University of Michigan environmentalists work to save unique wetland ecosystem

The Huron Valley Chapter of the Michigan Botanical Society will host a discussion about a 50-year plan to restore and maintain a unique wetland ecosystem situated 14 miles north-northwest of Ann Arbor.
The St. Pierre Wetlands was donated to the University of Michigan 50 years ago for stewardship purposes. The area is a biome considered to be a fen, a rare wetland in Michigan with mineral-rich water.
Sheila Schueller is a lecturer at the U-M School of Environment and Sustainability. She says in recent years numerous invasive plant species have accosted the local ecosystem.

“One of the major ones is buckthorn.  We’re experimenting with ways to remove it that don’t use herbicide, like cutting repeatedly at critical times during the year.”