Editor’s Note: Planet Z: Voices of Youth for a Sustainable Future is a Gen Z–created series sharing unfiltered perspectives on climate change — from eco-anxiety and grief to the urgency, creativity, and resolve shaping their generation. Consumers Energy provides support for this series.
KALAMAZOO, MI — The Canada goose, once endangered and now restored to stable numbers, has become a symbol of resilience. The geese also reflect something quieter: the strength of community, visible in their V-shaped formations, and the fleeting rhythms of nature shaped by migration.
That mix of resilience and uncertainty mirrors the story of Asylum Lake Preserve, where geese gather on open water just beyond the city’s edge. For decades, the preserve has endured shifting land use, development pressure, and debate — yet it remains one of Kalamazoo’s most vital natural spaces.
Mid-spring scenes at Asylum Lake Preserve. Photos: Finn Webster…