Ecosystems
Historically in the Watershed
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Today's land use pattern has become very fragmented compared to
presettlement conditions when stretches of oak savannah prairies
(orange color in the 1800's map) dominated the landscape.
Oak openings, park like settings of mature
oak trees, were a wonder of the area landscape. Settlers were
reminded of European style parks, created by nature. This natural
feature inspired the writing of Oak Openings by James
Fenimore Cooper. An
example of an oak opening landscape can be seen at South Westnedge
Park in the City of Kalamazoo. The following links describe oak
opening in more detail:
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