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Birge Nature Preserve
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Longtime Hessel residents Oliver and Edna Birge donated the first 171 acres of this preserve at the base of Point Brulée west of Hessel. Now adjacent purchases have expanded it to 275 acres on both sides of Point Brule Road, including cedar wetlands, upland hardwoods, 1.2 miles of waterfront on Mismer Bay, and all of little Loon Lake. The Little Traverse Conservancy has a map and photo on its site, www.landtrust.org. The parking area is by the Mismer Bay beach.
Orchids, ladyslippers, gentian, dwarf lake iris, and Indian paintbrush are among the many wildflowers that grow here. Oliver Birge has made woodcuts of many of them, which are sold to benefit Les Cheneaux Historical Museum. He says that the old road crossing the property is part of the area's oldest road. A quarter-mile boardwalk trail from Point Brule Road leads to a viewing platform by the lake and wetlands. It's a good place to see eagles, beavers, osprey, and other wildlife.
From M-134 about two miles west of Hessel, take Point Brulée Road about 1/4 mile south. Parking area is a bit beyond the trailhead. The preserve is on both sides of the road.
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