Nature Preserve Opens In Arenac And Bay Counties

A new nature preserve has opened in the Arenac and northern Bay County area. The Wah Sash Kah Moqua Nature Preserve opened on Tuesday with a dedication ceremony at the preserve's main entrance.

According to the spokeperson for the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, the preserve covers approximately 129 acres of land. The land for the preserve was acquired by the Saginaw Basin Land Conservancy through the United States District Court.

The project took 5 years to complete and over 40,000 different trees and shrubs were planted inside the preserve. The preserve is split into 3 parcels.

The Saginaw Basin Land Conservancy currently maintains 10 preserves in the Saginaw Bay region, including 5 in Arenac County in the Standish and AuGres areas.

The preserve is named after Mary Sagatoo, who married a member of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe. She was given the Ojibwa name Wah Sash Kah Moqua, which translates as "there was darkness but your coming brings light".

Outdoorsmen will have the opportunity to hunt and fish in the preserve as long as they follow Department of Natural Resources rules (no camping or fires inside the preserve).
references: arenac county independent, james kuch, don horne