INVASIVE AND EXOTIC SPECIES

Invasive plant and animal species can also affect human activity and natural processes. Exotic species are classes of plants or animals that are introduced into a “foreign” environment, and often these new varieties can have negative impacts on the native environment.

 

For example, purple loosestrife has the capacity to quickly degrade natural wetlands. The loosestrife is found throughout much of the United States, and Barry County is not an exception. The loosestrife has a tendency to multiply rapidly and densely, by means of prolific root and seed production, which often

 

⁴ Michigan Natural Features Inventory Website, October 2003.

crowds out native wetland plants and alters the chemical balance of the wetland.⁵ Methods to control the spreading of the loosestrife can often be unreasonable for large areas. For example, burning, digging, water level management, herbicides, and cutting are impractical for regions where the weed has dominated native species. Biological control, or the introduction of natural enemies into the new habitat, is a more viable, yet costly and rigorous, alternative.

 

In addition, the zebra mussel, a European species, has the propensity to impair human intentions and damage native processes. The zebra mussel was first discovered in 1988 in Lake St. Clair near Detroit, and had colonized the Great Lakes region by 1990. The exotic mussels spoil lakeside industry, costing hundreds of thousands of dollars. The mussels clog pipes, which can create pump and mechanical difficulties. Also, the exotic species lessen food and oxygen for native mussels.⁶

 

Methods to control the spreading of this exotic species include thermal flushing, chlorination, mechanical filtration, anti-fouling paints, acoustics, and electrical shock. However, these solutions are generally only useful for spot control. Barry County boaters can also assist in the process. After boating in waters likely contaminated, the following are recommended tasks to ensure that the mussels do not spread:⁷

􀂾 Do not transport bait used in infested waters, and wash bait pails with hot water

􀂾 Leave boat out of water for at least 3 days in hot, dry conditions (zebra mussels can stay alive up to 5 days out of water)

􀂾 If boat trailer has water in it, drain immediately

 

The gypsy moth has also presented a problem for the forests of Barry County. This imported pest’s larva feeds on tree leaves, particularly poplar and oak, from about mid-May to late-June.⁸ Even though many insects eat tree leaves, the gypsy moth caterpillars are especially difficult since population figures for these pests may get extremely high, thereby devastating forests on a massive scale. According to the USDA Forest Service, this insect is one of North America’s most devastating forest pests.  Between 1999 and 2002, Barry County participated in the Michigan Department of Agriculture’s Gypsy Moth Suppression Program, supported locally by Barry County and the Barry Conservation District.  The program assessed gypsy moth damage, provided landowners with information and treated areas where landowners permitted with aerially applied Bt and

 

⁵ U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

⁶ U.S. Geological Survey

⁷ Kildeer Countryside Wetlands Preserve Website, November 2003

⁸ Jackson County Michigan State University Extension Website, November 2004

Gypcheck.  Over that period, populations declined to a minimal level.  The population is cyclical, so landowners should be observant and should contact the Barry Conservation District if populations are reaching the nuisance level.

 

Finally, the Eurasian milfoil, a submerged aquatic plant, poses a risk for Barry County’s shallow lakes and ponds. The non-native milfoil can spread itself quickly across shallow water (about 1 to 3 meters deep), choking out native species, and the dense foliage often blocks sunlight to other plants. This pattern tends to establish sterile, monotypic habitats, killing native aquatic communities

and reducing the variety of plants available for waterfowl consumption. Managing this pest includes removing weed pieces at boat launches; and various mechanical, chemical, and biological measures.⁹   

 

A list of invasive species common to Barry County can be found in APPENDIX G

 

⁹ Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Website, November 2004

LAND USE AND DEVELOPMENT PATTERNS

 

The following text is excerpted from Barry County, Michigan, A Master Plan, 2005, with additions and updates by the Barry Conservation District.

 

 

Barry County is approximately 576 square miles, or 368,640 acres. The County is divided into 16 Townships, 1 City, and 4 Villages, and incorporates about 25,000 acres of State Game Area and parklands. This acreage is protected from development, and is planned to remain as public parkland into the foreseeable future.

 

Primarily, the County has remained a composite of rural bedroom towns with farmland and lakes scattered throughout the community. There are some relatively concentrated land uses in the County’s population centers, near Hastings and Middleville. The Villages of Woodland and Nashville also have dense residential development, though on a smaller scale. Rutland Charter Township and Thornapple Township, in the northwest portion of the County, also have more intense land uses, such as strip commercial, industrial, and an airport, and have experienced the most growth in recent years due, in part, to sprawl from the growing Grand Rapids region. In addition, other northwestern communities, such as Yankee Springs and Irving Townships, are facing increasing single-family growth demands. The southern portion of the County is experiencing some pressure for housing development, as well, due to reasonable proximity to the Kalamazoo and Battle Creek Metropolitan areas.

 

 

LAND COVER

Land cover describes the vegetation or land use that occupies the land in a given community. The land cover in Barry County is reflected in Map 3. The Land Cover map is based on computerized mapping prepared by the Michigan Resources Information System (MIRIS). MIRIS is an effort to create a "statewide computerized database of information pertinent to land utilization, management, and resource protection activities.¹⁰ It is important to note that the map was prepared from aerial photography and reflects composite groupings of land use categories. MIRIS information is not bounded by parcel lines, but instead follows natural systems. Therefore the map is not intended to reflect zoning or exact land uses.

 

MIRIS data depicts some 52 categories of urban, agricultural, wooded, wetland, and other land cover types for the entire State of Michigan. The 1994 update reflects changes including expansions of residential areas and a shift of some expansions of industrial and commercial development in formerly vacant areas.

 

¹⁰ Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Michigan Resource Inventory Program established under the Michigan Resource Inventory Act, 1979 PA 204.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The land cover in the County has been categorized into eighteen groupings with the acreage percentage for each general category estimated as follows:

*The sum of the percentages may slightly exceed 100% due to rounding.

 

When land cover categories are consolidated into more general categories, land use patterns become more readily visible and development areas can be illustrated. In the completion of Map 3, the 52 land cover categories of the MIRIS system have been consolidated into nine categories which are more general and useful for the purposes of this Community Profile Report. On Map 3 Barry County Consolidated Land Cover areas of urbanized development are apparent. The map illustrates residential development occurring in densities in the City of Hastings, the Villages, around the lakes and along County roads. Large, unbroken tracts of agricultural lands are seen in a horseshoe pattern around the City of Hastings and Yankee Springs natural areas. The natural ecological systems can be seen in the consolidation of forests as they exist in combination with wetlands and stream corridors.

As these general land cover categories are generalized, the rural nature of the County is evident. More of the County’s acreage exists as wetland areas than residentially occupied. Forested lands make up over a quarter of the County and agricultural land constitutes almost half of the County’s land use. Commercial and industrial lands account for less than 0.5% of the total land cover or around 2,170 total acres

 

TABLE 7. COMPARISON OF CONSOLIDATED LAND COVER

1978 - 1994

Map 3, which illustrates the 1994 land consolidated land cover; together with Table 7 above provide an impression of the changes that are occurring in Barry County land use. Table 7 provides a comparison of the existing land cover based on the most recent (albeit nine year old) land cover information with the previous state-wide land cover mapping done by MIRIS. Given the rate of population growth, it is natural to expect an increase in the amount of land devoted to residential use. However, from 1978 to 1994, the County’s population grew by about 8,540 persons, or by about 4,260 households.¹¹ At the same time, about 8,400 acres of additional residential land cover was added to the County. Therefore, on average, new residential development occurred in low density patterns of about one dwelling unit per two acres. Another way to view these two rates of growth is to consider that the population increased by about 19%, while the amount of land for residential use grew by 72%.

 

During this same period, industrial and commercial land cover increased, as did extractive (mining). In total, about 9,151 acres of land was moved into more intense land uses, most of which had formerly been agricultural or open lands.

Continued Next Page