Featured Event
SEE-North
JUNIOR BIRDERS OF NORTHERN MICHIGAN SECOND YEAR MEMBERSHIP
Junior birders of Northern Michigan is proud to announce their second year as a club! WE ARE ACCEPTING NEW MEMBERS FOR THE 2010-2011 YEAR. Our purpose is to encourage young people to spend time outdoors while learning to identify birds and their habitats. Additionally, we want our members to explore northern MI’s diverse landscapes and to foster in them an interest in the natural history.
We encourage family participation and our program is geared toward children ages 8-14 but, we welcome all children.
We meet on the 2nd Saturday of every month from 10am – 12pm
We go to some of the best birding spots in northern MI.
We have fun while learning to identify birds by sight and song.
We also learn about migration, ecology and conservation.
Annual Membership FEE: $25.00 FOR THE FIRST CHILD AND $15.00 FOR EACH ADDITIONAL CHILD IN THE SAME FAMILY. Parents are free, but responsible for transportation. For more information and to pre-register call 231-348-9700 or visit our website www.seenorth.org
Events
Little Traverse Conservancy Summer Nature Programs
Registration for all programs begins Tuesday, June 15th
Registration is required. Please call Alison at 231-344-1010 or Melissa at 231-344-1004
All Programs are Free of charge -- Parents Encouraged to Attend
Knee High Naturalist Programs 2010 Ages 3-6
Tuesdays AND Wednesdays 10:00-11:00 am AND 1:00-2:00 pm (same program all four times)
Each one-hour session includes a hike, exploratory activities or craft, story, water, and a snack. Come prepared for outdoor play, with closed-toed shoes, layers, sun screen, and insect repellent.
Our Feathered Friends - Spring Lake Park
Tuesday, July 6 and Wednesday, July 7
They have wings, beaks, claws, and feathers. They sing, fly, swim, and build nests. Birds are fascinating to watch and enjoyable to learn about. Fly on over to Spring Lake Park to explore the wonderful world of birds. Have fun listening for them, observing them in action, and mimicking their movements.
Bug Me! - Thorne Swift Nature Preserve
Tuesday, July 13 and Wednesday, July 14
Roll over a log in the forest, find a lady-bug sunning herself on the beach, or watch a dragonfly at the pond! We’ll read about insects and bugs and how they blend into their surroundings. Then we’ll hike down the nature path in search of our own camouflaged friends. We’ll search for chewed leaves, tiny holes, turn over rocks, shake a tree branch (gently!) Bug jars and magnifying lenses will help us capture the critters, learn about them, and release them back into their homes. After hiking, we’ll visit the nature center to learn more about the nature that calls Thorne Swift home!
Summer Sensations - Thorne Swift Nature Preserve
Tuesday, July 20th and Wednesday, July 21st
Awaken your senses with the sights, sounds, scents, and textures of summer. Look for the many colors of the forest, listen carefully for calling birds and buzzing insects, inhale the scents of the evergreens, bark and flowers, and feel something velvety soft, bumpy, or smooth.
Who Lives Here? - Thorne Swift Nature Preserve
Tuesday, July 27th/Wednesday, July 28th
Explore animal homes just like the animal that lives there! First, listen to a story about animals and their homes. Then, quietly creep into the woods in search of some woodland creatures. What do animals eat? Where do they hide? We will search high and low in a forest, at a pond and on the beach to learn more about the animals that live there. Be careful! You might have to find food for a mouse or hide in tall grass like a baby deer!
- Children should wear sunscreen, sunglasses, hats, appropriate footwear, and bring drinking water.
Junior Naturalist Programs 2010 Ages 7-11
Thursdays from 10:00am to 12:00pm. Stay and bring a sack lunch (optional)
Wild Dens and Woodland Adventures - McCune Preserve
Thursday, July 1st
Where do the creatures hide? How do they make their homes? We’ll hone our observations skills by walking through the un-nature trail, then search for secret spaces. What kind of den would you make? We’ll use our creativity and ingenuity to build a temporary shelter ourselves using only what the forest provides.
Bugs-N-Bogs - Stutsmanville Bog
Thursday, July 8th
Using sweep nets and aerial nets we’ll work our way through the tall grasses collecting whatever creepy crawlies we can find. Field guides, bug jars and magnifying lenses (we’ll bring them) will help us identify some of the Earth’s most unique critters. At the bog, we’ll find a whole different environment for exploring life less than 1 inch tall! Wear long pants if you find tall grass too tickly.
Take a Walk on the Creek Side - Five Mile Creek Swamp Preserve
Thursday, July 15th
Walk along a tributary to where it flows into Five Mile Creek. Explore the creek and check it out up close. Where does the creek come from? Where does it go? What sips from its edge? What hides in its bed? Enjoy views of the creek from atop a ridge with a dramatic slope to the water. This field trip is for the adventurous child! There are no established trails, so although the walking is not extremely difficult, it is not as easy as a maintained trail and will require maneuvering over logs and through branches.
Caching In - Offield Family Preserve
Thursday, July 22nd
Using real Global Positioning System (GPS) units while hiking through a new nature preserve, we will learn all about geocaching! Geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunting game played throughout the world by adventure seekers. The basic idea is to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, outdoors and then share your experiences in the geocache you find, or online. All skill levels welcome. Conservancy staff will have GPS units available.
Adventures in Nature Photography - Spring Lake Park
Thursday, July 29
Grab your digital camera for some photo fun with Sarah Mayhew. Refine your observation skills and take some cool nature photos to share with family and friends.
- Children should wear sunscreen, sunglasses, hats, appropriate footwear, and bring drinking water.
For more information, directions and a full list of spring events, contact the Conservancy at 231.347.0991 or go to www.landtrust.org.
SEE North
Rhythms of the Seasons – Family Fun Outdoor Adventure
Explore the wonders of the season! Family-oriented hikes and hands-on activities, journaling, stories and more - for all ages. Create a keepsake nature journal. Meets once a month, year round.
Date: Saturday, April 17
Time: 10:00am - Noon
Location: SEE-North’s yurt at Boyne Highlands Resort, Harbor Springs
Contact: SEE North, 231.348.9700 or register online at www.seenorth.org
Cost: $5 per person
Junior Birders of Northern Michigan
These programs are ongoing, check www.seenorth.org for more information. Junior Birder programs are geared toward children ages 8-14, but all children are welcome.
Date: Saturday, April 10
Time: 10:00am – Noon
Theme: Bird-A-Rific Bonanza! Games, prizes, live hawks, food and fun
Location: Boyne Highlands Resort, Harbor Springs
Contact: Alison Falldin, alison@seenorth.org, 231.34.9700
Cost: $15 annual membership fee & $10/each additional child in same family
Notes: Pre-registration is required
Raven Hill Discovery Center
Build connections between science, history and the arts in an interactive learning environment. Spend hours at these outdoor exhibits where kids can learn through hands-on discovery:
Earth Tones Music Garden
Maple Leaf Tree House
Beyond Jurassic Park - learn about the Earth's Geologic History before and after the dinosaurs.
Ancient World - 5 cultural areas (Europe, Asia, Africa, America and Oceana) use your imagination and circle the world, exploring a 10' Moai (Easter Island head); obelisk, the bluestones of Stonehenge, a Sweet Track, zen garden, pyramid, Olmec mound, raised crop beds, shaduf, Great Serpent Mound and a Mayan ball court
Hours: Open every Saturday from noon-4:00pm and every Sunday from 2:00-4:00pm until Memorial Day when summer hours start. Check website or call for spring break hours.
Location: 4737 Fuller Road in East Jordan
Contact: 231.536.3369 or info@ravenhilldiscoverycenter.org or www.ravenhilldiscoverycenter.org
Cost: $8 per person
Pond Hill Farm - Summer Hayrides Around the Farm
Every Saturday/Sunday 11-3 pm
Feed the Baby Calf
Cost: $1 per bottle
