Anthony and Rose Shatter Family Preserve

ferns

A mature woodland of beech-maple and old-hickory forest dotted with wetlands.

7810 Brookville Road, Plymouth, MI
Get Directions

Note: This preserve is located at the corner of Brookville and Curtis Roads in Salem Township, but it has a Plymouth address. There is no parking lot. Park along the road on south side of Brookville Rd toward the west end of the preserve.

Get to Know Shatter Preserve

The Anthony & Rose Shatter Family Preserve was acquired by Legacy Land Conservancy in 2018 from the daughters of Anthony and Rose Shatter. It was made possible through the joint efforts of the Salem Township Board of Trustees—via the Township’s Land Preservation and Conservation Board—along with Washtenaw County’s Natural Areas Preservation Program, the Ann Arbor Greenbelt, and Legacy.

Thousands of years ago, glaciers in southeast Michigan shaped the land and soils at Shatter Family Preserve. The effects of these glacier movements are still visible today in the wetlands and mesic southern forest that thrive in these conditions. A majority of the property has remained largely unaltered for decades. An area along the eastern boundary was farmed from 1940 until the early 1990s. Since 1998, the property has been used for quiet recreation.

This 25-acre preserve is a high-quality natural area and home to a mature woodland dotted with various wetland types. American beech and sugar maple tower over buttonbush swamp and abundant populations of blue cohosh. In spring, wildflower blooms of spring beauty, sharp-lobed hepatica, and Jack-in-the-pulpit carpet the forest floor.

Trail Map

Take a screenshot or download a printable PDF of the map before your hike.

Trail map of Shatter Nature Preserve
icon of trees and air

CARBON CAPTURE

Look up as you explore! The forest around you is capturing carbon from the atmosphere and helping slow climate change. The trees in this preserve alone have captured more than 2,900 metric tons of carbon dioxide—that’s equal to the emissions of more than 750 cars in one year!

icon of fern

WETLAND WOODLAND WONDERS

As you walk along the trails, look for native plants that thrive in the heavily wooded and wet conditions–mayapple, sensitive fern, Virginia creeper, and blue cohosh.

icon of a maple leaf

BREATHE DEEPLY

Take a deep breath. The trees in this mesic southern forest are hard at work producing oxygen. While many different native plant species call this forest home, the most widespread are the American beech and sugar maple trees.

Taking Care

Enjoy your time at the preserve, but please be mindful of the plant, animal, and natural communities thriving in and around the land we have protected. The preserve is open to the public from dawn to dusk.

Contact us if you are interested in visiting with groups of 12 or more, need to report an issue, or have a question.

What Can You Do at Shatter Preserve?

  • Hike
  • Bird Watch
  • Take Photos
  • Study Nature
  • Forage*
  • Walk Pets on Leash

*Foraging of common species of mushroom, fruits, berries, and nuts is allowed. Collecting protected species and commercially harvesting any species is not allowed. Learn more

Help Protect the Preserve

  • No Bicycles
  • No Littering or Dumping
  • No Smoking, Fires, or Fireworks
  • Do Not Go Off the Trail
  • No Camping
  • No Motorized or Off-Road Vehicles (Required mobility devices are allowed.)
  • No Construction of Forts, Benches, and Structures
  • No Pets Off Leash (Bag and remove all waste.)
  • Do Not Remove Native Plants, Animals, Rocks or Fallen Wood
  • No Hunting, Trapping, or Firearm Use
  • No Placement of Memorials or Items from Outside the Preserve

You Might See...

45

Discover Another Nature Preserve

Go