Enzo Creek Nature Sanctuary, named after the creek that divides the sanctuary North to South, is a privately managed wildlife sanctuary located in Mecosta County, Michigan, near the city of Big Rapids. The objective of the sanctuary is to enhance the habitat of the sanctuary for the benefit of the fish and wildlife which live within or migrate through the sanctuary.
The land
The terrain at Enzo Creek is incredibly diverse. From non-tidal marsh to mature northern hardwoods, the land is fertile and nurtures a healthy vibrant ecosystem. The landscape is rolling in elevation, and no less than 13 soil types are found throughout. Rocky deposits are found throughout Enzo Creek, a result of Michigan's last glacial retreat about 14,000 years ago. It is the sanctuary's diversity of habitat that is the foundation upon which Enzo Creek's wildlife management plan has found success. The mineral and oil composition of Enzo Creek is largely unknown, although areas of Mecosta County are known to have abundant reserves of crude oil.
The water
Enzo Creek's water resources are a key ingredient to its unique ecosystem. Four highly eutrophic ponds are located on the property. Most are no more than three feet deep, and were formed as a result of beavers damming flowing water. The largest body of water is Townline Lake, which is in size. The sanctuary has nearly 1/4 mile frontage on the Southwest shore of the lake.
Hunt Lake is in size and has an area of flooded timber at the north end of the lake which is known as Hunt Marsh. Hunt Marsh is a result of this same beaver activity creating the impoundment blocking Enzo Creek, the only outlet to Hunt Lake. Hunt Lake has a maximum depth of , and visibility generally exceeds , despite a marl substrate.
Enzo Creek, the creek for which the sanctuary owes its name, flows South and Easterly and joins the outlet to Townline Lake. Enzo Creek flows approximately 1.3 miles from its beginning at Hunt Lake before it joins Ryan Creek, which then flows into the Muskegon River watershed.
Beaver Pipes were installed in 2009 by Enzo Creek's management to help control the water level in Hunt Marsh, which had been steadily growing since 2005. This method of water control proved to be ineffective as beavers were able to block water passage through the pipes. The beaver pipes were ultimately removed completely, and a much larger 20" culvert pipe was installed through the dam and encased with hog wire fencing to prevent beavers from stuffing the pipe full of timber to block water passage. Over the course of a single year, beavers were able to dam the area around the hog wire fencing and again gain control of the water level. Work is ongoing to try and reach a permanent solution to water level control on Hunt Lake.
Nehmer Lake is also accessible from the sanctuary. It is approximately in size, and although shallower than Hunt Lake, it has a littoral zone of flooded timber along its margins. The maximum depth is unknown.
The flora
The flora found at Enzo Creek have yet to be comprehensively inventoried, as the project would be a colossal undertaking. Tree types include deciduous species such as pin oak, white oak, red oak, sugar maple, aspen, ash, birch, cherry, apple, sassafras, American hornbeam, ironwood, and walnut trees. Coniferous species include jack pine, red pine, eastern white pine, eastern hemlock, arborvitae, Scots pine, and blue spruce.
Selective harvest of aspen was done in 2003 to improve habitat for ruffed grouse and other upland birds such as the wild turkey. Low impact selective harvest proved to be a successful project.
Since 2006, several stands of conifers have been planted for future economic timber value and also to provide dense cover for several wildlife species. Approximately 8,000 red pines were planted in a stand primarily for future economic timber value and 1500 jack pine were planted in a fallow area with poor soil types suitable for jack pine but not conducive to forage plants to serve as a future area of dense cover for wildlife.
There are several other tree species including tamarack larch which is known as a deciduous conifer and hence loses its needles each autumn. Staghorn sumac is abundant in many areas of the sanctuary.
Elaeagnus umbellata (autumn olive) was planted in the 1950s under the recommendation of the then Michigan Department of Conservation (now the Michigan Department of Natural Resources), as the shrub was believed to be very beneficial to wildlife. It is now known to be invasive, and an area was cut back in 2006 and converted to a hayland.