Sutherland Nature Sanctuary 3960 Diehl Road, Hadley.
This cache is dedicated to Doris Sutherland.
CACHE: Not in sanctuary birdhouse. You'll need your own pen. Might need extraction tool.
Great place to visit year round for photos of ever-changing plantlife and wildlife. Every season has something to offer. Well mapped out trails cared for by volunteers. Pavilion, picnic tables, porta potty, observation deck, signs with names of trees, a swing and many benches are available. May through September bug spray is a huge recommendation. A variety of bees, and poison ivy are very prevalent here, but the preserve is worth it. Many butterflies can be found fluttering around the boardwalk, dragonflies seem to love the area around Rebeka's Fort. Where the boardwalk ends at the creek, frogs can be seen and often startled back into the water. They are fun to watch. The property has such a variety of woods and open areas, you won't be staring at the same scenery for long, as it changes as you go.
Below is information from the preserve website:
In the 1960's Doris Sutherland had a vision. She purchased a working farm and had trees planted to help nature heal the land after a century of logging and farming. She gave 75 acres to the Great Lakes Bioregional Land Conservancy and on Earth Day in 1999 it was dedicated as a nature sanctuary and land stewardship center.
Today the Sutherland Nature Sanctuary provides a pavilion with picnic tables and nearly three miles of wood chipped trails. Hikers can visit wetlands, ponds, meadows and streams. Bridges span streams and there are benches along the trails for resting and observing wildlife. Visitors may see birds, deer, ducks, turtles, fish, and many other plants and animals.