SIGN 1 | WELCOME TO HABITAT TRAIL This area was once habitat for 8,000-pound mastodons and six-foot-long beavers. Where did they go? Over the last 10,000 years the land has continually changed. The climate warmed, the glacier melted and the prehistoric animals gave way to modern animals better suited to the new climate. Read the signs along the trail to learn how people have contributed to Stony Creek's "Waters of Change." SIGN 2 | SNAKE, RATTLE AND ROLL This trail is one of the few places left in Michigan where you can see Massasauga Rattlesnakes. With urban sprawl and the development of wetlands, their habitat is shrinking and their numbers are decreasing. During the summer, the field behind you is used by female rattlesnakes preparing to give birth. This is one reason why we ask visitors to stay on the trails. Captions 1| Massasauga Rattlesnake 2| Metroparks Tracking Program 3| Habitat Example SIGN 3 | WHAT HAPPENED HERE? When Native Americans roamed here, this field was a type of prairie we now call Oak Savanna. Natural fires maintained this plant community. When the settlers arrived from the east, they prevented fires to protect their property and converted this savanna to a cow pasture. Today, the Metroparks use controlled burns to help convert this field back to the original plant species of pre-settlement days. SIGN 4 | THE SOUNDS OF SILENCE? The sharp crack of gunfire from the neighboring sportsmen's club, the drone of a passing plane, the sound of traffic on Inwood Road - these are not the sounds visitor expect to hear in a nature study area, yet these are noises we must accept. As technology has advanced, the effects are felt everywhere, even in parks. It's all a part of Stony Creek's "Waters of Change." SIGN 5 | HERE TODAY - GONE TOMORROW! You're standing next to a vernal pond that usually dries up by midsummer. These temporary ponds are critical habitat to hundreds of animals. Amphibians, such as wood frogs and spotted salamanders, use these fishless ponds as safe nurseries for their tadpoles and larvae. Many vernal ponds are filled-in to make way for the flood of change humans bring. Instead of tadpoles, salamander larvae and fairy shrimp, those ponds now hold malls and subdivisions. Captions 1| Wood frog 2| Spotted Salamander 3| Salamander Eggs 4| fairy Shrimp 5| Tadpoles SIGN 6 | UNDER THE POWER LINES Trees were cut down near the power lines to prevent future electrical outages. Because of the increase in power usage, International Transmission Company (ITC) in partnership with the Metroparks, removed these trees and replaced them with prairies. This eliminates the need for trimming, and thus reduces future habitat disturbances. Ironically, the landscape under the power lines now looks similar to its original state before the settlers arrived. SIGN 7 | WHY DID YOU CUT DOWN THE TREES? This was a common question after a park crew came through this woodlot in the fall of 2004. Trees near the trail which show any sign of dead wood are felled for the safety of our visitors. The attack on ash trees by the emerald ash borer is another reason for the trees near the trail to be felled. Although unsightly to some, cut logs provide shelter for salamanders, shrews and other often unnoticed wildlife. Captions 1| Emerald Ash Borer 2| Spotted Salamander 3| Short-tailed Shrew 4| American Toad SIGN 8 | THE MIGHTY OAK TREE This giant white oak was here before the settlers came! Spared the landowner's ax, it is one of the remnants of the oak savanna that used to cover the area. Over the years, this venerable oak survived a lightning strike and gypsy moth infestation. Its hollows have been home to raccoons, squirrels, several kinds of birds and honey bees. Having survived 200 years, what changes are in this oak's future? Captions 1| Oak Acorns 2| Gray Squirrel SIGN 9 | SIMPLY D'VINE Have you noticed more oriental bittersweet and poison ivy along the trail? round the year 2005, park staff noticed that these two types of vines were becoming more predominant in the park. A study done by the Department of Biology at Duke University showed that an increase in vine growth may be due to rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The effect of carbon dioxide emissions may be another example of the way humans are contributing to Stony Creek's "Waters of Change." Captions 1| Oriental Bittersweet 2| Poison Ivy 3| Oriental Bittersweet Berries 4| Poison Ivy Berries SIGN 10 | WATERS OF CHANGE Like Stony Creek, the flow of time encounters many tiny riffles and occasional waves of change. From the introduction of European diseases to the Native Americas, to the accidental importation of a European fungus that killed our elm trees; and more recently, an Asian beetle that destroyed the ash trees, humans play a major role in bringing change to the land. Should we try to prevent these little "riffles," or accept the wave of human impact as inevitable and permanent?