Online Zoom Meeting July 17 7:30, Thursday
FSMW is a 501(c)(3) non-profit. In this meeting we will explore what we as a community can do to manage and care for Scarlett Mitchell Woods, the central 40 acres of the Scarlett Mitchell Nature Area. This area contains the heart of the woods and the pond, which was dredged in 1982. It is owned by the Ann Arbor Public Schools and is no longer managed by Nature Area Preservation. Help us to implement actions to fulfill our vision of Scarlett Mitchell Woods hosting native life, that contains no invasive species, and that invites community members to walk, enjoy and learn.
For more information contact: Judy Schmidt or phone Mike at: 734-395-8959
Agenda
- Hellos/ Introductions as needed
- Agenda: Adoption/ Modification – Approval
- Approval of Minutes of Prior Meeting
- News, Announcements
- Annual Report to MI LARA – Michael
- Workday report(s), if any
- Treasurer’s Report – Pat Frey
- Old Business
- DTE Energize Your Block Grant Application – Michael
- Mitchell PTO student tree planting follow-up – Judy, Jessamy?
- New Business
- US-23 wall – any impacts on SMW?
- Oriental Bittersweet
- Next Workday – August 2
- Brush hogging trails
- Review Calendar, see below, as needed
- Review Ideas, see below, as needed
- Next Meeting: August 21, 2025
- Adjournment
Minutes
Present: Michael Benham, Pat Frey, Phil Huhn, Bill McNitt, Pat Petiet, Janet Rieke, Judy Schmidt, Manfred Schmidt, Julie Steiff
- Hellos/ Introductions as needed
- Agenda: Adoption/ Modification – Approval
- Approval of Minutes of Prior Meeting. Minutes approved after correcting the spelling of Janet Rieke’s name.
- News, Announcements
- Annual Report to MI LARA – MB.It’s time to submit our annual report, which is a simple process. MB will submit the report and copy the board members.
- Work Day Report. There was no work to report as the Woods have been ceded to the mosquitoes for the summer.
- Treasurer’s Report. PF shared the latest statement. Our current account balance is $2,205.00, half in a CD & half in cash.
- Treasurer’s Report. PF shared the latest statement. Our current account balance is $2,205.00, half in a CD & half in cash.
- Old Business
- DTE Energize Your Block Grant Application. MB submitted it and copied the board members. He requested $685.44 for materials for the new boardwalk. If we receive grant money, we can only use it for materials. MS would like to put limestone rather than wood chips on the school path because wood chips wash out when it rains. MS said he talked to the Scarlett Middle School principal, who said he would order limestone. Judy S recommended following up in the fall.
- Follow-up on Mitchell PTO Tree Planting. Judy S has not heard anything from Jessamy for a couple of months. She will check to see if the newly planted trees are still alive.
- New Business
- Mitchell School Construction – MB. There has been noise as workers are doing the drilling for a geothermal system. BM didn’t make it to the meeting about this because it was canceled and rescheduled several times, so he had no details to share. Drilling is happening all day Monday through Saturday. There was a general discussion of whether people have noticed the noise.
- US-23 wall – any impacts on SMW? MB. MDOT is proposing to build a 19’ wall against the west side of US-23 from I-94 to Earhart Road to reduce noise. JR went to a meeting about it and reported the following: Construction of the wall hasn’t yet been approved. The residents who are most affected by highway noise will vote on it (the deadline for voting is fast approaching). The benefit in decibel reduction diminishes quickly with distance from the wall; homes closest to the freeway will benefit most. MB asked how the construction might affect the Woods. For example, would there be harmful runoff to the pond? Judy S asked how we can express our concerns as a group. JR will ask her contact. Pat F asked whether the wall could benefit the woods by reducing noise. PH noted that reviewers of the Woods often complain of noise. JR thinks the proposed wall may not extend far south enough to help reduce noise levels in the woods. Judy S noted that new trees have been growing near Old Ellsworth, which may help reduce noise. JR will stay informed about the proposed wall and keep us posted.
- Oriental bittersweet. MB has seensome in the woods. There is some growing on school property, but it’s especially prevalent on city property. Should we be urging the city to deal with it? Judy S noted that it climbs mostly on invasive buckthorns, but we still want to prevent it from spreading to the center section. MS said that Kensington Metropark did a great job of getting rid of it, but he doesn’t know what they did. Can we find out? MB will do some research and ask his contacts as well. He thinks we should keep calling the city’s attention to the problem.
- Oak wilt: MB asked if anyone has seen it in the woods. PH said that Bird Hills got hit badly and treated it very aggressively. It is treated by putting trenches around the tree’s roots, because the fungal infection is transmitted via the roots. Judy S said that kind of effort is a very intensive project that is beyond our capabilities, but we should learn what oak wilt looks like so we can keep an eye out for it.
- Brush-hogging trails: PH proposes doing it in the fall (October). The city widened the trails on its property last spring, but the school property needs it—especially the main loop, the trail around the pond, and the path up to Old Ellsworth. MS has rented a brush hog from Wolverine Rental. They deliver and pick up, and the rental fee was $90 several years ago. MB volunteered to help. PP asked whether we would need to clean up the debris and haul it away. MB said you can generally leave it in the woods, off the trail. MB said that west of boardwalk, there are a lot of stumps with regrowth (we are not allowed to use pesticide on school property). He wondered whether a brush hog would be able to get through there.
- Martin house: MS would like help moving the martin house to a more open area. Now it’s on the pallet trail at the north end of the pond.
- August 2 workday: Canceled due to heat, humidity, and bugs.
- August 9 NAP workday: Judy S reported that NAP is having a public workday at SMW on Saturday, August 9, from 9 a.m. to 12 noon.Judy S will find out where NAP plans to work and what they intend to do, and we may join in. PF and PP said it could be politically advantageous for us to participate in NAP’s workday. We can also help publicize it.
- September 6 workday: We will decide what to do at this workday when we meet in August.
- October 4 workday: We will brush-hog the trails.
- Next Meeting: August 21, 2025
- The meeting adjourned at 8:42 pm.
- Adjournment
Minutes submitted by Julie Steiff.
Attachment 2: Inventory of Ideas: Field Days! Lots of Options!
- (aka Ideas for Spring Unfolding and other seasonal walks in the woods)
Education and Fun
- Search for amphibians – learn their calls – March/April
- Identify Fungi – early spring – September/October Study Group
- Spring Ephemerals – (Spring Beauty, May Apples, Trillium, etc) April/May
- Insect relationships – Native bees; carrion beetles; mosquitoes, caterpillars
- Birding for beginners – Spring migration
- Owl prowl
- Pond dipping – May
- Vernal pools
- Geology of the woods – study group?
- Mosses and lichens – study group?
- Tree flowers and buds
- Bat house
Data Collection
- Library tool collection (?)
- Binoculars
- Measure highway noise in the woods – various seasons
- Solicit expertise from our Friends group and the wider community
- Using identification apps
- FSMW Walk to evaluate which areas to concentrate on next
Work Days
- Searching for and pulling garlic mustard, and other tender invasive plants
- Removing buckthorn baggies
- Obtaining and spreading wood chips on the trails
- Fixing boards on trails
- Coating benches
- Repainting signposts so they are readable
- Planting seeds and seedlings
- Repair or replace trail markers that are rotting. Do we have a scout troop we can contact?
- Remove poison ivy
- Pocket Forest planting and maintenance
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