WM
SCA Independent Landfill
Zeeland, Michigan, United States
Certified Gold through 2025
Project Name
Project Type
SCA Independent Landfill Prairie and Savanna Restoration
Grassland
SCA Independent Landfill Pollinator Planting
Pollinators
SCA Independent Landfill Side Oats Grama Preservation and Restoration
Species of Concern
SCA Independent Landfill Karner Blue Butterfly Habitat Restoration
Species of Concern
Independent Landfill Invasive Species Management
Invasive Species
About the Program
WM’s SCA Independent Landfill is located in Muskegon, Michigan. The site is adjacent to Black Creek and its associated floodplain and forest. Black Creek flows into Mona Lake, which eventually flows into Lake Michigan. The team at WM manage 27 acres of grassland and savanna habitat here for the benefit of local wildlife.
Practices and Impacts
WM’s SCA Independent Landfill is located in Muskegon, Michigan. The site is adjacent to Black Creek and its associated floodplain and forest. Black Creek flows into Mona Lake, which eventually flows into Lake Michigan. The team at WM manage 27 acres of grassland and savanna habitat here for the benefit of local wildlife.
Practices and Impacts
- Since 2019, the team has managed 16 acres of grassland at the site through selective herbicide applied to invasive species several times during the growing season. Plant surveys of the habitat are conducted annually.
- In 2021, the team began the restoration of 11 acres of savanna habitat on-site. Savanna habitats are regionally rare, and this site preserves many native savanna species in its vegetation and seed bank. So far, woody species in the understory have been removed using a combination of cut stump treatments and mechanical cutting. Invasive species have been controlled with selective herbicide applications. Plant surveys of the habitat are conducted annually.
- In 2019, the team partnered with a local Boy Scout troop to plant native forbs that will create habitat for beneficial insects and pollinators.
- Since 2006, invasive species such as common reed, purple loosestrife, spotted knapweed, Canada thistle, sweet clover and cow vetch have been controlled across the site with chemical treatment and mowing.
- Side oats grama was discovered on-site when preparations for the pollinator planting and savanna restoration began. To help manage for this rare species, invasive species are being managed and a prescribed burn is planned. Also, the Boy Scout group at the site has begun collecting seed and planting it around the site to help the species become better established.
- Lupinus perennis, the host plant of the rare Karner blue butterfly, was identified on site in a 2022 plant survey. Woody and invasive plant species have been removed from the area in the hopes that efforts will encourage Karner blue butterflies to use the site in the future.
