60 Fletcher Plains 

wildlife viewing  |  directions and facility information

Photo: © Phil Seng

This open, grassy site is the last known sharptail grouse area in the Lower Peninsula. It is actively managed by using prescribed burning and mowing to maintain the open, brushy habitat required by grassland wildlife species. There are numerous unmarked trails that run throughout the area. The site has no other developments, so come prepared. Visitors are permitted to range freely throughout this unique habitat.

Wildlife Viewing

Photo: © Phil Seng

Sharptail grouse have inhabited this site, but there have been no confirmed sightings in recent years. However, other kinds of wildlife are easily viewed. Red-tailed hawks and northern harriers (also called marsh hawks) are frequently seen hunting small rodents in the open, grassy portions of the site. Meadowlarks, horned larks, and upland sandpipers may be viewed from late spring through early fall, and vesper sparrows are extremely common. Large numbers of deer may be seen here in the spring during “green up.” Nearby Grass Lake is used by a variety of waterfowl, (usually) nesting loons. Early summer brings an incredible grasshopper hatch. During the wintry days of January and February, a trip to Fletcher Plains may be rewarded with sightings of snow buntings, rough-legged hawks, and snowy owls.

Jack pine management area
Photo: Bob Hess

Sharptail grouse
Photo: David Kenyon, MI DNR

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is managing an area nearby for the endangered Kirtland's warbler and related wildlife. This special 1,400-acre jack pine ecosystem management area occupies both sides of Fletcher Road, just east of the Fletcher Plains site. It was the location of a forest fire in the late 1960s. The thick, stunted jack pine trees on this old burn site have been recently harvested by clearcutting. The area will be re-seeded and replanted to jack pine. The Kirtland's warbler and many of the open land species found on the Fletcher Plains site are expected to re-colonize this area, providing additional wildlife viewing opportunities.

This area is open to public hunting. Contact the Michigan Department of Natural Resources for hunting seasons and locations.