The 13-acre Frazier-Freeland Preserve protects the wetlands and water of Weaver Creek, an important stream that flows into Grand Traverse Bay near Omena. Wildlife and numerous bird species make their homes in this Preserve. The dense thicket, where deer and other critters roam, is rich with food and shelter for wildlife. Ross and Marilyn Smith donated this land to the Conservancy in 2001. Their family has owned and nurtured this land for many years. Ross Smith says, “I remember as a very young youth riding on a hay wagon, pulled by the draft horses of Lester Southwell, when this property was used as a hayfield. It subsequently became a strawberry field, and then went fallow…and now Mother Nature has taken over, and native grasses have established their presence, and so shall remain forever.”
The Preserve is near several private lands protected by conservation easements, and adds to a wildlife corridor. Collectively, all of these lands provide significant value for wildlife and water quality.
Access
- No trail system
- Dense thicket makes it largely inaccessible
Plants
A Frazier-Freeland FQA and Summary is available here. The FQA, or Floristic Quality Assessment, tells the story of the types and quality of flora at Frazier-Freeland Preserve.
