SIGN 1| THE PLAIN TRUTH
Melting winter snows and spring rains may cause Stony Creek to flood the area where you now stand. This is normal and beneficial event has been takign place since the glacier receded 13,800 years ago. Flooding brings water, soil and minerals to the floodplain, enriching it for dense summer growth.

In the photo on the left you can see that Stony Creek has flooded all the way up the trail past the larg oak! This occured on May 23, 2004.




SIGN 2 | WE MANAGE THE BEST WE CAN...
By Autumn of 1999, Stony Creek Metropark had more than 500 deer - nearly five times what the plant communities can support. People familiar with the park's ecology witnessed a dramatic decline in the variety of plant and animal species. Deer management practices help to maintain their population.

Captions
1| This photo shows the difference between the vegetation inside the enclosure (where the deer can't browse) compared to the outside (May 2009). the park is still recovering.
2| Ovenbirds are ground nesters. Deer may step on nests, or expose eggs or young to predators by browsing on plants that would normally conceal it. 
3| 2010 was the first year Michigan Lily was seen here since 1993.
4| Nodding trillium, which is a relatively rare, appeared in the protective environment of the exclosure in front of you in 2002.




SIGN 3 | WATER, PEOPLE AND WILDLIFE
This place we now call Stony Creek Metropark reveals many stories about the past and present, and raises questions about the future. From a land shaped by a melting glacier, to the artifacts left behind by both ancient and more modern peoples, and finally to the electrical transmission lines and necessary deer management that makes us wonder what the future has in store - these stories simply represent chapters in Stony Creek's "Waters of Change." Please visit and view the Nature center Building exhibits to learn more. Thank you for coming!