Prescribed Burn Cleans Forest Floor

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During many years of forest management the use of fire to clear forest clutter has been a controversial subject. Lessons learned from the dramatic recovery of Yellowstone National Park after the 1988 fires revealed that nature uses fires in a mostly positive way, and that flora and fauna recover naturally and successfully. A prescribed burn was recently conducted north and east of Haven Hill Lake... Although the charred land in a burn area is not particularly pleasing to the eyes, from what I saw during a recent hike the burn has already resulted in positive affects... new seedlings are sprouting, and the area has far less clutter.

Note the grass already sprouting in the photo above.

Redbuds, Dogwoods, Trillium in Bloom at Highland Recreation Area

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The dogwoods and redbuds are in full bloom at Highland Recreation Area! A true sign of spring, the Lilacs will soon follow. Park trails are filling with spring foliage. Yesterday I found a trillium just starting to get going.

And a few dogwoods decorated the trail...

Mayapples are filling the forest floor... like small palm trees. No blossoms or fruit yet though.

Kick off your snowshoes and get out to Highland Recreation Area today for a refreshing spring hike.

- Jay

Enjoy HRA in the Winter

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The Highland State Recreation Area can be as enjoyable for you and your family in the winter as it is in the summer - if you dress right and get out and enjoy the beautiful winter scenery.

The Friends of Highland Recreation Area are using winter to continue the work around the historic Haven Hill structures despite the cold weather and snow. Planning and research continues, and construction is slated for the early part of the year.

Come on out and enjoy the park. Try sledding, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and more!

www.fohra.org

No Grapes on These Vines!

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Now that the leaves have fallen, the amazing large vines around some of the trees in Highland Recreation Area are exposed to view.

Some are 2 - 3 inches in diameter. They look large and strong enough to support a climber!

They are another of the great things that nature has to offer for viewing in Highland State Recreation Area. Get outside and see something "divine"... sorry for the bad pun.

www.fohra.org

Haven Hill Gate House Exposed!

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Members of Highland State Recreation Area's support group, FOHRA, got together on November 8 and cleared away years of brush in front of the Haven Hill Gate House. The old building can now be seen from the M-59 entrance station as visitors enter the park. Above: Heavy brush blocks the view of the Haven Hill Gate House.

Above: Members clip and pull the years of brush that had obscured the Gate House from view.

Above: FOHRA members Tim Wiles and Jerry McManus review the clearing.

Above: The Haven Hill Gate House, once the entrance to Edsel Ford's Haven Hill Estate, exposed to public view beyond the entrance station turn-around at Highland Recreation Area.

Above: Friends of Highland Recreation Area marvel at the new view.

FOHRA plans to improve these sites within the park. The Haven Hill Gate House may become an informative Visitors Center some day. Come on out and help the effort. Visit www.fohra.org for more info.

FOHRA Lease of Haven Hill Structures

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PRESS RELEASE The Friends of Highland Recreation Area (FOHRA), a 501(c)(3) volunteer organization based in Highland, Michigan, is now operating under Lease agreement with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources for the historic Edsel Ford Haven Hill Estate structures within the Haven Hill section of the park at 5200 Highland Road (M-59) in White Lake, Michigan.

The Haven Hill section of the park contains the remaining original structures of what was once a country home of Edsel and Eleanor Ford. The Lease Agreement covers all of the former Haven Hill Estate structures.

FOHRA will be revitalizing the structures for public enjoyment.  The public is encouraged to visit the organization’s website at www.fohra.org.

Fall Color Started at Haven Hill Lake

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The colors are beginning to change on the shores of Haven Hill Lake in the Highland Recreation Area. Get your cameras (or just yourself) and go capture one of the area's best fall color photos! Haven Hill Fall Color Cloudy Day

Despite a cool day yesterday, the colors still popped. This is the western edge of the Lake which has a nice combination of forest types.

Haven Hill Fall Color Clouds

The Highland Recreation Area is located off of M-59 in White Lake/Highland, Michigan and is the home of the Friends of Highland Recreation Area.

www.fohra.org

FOHRA on the Highland Equestrian Conservancy Barn Tour

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The Friends of Highland Recreation Area showcased the Haven Hill Carriage House and the Edsel Ford Barn on this year's Highland Equestrian Conservancy Barn Tour this last Sunday. The building was selected as a surprise location on the Barn Tour circuit. Special thanks goes to the HEC for having Haven Hill on the Tour this year. EFB wAntique Cars

Above: Vintage Ford automobiles provide to the Barn Tour by the Highland Rollers Car Club depict what it might have looked like when Edsel Ford's own vehicles were at the Haven Hill Carriage House many years ago. Visitors were given guided tours of the Lodge footprint and the Carriage House area, and walked amongst the shiny vehicles that added a special atmosphere to the scene.

CH wCarsAbove: The Haven Hill Carriage House's tall stone chimney (top right) looks down onto the cars below.

Barn Tour Visitors

Visitors arrived and departed the top of Haven Hill in shuttle buses (provided by Heavner Canoe of Milford) that traveled up and down the newly-repaired Haven Hill Road. FOHRA displayed historical maps, artifacts, and Highland Recreation Area photographs for guests as they gathered at the shuttle stop to return down the Hill.

Heavner Canoe

Come join us at www.FOHRA.org to learn more about the Friends of Highland Recreation Area. We need your help and support. FOHRA is a 501(c)(3) organization.

CH and Cars