Come Pull Garlic Mustard!

Everyone is invited to help control invasive exotic plants at the Nature Center. We will focus on pulling garlic mustard, a very aggressive plant invading our woodland understory that can crowd out spring beauty, Dutchman's breeches and trillium. Our objective is to remove garlic mustard from especially sensitive areas before it completely takes over. We'll meet at the Temporary Visitor Center then tromp off to the woods to begin our work. Gloves will be provided. If weather conditions are unfavorable the cleanup will be canceled. Please call Phil Stephens at 631-0830 if you plan to come.


You can come to one or both sessions:

May 1 (Saturday) 10 a.m. to Noon
May 5 (Wednesday) 4 to 6 p.m.

Trees are Terrific!

The first Arbor Day took place on April 10, 1872 in Nebraska. The brainchild of Julius Sterling Morton, it was designed to highlight the importance of tree planting and to increase awareness of the importance of trees. Our relationship with trees has been critically important to the human species ever since distant prehistoric times. People have used trees for millions of items over thousands of years from bows and arrows to paper and particle board. 


Trees, of course, are homes to innumerable insects, plants, fungi and animals as well. And they (thankfully) "breathe in" carbon dioxide and "exhale" oxygen which all living things need to survive.


So, if you haven't hugged a tree lately, what's stopping you? This year, our National Arbor Day holiday will be celebrated on April 30th. Why not plant a seedling, take a woodland walk, or simply look up through the branches of the maple along the sidewalk and say, "thank you." For some fun kids crafts and activities, click here.

Take Your Kids Outside!

Whether your a teacher, parent, grandparent, or simply that "crazy uncle" in the family, send your kids outside for some fresh air! It's Earth Day!

Earth Day's 40th Anniversary

This April 22nd will mark the 40th Earth Day celebration. Browse the web and you'll find many pages commemorating the anniversary, such as this one which tells the story of Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson, who proposed the original idea. From the beginning, however, Earth Day was a widespread grassroots movement. Today, events are held all over the world to celebrate the Earth and it's ecosystems and to promote action on environmental issues from "old school" issues such as water and air pollution to 21st century efforts to reduce (or eliminate) our "carbon footprint." 


Michigan's largest Earth Day event will take place April 23-25 in Rochester, Michigan. According to event organizers, "The MI Earth Day Fest  will welcome to downtown Rochester an anticipated audience of 100,000 people from around Michigan, eager to learn about green and healthy living, and seeking earth-friendly alternatives in food, energy, transportation, clothing, wellness, career, home, garden, finances and more."

Closer to home, Chippewa Nature Center will be holding an Earth Day Hike from 5:30-7:00pm with Naturalist Karen Breternitz. This free program will get you outdoors into the woods to take in the sights, sounds and smells of spring. Along the way, Karen will talk about the trees, wildflowers and fungi that are getting ready for their busy season.


However you choose to celebrate Earth Day this year, we hope you spend some time to reflect on our connection to all living things on the planet we call home. Though it seems big sometimes, we're reminded every day how each insect, plant, animal, air and water molecule are all interconnected. We can all do something to care for the Earth. What will you do this year?

Emerald Ash Borer Fight Continues

Two press releases in the same month! When this came in, however, we just couldn't resist. It details the most current effort to halt the destructive spread of the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) in Michigan. Only time will tell if any Ash trees survive the onslaught of this invasive insect. EAB activity has been discovered at several places now at Chippewa Nature Center including the Wetlands Area, Bicentennial Forest and most recently in the Sugarbush.


Federal funds will help efforts to slow the emerald ash borer invasion in Michigan and beyond


EAST LANSING, Mich. -- All ash trees in North America could eventually be lost to the emerald ash borer (EAB), an exotic pest from Asia first discovered in Michigan and Canada in 2002. At least 15 native ash species appear to be threatened by this invasive pest. In economic terms, scientists have estimated that at least $10.7 billion will likely be spent over the next 10 years simply to protect some of the ash trees in landscapes. That figure does not include the costs of widespread mortality of the ash trees that grow in forests and along streams, ditches and roads.

In an effort to develop strategies for managing recent infestations of EAB, state and federal forest specialists and researchers have been awarded $2.2 million from the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) for a pilot project in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The project, called SLAM, is designed to SL.ow A.sh M.ortality.

“The goals of the pilot project are to test ways to slow the rate of EAB population growth in a relatively isolated infestation,” says Deborah McCullough, Michigan State University (MSU) forest entomologist. “We may also be able to reduce the rate of spread of an EAB population in this kind of setting. Both of these goals will slow down the rate at which EAB kills ash trees within and beyond the project area.”

John Bedford, Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA) EAB project director, noted that the ARRA funding will help provide much-needed dollars to accomplish the goals of the project. “The strategies being developed can be used as models for other states that discover new EAB infestations, as well,” he says. “To date, EAB has been found in 13 states and Canada. We need to develop strategies that lower the overall impact of this pest.”

In addition to MSU and MDA, Michigan Technological University (MTU), the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment (DNRE), the U.S. Forest Service and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) are working cooperatively to do ash tree inventory and mapping, evaluate ash tree survival and death within EAB-infested areas, develop methods to use insecticides and explore other strategies to reduce EAB populations. The SLAM pilot project will be conducted in Mackinac, Delta, Schoolcraft and Houghton counties.

The ARRA money is critical in getting the work done for this project, according to Andrew Storer, forest insect ecologist at MTU. “Much of the work needed for the pilot project is labor intensive,” he said. “We need people out in the field to set up traps and trap trees, survey ash trees and assess forest health. In all, 38 full- and part-time jobs are being created or maintained with the ARRA dollars allocated to the SLAM pilot project.”

In addition, scientists at MSU and MTU will be analyzing data and developing models to help evaluate and plan program activities, and a communications specialist will keep the public informed on the project’s progress. Funds will also be used for the equipment and supplies.

Specialists from MDA and DNRE also play key roles in developing plans for monitoring EAB and for surveying ash across the project areas. The DNRE will be working with the communities of St. Ignace, Manistique, Calumet and Houghton in an effort to respond proactively to possible EAB infestations.

“The ARRA funding will not only benefit Michigan’s Upper Peninsula’s forest resource, but the discoveries made during this pilot project will create a useful model to follow in other areas in the country where invasive insect species threaten our forests and woodlands,” Bob Heyd of the DNRE says.

The ARRA was passed by Congress in 2009 to create new jobs as well as save existing ones, spur economic activity and invest in long-term economic growth, and foster unprecedented levels of accountability and transparency in government spending. For more information about EAB and the SLAM pilot project, go to http://www.emeraldashborer.info/. For more information on ARRA, go to http://www.recovery.gov/.

The Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour

Join us TONIGHT, at 7pm on April 10 for three hours of amazing films! Just show up at Bullock Creek High School Auditorium and buy your ticket at the door ($10/CNC members, $12/non-members). Midland is one of a handful of stops in Michigan for the World Tour and it's an evening of adventure you won't forget! For more details, just call 631-0830 or log on to our website. Hope to see you there!

Online "Char-ity" Auction: "There's No Place Like Home!"

"There's No Place Like Home" auction and celebration is a fundraiser in which various local artists donate their time and talents to paint Adirondack chairs following the theme "There's No Place Like Home". This auction pairs the strengths of the local art community with the generosity of businesses and individuals. There are over 30 beautifully decorated functional art pieces that will be featured on the Bidding for Good website for viewing and bidding.

This an "Online to Live Silent Auction" meaning that once an item is available online, individuals may start bidding. Online bidding will be allowed until 8am on April 13th. The event will culminate in a Live Silent Auction and Celebration on Saturday, April 17th at 6:30pm at the Midland Curling Center. Bids will start at the Live Silent Auction where they left off online. If you cannot join us at the event, there is the option for absentee bidding online. 

Chippewa Nature Center's entry is by Naturalist Karen Breternitz. Here's a description of her chair: "When you ask a group of naturalists to design a chair around 'There's No Place like Home" you get a chair full of plant and animal homes of course! Humans are not unique in our need for a good home–it's a need we share with all living species. Together we can work to provide quality, affordable housing for our human and other animal friends. This chair is just a sampling of the various homes that you might find around mid-Michigan, from a naturalist's perspective that is!"

Thanks for your support of Chippewa Nature Center and this worthy cause in our community! Now just click to visit and start bidding!