Fort Custer State Recreation Area is a State Recreation Area located between

Battle Creek Battle Creek is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, in northwest Calhoun County, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo and Battle Creek rivers. It is the principal city of the Battle Creek, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), which en ...

and

Kalamazoo Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in the southwest region of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Kalamazoo County. At the 2010 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 74,262. Kalamazoo is the major city of the Kalamazoo-Portage Metropolit ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

. The area features lakes, the

Kalamazoo River The Kalamazoo River is a river in the U.S. state of Michigan. The river is long from the junction of its North and South branches to its mouth at Lake Michigan, with a total length extending to when one includes the South Branch.U.S. Geologica ...

, over 25 miles of multi-use trails, second growth oak barrens and dry-mesic southern (oak-hickory) forests.

History

The land was acquired in 1917 by the Federal Government and used as an induction and military training center for the US Army. Despite the history of military use that has taken place on and around the property, there was never a

fort A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

on the land. During World War II, the property was named Camp Custer. The

Michigan Department of Natural Resources The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is the agency of the state of Michigan charged with maintaining natural resources such as state parks, state forests, and recreation areas. It is governed by a director appointed by the Governor a ...

(DNR) acquired the land in 1971 as part of the Nixon administration's Legacy of Parks program. Today, the

Fort Custer Training Center Fort Custer Training Center, often known simply as Fort Custer, is a federally owned and state-operated Michigan Army National Guard training facility, but is also used by other branches of the armed forces and armed forces from Illinois, Indiana ...

of the

Michigan National Guard The Michigan National Guard consists of the Michigan Army National Guard and the Michigan Air National Guard. The State adjutant general is Major general Paul D. Rogers. Units Michigan Army National Guard units include: * Recruiting Office: Ba ...

borders the recreation area. In 1974, several ditches were modified and naturalized into creeks by the H. W. Kacey Company. The longest of these, which today is a naturally flowing stream, was named "Kacey's Creek," though that information has since been left off maps. The trails were designed beginning in 1993 and were used for hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding until trails were separated in November 2011. Over 15 miles of equestrian trails were added as well as a separate parking area.

Facilities and activities

Fort Custer is a popular destination for

hunting Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...

mountain biking Mountain biking is a sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, usually using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and pe ...

camping Camping is an outdoor activity involving overnight stays away from home, either without shelter or using basic shelter such as a tent, or a recreational vehicle. Typically, participants leave developed areas to spend time outdoors in more nat ...

horseback riding Equestrianism (from Latin , , , 'horseman', 'horse'), commonly known as horse riding (Commonwealth English) or horseback riding (American English), includes the disciplines of riding, driving, and vaulting. This broad description includes the ...

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

, and dog mushing. The park has developed a set of trails covering the majority of the area, designed for mountain biking / hiking and a separate trail system for horseback riding. They surround each of the lakes: Eagle, Whitford, Lawler and Jackson. The trails also connect to a camping area adjacent to Jackson Hole. In October 2008, a disc golf course in the Eagle Lake area was completed (it is no longer there). Fort Custer Recreation Area has a campground with 219 lots. There is a camp office and small store. Firewood, ice, and some other convenience items can be purchased. Two of those lots are mini cabins. The lots vary in size, some big enough for a tent, picnic table and fire ring, while some lots can accommodate up to a 50-foot RV. The Fort Custer mountain bike trails are divided into two levels of difficulty: blue being easy, green and red being difficult. There is

cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreation ...

in the winter. Mini cabins and rustic cabins are available for rent, one rustic cabin fronting the

.Ft. Custer Army National Guard Base
GlobalSecurity.org ;Fishing There are three easily accessible lakes: Eagle Lake, Jackson Lake and Whitford-Lawler Lake. The

also runs along the western of the park. Several types of panfish found within the area including bluegill (''

Lepomis macrochirus The bluegill (''Lepomis macrochirus''), sometimes referred to as "bream", "brim", "sunny", or "copper nose" as is common in Texas, is a species of North American freshwater fish, native to and commonly found in streams, rivers, lakes, ponds and ...

''), pumpkinseed (''

Lepomis gibbosus The pumpkinseed (''Lepomis gibbosus''), also referred to as pond perch, common sunfish, punkie, sunfish, sunny, and kivver, is a small/medium-sized North American freshwater fish of the genus ''Lepomis'' (true sunfishes), from family Centrarch ...

''), redbreast sunfish (''

Lepomis auritus The redbreast sunfish (''Lepomis auritus'') is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family (family Centrarchidae) of order Perciformes. The type species of its genus, it is native to the river systems of eastern Canada and the United St ...

'') and yellow perch (''

Perca flavescens The yellow perch (''Perca flavescens''), commonly referred to as perch, striped perch, American perch, American river perch or preacher is a freshwater perciform fish native to much of North America. The yellow perch was described in 1814 by Samu ...

''). There are a few species that are sought after as sport fish such as the largemouth bass (''

Micropterus salmoides The largemouth bass (''Micropterus salmoides'') is a carnivorous freshwater gamefish in the Centrarchidae ( sunfish) family, a species of black bass native to the eastern and central United States, southeastern Canada and northern Mexico, but ...

'') and smallmouth bass ('' Micropterus dolomieu''). There are also abundant common carp (''

Cyprinus carpio The Eurasian carp or European carp (''Cyprinus carpio''), widely known as the common carp, is a widespread freshwater fish of eutrophic waters in lakes and large rivers in Europe and Asia.Fishbase''Cyprinus carpio'' Linnaeus, 1758/ref>Arkive The ...

'') in Eagle Lake and the

. During the winter ice fishers can often be seen on all three lakes.

Wildlife

Because of the large amount of land and restoration projects in place at Fort Custer, there are countless species of plants and animals. Abundant water sources make Fort Custer a safe haven for many types waterfowl. Not only has the land become a safe haven for the waterfowl but a safe haven for other

threatened Threatened species are any species (including animals, plants and fungi) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future. Species that are threatened are sometimes characterised by the population dynamics measure of ''critical depensa ...

near threatened A near-threatened species is a species which has been categorized as "Near Threatened" (NT) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as that may be vulnerable to endangerment in the near future, but it does not currently qualify fo ...

and

least-concern species A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. T ...

of the area. ;Birds * American bittern, '' Botaurus lentiginosus'' * Trumpeter swan. ''

Cygnus buccinator The trumpeter swan (''Cygnus buccinator'') is a species of swan found in North America. The heaviest living bird native to North America, it is also the largest extant species of waterfowl, with a wingspan of 185 to 250 cm (6 ft 2 in to 8 ft 2 in ...

'' * Cooper's hawk, '' Accipiter cooperii'' * Common moorhen, ''

Gallinula chloropus The common moorhen (''Gallinula chloropus''), also known as the waterhen or swamp chicken, is a bird species in the rail family (Rallidae). It is distributed across many parts of the Old World. The common moorhen lives around well-vegetated mar ...

'' * Cerulean warbler, '' Dendroica cerulea'' * Prothonotary warbler, '' Protonotaria citrea'' * Louisiana waterthrush, '' Seiurus motacilla'' * Hooded warbler, '' Wilsonia citrina'' * Grasshopper sparrow, ''

Ammodramus savannarum The grasshopper sparrow (''Ammodramus savannarum'') is a small New World sparrow. It belongs to the genus '' Ammodramus,'' which contains three species that inhabit grasslands and prairies. Although sometimes found in crop fields and they will re ...

'' * Henslow's sparrow, '' Ammodramus henslowii'' * Wild turkey, '' Meleagris gallopavo'' ;Reptiles * Eastern box turtle, '' Terrapene carolina carolina'' ;Amphibians * Blanchard's cricket frog, '' Acris crepitans blanchardi'' ;Plants * Leadplant, '' Amorpha canescens'' * White false indigo, '' Baptisia alba'' * Yellow harlequin, ''

Corydalis flavula ''Corydalis flavula'' (yellow fumewort, yellow harlequin, fume-root, yellow fumitory; syn. ''Capnoides flavulum'' (Raf.) Kuntze, ''Fumaria flavula'' Raf.) is an herbaceous perennial plant native to the eastern United States. Its natural habita ...

'' * Downy sunflower, '' Helianthus mollis'' * False boneset, '' Kuhnia eupatorioides''

Invasive species

There are also several types of

invasive species An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species ad ...

that can be found throughout the area. Because of the current issues with the emerald ash borer ('' Agrilus planipennis''), visitors are not allowed to move fire wood in or out of the park. Visitors are also prohibited from bring in any fish from other waters due to the growing common carp (''

'') problems; often these carp come from the

which runs along the western border of the park. Other known invasive species include garlic mustard (''

Alliaria petiolata ''Alliaria petiolata'', or garlic mustard, is a biennial flowering plant in the mustard family (Brassicaceae). It is native to Europe, western and central Asia, north-western Africa, Morocco, Iberia and the British Isles, north to northern S ...

'') and purple loosestrife (''

Lythrum salicaria ''Lythrum salicaria'' or purple loosestrifeFlora of NW Europe''Lythrum salicaria'' is a flowering plant belonging to the family Lythraceae. It should not be confused with other plants sharing the name loosestrife that are members of the family Pr ...

''); these species are being dealt with by using controlled fires.

Getting there

Fort Custer State Recreation Area is located north of

Interstate 94 Interstate 94 (I-94) is an east–west Interstate Highway connecting the Great Lakes and northern Great Plains regions of the United States. Its western terminus is just east of Billings, Montana, at a junction with I-90; its eastern ter ...

between

and

Kalamazoo, Michigan Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in the southwest region of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Kalamazoo County. At the 2010 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 74,262. Kalamazoo is the major city of the Kalamazoo-Portage Metropolit ...

at exits 85 or 92. The park is just east of Augusta on M-96.

References

External links

Fort Custer Recreation Area

Fort Custer
Michigan Mountain Bike Association ( MMBA)
Fort Custer Mountain Bike Trail Map

Fort Custer Recreation Area
Protected Planet (World Database on Protected Areas) {{authority control State recreation areas of Michigan Protected areas of Calhoun County, Michigan Protected areas of Kalamazoo County, Michigan Important Bird Areas of Michigan Mountain biking venues in the United States Tourist attractions in Calhoun County, Michigan Tourist attractions in Kalamazoo County, Michigan Protected areas established in 1971 1971 establishments in Michigan