Together with our partners, the Calvin Ecosystem Preserve & Native Gardens advocates for good stewardship of our lands and natural resources through restoration and education. We are pleased to host the following programs:
Wild Ones River City Chapter
Wild Ones River City Chapter programs are held here at the preserve. Newcomers with an interest in native plants are always welcome to attend. No RSVPs needed.
Bring Back the Pollinators: Strategies to Promote Pollinators in Your Yard
When: Monday, February 17, 2020 at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Bunker Interpretive Center
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Wild Ones River City Chapter
Speaker: Dr. Rufus Isaacs, Professor of Entomology and Extension Specialist at MSU
Dr. Isaacs will update the group on our ongoing research at MSU to understand the identity, status, and trends of wild bees in Michigan. This will be partnered with a discussion of the benefit of small local actions that can magnify to support pollinators at the county and state levels.
CANCELED! Birds, Bugs, Native Plants and Much More: Inviting the Web of Life into Your Yard
When: Monday, March 16, 2020 at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Bunker Interpretive Center
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Wild Ones River City Chapter
Speaker: Education Committee of Wild Ones River City Chapter
This informative program will contain wonderful nuggets for beginners, veterans, and everyone in between!
Monarch Butterflies, Migration and Human Impact
When: Monday, April 20, 2020 at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Bunker Interpretive Center
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Wild Ones River City Chapter
Speaker: Dr. Stephen B. Malcolm, Chemical Ecologist and Professor, Dept. of Biological Sciences, WMU
The monarch butterfly is a familiar, milkweed-feeding insect. It has a complex migratory life history that enables them to exploit a high diversity of approximately 130 species of native Asclepias milkweeds over the entire distribution of these plants in North America. These annual movements bring the insects into contact with a series of human technologies that pose both threats and solutions to their viability. Dr. Malcolm explores how and why monarchs migrate to find these larval host plants and the impact of the threats they face as they negotiate ecosystems dominated by human activities.
Workshops that breathe new life into your classroom
Are you a science or environmental educator looking for professional development training? Whether you are a teacher choosing an in-service day program, homeschool teacher, naturalist, or manage outdoor recreation programs, you can breathe new life into your curriculum by participating in an environmental education workshop! These workshops will introduce you to national, award-winning, environmental curriculum. The curriculum guides are used by formal teachers and other educators working with students in pre-K through 12th grade. They are designed to be hands-on, instructionally sound, easy to use, interdisciplinary, and fun. The workshops are exciting, engaging, and powerful learning experiences, where you will receive the latest materials, learn to teach science education activities both indoors and outdoors, and walk away inspired and more knowledgeable about the natural world around you.
Upcoming public workshop: Flying WILD - March 7, 2020
Who should attend? Formal and non-formal educators, homeschool educators, youth leaders, and natural resource professionals who are interested in environmental education, sustainability issues, and natural resource management.
What is Flying WILD? Flying WILD is an interdisciplinary conservation and environmental education program that focuses on birds. This standards-aligned resource contains 40+ integrated nature-based lessons that help educators build a bridge between the classroom and the outdoors for their students. Learn about and celebrate migratory birds through activities involving science, language arts, social science and math experiences, coupled with community outreach and service learning applications. Flying WILD offers practical, hands-on classroom and outdoor field investigation experiences, connecting real-world experiences in bird biology, conservation and natural history. It provides activities that demonstrate how to help birds and their habitats, and even how to implement a bird festival at your school.
During the workshop: You will be introduced to the Flying WILD curriculum to become more familiar with the materials so that you will feel comfortable using it after the workshop to educate your future students. Learn how to teach others to identify birds and use binoculars along with tips and tricks for leading birding field trips. Discover more about great web based tools, apps, and citizen science projects that you can participate in and use. You will also meet and share ideas with other college students and professional educators with similar interests and learn more about the environment while expanding your teaching skills.
Read more about Flying WILD and the curriculum.
When: Saturday, March 7, at 9:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Where: Bunker Interpretive Center
Facilitator: Jeanette Henderson, Ecosystem Preserve Program Manager
Cost: $60 for the public (fee includes award winning activity guide, certification, instruction, lunch, snacks, and workshop materials)
Bring: Enthusiasm, warm clothes/boots (we will go outside!), exact cash or check made payable to Calvin University
Registration: Pre-registration is required by March 4, as space is limited.
Flying WILD® is a program of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and sponsored in Michigan by the Department of Natural Resources.
Workshop topics
Planning your group workshop
All workshops are facilitated by Jeanette Henderson, program manager of the Ecosystem Preserve and certified facilitator of PLT and WILD Workshops. They can be held at your location, or at the Bunker Interpretive Center. Fees for each workshop are listed, and include instruction, workshop materials, curriculum book, and certification. Additional fees may apply to cover mileage if outside of Kent County. A minimum number of 12 participants is required to run a workshop. If you have questions or would like to schedule a workshop, please contact Jeanette Henderson.
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