From left: Ann Arbor city councilmember Christopher Taylor, Stephanie Buttrey and Ginny Trocchio, who provides staff support for the Ann Arbor greenbelt advisory commission. Taylor serves on GAC, and Buttrey is being nominated to the commission. When asked by GAC chair Dan Ezekiel, Taylor and Buttrey reported that they did not coordinate their choice of pink shirts. (Photos by the writer.)

Buttrey told commissioners that she’s a 50-year Ann Arbor resident and University of Michigan graduate who’s interested in land preservation. Dan Ezekiel – GAC’s chair – said she’ll bring common sense, business acumen and knowledge to the commission.

Ezekiel also noted that there are other vacancies that need to be filled. GAC’s June 6 meeting will be the last one for him and two other term-limited commissioners – Tom Bloomer and Laura Rubin. “So all of you people watching us breathlessly on TV, please send in your applications,” he said. [.pdf of application form for city boards and commissions]

GAC’s May 2 meeting was also attended by Barry Lonik, a land conservation consultant who is representing Ann Arbor Township in a possible greenbelt deal. He was invited into the commission’s closed session to share communications about the property.

When commissioners emerged from the closed session, they unanimously voted to recommend that the city council pursue the purchase of development rights for two properties, including one in Ann Arbor Township. Before appearing on the city council’s agenda, details of proposed greenbelt acquisitions are not made public. Parcels are identified only by their application number.

At the end of the meeting, Ezekiel marked the recent death of Charles Braun, describing him as a very influential leader in the local farm community. Braun’s property – a 286-acre farm in Ann Arbor Township – has been preserved as part of the Ann Arbor greenbelt program.

Commission Appointments

The nomination of Stephanie Buttrey had been on the city council’s April 15, 2013 agenda to replace Liz Rother, who resigned from GAC earlier this year. However, public hearings on two controversial topics – the proposed 413 E. Huron project and possible changes to the ordinance governing the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority – pushed the council’s meeting to 3 a.m., so several items on the agenda were postponed until May 6. One of those items was Buttrey’s nomination. She is being nominated to serve out the remainder of Rother’s term through June 30, 2014.

Buttrey attended GAC’s May 2 meeting and spoke briefly to commissioners. She described herself as a 50-year Ann Arbor resident who attended Burns Park Elementary, Tappan Middle School and Pioneer High, where she met her husband. She also earned an engineering degree from the University of Michigan.

Buttrey worked for Chrysler, and described how at one point she would commute down Ann Arbor-Plymouth Road. The route took her past two properties that are now protected, including a farm. At the time there was an article in the Ann Arbor News about the farm having sold its development rights. [The purchase of development rights (PDR) is a common method of protecting land from being developed.]

The article quoted the farmer, who said he had received a couple of nasty letters that criticized him for not selling the property to developers. Buttrey said she wrote a letter to the farmer, thanking him for not selling the land to developers and telling him how driving past it gave her “a big sigh of relief after a long day at work. I’m able to drive home – I can see farm, I can see fields, I can see barns – … and I’m hoping there are others who enjoy seeing this open space.”

Stephanie Buttrey, who’s being nominated to replace Liz Rother on the Ann Arbor greenbelt advisory commission.

She said the story reflects that “greenbelt thinking” has been on her mind for many years. After retiring from her 30-year career at Chrysler five years ago, Buttrey began looking for volunteer work and started volunteering at the Women’s Center of Southeastern Michigan, but is now ready to do more. She noted that she had taken two of the annual greenbelt bus tours. “I was just astonished to learn the amount of effort that had gone into buying development rights and preserving different kinds of properties, and always in conjunction with other governmental organizations.”

“I thought, well, this is where my money’s going to – I think that’s great, and maybe I can help out,” she said.

Buttrey noted that although she doesn’t have any natural area expertise, she’s an engineer with an MBA and could bring her critical thinking and enthusiasm to the commission.

Dan Ezekiel asked Buttrey to talk about the property she helped preserve in the city of Ann Arbor. She told commissioners that she lives near Packard and Platt, and several years ago brought property from a neighbor and then sold it to the city. It’s now Redwood Park.

Ezekiel said he was delighted that Buttrey is joining the commission. He noted that she had been a fairly high-ranking executive at Chrysler with international responsibilities, and will bring a lot of common sense, business acumen and knowledge to the commission.

As a point of interest, Ezekiel also noted that “at one time, for a brief moment many decades ago, Stephanie, Catherine [Riseng] and I were all on the same softball team.” Riseng serves as GAC’s vice chair.

Appointments by the city council are usually handled in a two-meeting process. But given the postponement of Buttrey’s nomination at the April 15 council meeting, Christopher Taylor indicated that a vote to confirm her appointment would likely occur on May 6, at the same meeting when her nomination is officially made.

“I’ll see that we get this done in one swoop,” Taylor said. The resolution nominating Buttrey is sponsored by Taylor.

Ezekiel noted that there are other vacancies as well. GAC’s June 6 meeting will be the last one for him, Laura Rubin and Tom Bloomer. Jennifer Fike – who attended the commission’s April 4, 2013 meeting to introduce herself – is expected to replace Rubin, filling a slot designated for an environmental organization. Fike is finance director for the Huron River Watershed Council. Rubin serves as HRWC’s executive director.

The positions of Bloomer and Ezekiel are designated for a farmer and representative from the general public, respectively.

Anyone who’s interested in applying should contact their city council representative. [.pdf of application form for city boards and commissions] Meetings for the commission are scheduled monthly, typically on the first Thursday of the month.

Communications & Commentary

During the meeting there are several opportunities for communications from commissioners and staff, as well as two opportunities for public commentary. Here are the highlights.

Communications & Commentary: Manager’s Report

Ginny Trocchio, a Conservation Fund employee who provides staff support to the greenbelt program under contract with the city, reported that there’s still no word about the status of a recent application to the federal Farm and Ranchland Protection Program (FRPP). The application is for grants totaling about $202,000 for two properties covering 169 acres.

The government relations staff of the Conservation Fund recently held a roundtable discussion at its headquarters with the FRPP director, Jeremy Stone. Trocchio participated via conference call and said she told Stone about Ann Arbor’s greenbelt program. “He was really impressed and amazed at how much we’ve been able to do here surrounding the city of Ann Arbor,” she said. She followed up by sending him a map that showed properties protected under the program, including those using FRPP grants. “His response was that preserving land around an urban area is exactly the type of program that FRPP is looking to support,” Trocchio said. “It’s nice to be able to raise his attention about what we’re doing here.”

Trocchio also reported that she had sent some Rabble Roasters to the meeting with Stone. Rabble Roasters are dry-roasted soynuts made by Bur Oaks Farm in Webster Township, which is owned by greenbelt commissioner Tom Bloomer. The farm is part of the greenbelt programs that’s been protected with FRPP funds.

Communications & Commentary: Public Commentary

Barry Lonik, a local conservation consultant from Dexter, told commissioners that he had visited the Scio Woods Preserve that morning. It’s part of the Washtenaw County natural areas preservation program, purchased with the help of Ann Arbor greenbelt funds. He said he hadn’t been there since trails were built, and “it’s absolutely gorgeous.”

From left: Barry Lonik, a local conservation consultant, talks with Dan Ezekiel, chair of the Ann Arbor greenbelt advisory commission.

He encouraged commissioners and others to visit the preserve. It’s about 100 acres off of Scio Church Road, with rolling hills, streams, big trees, and flowers carpeting the ground, he said. Ann Arbor, Scio Township and the county contributed funds toward it, he added, “and it was just a terrific purchase.”

Dan Ezekiel, GAC’s chair, noted that he had received an email recently from someone who had seen a couple of pileated woodpeckers at the Scio Woods Preserve. If that area had been developed for housing, he said, it’s possible those pileated woodpeckers – which he noted are uncommon in this county – wouldn’t have made a home there.

Ezekiel also noted that Lonik was on hand representing Ann Arbor Township, and would accompany the commission into closed session to talk about possible land acquisition. Lonik would share some communication with commissioners about a township property, but wouldn’t stay for their deliberations, Ezekiel said, adding that this process had been run by the city attorney’s office.

Communications & Commentary: Charles Braun

At the conclusion of the meeting, Dan Ezekiel marked the recent death of Charles Braun, describing him as a very influential leader in the local farm community. Braun’s property – a 286-acre farm in Ann Arbor Township – has been preserved as part of the Ann Arbor greenbelt program.

Ezekiel noted that the Brauns initially approached land preservation skeptically, “but they embraced it in the end.” The Brauns had hosted a gathering for the greenbelt program in the past to honor local farmers who had preserved their land through selling their development rights. Ezekiel said the commission mourned Braun’s passing.

Land Acquisition

Most meetings of the greenbelt advisory commission typically include a closed session to discuss possible land acquisitions. The topic of land acquisition is one allowed as an exemption by the Michigan Open Meetings Act for a closed session. On May 2, commissioners met in a closed session that lasted about 45 minutes, then emerged and voted on two recommendations that will be forwarded to the city council.

Before appearing on the city council’s agenda, details of proposed greenbelt acquisitions are not made public. Parcels are identified only by their application number, with the first four numbers signifying the year in which the application was made.

Commissioners recommended that the city partner with Ann Arbor Township and contribute 33% toward the purchase of development rights on a parcel identified as application number 2013-01.

In a separate resolution, commissioners recommended that the council proceed with the purchase of development rights for application number 2012-12, if at least 20% in matching funds are secured.

Outcome: In separate votes, commissioners passed both resolutions unanimously.

Next meeting: Thursday, June 6, 2013 at 4:30 p.m. in the second-floor council chambers at city hall, 301 E. Huron. [Check Chronicle event listings to confirm date] The meetings are open to the public and include two opportunities for public commentary.

Present: Tom Bloomer, Shannon Brines, Archer Christian, Dan Ezekiel, Catherine Riseng, Laura Rubin, Christopher Taylor. Staff: Ginny Trocchio.

Absent: Peter Allen.

The Chronicle survives in part through regular voluntary subscriptions to support our coverage of publicly-funded entities like the city’s greenbelt program. If you’re already supporting The Chronicle, please encourage your friends, neighbors and coworkers to do the same. Click this link for details: Subscribe to The Chronicle.

Marianne Rzepka

Gardeners spend a lot of time working in their own world – moving the perennials, planning their walkways or weeding their vegetables.

But for some gardeners, the Michigan Conservation Stewards program has ushered in a larger world outside their backyard landscapes.

“My garden is something I do for me, but the stewardship program is what I do for others and for the larger environment,” says Mary Duff-Silverman, who went through the course last year.

The stewardship program introduces participants to the plants, animals and forces of nature that defy outsiders’ attempts to impose order. Instead, the steward-in-training has to understand the rules of that larger environment, with its invasive plants, water aeration, ground water and other natural processes.

This spring is only the second year the course has been offered in Washtenaw County. It’s a series of 11 classes that range over a number of ecological topics, including the ecosystems of wetlands, forests, lakes and streams.

This year’s program begins Saturday, April 10. If you’re interested, get more information online – you can also download the three-page application form from that website.

It will cost you $250 for the 11-week program, but some scholarships are available. Applications were due April 1, but late applications will be considered until the classes begin, said Robert Bricault, who is overseeing the stewardship program as part of his job as education coordinator at the Washtenaw County office of the Michigan State University Extension service. You can reach him at 734-997-1678.

Members from last year's Michigan Conservation Stewards class, on a field trip to Matthaei Botanical Gardens looking for bugs in Fleming Creek. (Photo courtesy of Bob Bricault.)

The program begins with an introductory session that runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., but participants usually meet on Thursdays from 6 to 9 p.m. – with all-day field trips on Saturday, May 22 and Saturday, June 5.

The program requires that each student present a final project, something a bit disconcerting at first, said Duff-Silverman. Then, she thought of Dicken Woods, just four blocks from her house. Seven years ago, the 10-acre parcel was the center of a struggle between neighborhood residents and developers. In the end, the Ann Arbor City Council sided with neighbors who wanted to turn the neglected land into a park instead of a housing development or branch library.

Now you can walk through the area on a wood-chipped, figure-eight path. Some of the invasive buckthorn, honeysuckle and oriental bittersweet have been removed, and faded marker flags show where new trees – that look like twigs stuck in the ground – have been planted.

After talking to city parks staff last year, Duff-Silverman planted an entry garden of perennials near the entrance off Dicken Drive.

But that was just the beginning, as she became more involved with the site. Duff-Silverman now knows every foot of the nature area. She can point to the old well on the property, show where a house originally stood and explain why the vernal pond near Dicken Elementary School isn’t good for ducks (it dries up in the summer).

Mary Duff-Silverman at Dicken Woods Nature Area in Ann Arbor.

This year, she’s looking to establish plants like skunk cabbage in the wet, mucky areas, and she’s thinking about how the site could be used for educational projects.

“I was an armchair ecologist,” said Duff-Silverman. “The stewardship program got me out pulling on waders.”

As part of the stewardship course, participants attend talks by instructors from the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, state natural resources and conservation organizations – people with a wide experience you might not ordinarily encounter. On its field trips, the group sees the effects of prescribed burns or learns how to gauge the health of an ecosystem from the insects in a stream..

Some of the 18 members of that first class ended up counting frogs or working on signs or setting out trails. “It not about the extension service, because we don’t have a lot of volunteer efforts going on in conservation,” said Bricault. “But we have a lot of contacts with people who are doing conservation.”

The program even has an old hand like Bricault excited. Last year, he was helping with a tree count at Scio Woods Preserve on Scio Church Road, when he came across a wild growth of paw paws.

That tree inventory was part of a project done by two other members of the stewardship program: Judy Parsons and Dennis Purcell, who chose to do a survey of the preserve, which isn’t far from their home.

The couple have been out at the preserve this year, removing invasive species and planning for other improvements. “People see us working out here and thank us,” said Parsons.

The county parks department has done some improvements on the site, which was purchased only a year ago. Now there is a parking lot and an information kiosk near where a vacant house used to stand.

On one recent day, you still could see signs of the old homestead in a spray of snowdrops in a circle of an old garden bed. Over to one side was a pile of honeysuckle, hacked off by Parsons and Purcell, waiting for a county disposal crew. On the other side was a growing pile of wood chips, remnants of Norway maples on the property, waiting to be spread along the trail.

Judy Parsons and Dennis Purcell at Scio Woods Preserve. (Photo by the writer.)

On a walk through the preserve last week, spring peepers and wood frogs were calling in the background. Trout lilies and spring beauties were poking through the dead oak and hickory leaves on the ground.

Purcell’s eye was quick to find the first green shoots of invasive garlic mustard, which he pulled out and put in his pocket for later disposal. He’s disgruntled at the invasive plants that have spread mostly at the edges of the property, but heartened by the cache of native blue flag iris in one of the boggy wetland areas.

And he’s thinking of improvements, such as placing benches in the woods, especially at a bluff overlooking what he and Parsons have dubbed Dead Turtle Pond.

Asked if he’s developed a sense of ownership over the property since he first took a look at it more than a year ago, Purcell brightens like a light bulb. “I guess I do,” he said, smiling.

After all their work, you’d think the two had finished with their part of the project, but Parsons takes a look at the area just behind the parking lot and surveys the invasive plants that have taken root in the area that was probably once someone’s backyard.

“We’ve still got about 10 years of honeysuckle removal to do,” she said.

About the writer: Marianne Rzepka, former reporter for the Ann Arbor News and Detroit Free Press, is a Master Gardener who lives in Ann Arbor and thinks it’s fun to turn the compost pile.