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FLUSHING
TOWNSHIP NATURE PARK
NATURE NEWS
Summer 2007
Exciting New
Programs
There are new faces working at the Nature Park this
summer. These new faces are the two seasonal
naturalists and they have developed new programs for
park visitors. Adam Hoisington and Heather Griffin
are both students attending
U of M Flint, majoring in biology. Both began
working in May and will continue through August.
One of the earliest and ongoing activities conducted
by the new naturalists is the Saturday Naturalist
Booth. Most Saturdays there is a canopy tent set up
in the park hosting displays of environmental topics
that change from week to week. Topics include
birds, native plants, invasive plants, wetlands,
trees and much more. The naturalists are there to
share the featured topic with visitors, answer
questions and hand out informational brochures. The
Naturalist Booth provides an added personal and
professional experience to your weekend experience
at the Nature Park. We hope you enjoy this service.
Thanks to increased funding from a Genesee County
Community Development Block Grant, we are able to
provide extra services. Heather is heading up a new
program called the Blue Bird Club. This program is
specifically designed for the employees of Freedom
Work. Freedom Work is an organization that
specialize in helping individuals, or employees with
special needs to find jobs. For years the employees
from Freedom Work have come to the park to relax
after working in the morning. The Nature Park is
now able to provide a free series of one hour
programs to the members of the Blue Bird Club. The
programs have environmental themes with experiments,
games, crafts, and hikes. The employees of Freedom
Work now have an exciting and educational experience
at the park, which will aid in their development
towards a productive member of society. This is a
pilot program that may be expanded in the future to
other facilities or groups that fit the profile of
the grant.
Adam has a keen interest and knowledge of birds. He
has developed a bird count system that has a number
of selected spots in the park where Adam or any
other experienced birder can observe and record bird
sightings. This bird count system creates a
scientific approach to recording the species of
birds in the park, which can be tracked seasonally
and yearly. Adam has also developed a series of
public birding classes. Birding 101 is offered to
people who are interested in learning more about
birds and how to identify them. Birding 201 is
offered to individuals with more experience or who
have attended the 101 class and want to learn more.
There are many of these FREE classes offered in July
and August. See the Program schedule for more
details.
Both Adam and Heather are assisting the park manager
to develop a self guided interpretive trail with an
informative brochure that will be implemented later
this year or the beginning of next year.
Combining Books
with Nature
Another new program this year is the Young
Naturalist Book Club (YNBC). This program is also
funded by the Genesee County Community Development
Block Grant. The YNBC will be offered this summer
to eligible Flushing students that are going into
3rd and 4th grades. 23 eligible students signed up
to be the first members of the YNBC. The club will
meet once a week for six weeks. Each week every
club member will receive a new childrens book with
an environmental theme. The book will be read to
the group by a naturalist and then read out loud
again by the club members. Discussion of the book's
content, journal writing, and a nature program
reinforcing the book narrative will follow. The six
environmental themes for this years club are: the
water cycle, soil and bugs, flowering plants,
wetlands,
the food chain, and recycling and decomposition.
The Nature Park staff is very excited about this
pilot program and plans to offer it for the next
three years, as contracted in the grant. This
year's YNBC is full and registration is closed.
Next year eligible students will receive an
invitation to attend the YNBC.
Friends of the
Flushing Township Nature Park
The Friends of the Flushing Nature Park is under
way. To refresh your memories, this new non-profit
group is aimed to provide advice and fund raising to
the Nature Park. We are looking for passionate and
motivated people to become members of this new
committee and help make the park an even better
place to visit.
One of the first items of business for this new
committee will be to create a membership program
that will include a membership fee and or donation
structure and benefit package. Other goals of this
committee will be to create fund raising strategies
like an annual dinner and auction. The other main
task for this committee is to provide public
comments and suggestions to the Nature Park
Committee aimed to improve park amenities.
Individuals interested in this committee can contact
the park office at 639-6161 or email at ftnp@comcast.net
Program Schedule
Volunteer Day -
Spotted Knapweed Removal
Tuesday July, 10th 5 - 7 pm
Come help us remove Spotted Knapweed, an invasive
plant, and weed the native plant gardens.
Birding 101
Saturday, July 14th 10:00 - 11:30 am
Learn the birding basics, identification techniques
and the "Three Great Secrets of Birding". Bring
binoculars and a field guide if available. The park
will have a limited supply for use.
Birding 201
Wednesday, July 18th 7:30 - 9:00 am
Designed for intermediate to advanced birders.
Increase and share your birding skills. Learn from
a park naturalist and other birders.
Scavenger Hunt
Wednesday, July 18th*10:00 - 11:30 am
Search the park for various natural clues and learn
interesting facts about nature.
Nature Camp Out -
July 20th and 21st*
Friday 7:00 PM - Saturday 10:30 AM
Tent set up at 7:00 PM*
$5.00/person (cost of food)
Maximum of 12 camp sites call the Nature Park to
reserve a camp site 639-6161
Friday night activities: Scavenger hunt, night
games, astronomy, campfire and snacks
Saturday morning activities: Morning hike and
continental breakfast and Tree ID Program
Tree Hike
Saturday, July 21st 9:00 - 10:30 am
Come learn to identify some of the trees in the park
and discover some interesting facts about trees.
Birding 201
Wednesday, July 25th 7:30 - 9:00 am
Designed for intermediate to advanced birders.
Increase and share your birding skills. Learn from
a park naturalist and other birders.
Birding 101
Saturday, July 28th 10:00 - 11:30 am
Learn the birding basics, identification techniques
and the "Three Great Secrets of Birding". Bring
binoculars and a field guide if available. The park
will have a limited supply for use.
Birding 201
Wednesday, August 1st 7:30 - 9:00 am
Designed for intermediate to advanced birders.
Increase and share your birding skills. Learn from
a park naturalist and other birders.
Volunteer Day -
Native Garden Beautification
Tuesday, August 14th 5 * 7 pm
Come help us beautify the native plant gardens. We
will weed and improve the walking paths.
Birding 201
Wednesday, August 8th 7:30 - 9:00 am
Designed for intermediate to advanced birders.
Increase and share your birding skills. Learn from
a park naturalist and other birders.
Fresh Water Expo
Saturday, August 4th*10:00 am -2:00 pm
Come learn the importance Fresh Water and Fresh
Water Ecosystems. Fun and educational for the
entire family.
10:00 am - 12:00 pm - Live Amphibian and Reptiles on
Display from Nature Discovery
10:00 am - 12:00 pm - Games, Crafts and Food
10:00 am - 2:00 pm - Environmental Exhibits
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm - Live Amphibian and Reptiles
Presentation from Nature Discovery
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm - Using Storm Water as a Resource
- Rain Gardens and Green Roofs
Birding 201
Wednesday, August 15th 7:30 - 9:00 am
Designed for intermediate to advanced birders.
Increase and share your birding skills. Learn from
a park naturalist and other birders.
Invasive Plant
Species Program
Thursday, August 16th 7:00 - 8:30 pm
Come learn about invasive plant species, why they
are harmful to the environment and us, and how to
control them.
Full Moon Hike
Tuesday, August 28th*10:30 - 11:30 pm
Experience the park at night while watching the full
moon rise.
Flushing Township Nature Park
8301 N. McKinley Road
Flushing, MI. 48433
Phone: 810-639-6161
Fax: 659-4212
Email:
ftnp@comcast.net
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