JUNE

​​Nature Walk with NAP and AADL
Thursday, June 27
6:00-7:30 p.m.
Barton Nature Area
The habitats at Barton Nature Area are home to butterflies, birds, frogs, and turtles. Join us on a family-friendly walk to explore the prairies, woodlands, and along the river. Meet at the Barton Dam parking lot on Huron River Drive (map). Wear comfortable clothes and bring water if desired. The nature walks are a collaboration between the AADL and Natural Area Preservation that take place once a month April through September.

Stewardship Workday
Saturday, June 29
Barton Nature Area
1 to 4 p.m.
A tallgrass prairie with 6 foot tall big bluestem grass can be found along the railroad tracks at Barton Nature Area. Non-native species such as sweet clover are threatening the quality of this rare ecosystem. Lend a hand pulling these invasive plants to protect the native prairie species. Meet at the Barton Dam parking lot on Huron River Drive (map). Please wear long pants and closed-toe shoes. All participants must complete a release form, and all minors should be accompanied by a guardian. Tools, snacks, and know-how provided.

JULY

Stewardship Workday
Sunday, July 7
Bluffs Nature Area
9 a.m. to noon
Walking through the Bluffs Nature Area woods overlooking Main Street, you'll come upon an open prairie. This was once a staging area for road building projects, but now is a beautiful grassland abloom with white, pink, and yellow flowers. Come take part in our effort to allow the native plants to thrive by pulling invasive species. We'll show you how to find them. Meet in the parking lot off Main Street, just north of Lake Shore Drive (map). Please wear long pants and closed-toe shoes. All participants must complete a release form, and all minors should be accompanied by a guardian. Tools, snacks, and know-how provided.

Stewards' Circle
Tuesday, July 9
Bruegger's Bagels, 709 N University Ave
7:30 to 8:30 a.m.
Are you interested in learning more about how to care for our natural areas? Then join the Stewardship Network's Huron Arbor cluster for an informal discussion on a monthly topic with volunteer and professional land stewards, plus others interested in nature. Free! For more information go to www.stewardshipnetwork.org.
This month's topic: Ann Arbor's Salamanders
Ann Arbor is home to five species of salamanders and a unique group of all female salamanders that actually steal DNA from other species. Come learn about these amphibians and what we can do to protect their habitats.

Stewardship Workday
Sunday, July 14
Black Pond Woods Nature Area
9 a.m. to noon
Black Pond may be dry in the summer, but there's still plenty of reasons to visit these woods. More than 50 species of trees live here! Help us protect these woods by removing non-native plants such as Japanese hedge parsley. Kids can help too, so bring the family! Meet us on Tibbits Court, off of Pontiac Trail (map). Please wear long pants and closed-toe shoes. All participants must complete a release form, and all minors should be accompanied by a guardian. Tools, snacks, and know-how provided.

Stewardship Workday
Sunday, July 21
Ruthven Nature Area
9 a.m. to noon
The sandy soils here provide a unique ecosystem, inhabited by native grasses and prairie wildflowers. It's a great place to look for butterflies and birds. You can foster the native plants here by removing the exotic species intruding in this habitat. Meet at the Gallup boat dock parking lot, at the southeast corner of Huron Parkway and Geddes Road (map). Please wear long pants and closed-toe shoes. All participants must complete a release form, and all minors should be accompanied by a guardian. Tools, snacks, and know-how provided.

Nature Walk with NAP and AADL
Thursday, July 25
Marshall Nature Area
6-7:30 p.m.
Marshall Nature Area is 87-acres of oak hickory woodland with scattered prairie pockets. Join us for a family friendly nature walk to learn about native plants while looking carefully for birds and butterflies. Meet in the parking lot off Dixboro Road, north of Plymouth Road (map). Wear comfortable clothes and bring water if desired. The nature walks are a collaboration between the Ann Arbor District Library and Natural Area Preservation that take place once a month April through September.

Stewardship Workday
Saturday, July 27
Marshall Nature Area
1 to 4 p.m.
Henry James said “summer afternoon" are the two most beautiful words in the English language. The oak-hickory forest of Marshall Nature Area is a wonderful place to spend a summer afternoon. Unfortunately the native plants are threatened by invasive plants such as Japanese hedge parsley. Join us to remove these invaders and keep the park beautiful. Meet in the parking lot off Dixboro road, north of Plymouth Road (map). Please wear long pants and closed-toe shoes. All participants must complete a release form, and all minors should be accompanied by a guardian. Tools, snacks, and know-how provided.

AUGUST

Stewardship Workday
Saturday, August 3
Dhu Varren Woods Nature Area
1 to 4 p.m.
The summer sun may be hot, but this 13-acre woodland provides plenty of shade. Japanese hedge parsley is one of the newer species to invade Washtenaw County and it's threatening this high quality area. Assist us in pulling these plants and protecting the native habitat. Meet at the intersection of Birchwood Drive and Dhu Varren Road (map). Please wear long pants and closed-toe shoes. All participants must complete a release form, and all minors should be accompanied by a guardian. Tools, snacks, and know-how provided.

Stewardship Workday
Saturday, August 10
Olson Park
9 a.m. to noon
Olson Park has it all - a playground, a dog park, soccer fields, and trails that wind through the woodlands and prairies. Take a walk on these trails and you're sure to see plenty of butterflies and birds. Join us to remove invasive species from the prairie to preserve the native habitat. Meet at the park entrance on Dhu Varren Road, just east of Pontiac Trail (map). Please wear long pants and closed-toe shoes. All participants must complete a release form, and all minors should be accompanied by a guardian. Tools, snacks, and know-how provided.

Stewardship Workday
Sunday, August 11
Kuebler Langford Nature Area
9 a.m. to noon
The summer flowers are blooming in the prairie at Kuebler Langford Nature Area and the shaded forest provides a respite from the heat. Come, spend a summer morning in this natural oasis. We'll be pulling exotic plants such as spotted knapweed that threaten the native biodiversity. Meet at the park entrance on Beechwood Drive, north of Sunset Road (map). Please wear long pants and closed-toe shoes. All participants must complete a release form, and all minors should be accompanied by a guardian. Tools, snacks, and know-how provided.

Stewards' Circle
Tuesday, August 13
Bruegger's Bagels, 709 N University Ave
7:30 to 8:30 a.m.
Are you interested in learning more about how to care for our natural areas? Then join the Stewardship Network's Huron Arbor cluster for an informal discussion on a monthly topic with volunteer and professional land stewards, plus others interested in nature. Free! For more information go to www.stewardshipnetwork.org.
This month's topic: Rare plant locations: To share or not to share
The locations of rare plant species are often blocked from plant inventory websites or herbarium specimen websites. Blocking these locations may help slow down harvesting rare plants but it also blocks data that could be useful to scientists and amateurs that help conservation efforts. Should we share rare plant locations or block them?

​​​Stewardship Workday
Sunday, August 25
Barton Nature Area
9 a.m. to noon
Barton Nature Area is one of the top butterflying spots in Ann Arbor. Many species seen here rely on native plants. Take part in our effort to protect butterfly habitat by pulling the non-native plant species. Meet at the Barton Dam parking lot on Huron River Drive (map). Please wear long pants and closed-toe shoes. All participants must complete a release form, and all minors should be accompanied by a guardian. Tools, snacks, and know-how provided.

Nature Walk with NAP and AADL
Thursday, August 29
Cedar Bend Nature Area
6-7:30 p.m.
Cedar Bend was Ann Arbor's first nature area, protected as a nature area in a time when manicured parks were the common practice. Join us for a family-friendly nature walk to explore this historic park overlooking the Huron River. Meet us at the Island Park parking lot, at the end of Island Drive (map). Wear comfortable clothes and bring water if desired. The nature walks are a collaboration between the Ann Arbor District Library and Natural Area Preservation that take place once a month April through September.

For more information about what each of these events may require, please read more about volunteering with NAP here.​​