|
Photograph Courtesy of
Natural Area Preservation
|
Since January 2005, The Huron Arbor Cluster has helped connect people who are interested in learning more about and becoming proficient in natural area stewardship. We offer a tool sharing program; an email update list of local stewardship-related events; and a variety of educational workshops. We also hold monthly informal conversations with volunteer and professional stewards, called Steward's Circles. These chats cover topics such as winter restoration, using herbicides as a restoration tool, recruiting, training, and retaining volunteers, wetland invaders, and more.
Please feel free to share your questions and ideas with our Cluster. We'd love to have your help in achieving our goals!
|
|
|
-----
Support Your Local Cluster Today!
Donate Today to Become a Member!
Are you Part of an Organization?
Find out More about our Memorandum of Understanding Memberships!
|
-----
-----
Huron Arbor Stewards' Circles
The Second Tuesday of Each Month
7:30 am - 8:30 am
Location: Bruegger's Bagels on N University, Ann Arbor
Are you interested in learning more about how to care for our natural areas - woods, creeks, prairies, wetlands? Join us for informal discussions with volunteer and professional land stewards and others interested in nature. Click here to see our 2012 topis.
-----
Huron Arbor Cluster 2012 Events
Woody Plants in the Home Landscape
February 7, Tuesday 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm
Cost: $10 for Stewardship Network member/$15 for non-members
Location: NEW Center (1100 Main Street, Ann Arbor)
Click here to register
Woody plants are often overlooked as a component of the native landscape. Most people think of prairies and tall grasses. However, there are many native shrub species suitable for landscapes, and they provide a lot of aesthetic and wildlife benefit. Bring drawings of your property, soil type, moisture, etc!
Weed Warriors: Share Your Stories and Strategies
February 8, Wednesday 6:45 pm to 8:30 pm
Cost: Free!
Location: Matthaei Botanical Gardens, Room 125
This event held in partnership with Wild Ones (Ann Arbor Chapter). No registration required.
Weed Warriors (Black Belt) Jason Frenzel and Toni Spears will be leading off our discussion of new techniques and strategies for dealing with invasive plants. Come and share your experiences, successes, or continuing problems with garlic mustard, autumn olive, spotted knapweed, and others. Learn about imminent invaders such as Japanese hedge parsley, narrowleaf bittercress, and more. Got a favorite tool? Time for show and tell. If you have questions ahead of time, please contact Andrea Matthies at (734) 604-4674.
How to Run a Stewardship Workday
March 24, Saturday 9:00 am to 12:00 noon
Cost: $10 for Stewardship Network member/$15 for non-members
Location: Leslie Science and Nature Center, Nature House
Click here to register
Join us for a look at coordinating volunteer workdays that benefit your natural area and the volunteers involved. Preparation, leadership during the workday, records and follow-up—this workshop will help you pull it all together and avoid pitfalls, for good stewardship and good times.
Wet Meadow Wildflower Identification
September 9, Sunday 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Cost: $10 for Stewardship Network member/$15 for non-members
Location: 11950 Dexter-Pinckney Road, Pinckney
*Please note, this location is different than listed in the printed calendar
Naturalist, Catherine Marquardt, will guide us through the plants in a special wet meadow at this Legacy Land Conservancy Preserve, which is access by permission only. Each participant will learn how to use a dichotomous key to identify plants and take home an identification book.
Prairie Walk
September 16, Sunday 1:00 pm to 3:30 pm
Cost: $10 for Stewardship Network member/$15 for non-members
Location: Shanghai Prairie (on the Campus of St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, Ypsilanti)
Join local prairie expert Aunita Erskine for an autumn walk through Shanghai Prairie. Learn about prairie wildflowers and grasses as they begin to go to seed, and check up on recent restoration efforts! Meet in the picnic area parking lot opposite staff parking area D at the 3-way stop on McAuley. Visit stjoesannarbor.org for a map. Long pants, closed-toe shoes, and weather appropriate clothes.
Save Water, Save Energy
September 27, Thursday 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Cost: $10 for Stewardship Network member/$15 for non-members
Location: NEW Center (1100 Main Street, Ann Arbor)
Tap into water and energy savings with a few simple measures! This workshop will teach easy techniques and show affordable tools that could help a typical Ann Arbor family of four save up to $300 annually on utility bills and reduce their carbon footprint. Door prizes for the lucky few!
|
Green Infrastructure & Stormwater Management
A Four-Part Serise - Tuesdays in October 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm
Cost: $30 Whole Series (Members)/$45 Whole Series (non-members)
$10 single event (Members)/$15 single event (non-members)
Location: NEW Center (1100 Main Street, Ann Arbor)
|
|
October 2nd - Part One: Advocacy
In part one or our series, Kris Olsson, Watershed Ecologist with the Huron River Watershed Council and Ann Arbor Township Planning Commissioner, will discuss how to be an advocate for balanced land use planning. For those who are new to political advocacy, generally interested in best management practices, or established planning commissioners; this workshop will highlight tried and true as well as newly implemented policies. Kris will cover model ordinances and involving yourself in local land use decision-making.
|
|
October 9 - Part Two: Engineering
This is the second workshop of the four part managing stormwater series. In this session, Valerie Strassberg from Nature's Voice - Our Choice will describe hydrologic considerations when planning to manage stormwater. Grey vs. green infrastructure comparisons will be detailed.
|
|
October 16 - Part Three: Plant Selection
This is the third workshop of the four part managing stormwater series. In this session, Drew Lathin, will make the case for why native plant species are the most desirable plant material to use in green infrastructure projects to manage stormwater. In addition, the presenter will describe and show pictures of native plant species for basin bottoms, wet slopes, dry slopes, and upland areas.
|
|
October 23 - Part Four: Case Studies
In the fourth and last part of the Stormwater Series, Shannan Gibb-Randall, landscape architect of InSite Design Studio, will discuss several local case studies that demonstrate how engineering, planting design, aesthetics and ongoing maintenance come together in successful design of stormwater management systems. She will also highlight the potential pitfalls and difficulties (all from hard-won experience) to give a sense of the challenges that are part of the design and construction process.
|
Contact the Huron Arbor Cluster:
HuronArbor@StewardshipNetwork.org
-----
Huron Arbor Cluster Participating Organizations
City of Ann Arbor Natural Area Preservation
Huron-Clinton Metropolitan Authority
Huron River Watershed Council
Legacy Land Conservancy
Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Southeast Michigan Land Conservancy
University of Michigan Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum
Wild Ones - Ann Arbor Chapter
-----
We'd Love to Have You!
We would like to invite you to join our Cluster. Groups and individuals who may be interested include: Community Service volunteers, Eagle Scouts, Master Gardeners, Conservation Stewards, field interns, people who want to connect to nature, people who want to meet with like-minded people, and people who like getting exercise outdoors. Let's have some fun!
