Allegan State Game Area is vast! Spanning over 50,000 acres in Allegan County, the area is made up of mature forest, oak savanna, wetland, riparian (areas adjacent to bodies of water) and, of course, grassland habitat.

The grasslands at Allegan house a wide variety of wildlife species, including upland sandpipers, grasshopper sparrows, bobolinks, white-tailed deer, ring-necked pheasants and wild turkey. Keeping these grasslands healthy and thriving is one of the major management goals at the game area.

“During the past eight years, staff and partners at Allegan have enhanced and restored nearly 1,300 acres of grassland habitat and 150 acres of wetland habitat,” said Don Poppe, wildlife biologist at Allegan. “In addition, over 2,000 acres of food plots have been planted to provide fall and winter food sources for waterfowl, pheasants, deer and turkeys.”

The bulk of the grassland habitat work completed at Allegan has been centered around the Fennville Farm Unit of the game area. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources purchased this 4,100-acre paradise for Canada goose hunting from the A.M. Todd Company of Kalamazoo in 1949. The property was originally used to grow peppermint but has since turned into a waterfowl hunter’s and wildlife viewer’s dream. The grasslands in this unit provide important nesting habitat for waterfowl, pheasants and other grassland birds.

Some of the state’s most imperiled species are grassland species. This habitat type has declined drastically over the last 150 years due to the conversion of grasslands to agricultural, residential and commercial development, along with the succession of grasslands into forest lands. 

“The southwest region of Michigan was once home to large tracts of prairie and savanna,” Poppe said. “Today, the landscape looks much different.”

Poppe said that he’s glad to see grassland habitat being restored in the region, and he’s proud that Allegan State Game Area is part of the Michigan Pheasant Restoration Initiative.

The Michigan Pheasant Restoration Initiative is working to improve and enhance Michigan’s remaining grasslands on private and public lands in southern Michigan. This includes planting diverse mixes of grasses and wildflowers for birds, insects and other wildlife. Extensive grassland restoration work also is in progress at Lake Hudson State Recreation Area in Lenawee County, Verona State Game Area in Huron County, Sharonville State Game Area in Jackson and Washtenaw counties, and Maple River State Game Area in Gratiot County as well as other public and private lands in southern Michigan.

Made up of many partners, the Michigan Pheasant Restoration Initiative is a conservation initiative to restore and enhance Michigan pheasant habitat (grasslands), populations, and hunting opportunities on private and public lands. It works by acquiring state, federal and partner resources to assist landowners in cooperatives to improve wildlife habitat on their properties and by improving grassland habitat on selected state game areas, recreation areas or other public lands. To learn more, visit Michigan.gov/Pheasant.