Upcoming Event - Wildlife Weekend (01 - 03 February 2019)

Last week I shared a list of twelve holiday gifts to get for the outdoor kid in your life.  Here is a gift idea for the adult nature-lover (including yourself)!

The Michigan Alliance for Environmental and Outdoor Education (MAEOE) is hosting its inaugural Wildlife Weekend at the Ralph A. MacMullen Conference Center at North Higgins Lake State Park from Friday February 1st, 2019 to Sunday February 3rd, 2019.

Wildlife Weekend allows you to become an expert.  Pick from one of two course options Mammal Mania or Michigan, My Michigan.

Here are the course descriptions from the MAEOE website:

Mammal Mania: Why is a weasel shaped differently than a rabbit?  How does a black bear’s teeth differ from a deer?  Are there coyotes in your backyard? Wolves?  Mountain Lions?  Your answers to all these questions, and many more, will be discovered as we explore Michigan’s fuzziest neighbors.  You will be amazed at how many of our mammalian brethren live in your neck in the woods.  Discover why you seldom see them and how to look for signs of their presence.  Investigate mammal pelts, skulls, and tracks.  Learn how to make a “scent post track trap”, and develop a better understanding of Michigan’s mammals.

Michigan, My Michigan: So, you think you know your state?  Whether your interest is forests, fields, fins, feathers or furs, this overview of Michigan’s natural resources will make you the neighborhood expert in all things “Pure Michigan”.  A dab of conservation history, a smattering of species profiles, a drop of Great Lakes education and a pinch of resource management make a great recipe for an educational and entertaining course.  A glance into Michigan’s future and virtual tour of lighthouses, shipwrecks, waterfalls, and rivers are all included.  Find out what makes the Great Lakes state…Great!

The cost for attending the Wildlife Weekend is $295 (MAEOE members receive a $20 discount). This cost includes lodging and six meal (Friday dinner through Sunday lunch). I have stayed at the MacMullen Conference Center numerous times and the food is excellent (and plentiful)! The accommodations are dorm style with a pair of beds in each rooms and shared baths down the hall.

For more information and to register check out the MAEOE website.

Why is MAEOE offering this program? MAEOE's vision is "promoting environmental literacy through education." MAEOE has the mission to "serve as the statewide network and advocate for professionals who are education Michigan citizens toward environmental literacy, stewardship, and outdoor recreation." Most members of MAEOE are formal and non-formal educators, but there is nothing that says a MAEOE member must be in the education field. Ideally every citizen of Michigan would care about environmental literacy, stewardship, and outdoor recreation. By offering this opportunity to everyone, MAEOE is trying to expand the pool of individuals that teach about and advocate for the environment.

Why am I promoting this opportunity? Well, I have been a member of MAEOE for nearly a decade. I am currently serving the third year of a three-year term on the MAEOE board of directors. My experience with MAEOE has been rewarding both on the personal and professional level. I would love to see every educator I know attend this event, but I would also like to see people from other walks of life there. MAEOE would also benefit by having non-educators becoming involved in the organization as they bring new perspective and a great deal of knowledge with them. Some of the most environmentally literate people that I know have never spent a single day working as an educator. Above all, I just think that any nature lover would enjoy this experience!

Wildflower Walks - One Completed (29 April 2018) and One Upcoming (06 May 2018)

On Sunday (29 April 2018) I led a wildflower identification walk for a small group from the Michigan Alliance for Environmental and Outdoor Education (MAEOE) at Sleepy Hollow State Park.  The bloom for most species has been delayed by the cold spring, but we were still able to find and identify around ten different species.

Bloodroot

Mayapple

Yellow Trout Lily

The highlight of the day (at least for me) was finding a pile of bear scat.  Why is this exciting?  It's exciting to me because Sleepy Hollow State Park is outside the main range of Black Bear in Michigan.  I already knew that bear lived in the area - my parents live a few miles away and have seen a bear on their property.

A pile of bear scat

Did you miss this hike?  There is another wildflower hike scheduled for this Sunday (06 May 2018) at the Chippewa Watershed Conservancy's Williams-Blackburn Preserve.  The walk is scheduled for 1:00PM to 3:00PM.  For directions click on the previous link.  The warm weather and rain should really rev up the wildflower bloom.

Upcoming Event - Quiet Water Symposium (03 March 2018)

 

On Saturday March 3rd I will be attending the 2018 Quiet Water Symposium.  The Quiet Water Symposium (QWS) is a gathering dedicated to non-motorized transportation in the outdoors including biking, sailing, backpacking, and especially canoeing & kayaking.  QWS takes place at the Michigan State University Livestock Pavilion at 4310 Farm Lane Road in East Lansing.  Tickets for adults are $10, $5 for students with an ID, and free for kids 12 and under.

This year there are over 160 different vendors/exhibitors setting up at QWS.  In addition to the vendor there are thirty-three presentations scheduled over the course of the day.  QWS is a great event whether you are new to paddling and hiking or if you have been doing them for decades.  

This year I can be found in one of three places - helping sell axes and other outdoor equipment at the LeValley Outdoors booth, manning a table for the Chippewa Watershed Conservancy (CWC), or at the booth for the Michigan Alliance for Environmental and Outdoor Education (MAEOE).

2017 MAEOE Conference in Mt. Pleasant!

 

I am currently attending the annual board member retreat for the Michigan Alliance for Environmental and Outdoor Education.

The board just voted to have the 2017 Annual Conference in Mt. Pleasant on the campus of Central Michigan University.  The tentative conference dates are Friday Oct 6th through Sunday October 8th.

Stay tuned for more details!

I'm a MAEOE Board Member

This past weekend I attended the annual conference of the Michigan Alliance for Environmental and Outdoor Education (MAEOE).  MAEOE is a statewide organization with the mission of "promoting environmental literacy through education" by helping educators "explore the interconnectedness of natural and human systems; take responsibility for long-term environmental sustainability; make personal choices that contribute to ecological and human health; think globally and act locally; and use MAEOE's resources to expand (their) environmental ethic personally, and with (their) students."

I have been involved with MAEOE since 2009, when I attended their annual conference held at the University of Michigan - Dearborn.  Since then I have attended five more annual conferences, missing only the 2012 and 2013 editionss.  I have also been a presenter on three occasions (2011, 2014, and 2015).

This year the outgoing Past-President inquired if I would be interested in running for a position on the Board of Directors.  After asking a lot of questions and and much deliberation, I decided to give it a try and filled out my application to run.  I was one of five candidates for three available positions.  One of other four candidates was an active (and well-liked) current board member seeking reelection - not surprisingly, he was reelected for another term. 

Somewhat to my surprise, when the votes were tallied I was announced as one of two new members of the board! 

What does that mean?  It means some hard work - the board works on issues such as conference planning, membership, and marketing.  It also means that over the next three years I get to help steer the direction that MAEOE takes as an organization and have a say in the direction of environmental education in the state of Michigan.  I have lots of questions - despite being a member for years, there is a lot that I don't know about the organization. 

I am quite excited about the possibilities and look forward to this new challenge.