FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions (click for more info and to print & share)

Where is Sibley Prairie?

The Sibley Prairie Complex is in Brownstown Township, Wayne County, MI. Prairie remnants are scattered over several square miles but the largest
remaining portions are in a two-square-mile area bordered by Telegraph Road (on the East), Inkster Road (W), Sibley Road (N), and King Road (S). The
440-acre property under option is the square mile west of Telegraph Road between Sibley Road and King Road.

What makes Sibley Prairie so special? The bees, the birds, the bats & so much more!

The Michigan Natural Features Inventory has identified Sibley Prairie as the highest-quality lakeplain prairie remnant in the state (of 53 surveyed). It boasts a Floristic Quality Index of 69.95 on a scale of 1–100, with anything over 40 being considered exceptional – so Sibley is really and truly precious!

These legally protected species and species of special concern have been recorded from or very near the property:

• American bumble bee (state-endangered);
• Tall green milkweed, Sullivant’s milkweed, short-fruited rush, Vasey’s rush, Duke’s skipper butterfly, and leafhopper (Flexamia reflexa) (all state-threatened); and
• Monarch butterfly, hairy angelica, three-awned grass, gray birch, gentian-leaved St. John’s-wort, large path rush, conobea, northern appressed clubmoss, cross-leaved milkwort, tall nut rush, Clinton’s bulrush, Blanding’s turtle, elegant spike-rush leafhopper, pickerel frog, blazing-star borer moth, and regal fern borer moth (all special-concern species).

Rare grassland birds call Sibley Prairie home, too, e.g., bobolinks, meadowlarks, indigo buntings, and king rails, as do ruby-throated hummingbirds, dickcissel, upland sandpiper, killdeer, and horned lark. Sibley is also home to six of Michigan’s nine bat species. Other mammals that may be found at Sibley include white-tailed deer, coyotes, foxes, beavers, woodchucks, muskrats, river otters, even flying squirrels.

Notably, our site lies at the convergence of the Mississippi and Atlantic Flyways. Thermals do not form over water, so many birds follow routes over the Great Lakes to minimize flight distances. This increases concentrations of migrating birds up to fourfold compared to at other areas. Sibley Prairie provides crucial habitat for countless migratory birds heading to or from other parts of Michigan, Canada, and far beyond, among them ducks, geese, sandhill cranes, as well as for most waterfowl and many hawks, owls, eagles, and warblers.

What is a lakeplain prairie?

Lakeplain prairie is a rare type of tallgrass prairie that developed on the level, clay-rich lakebeds left behind by the receding waters of the great glacial lakes, including ancestral Lake Erie. These prairies are shaped by:

• Poorly drained clay soils that alternate between being seasonally flooded and extremely dry.
• Fire regimes that historically kept trees and shrubs from taking over.
• Specialized plants adapted to these challenging, fluctuating conditions.

Because of these factors, lakeplain prairies support a unique mix of grasses, wildflowers, and wetland species, many of which occur nowhere else in Michigan and are rare across the entire Great Lakes region.

Why do I make my donation to Michigan Land Conservancy, not to Save Sibley Prairie Coalition?

Save Sibley Prairie Coalition is not an incorporated group but an association of groups working together. We have had preliminary discussions about forming a separate organization. Until then, Michigan Land Conservancy is serving as the custodian of the funds collected, since they have experience in land acquisitions and paid the $1 million to secure the option to purchase this parcel. Michigan Land Conservancy is recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization and all donations are tax deductible. For more information, please visit the Conservancy’s Facebook page here.

What happens if the full $6 million to buy the land isn’t raised by December 2026?

In the unlikely event we are unable to close on the property, we will use funds raised to purchase other prairie habitat, preferably very near this property within the Sibley Prairie Complex. Several other properties are available but the one under option is by far the largest, most ecologically significant, and most desirable. Because of its size, location and zoning, it is also the most expensive.