Directions
From I-75 and M-28 take M-28 west 4 miles to South Piche Road. Turn north (right) and drive approximately 2.5 miles. The Chippewa Luce Mackinac Conservation District Piche Grasslands include two 40-acre parcels with the back parcel being accessed from 7 1/2 Mile Rd.
Please note that access to both parcels is strictly by foot only!
Current parking is in the North East corner of the parcel abutting South Piche Road in the gravel parking lot. Roadside parking is also available alongside South Piche Road and 7 1/2 Mile Rd. Please do not block any private drives including the drive at the end of 7 1/2 mile Rd.
Chippewa Luce Mackinac Conservation District Piche Grasslands
Scenic Byway/Bay Mills Area
Birding Information
The Chippewa Luce Mackinac Conservation District (CLMCD) Piche Grasslands are home to a variety of underappreciated grassland bird species such as the elusive sharp-tailed grouse. The Eastern Upper Peninsula is on the eastern edge of the sharp-tailed grouse's range in Michigan and hosts the largest population east of the Mississippi River. The open lands in the Brimley, Pickford, Rudyard and Sault Ste Marie area have many agricultural fields meant for hay and livestock production.
These grasslands have abundant edge habitat which support plant species serving as food sources for many grassland bird species. Birders will delight in seeing grassland species such as northern harrier, savanna sparrow, eastern and western meadowlarks, bobolink, red-winged blackbird, short-eared and snowy owls, sandhill cranes, American kestrel and eastern kingbird.
Area Information
Formally known as the Veldt Farm, the CLMCD Piche grasslands are former farmlands. In 1979 livestock feed contaminated with a toxic flame retardant, polybrominated biphenyls (PBB), was delivered to the farm exposing the livestock and the farmstead to the chemical.
The farm was ruled unsafe and acquired by the State of Michigan in 1982. All of the contaminated livestock, soils and buildings were removed from the site and PBB levels were reduced to safe levels by 1988. In 1996 the State of Michigan sold the property to CLMCD for $1 with the clause it be maintained for public purposes.
CLMCD has since planted portions of the front 40-acre parcel with trees, but has had poor success due to the topsoil being stripped and removed from the property during the environmental remediation.
Fortunately, the Eastern Upper Peninsula produces bountiful cool season grasses and wildflowers, even in disturbed nutrient poor soils. The South Branch of the Waiskey River flows through the back 40-acre parcel and is home to a more natural setting with traditional pre-settlement conditions and vegetation.
Bathrooms
No
Parking
Seasonal gravel parking lot in Northeast Corner and along South Piche Road and 7 � Mile Road
Road Birding
No
Hiking Trails
No - Coming Soon!
Viewing Platform
No
Winter Access
Yes