Sumpter Township hears report from Nature Conservancy on project

At the Nov. 27 meeting of the Sumpter Township Board of Trustees Daniel Costello and Vernell Johnson of Arkona Road told the board about their problems with the Nature Conservancy project.
Nature Conservancy crews are clearing the land on Arkona between Martinsville and Sumpter roads as part of a genesis project to return the land to the way it should be naturally.
Costello said they have been told the crews will be using vegetation killer and controlled burns and neighbors are concerned about the respiratory affects on their horses and the people who live in the area.
Johnson said he is a geologist who has worked all over the world and he now is on dialysis three days a week. He is concerned.
They said that area has been used by ORVs and it is opened up now and used by them even more. They complained of blight on the site.
At the Dec. 11 meeting of the township board two representatives of the Nature Conservancy gave an illustrated report on the project, which they said was “to conserve lands and waters on which all life depends.”
Sumpter is part of the Oak Openings Region, which runs from northwestern Ohio into southeastern Michigan. They called Sumpter Township “a hotbed of biodiversity”.
The Conservancy received a two-year grant from the “Sustain Our Great Lakes” program and 1,700 acres are enrolled, both private and public land.
They found four parcels, totaling 30 acres, owned by Sumpter township that are worth restoration and they have been cutting invasive shrubbery and plan burns as they “try to restore the life of the ecosystem”.
Trustee Bill Hamm said after the residents came to the board meeting to complain, he and Deputy Supervisor Craig Moody walked the property.
“I’ve never seen such a great piece of property …” Hamm said, adding he saw no blight.
Although the area is closed to ORVs, the Conservancy invites people to walk the property on foot, noting there are not many lakeplain prairies left.
The Conservancy representatives said they would give a list of the herbicides they will be using to the township to share with the neighbors. The neighbors can then take the list to their doctors or veterinarians for their opinions.
They said the herbicides are applied in certain small areas with the worker using a backpack. They said it won’t be put in the water.
“We’re not going to do anything to hurt your horses,” said Supervisor Johnny Vawters
In other business at the Dec. 11 meeting, the board:
• Approved Supervisor Vawter’s appointment of Sharon Claxton to the Planning Commission to replace Don Swinson who was elected to the township board;
• Approved regular township board meeting dates for 2013;
• Approved a proposal to hold fire officer classes at a cost not to exceed $6,500 to the township. Thirteen Sumpter fire fighters have signed up and the class can accommodate 22, so it has been opened up to neighboring departments at a cost of $450 each. Van Buren Township has committed to six. The outside fire fighters will reduce Sumpter’s total cost;
and
• Heard resident Mary Ban give a tearful report on her visit to the school board meeting the night before when they voted to demolish Elwell School. She said Elwell was neglected for many years, but it was still occupied six months ago. She said they will be paying $200,000 to destroy it and, “That’s our tax money, with no recovery or profit of any kind.” She explained, “They do not want a charter school to go in there, so they have to destroy it.” Ban said she finds it appalling that Sumpter is losing this gem. “I feel very bad for parents who wanted a building there, for all the parents who wanted a neighborhood school.” Supervisor Vawters told Ban, “We applaud what you’re doing,” before she headed off to the library board meeting to lobby for Elwell school as a satellite library site.