During the last two years, SWMLC, Barry County Parks and Recreation, and the City of Battle Creek have worked closely together to permanently conserve the 160-acre property formerly known as Metcalf Lake, located in Assyria Township in Barry County, just 7 miles north of downtown Battle Creek. The Bailey Nature Preserve includes 35-acre Metcalf Lake and was donated by David and Eleanor Bailey in 1999 to the City of Battle Creek to serve the community as a public nature preserve.

“Over the next year, SWMLC will draft a conservation easement for the property, which will ensure that its natural areas will be protected in perpetuity,” stated SWMLC President and Executive Director Mike Larson. “SWMLC is incredibly grateful to all of the partners who came together to bring this project to fruition, including the Bailey Family, Barry County Parks, the City of Battle Creek, the Barry Community Foundation, the Barry Conservation District, and the many neighbors and friends who attended the Metcalf Lake Community Day, completed surveys, and provided their feedback and ideas.”

Bailey Nature Preserve boasts beautiful, wooded ridges and wide ravines that lend themselves well to potential future trail systems. Trails wind through the hills, leading visitors down to the shores of 35-acre Metcalf Lake, which has no permanent human structures on its shores. The preserve protects about 75% of the open water and several tributaries flowing in and out of it, which is important because it’s a headwater source for Waubascon Creek, which flows through a chain of lakes to the Kalamazoo River.

Like most natural areas in today’s southwest Michigan, the preserve has its share of introduced plants making negative impacts. But botanists that explored the 60-acre wetlands adjacent to Metcalf Lake were pleased to find several plant species that are listed as “Special Concern” in Michigan – and a prairie fen, a sensitive habitat that’s vulnerable to changes in water levels, pollution, and invasive plants.

When they donated their land over 20 years ago, David and Eleanor Bailey envisioned a beautiful place where local people, especially children, would have access to a nature experience. With the support of the Baileys’ daughter Wendy Bailey Hamilton, who funded the master planning process for Bailey Nature Preserve, Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy and Barry County Parks are now considering potential future designs to enhance the natural area while providing safe public access. “Our parents loved this land and the community that surrounds it, and it holds a very special place in the hearts of our family,” expressed Wendy Hamilton and her brother, David Bailey, Jr. “This property helped to shape our family’s love for nature, and now that it will be protected forever, we hope that it will do the same  for many future generations of people in Battle Creek and Barry County.”

“We are thrilled to permanently conserve this beautiful property and we look forward to Bailey Nature Preserve becoming a favorite local haven for people and wildlife,” emphasized Barry County Commissioner Catherine Getty. “We would not have been able to add this newest Barry County Park without the steadfast commitment and tireless dedication of Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy.”

Barry County Parks has created a safe entrance and parking area for Bailey Nature Preserve off of Baseline Road on the southern boundary of the property. Improvements for trails, water, and scenic views are in the future plans for this mostly undeveloped park.  “The Baileys had a vision for Metcalf Lake, and we’re thrilled to welcome the public to celebrate the culmination of their dreams for this land,”  stated Barry County Parks Director Dan Patton.

An endowment fund has been created at the Barry Community Foundation to help care for Bailey Nature Preserve far into the future. Anyone interested in donating to the endowment fund or to spendable funds for the nature preserve are encouraged to do so by visiting the Barry Community Foundation website, contacting them by email, or calling 269-945-0526, and asking to make a gift toward the Bailey Nature Preserve Fund.