Tracking changes in our natural communities helps inform our land management decisions. Without notes, pictures, or other information, we can’t answer basic questions like: What did the this field look like 5 years ago? Have blue-winged warblers been observed at Bear Creek Nature Park before? How much has rough dogwood expanded in this field? Is prescribed fire killing the glossy buckthorn as we hoped it would?

Our monitoring efforts include annual photo monitoring, bird surveys, vegetation surveys, and vernal pool monitoring. We would like to continue and expand our monitoring efforts, but that depends on help from dedicated volunteers. Some monitoring requires prior expertise, but for most monitoring you will only need to participate in a training session with us. If you’d like help, please contact us at stewardship@oaklandtownship.org, or call the Parks office at 248-651-7810.

Photo Monitoring Results

We use photo monitoring to track changes in our park natural areas due to natural causes or our natural areas stewardship work. Check out the slideshows below to see changes at some of our parks!

Bear Creek Nature Park

Bear Creek Nature Park photo monitoring point BCNP02 is at the interpretive node overlooking the northwest field. The permanent photo point was established in 2011. It is at 42.734860, -83.154388, and the bearing is 30 degrees. The purpose of this photo point is to monitor the establishment of native plant plugs installed around the overlook, and ongoing habitat restoration work (for example prescribed burns, invasive shrub control, native seed installation).

Charles Ilsley Park

Charles Ilsley Park photo monitoring point CIP06 is at the southeast corner of the center field, at the trail junction as you walk north from the parking lot on Predmore Road. The coordinates are 42.787980, -83.109029, and the bearing is 330 degrees. The purpose of this photo point is to monitor the progress of the prairie plantings. The field in the photos was planted to native prairie plants in May 2018.

Draper Twin Lake Park

Draper Twin Lake Park photo monitoring point DTLP04 is at the southeast corner of the northeast prairie planting field. The coordinates are 42.766293, -83.112946, and the bearing is 320 degrees. The purpose of the photo point is to monitor the progress of the prairie planting that was installed in late fall 2015.