Fields Preserve Trail Restoration Project Enhances Visitor Experience and Watershed Health

Fields Preserve Trail Restoration Project

The Walloon Lake Association and Conservancy (WLAC) has completed several major improvements at Fields Preserve as part of the Fields Preserve Trail Restoration Project, enhancing both the visitor experience and the ecological health of the preserve.

This summer, WLAC staff completed three significant elements of the project:

• Replaced an 88-foot boardwalk through a wetland area to provide a safer, more durable trail crossing for hikers and other trail users.
• Constructed a new 30-foot trail bridge after removing an undersized culvert on a tributary of Schoof’s Creek, enhancing passage for aquatic organisms such as fish, amphibians, and insects.
• Reconstructed and expanded the preserve trailhead parking lot to improve access and better accommodate participants of WLAC conservation education programming.

These improvements provide lasting benefits for both visitors and the watershed. Hikers will enjoy a more reliable and accessible trail system, while the new bridge and restored stream crossing improve aquatic organism passage by allowing fish and other aquatic wildlife to move more naturally through the waterway. The upgraded infrastructure also enhances public safety by providing a stronger, more resilient crossing for visitors, in addition to reducing annual maintenance costs.

Additional improvements to be completed later this field season include the installation of 200 feet of timber fencing around the recently expanded trailhead parking lot and 40 feet of new boardwalk over a muddy section of the Schoof’s Creek Cutover Trail.

Acquired in 2000, Fields Preserve is 114 acres in size and one of WLAC’s three flagship ambassador preserves. The property protects rolling fields, mature northern hardwood forest, stream frontage near the headwaters of Schoof’s Creek, and sensitive wetlands in the Walloon Lake watershed. The preserve is easily accessed from Resort Pike Road, 10 minutes south of Petoskey. Directions to the trailhead can be found here.  

WLAC extends its sincere appreciation to the Odawa Youth Conservation Corps of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians’ Natural Resources Department for their partnership and hard work on the boardwalk replacement. Their assistance was instrumental in the successful completion of this phase of the project.

This project was made possible through generous funding from the Little Traverse Bay Protection and Restoration Fund at the Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation. Their investment supports improvements that protect water quality, strengthen watershed resilience, and ensure that Fields Preserve remains a welcoming destination for outdoor recreation, environmental education, and conservation for generations to come.

WLAC looks forward to welcoming visitors to experience the improved trails while continuing to advance its mission of protecting the Walloon Lake watershed.