On the Ground: Volunteers remove thousands of feet of old barbed wire from Potterville State Game Area

Returning OTG volunteer Sam Kneibel pulls old barbed wire from surrounding vegetation.

On Saturday, May 20, 11 volunteers joined MUCC’s On the Ground (OTG) program in partnership with Eaton Conservation District and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to remove old, degraded barbed wire fencing at Potterville State Game Area in Eaton County.

This small but mighty crew removed approximately 10,000 feet of barbed wire from the property,  impacting more than 25 acres of wildlife habitat on public land. The stretch of fencing that was removed included a quarter mile of barbed wire along the Thornapple River.

Two volunteers work together to cut old fencing from wooden posts.

During this project, our team saw a variety of wildlife enjoying the game area that was established in 2019. Species included sandhill cranes, garter snakes, a white-tailed deer fawn, and songbirds like bobolinks and meadowlarks.

Furthermore, a few volunteers assisted DNR Biologist Randy Heinze in constructing a fence along a property boundary to fulfill an agreement that was made during the acquisition of this new game area. This will help ensure that recreationists on this piece of public land won’t trespass on private property.

Our next habitat improvement project will take place on Saturday, June 10 in Newberry, MI. To view details or to register, please click here.