Ensley Township in Newaygo County MI

Ensley Township

Ensley Nature Preserve

History

History of the Preserve Property

John Morley originally bought this property from the government on March 6, 1866. Not much is known about him.

John Morley sold a section of his property in 1874. A sawmill was built on the location by Arthur Pangborn. An Excerpt from the Newaygo Republican newspaper on September 2, 1874 states that Jerry Rudes built a sawmill for A. Pangborn which was expected to cut 35,000 feet of logs per day.

The plat map of 1900 shows a M. Sawyer as owner of the property and the 1922 plat map shows a P. Boyd as the owner. No information about these owners is known at this time.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) during the 1930’s granted forty acres of land on 136th Street to Ensley Consolidated School District for forest planting, management, and revenue production.  Consolidation of the Ensley School District in the late 1960’s conveyed the forest property to Tri-County School District.

In 1991, several Ensley residents interested in protecting  the native plant species and the unique bog  area presented a request to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR)  for acquisition of the property to develop  a nature preserve for community recreation.

Active township leadership, along with determined residents successfully pursued the acquisition, and the forty acre parcel was deeded to Ensley Township in 1999.  The MDNR property grant provided for development of forest and wetland for community use, education, and recreation.

The 2008 Ensley Township Board appointed a committee with strong  interest in developing the Nature Preserve. Within the first year, the Ensley Nature Preserve Committee,  completed the land survey, placed permanent markers, marked and developed a perimeter trail, mapped an interior trail, established a double drive, graded the parking lot, and began the work of identifying  rare plant species,  native trees,  enlisting community sponsorship for assistance in future development of the Ensley Nature Preserve.

Future plans include additional trails, and signs, building  platforms for lookout areas, permanent tree and plant identification markers, concrete resting benches along the trail, as well as educational opportunities and community events.

To partner with the Ensley Nature Preserve toward future development financially or in person please contact Ensley Township, or view the township web page for meeting  time and date, as well as contribution opportunities.