Field Trip to Oak-Pine Barrens in Allegan SGA

Name: Field Trip to Oak-Pine Barrens in Allegan SGA
Start: 2026-05-23T10:00:00-04:00
End: 2026-05-23T13:00:00-04:00
Location: Allegan State Game Area

Schedule

Sat May 23 2026 at 10:00 am to 01:00 pm

UTC-04:00

Location

Allegan State Game Area | Allegan, MI

MICHIGAN BOTANICAL SOCIETY
SOUTHWESTERN CHAPTER FIELD TRIP
Oak-Pine Barrens
Allegan State Game Area

Jesse Lincoln, Conservation Associate – Ecologist
Michigan Natural Features Inventory
Saturday May 23, 2026, 10 am to noon
Oak-pine barrens are a fire-dependent, savanna community dominated by oaks and pines, having between 5 and 60% canopy cover. The predominantly graminoid ground layer contains plant species associated with both prairie and forest. Oak-pine barrens likely originated when prairie fires spread into surrounding closed oak and pine forest with enough intensity to create open barrens. Repeated low-intensity fires working in concert with drought, frost, and windthrow maintained barrens ecosystems. Mid-May should be an excellent time to see wild lupine (Lupinus perennis) in flower.
The walk will be about 2.5 miles (round trip) on level ground. Difficulty level is rated moderate. NO INSECT REPELLENT is allowed on this trip. The area is a critical area for imperiled insects. Mosquito netting, sunscreen, water as well as suitable clothing are suggested.
Jesse Lincoln is an ecologist and conducts vegetation surveys of state game areas to identify & inventory important natural areas, document rare plants, accurately age trees, and integrate these elements into wildlife management plans. With MNFI since 2010, he has always been interested in plants, factors that influence where they grow, and their interaction with the wildlife that relies on them. He enjoys identifying areas that have not been thoroughly botanized, collecting plants that have not been documented there, and submitting the collections to universities to contribute to accurate distribution maps. He also enjoys finding remnants of high-quality natural areas and working to get them protected. He earned a BS and MS in Biology from Grand Valley State University.
Directions: We will rendezvous on 124th Ave in the Allegan SGA. From the Kalamazoo area, take M-131 north to the Plainwell area and exit 49B. Head west on M-89 through both Ostego and Allegan. North of Allegan, M-89 will split with M-40 and head west. At this point M-89 is 124th Ave. The rendezvous is about 5 miles west of the split. The coordinates are 42.594431, -86.033603. You can park on either side of 124th Ave.