Location Details
Hidden from major thoroughfares, this amazing and unique cedar swamp has remained safe for many years, and we will keep it safe for many more.
One can get turned around and spend an hour trying to find the way out, as the dense canopy shades the ground even on the brightest day. Delicate liverworts and mosses cover the bases of trees, and ferns sprout from every available space. But this place is not in the eastern U.P.; it is not in the swamps of north-central Michigan either. It is in Orion Township in Oakland County. Subdivisions dot the landscape of Orion Township, but one place was missed by the development.
The Morgan Porritt Plant Preserve was acquired by MNA in 1994. It consists of ten lots in a platted area. The plat was made in the 1950s, but fortunately, the swampy hydrology of the area protected this wonderful habitat from development. In fact, the area exceeds the normal character of a swamp by having groundwater springs within the swamp and flowing water in some of the higher areas. The area was so wet that developers considered it impossible to develop and still turn a profit. In later years, environmental laws protected the area from being filled.
For additional information, contact the MNA office at (866) 223-2231.