Peak Color in Kalamazoo?

This week looks like it will be close to the peak time for Fall colors in Kalamazoo, which is in line with Michigan's average fall color dates.  Some predicted a slightly longer Fall color season this year, although I'm not sure how this week's snow will affect that.

It should be a nice time for a drive through the countryside.  Pure Michigan recommends a Grand Rapids - Grand Haven - South Haven - Kalamazoo Color Tour and a New Buffalo - St. Joseph - Benton Harbor - Paw Paw Driving Tour. The West Michigan Tourist Association has a description of several recommended color tours in the region.

It should also be a great time for a walk in the woods, a ride on a bike trail, or-- if you dress warmly-- a paddle on a river or even a Fall camping trip.

The Michigan Nature Association posts on  Why do leaves change in the fall?
The US Forest Service has a page on the Science of Fall Colors.

Eliason Nature Reserve

Earlier this week, I visited the Kalamazoo area's newest park, the Eliason Nature Reserve in Portage, just west of Bishop's Bog Preserve.  The property was donated by the Eliason family, to protect the natural area.  The park opened to the public this summer.

The main attraction in the reserve is a walking trail that runs from one end of the preserve to the other; it's just over a mile long (making the round trip about two and half miles, in all).  Since the Reserve protects a bog, I expected a wet walk but the trail runs on an elevated ridge through an Oak Hickory forest.  In places, it crosses open grassy areas (perhaps an Oak barrens) with some nice patches of Little Bluestem grass.  The trail's loop at the southern end of the preserve was dominated by maples, suggesting moister soils.

The range of habitats seemed to support a fair amount of wildlife.  I saw three deer on my short visit, along with a number of squirrels, Robins, and Blue Jays.  From certain sections of the trail, cars on Shaver Road are visible as well as the railroad tracks.  An old silo on the preserve signals its agricultural heritage.

Long-term plans for the Reserve include extending the Portage Bikeway through the park (bikes are currently prohibited) and developing more trails and recreation areas.  It's already a nice place for a short walk, particularly in autumn as the hickorys turn golden and the sumacs crimson.

Access: while there's a large sign for the Reserve on Shaver Road, which is the park's official address, access to the park is from Portage Industrial Drive. This little street, fully developed with light industry and office buildings, isn't the typical setting for a nature preserve but a small sign near the end of the cul-de-sac marks the entrance to the trail.  A paved path winds between the buildings and past a cell phone tower to reach the forest.

You could also reach the Reserve by parking at Portage's South Westnedge Park/Bishops Bog and going west on the bike trail.  


Eliason Nature Reserve
9202 Portage Industrial Drive
Portage, MI 49024
[address is approximate]

Fall Events 2013

Cooler weather, migrating birds, and colorful leaves mark Fall in Kalamazoo.  It's a great time for a walk in the woods, a paddle down a river, or a ride on a bike trail.  Many towns in the area have festivals to celebrate the season.  Enjoy!

Fall events around Kalamazoo

September 6-8  Paw Paw Wine and Harvest Festival Paw Paw

September 21 Apple Fest Coldwater

September 13-15 Grand Haven Salmon Festival Grand Haven

September 27-28 Fall Festival St. Joseph




October 5 Bangor Harvest Festival Bangor

October 5-6 Scotts Old Tyme Harvest Festival Scotts Mill County Park Scotts

October 13 Fall Color Cruise Kalamazoo River Valley Trail Kalamazoo

October 12-13 Cranefest Bellevue

October 12-13 Fennville Goose Festival Fennville

October 19-20 Arts and Eats Tour  Hastings, Middleville, Hickory Corners, and surrounding areas

Also consider:

All Things Autumn from West Michigan Tourist Association

8 Ways to Celebrate Fall from Pure Michigan

September Events, October Events, November Events from Pure Michigan

September events in Kalamazoo

Michigan Apple Festivals

Fall recommendations from 52 Michigan Weekends

a Fall Color Tour

Fresh apple cider from VerHages Cider Mill.

West Michigan Tourist Association has a list of Harvest Time Festivals, a Weekly Color Report, and more Color Tours

Fall walks and rides on the Kalamazoo River Valley Trail

Event listings from Discover Kalamazoo

Gazelle Sports' calendar of West Michigan Races and Running Workshops

League of Michigan Bicyclist's Michigan Ride Calendar

West Michigan Coastal Kayaker's Association Event Calendar

Outdoor Athlete has lists for Michigan running, biking and triathlon events.

The Department of Natural Resources has calendars of events for State Parks and Recreation Areas: September, October, November

Kalamazoo recreation map

View Larger Map

Here's a map showing some places to enjoy nature near Kalamazoo.  I made the map using ArcGIS Online as an assignment for a Coursera MOOC.  Clicking the icons gives a little more information about the location and sometimes a photo and link to a relevant blogpost.

Wren

I'm not an avid enough birder to recognize every species at a glance.  I have better luck identifying  big birds (like herons, cranes, or ducks) or colorful birds (like orioles or scarlet tanagers) than with small brown birds.  Fortunately, this House Wren (Troglodytes aedon) had nested in a birdhouse above a friend's deck and it was shuttling back and forth with food for its babies.  This brought it close enough to identify and because it followed the same path from bush to bush to tree made it possible to capture a picture.

These wrens migrate to the southern US during the winter and return to Michigan in April to breed.  [Michigan Bird Atlas pdf].  They prefer an edge habitat with a mix of woods, brush, and open space.  Suburbs and small towns often offer this kind of environment giving the House Wren its common name.

Summer Events 2013

Summer in Kalamazoo is a great time for  biking, canoeing, hiking, camping or swimming in Lake Michigan.  It's also time for a variety of summer festivals in the area.

 Summer events near Kalamazoo

May 31-June 2 Cerulean Warbler Weekend Hastings

June 1 2013 Kalamazoo Bicycle Film Festival  Kalamazoo

June 1 National Trails Day

June 8-9 Michigan Free Fishing Weekend

June 9 Kalamazoo River Trail Grand Opening noon-4pm South Wenke Park, Comstock

June 13-15 56th Annual Waterfest Three Rivers

June 20-23 Harborfest South Haven

June 22  Paddle to Pedal Event on the Flat River Belding


July 3-7 Balloon Festival Battle Creek

July 10-15 Kindleberger Summer Festival Parchment

July 19-21  Old Tyme Tractor Show Scots

July 21 Southwest Michigan Bicycle Expo Kalamazoo 10am-4pm (county fairgrounds)

August 8-11  50th annual Blueberry Festival South Haven


Also consider:

Long weekend suggestions from Pure Michigan

Sand Sculpting 101 various dates at State Parks on Lake Michigan

West Michigan Summer Weekends

Kalamazoo Farmers Market

Michigan Fireworks Displays a comprehensive list of fireworks throughout the state

Events at Kalamazoo's Arcadia Creek Festival Place

Event listings from Discover Kalamazoo

Gazelle Sports' calendar of West Michigan Races and Running Workshops

Open Roads Fixapalooza

League of Michigan Bicyclist's Michigan Ride Calendar

West Michigan Coastal Kayaker's Association Event Calendar

Outdoor Athlete has lists for Michigan running, biking and triathlon events. 

Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy volunteer workdays

State park events for June, July, and August 2013 from Michigan's DNR

Michigan Festivals and Events Association Events browser

Bells to Bells bike ride

The final event for Kalamazoo Bike Week 2013 was a ride from Bell's Eccentric Cafe in downtown Kalamazoo to their production brewery in Comstock.  The ride was about 7 miles each way, half on the Kalamazoo Valley River Trail and half on M-96.  The ride was a fundraiser to build the final 13 miles of the KVRT.

Roughly 75 riders participated, led by Laura Bell, director of marketing at Bell's.  People rode a wide assortment of bikes including mountain bikes, road bikes, hybrids, fixies, and tandems.

At the brewery, Bell's staff led tours showing off their expanded production facilities, including environmentally- friendly features like their energy recovery system and green roof.

The return trip followed the same route.

After the ride, cyclists relaxed over  a beer at the Eccentric Cafe and had the opportunity to win Bell's merchandise in a raffle. 

I didn't win any prizes but I did enjoy a couple of specialty beers.  The weather was perfect, both for the ride and for Bell's beer garden.

The next addition to the trail will run along the Kalamazoo River behind Bell's brewery making future Bells to Bells rides even more attractive.  Long run plans include connecting the trail to Battle Creek's linear park and eventually creating a system of bike trails that link together across the state.