Photo by Natalie Kent- Norkowski
Senghas Memorial Nature Sanctuary was the Michigan Nature Association’s very first sanctuary! Originally named Redwing Acres, this 40-acre sanctuary was established in December of 1960 when the Michigan Nature Association was known as the Macomb Nature Association. Although this area is part of what was once called the old Capac Swamp, its character has changed dramatically since the 1800s as a result of intense draining and conversion to agriculture. The resulting peat fires, the first of which occurred in 1873, eliminated much of the original vegetation – boreal cranberry and marsh plants.
The southern hardwood swamp that you see today is home to a variety of trees including black ash, white ash, red maple, eastern cottonwood, quaking aspen, white oak, swamp white oak, black oak, basswood, American elm, and black willow. The sanctuary is also home to prickly gooseberry, elderberry, common blue violet and many nesting birds.
More About Louis Senghas:
Raised in rural southern Ontario, Louis G. Senghas enjoyed the outdoors. He and his wife Joan met Bertha Daubendiek at a St. Clair Metropolitan Beach meeting, and later they became three of the original thirteen founders of MNA. Louis served as MNA’s first President and was involved with several projects over the years, including fence-building at this sanctuary.
