Volunteer Stewardship Calendar

December 2023

Since the time of its acquisition, Kuebler Langford has been a park of importance to the people of Ann Arbor. As this natural area continues to recover from top-soil removal and compaction from the 1970's, we are left with areas of stunning prairie and forests. Because Kuebler Langford was fought for and won by the people of Ann Arbor, it is a wonderful feeling to contribute to the ongoing effort to bring health and beauty back to this natural area. Meet at the Beechwood entrance off of Sunset Rd. Workday sites have unpaved trails and require going off-trail. Preregister through VolunteerHub so NAP can plan on enough staff and supplies for a safe and successful event. For your safety, wear long pants, tall socks, and closed-toe shoes. All minors should be accompanied by a guardian. More information: How to prepare for a NAP workday (PDF).

Youth Nature Programs
K-5 Get Outside Saturdays – Trees by Touch
Saturday, December 2
10-11:30 a.m.
Gallup Park Maas Shelter

Get outside this December with Eleva Potter, NAP Environmental Education and Engagement Coordinator! Trees by Touch (K-5): Even though the leaves are gone we can still identify trees by the texture of their bark. Come see how many local trees you can meet while enjoying a walk in the woods.

Children must be accompanied by an adult. Preregistration through VolunteerHub is required. NAP uses VolunteerHub to manage participant waivers – please create individual accounts for each child. (Adults can use their own email address for child accounts). Feel free to call NAP for assistance, 734.794.6627. 

Meet in the Gallup Park Maas Shelter (map). Walks may follow unpaved trails and require going off-trail. For your safety, wear long pants, tall socks, and closed-toe shoes. More information: What to wear at outdoors events (PDF).

Youth Nature Programs
K-5 Nature Crafts – Build a Bird
Wednesday, December 6
1-2:30 p.m.
Burns Park Shelter

Need a kid-friendly activity while school is closed? Enjoy some nature crafts with Eleva Potter, NAP Environmental Education and Engagement Coordinator! Build a Bird (K-5): We'll start with a short walk around Burns Park to see which winter birds we can find, then we'll head indoors to identify our feathered friends and we'll make our own birds out of natural materials.

Children must be accompanied by an adult. Preregistration through VolunteerHub is required. NAP uses VolunteerHub to manage participant waivers – please create individual accounts for each child. (Adults can use their own email address for child accounts). Feel free to call NAP for assistance, 734.794.6627. 

Meet at the Burns Park Shelter (map). Walks may follow unpaved trails and require going off-trail. For your safety, wear long pants, tall socks, and closed-toe shoes. More information: What to wear at outdoors events (PDF).

With the help of Traver Creek, this small park provides an important habitat corridor for wildlife that depend on water, such as muskrat and ducks, and also hosts a variety of wetland wildflowers that support butterflies. Foxfire West includes a special wetland type called a fen—a peat-accumulating wetland fed by mineral-rich ground or surface water. Despite being small it is a very diverse park, with woodlands, wetlands, and a sedge meadow. Wear your tall waterproof boots and help us remove invasive honeysuckle and buckthorn to improve the habitat for the many species that call this area home. Meet at the corner of Hickory Point Dr. and Indian Creek Cir. Workday sites have unpaved trails and require going off-trail. Preregister through VolunteerHub so NAP can plan on enough staff and supplies for a safe and successful event. For your safety, wear long pants, tall socks, and closed-toe shoes. All minors should be accompanied by a guardian. More information: How to prepare for a NAP workday (PDF). Note: waterproof boots are essential for this event!

Youth Nature Programs
K-5 Get Outside Saturdays – Tracks on the Trail
Saturday, December 9
1-2:30 p.m.
Mary Beth Doyle Park

Get outside this December with Eleva Potter, NAP Environmental Education and Engagement Coordinator! Tracks on the Trail (K-5): Winter is a great time to see who is moving through the forest by the tracks and trails they leave behind. We'll try to find out who's been in our woods recently by looking for animal tracks and signs.

Children must be accompanied by an adult. Preregistration through VolunteerHub​ is required. NAP uses VolunteerHub to manage participant waivers – please create individual accounts for each child. (Adults can use their own email address for child accounts). Feel free to call NAP for assistance, 734.794.6627.

Meet at the parking lot at the end of Birch Hollow/Chelsea Circle. Add'l parking in the street on Chelsea. Walks may follow unpaved trails and require going off-trail. For your safety, wear long pants, tall socks, and closed-toe shoes. More information: What to wear at outdoors events (PDF).

Many of Ann Arbor's natural areas have unique or notable species of plants and animals, but one special species that calls Argo home is North America's only carnivorous butterfly. Really, it's a carnivorous caterpillar—that of the harvester butterfly (Feniseca tarquinius). The larvae (caterpillars) eat wooly aphids, a common sucking insect. Join NAP in maintaining and restoring the habitat at Argo, where countless native fauna reside (and not just the carnivorous ones). Meet on Longshore Dr at Amherst Ave. Workday sites have unpaved trails and require going off-trail. Preregister through VolunteerHub so NAP can plan on enough staff and supplies for a safe and successful event. For your safety, wear long pants, tall socks, and closed-toe shoes. All minors should be accompanied by a guardian. More information: How to prepare for a NAP workday (PDF).​