Searles Preserve keeps 48 acres wild in Augusta Township

Searles Nature Preserve protects 48.3 acres in the northwest corner of Augusta Township. The Washtenaw Bird and Nature Alliance describes mixed deciduous forest, shrub-carr wetlands, and the headwaters of Stoney Creek. It is a small preserve with several different kinds of habitat packed together.

The land carries traces of both farming and long survival. Aerial images show that the upland areas were farmed in 1940 and taken out of production before 1960. The steep ridge and low wetland appear to have been left largely alone for at least a century. Fuller D. Searles gave the property to the birding group in 1977 with an agreement to preserve its wildlife and natural beauty.

A 2018 field assessment found more than 70 native plant species. The preserve’s forest earned one of the highest ecosystem scores in the Huron River Watershed Council’s field database, according to the current owner. Volunteers still hold restoration workdays to remove invasive plants.

Visitors are welcome, but this is an undeveloped nature preserve rather than a full-service park. There is no designated parking lot. The reward is a quiet piece of Augusta where recovering farm fields, older woods, wetlands, birds, and a creek beginning all meet.