, urban wetland, and lake edge. A boardwalk made of recycled materials leads visitors through these areas, which are interpreted with graphics created in association with the Michigan chapter of The Nature Conservancy (TNC). Blanding's turtles (a Michigan Species of Special Concern), bullfrogs, American toads, and gray treefrogs have been released into the wetlands. NACC staff members are also working with the state Department of Natural Resources and TNC to evaluate the feasibility of translocating some Blanchard's cricket frogs (another Michigan Species of Special Concern) to the NACC wetlands. NACC staff members use radio-telemetry to track the bullfrogs in the summer and teach our visitors about this field technique. Local high school classes have also used this area to conduct studies of water chemistry and invertebrate diversity.