Wild Ones Mid-Mitten Chapter news
February 2024 News
Saturday February 24, 2024 – Central Michigan Seed Swap at Bullock Creek High School 11 am-4 pm
We will be handing out wildflower seeds at the seed swap. This is a great opportunity for you to volunteer for an hour or two and check out the seed swap. Speakers are scheduled throughout the day too. Vendors will be offering seeds, garden supplies, and information from many non-profits. Bullock Creek High School is located at 1420 S Badour Rd, Midland, MI 48640 (off Gordonville Road).
Chapter Membership
Tell your friends and neighbors about the Wild Ones and bring them to a program, which are open to the public. Youth are welcome when accompanied by an adult. New ideas about attracting and retaining members can be sent to Rachel LeClair ([email protected]).
New Logo, Branding, and Bylaws
The national Wild Ones staff worked this year on branding and creating new logos which are shown at the top of the newsletter. You will be seeing a lot of it this year as we update our documents and social media. Remember to check your online membership for news, resources, our chapter webpages, and more information. Our chapter bylaws are available now for your review.
Sunday March 3, 2024 – Wildflower Association of Michigan (WAM) Conference
Registration is open for the WAM conference to be held at the Kellogg Center at Michigan State University on the 3rd of March. You can register via their website at wildflowersmich.org. There is a complete listing of the conference schedule on their website as well. Presentations will cover multiple aspects of native plants especially relevant to Michigan and the Great Lakes Region. In addition, there are five webinars planned for the rest of the year sponsored by WAM, included in your conference registration.
‘Nature Health Benefits LIVE’ videos to share tree benefits
If you’re feeling down due to the gray days of February, the USDA will be downloading videos covering nature health benefits through YouTube. The videos with be posted once a week throughout the month of February, starting the 2nd.
Learning Locally
Despite the gray days, there are so many opportunities to learn about our surroundings and ecosystems here in the Great Lakes Bay region, either through formal presentations or personal observations. I’d like to share one of my personal observations with you. Remember that heavy snow about two weeks ago, that downed so many limbs and trees? I thought it had broken my black oak sapling that I had planted on my front lawn. It had been planted a few years earlier and as I looked out after the snow, the tree was completely bowed over and I thought broken. Once I walked up to it, I found it was not broken despite all appearances. I carefully removed most of the snow and ice thinking there is no way this tree is going to be straight again. I was wrong!
Here’s wishing you all the ability to bend without breaking like an oak sapling. We all have something to learn from our native trees!
Susan Erhardt
President, Wild Ones Mid-Mitten Chapter
