HNPA thanks Cub Scouts of Fiegel Elementary School for helping clean and protect Koppernick section of the Preserve. They also joined HNPA. A hearty Thank you to all involved.

Vandals pulled up two wooden benches in the Cowan/ Central City section of the preserve and dumped them into the Tonquish Creek. HNPA hopes to reclaim them and reinstall them using concrete. Someone had worked very hard to build and install the benches to make the Preserver more enjoyable. How sad that others had to destroy this effort. If you ever see vandalism in the Preserve, please call Wayne County Parks at (734) 261-1990 or the Sheriff’s department.

New photo murals of Holliday installed at Nankin Mills. Four photo murals depicting Holiday Nature Preserve in each of the four seasons were recently installed at Nankin Mills Interpretive Center in Westland. Each mural is five feet tall and were made possible by a donation from the Friends of Nankin Mills. All photos in the murals were taken by Carol Clements, Parks Naturalist (At right in above photo.) A map created by the Parks Department’s Andrew Tluczek helps visitors locate where in the Preserve the photos were taken. (Andrew's maps also appear on our web site.)

Damage to the Ellsworth section of the Preserve has stopped. No vegetation has been cut since Wayne County Parks placed notices in area trees stating that such activity was illegal. While it doesn’t appear that the cutting was done to intentionally harm the Preserve, any cutting or trenching on Wayne County Park property done without permission, for whatever reason, is illegal. Thanks to HNPA’s Bill Craig for noticing the activity, reporting it and then following up with the Parks department.

HNPA thanks Wayne County Parks Naturalist Carol Clements for leading Cub Scouts from Canton Packs 1539, 859 and 855, Livonia Pack 880, Dearborn Pack 1151, Plymouth Pack 745, and a Scout from Brownstown on a mustard garlic pull at the Ellsworth entrance.

HNPA President Bill Craig met with Westland’s Parks Director Robert Kosowski and City Consultant Lillian Dean in August. Westland is interested in having a professional map of the park drawn up. Hix Park is adjacent to the Preserve.

Rains Washes Away Volunteers’ Efforts. Due to heavy spring rains, Ford Motor Company volunteers had to cancel plans to do some work on the Ellsworth Trail near Nankin Mills. The heavy bridge they installed in 2003 also ended up floating away in a May flood event.

The loss of the bridge is unfortunate since the volunteers worked so hard to install it initially. The loss is also a testament to the power of the Rouge. The same water that is capable of carrying away bridges also erodes the stream bank, toppling trees and carrying them downstream to form logjams.

This summer, a dam at the Woodbridge Pond Apartments failed, sending water and sediment into the Preserve. HNPA President Bill got in contact with the MDEQ, Westland’s Planning department and Wayne County Parks. All parties understood the interest HNPA had in having repairs made before the Preserve was harmed. By the middle of summer, the work was done and the pond level was back to normal (see before and after photos below.)

Afterwards, Bill met with the apartment manager, Paolo Pastrone, who gladly showed Bill the repairs. It was good to see the owner made a big investment in doing a major repair job. Mr. Pastrone had high praise for Westland, especially Rick Horngold who provided assistance.