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!

2018 Isabella County Environmental Education Day

Friday was our 9th annual Environmental Education Day.  This event takes months of planning and requires the effort of dozens of people to be a success.  Six months prior to the date I start contacting a variety of government agencies and environmental organizations to participate.  My goal is to have around twenty different educational stations (including the Isabella Conservation District) set up for the students that attend.  This year the following groups participated:

• Michigan Department of Natural Resources (Law Enforcement and Wildlife Division)
• Isabella County Parks and Recreation
• Mt. Pleasant Parks and Recreation
• GreenTree Cooperative Grocery
• Elijah Elk Cultural Center
• Nature Discovery
• Ziibiwing Center of Anishinaabe Culture & Lifeways
• Chippewa Valley Audubon Club
• Pheasants Forever - Isabella County Chapter
• Chippewa River District Library
• Alma College Archaeological Project
• Central Michigan University Museum of Cultural and Natural History
• MSU Extension - Isabella County
• Mt. Pleasant Discovery Museum
• Chippewa Watershed Conservancy
• Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe - Environmental Team

Why do we need so many different activities? 

It's because of the number of students that attend.  We invite every third grade classroom in Isabella County to attend the Environmental Education Day.  This year 28 different classes were able to attend.  That meant that we had almost 600 students in attendance this year!  Luckily, the students don't all come at once.  Half of the students come for a morning session and the other half come for the afternoon - 300 students at one time is still whole lot of kids!  We need so many different activities to make sure the students have something to do the entire time they are at the event.

Here are a few scenes from Environmental Education Day.

Creating a "tree cookie" necklace with Isabella County Parks

Learning about Ojibwe culture with the Ziibiwing Center

Chippewa Watershed Conservancy Executive Director Jon Breithaupt talks preserves with students and chaperones

Everyone wanted photos!

Learning about the life span of materials from the CMU Museum staff

Reptiles always amaze

Every kid received a backpack from us (and elk antlers from the DNR)

Crafting a radish seed necklace with MSU Extension

Celebrating 100 year of elk in Michigan with the DNR

Learning about Anishinaabe culture from the Elijah Elk Cultural Center

Rocks and minerals at the Isabella Conservation District table - such a tactile experience!

Ask me about bees, please!

Searching for aquatic life

Saginaw Chippewa Environmental Team teaching about water quality

Just a few of the students - learning about archaeology from Alma College

Kids love to learn about and from Michigan Department of Natural Resources conservation officers

Bicycle-powered smoothies with GreenTree Grocery

Pheasant Forever had pheasant chicks on site - a huge hit with the students!

Upcoming Event - Sacred Seeds Symposium (21 April 2018)

Join me this Saturday (21 April 2018) at the Ziibiwing Center of Anishinabe Culture and Lifeways for the Sacred Seeds Symposium.  This event begins at 8:30AM with breakfast and continues until 5:00PM.  This event will focus on preserving and maintaining tradition crops and foodways of the Anishinabe.  I will be manning a booth at this event and will have free posters, handouts, and information about pollinators (and probably some other stuff).  The Ziibiwing Center is located just east of Mt. Pleasant at 6650 E. Broadway Rd.

Event Reminder - Winter Animal Tracking Hike (Saturday 03 FEB 2018)

 
Join me this Saturday February 3rd at 10:00AM at the Halls Lake Natural Area as I lead a Winter Animal Tracking Hike for the Chippewa Watershed Conservancy (CWC).  During this hike we will search for tracks, scat, and other animal signs.  For more information and to preregister visit this event page.  This hike is free, but donations to the CWC are always welcome.

Upcoming Events (January - March 2018)

I am leading or hosting several upcoming events for the Chippewa Watershed Conservancy.  I have been involved with the CWC as a volunteer for approximately five years - leading field trips, performing stewardship, and participating in biological surveys.  In March of this year I was asked to join the organization's Board of Directors.  I am still leading trips, just under a different capacity.

New Year's Day Sunrise Hike (Monday 01 January 2018)

Join me on Monday January 1st at 7:30AM at the Chippewa Watershed Conservancy's Bundy Hill Preserve for a sunrise hike to start the new year.  Bundy Hill is the highest point in Isabella County - this event is timed to have us on the crest when the sun passes over the horizon.  This event is free but participants are asked to register in advance.  Please visit the CWC website for more information on this event.

New Year's Day Moonlight Hike (Monday 01 January 2018)

After beginning the day with a hike, end the first day of the new year with a second hike.  Join me at the CWC's Sylvan Solace Preserve at 9:00PM for a moonlight hike.  Hiking under a full moon is an exciting way to explore the winter woods!  Like the previous hike, the event is free and participants are asked to register in advance.  More information on this event including a registration form can be found here.

Winter Animal Tracking (Saturday 03 January 2018)

The CWC's third outdoor hike of the year will take place on Saturday February 3rd at 10:00AM at the Halls Lake Natural Area.  Join us as we search for tracks, scat, and other animal signs.  For more information and to preregister visit this event page.

Because some people may find it difficult to participate in hikes, we wanted to have a few events at an indoor venue that can be attended by people of all ability levels.  The next two events will take place at the Veterans Memorial Library at 301 S. University in Mt. Pleasant. 

Logging History of Michigan (Wednesday 28 February 2018)

Join me for my program on Michigan's historic logging era of the late 19th and early 20th century.  This presentation will focus on the tools and processes required to get logs from the woods to the mills.  This program will begin at 7:00PM in the Library Annex.  More information is available on the CWC website.

Spring Wildflowers (Wednesday 28 March 2018)

The last event on the current schedule is my presentation on spring wildflowers of Mid-Michigan.  This program will focus on some of the common species that can be found in the Chippewa Watershed Conservancy's preserves (and across Mid-Michigan) during the months of March, April, and May.  This program begins at 7:00PM in the Library Annex.  Like all the previous events, admission to this event is free, but donations to the Chippewa Watershed Conservancy are always welcome.

Happy Birthday to the National Park Service!

Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday dear National Park Service,
Happy birthday to you!

Today marks the 100th birthday of America's National Park Service.  Although the first national park (Yellowstone) was created in 1872, the National Park Service was not created until 25 August 1916.

The National Park Service currently manages over 400 different units of land across the United States; including 59 National Parks, dozens of National Monuments, Preserves, Historical Parks and Sites, Battlefields, Military Parks, Memorials, etc.

Michigan is home to five official National Park Service units:  Isle Royal National Park, Keweenaw National Historical Park, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, and the River Raisin National Battlefield Park.  The state is also home to a portion of the North Country National Scenic Trail and the Motor Cities National Heritage Area.

Upcoming Event - Bird Day Celebration

On Saturday May 14th the Isabella Conservation District and the Ziibiwing Center of Anishinabe Culture & Lifeways are hosting our fifth annual Migratory Bird Day Celebration.  This event is from 1:00 PM to 5:00PM and is free to the public.  The Ziibiwing Center is located at 6650 E. Broadway just east of Mt. Pleasant.

Some of the activities for the day include:

• "The Wonder of Raptors" - a live birds of prey presentation by Wings of Wonder at 3:00 PM
• Participate in bird banding Alma College biologist Mike Bishop
• Owl Pellet dissection
• Make an Audubon Bird Call
• Decorate a bird mask and other crafts
• Compare your "wingspan" to the wingspan of birds
• Check out the Ziibiwing Center's new Ozhaashko Bineshiinh Miikan (Bluebird Trail)
• Handle replicas skulls and eggs of some of Mid-Michigan's native birds

There will be lots of free goodies including stickers and posters.  We will also be giving away door prizes over the course of the afternoon (including International Migratory Bird Day t-shirts) - you must be present to win any door prizes.

Upcoming Event - Bluebird Nest Box Build (Saturday 19 March 2016)

This Saturday (19 March 2016) at 9:30AM, members of the Chippewa Valley Audubon Club will be building nest boxes for Eastern Bluebirds (and other small cavity-nesting birds) at the Mt. Pleasant Parks maintenance shop at Nelson Park in Mt. Pleasant.  We will be building the same type of box that I wrote about in my post from February 22nd.  Materials for these nest boxes  cost approximately $16.

I am the leader for this event.  If you live in the Mt. Pleasant area and are interested in building a nest box, please contact me before noon Friday (18 March) to reserve a place.  My email information can be in my profile to the right.

Upcoming Event - Mid-Michigan Rock Club Annual Show (31 October - 01 November 2015)

On Saturday October 31st and Sunday November 1st, the Mid-Michigan Rock Club will be hosting its annual rock show at the Great Hall Banquet & Convention Center in Midland.  This is a new location from previous years.  Adult admission is only one dollar, youth admission (ages 12-17) is fifty cents,  and children under twelve are admitted free.  This is a great place for any rock hound or aspiring rock hound to add to their collection.  Visit the Mid-Michigan Rock Club website for more information at http://www.midlandrockclub.com/

Project R.E.D. in Isabella County (22 September 2015)

I spent all day yesterday at a local Project R.E.D. event.

What is Project R.E.D.?

The R.E.D. in the name stands for Rural Education Day.  This is an event hosted by the local chapter of the Michigan Farm Bureau in locations around the state of Michigan.  This project is designed to expose 3rd and 4th grade students to various aspects of rural and farm life to which they may not have been exposed.

For these events, the Farm Bureau brigs in local experts to talk about various aspects of farming and natural resources.  Experts may be farmers, government employees, veterinarians, etc..  As an employee of the Isabella Conservation District, I was asked to come in and talk about soil.

Talking to students about soil types - photo by Leigha Shoaf

With the exception of a group of home-schooled students, the students that participated in the Isabella County Rural Education Day were 4th graders from schools in the Shepherd, Mt. Pleasant, and Beal City area.  I had worked with almost all of these students when they were in 3rd grade (and will visit most of their classrooms again later this year).

Students examining soil profiles - photo by Leigha Shoaf

Each group of students rotated through a series of stations, with only eleven minutes at each station.  At the conclusion of the eleven minutes, the horn on a semi-truck was sounded to indicate that it was time too rotate.

I missed this.  This student appears to be biting a lump of rock-hard clay - photo by Leigha Shoaf

Eleven minutes is not a long time.  It is barely enough time to give an introduction to soil, but because most of the students had already studied soils with me when they were in 3rd grade we were able to treat it as a review.  We talked about the various components that make up soil (minerals, organic matter, water, air, and microorganisms), the different different sizes of soil (sand, silt, and clay), and how the various combinations of those components and soil sizes either help or harm plant growth.  We also looked at soil profiles and handled samples of soil dug on site.

Explaining the properties of loamy soil - photo by Leigha Shoaf

I had a great time at this event and look forward to participating again in 2016.  Thanks to Leigha Shoaf for taking the photographs.  Leigha is an Outdoor Recreation major at Central Michigan University and is volunteering her time this semester to help me with classroom programs and gain some experience at the same time.

Field Trip - Nature Discovery, Williamston, MI

Yesterday (13 September 2015), Shara and I visited Williamston, MI for the sixth annual Michigan Snakes Day at Nature Discovery.  Nature Discovery is a nature-based business owned and operated by biologists Jim and Carol McGrath.  In their own words: NATURE DISCOVERY is dedicated to enhancing awareness and sensitivity toward Michigan's diverse living resources through natural science education.

Jim and Carol have operated Nature Discovery  for the past 28 years - most of that time out of their home!  They have the most complete collection of Michigan reptiles and amphibians anywhere in the state - currently 46 of 52 species.  Maintaining their "zoo" is a full-time job.

Some of the tanks at Nature Discovery

They regularly take their collection to locations around the state and present to thousands of people every year.  Until recently they have been helped by their four children, but the kids have all grown up so Jim and Carol are now largely on their own.


One Sunday each month, Jim and Carol host a themed open house at their home-based nature center. During open houses, visitors have the opportunity to observe and interact with the many species that call Nature Discovery home.  To learn about upcoming presentations and open house date please check out their monthly newsletter.  The cost to attend one of their open houses is only five dollars per person.

Here are a few of the species that we observed during the open house yesterday.

A young Spotted Turtle - photo by Shara LeValley

A Green Snake at Nature Discovery - photo by Shara LeValley

An American Toad peeks out from under a log in its habitat - photo by Shara LeValley

Two Fox Snakes peer out from an old blue bird house in their tank

A Box Turtle dozes in the sun at Nature Discovery

 

A collection of aquatic turtle species enjoys the warm sun

To maintain the diversity of species in their collection, Jim and Carol frequently capture wild specimens to replace animals that have died of natural causes.  Some species live longer than other - some snakes live more than a decade and turtles commonly live much longer.  Other species (especially some frogs) may only live for a couple of years.

Because they maintain such a large number of animals on site, there is always the potential that some of the animals will successfully breed and produce offspring.  When this happens Nature Discovery occasionally has an excess of certain species of animals.  When this happens, the extra animals are frequently donated to schools and other educational facilities that have booked presentations through Nature Discovery.  Part of the reason for out visit was for Shara to pick up a four year old rat snake to add to her classroom.

Shara with her new classroom pet

This new addition to the "zoo" measures nearly four feet long.  It is very gentle due to repeated handling.  Shara and I handled it for two straight hours while we visited Nature Discovery.  At one point, in addition to the snake we were bringing home, Shara had five additional snakes climbing on here.  Almost 26 feet of snakes in total!

Shara is not an ophidiophobe

Anyone with an interest in nature in general and Michigan reptiles and amphibians in particular should see a display or presentation by Jim and Carol.  I learn something new every time I see them.  I book them every year for the Isabella County Environmental Education Day and they are one of the highlights for students and teachers alike.

Nature Discovery is located only an hour and fifteen minutes from Mt. Pleasant.  It is well worth the drive to visit during one of their open houses.  If Sundays are not an option, special appointments can also be arranged.  To arrange a special visit or to receive their newsletter in your email contact them at naturedisc87@gmail.com. 

2015 Isabella County Environmental Education Day

Last Friday the Isabella Conservation District hosted our annual Environmental Education Day.  This was the sixth year that we have put on this event.  We offer this event to every Third Grade classroom in Isabella County - this year we had twenty-nine classroom attend.  The planning for this event takes several months and the few days prior to the even are full of last-minute preparations.  This is why I only published two posts last week.

We couldn't host this event without the participation of dozens of volunteers.  Starting about six months before the Environmental Education Day I start contacting groups that have presented in previous years.  I try to end up with about 20 different activities for the students.  Most of the organizations/individuals that volunteer their time have been supporting this event since year one.

On Wednesday and Thursday I spent hours getting things ready for Friday.  On Friday, I arrived at Chipp-A-Waters Park before 7:00AM to open the gates, set up canopies, set up our (Isabella Conservation District) activities, and direct people to their locations as they arrive.  The two hours before the students arrive are my busiest, most stressful, hours of the year.  Once everyone has set up and the students arrive I am able to relax considerably.

Here are a few photographs from Friday.  Despite rainy weather throughout the day, everything went according to plans and the students had a great time learning new things.