Crane Park

(North perimeter by Westnedge Hill)

Description: The land is an open park that has become overgrown and unusable in areas. Care must be taken to preserve the trees while removing the underbrush so the trees can flourish. The City of Kalamazoo has so little green space in a natural setting that the city must work to preserve the little it has left.

Why it should be preserved: It is, compared with the rest of the park, relatively “wild”; there are paths, with stone or wooden steps, culminated in what were probably once “viewscapes” because the understory became so thickly overgrown. A few benches would improve access and comfort; the area is littered with trash and the paths covered with leaves; and the trees need attention. Since there is some evidence that the present dominance of oaks (red, black white bur, including some quite large and majestic specimens) will give way over the next century to beech and maple, perhaps some management decisions need to be made (i.e. work to maintain the oaks or allow natural succession to occur). It needs to be maintained. It is a historically significant park. But on the whole, KEC would not want to see any very massive interventions in a pleasantly “wild” area.

Type of Property: Scenic Viewpoint, Unique Habitat