Please come out and join us for one of these free events! NAP is closely monitoring recommendations from city and other health officials, and adapting workday protocols accordingly.
Please remember to dress for the weather and wear shoes suitable for uneven terrain and working off-trail. Please wear long pants and closed-toed shoes and bring a water bottle and work gloves. All minors should be accompanied by a guardian. Tools and know-how provided. Please stay home if you're feeling ill.
MAY
Stewardship Workday
Huron Parkway Nature Area
Saturday, May 7
9 a.m. to noon
The woods in this park contains many uncommon species, including hazelnut, flowering dogwoods, and chinkapin oaks. Help NAP manage the nature area and improve wildlife habitat by removing garlic mustard. Meet at the Park Steward's house—3470 Woodland Road, off East Huron River Drive (map: tinyurl.com/HuronParkwayWoodland). Pre-registration through VolunteerHub is encouraged; please stay home if you are feeling ill. NAP continues to monitor recommendations from health officials, volunteers registered for events will be notified in advance of any changes to the workday. Please wear long pants and closed-toed shoes, and bring a water bottle and gardening gloves if you have them. All minors should be accompanied by a guardian. Tools and know-how provided. Register at tinyurl.com/HuronParkway050722.
Stewardship Workday
Molin Nature Area
Saturday, May 7
1 to 4 p.m.
Come enjoy an afternoon in this lovely 7.2-acre park where Park Stewards and other volunteers have been hard at work restoring native habitat. Lend a hand and learn how to identify and remove invasive species such as garlic mustard and dame's rocket. Removal allows native species to get the sun, water, and soil resources they need to thrive! Meet at the end of Powell Rd on Columbia (map: tinyurl.com/MolinPowell). Pre-registration through VolunteerHub is encouraged; please stay home if you are feeling ill. NAP continues to monitor recommendations from health officials, volunteers registered for events will be notified in advance of any changes to the workday. Please wear long pants and closed-toed shoes, and bring a water bottle and gardening gloves if you have them. All minors should be accompanied by a guardian. Tools and know-how provided. Register at tinyurl.com/Molin050722.
Stewardship Workday
Fuller Park
Saturday, May 14th
9 a.m. to noon
Tucked away on a bend of the Huron River and behind expansive soccer fields is Fuller Park's floodplain forest. When springtime rain raises the water level of the Huron River, Fuller Park's low bottomland deciduous forest temporarily floods. This natural system of water storage helps mitigate flooding events downstream. As climate changes and rainfall patterns become more unpredictable, this ecosystem is important to maintain. Help us protect and restore this crucial habitat by removing non-native plants. Tools and know-how provided. Meet us at parking lot at the end of Island Drive (map: tinyurl.com/CedarBendIslandDrive). Pre-registration through VolunteerHub is encouraged; please stay home if you are feeling ill. NAP continues to monitor recommendations from health officials, volunteers registered for events will be notified in advance of any changes to the workday. Please wear long pants and closed-toed shoes, and bring a water bottle and gardening gloves if you have them. All minors should be accompanied by a guardian. Tools and know-how provided. Register at tinyurl.com/Fuller051422.
Stewardship Workday
Argo Nature Area
Saturday, May 14
1 to 4 p.m.
Bring family and friends out to remove invasive weeds, opening space for tree seedlings and native wildflowers. The oak-hickory woods here overlook Argo Pond, and owls and hawks nest in the trees. Meet on Longshore Drive at Amherst Avenue (map: tinyurl.com/ArgoLongshore).
Pre-registration through VolunteerHub is encouraged; please stay home if you are feeling ill. NAP continues to monitor recommendations from health officials, volunteers registered for events will be notified in advance of any changes to the workday. Please wear long pants and closed-toed shoes, and bring a water bottle and gardening gloves if you have them. All minors should be accompanied by a guardian. Tools and know-how provided. Register at tinyurl.com/Argo051422.
Huron River Day
Sunday, May 15
Gallup Park
12 to 4 p.m.
Enjoy the beautiful Huron River with free family-friendly river activities. Learn, explore and have fun celebrating Ann Arbor's wonderful freshwater with discounted boat rentals (free if you ride your bike to the event!) children's activities, river exhibits, NAP-led nature walks, music and local food. For more information visit a2gov.org/hrd.
Stewardship Workday
World Migratory Bird Day
Bird Hills Nature Area
Sunday, May 15
1 to 4 p.m.
#WorldMigratoryBirdDay It's easy to forget you're in the city in this 146-acre woodland. Migratory birds stop in these trees on their way north. Listen to the birdsong while improving their habitat by removing exotic species such as dame's rocket. Join us at the Bird Road entrance to this park, west of Huron River Drive (map: tinyurl.com/BirdHillsBird). (additional parking in Barton Nature Area-Dam Entrance). Pre-registration through VolunteerHub is encouraged; please stay home if you are feeling ill. NAP continues to monitor recommendations from health officials, volunteers registered for events will be notified in advance of any changes to the workday. Please wear long pants and closed-toed shoes, and bring a water bottle and gardening gloves if you have them. All minors should be accompanied by a guardian. Tools and know-how provided. Register at tinyurl.com/Bird051422.
Stewardship Workday
World Bee Day
Sunset Brooks Nature Area
Saturday, May 21
9 a.m. to noon
#WorldBeeDay22 Some bees use “buzz pollination" to get flowers to release pollen – their buzzing vibrates the anthers of the flower and the pollen just shakes off. This process is also called “sonication" and is one of many ways bees and other pollinators interact with flowers to collect pollen. Come celebrate bees with NAP while working to remove invasive plants from this park! Meet at the Beechwood entrance to the park (map: tinyurl.com/SunsetBeechwood). Pre-registration through VolunteerHub is encouraged; please stay home if you are feeling ill. NAP continues to monitor recommendations from health officials, volunteers registered for events will be notified in advance of any changes to the workday. Please wear long pants and closed-toed shoes, and bring a water bottle and gardening gloves if you have them. All minors should be accompanied by a guardian. Tools and know-how provided. Register at tinyurl.com/Sunset052122.
Stewardship Workday
Endangered Species Day
Cedar Bend Nature Area
Saturday, May 21
1 to 4 p.m.
#EndangeredSpeciesDay Many threatened and endangered species come through Ann Arbor's natural areas, whether to stop during migration, or to make a home. NAP volunteers are land stewards, protecting and restoring Ann Arbor's natural areas. Celebrate the collective work of all land stewards who make a difference to endangered species by coming out to pull invasive weeds threatening habitat. Meet at the Island Park parking lot, at the end of Island Drive (map: tinyurl.com/CedarBendIslandDrive). Pre-registration through VolunteerHub is encouraged; please stay home if you are feeling ill. NAP continues to monitor recommendations from health officials, volunteers registered for events will be notified in advance of any changes to the workday. Please wear long pants and closed-toed shoes, and bring a water bottle and gardening gloves if you have them. All minors should be accompanied by a guardian. Tools and know-how provided. Register at tinyurl.com/Cedar052122.
Stewardship Workday
International Day for Biodiversity
Marshall Nature Area
Sunday, May 22
9 a.m. to noon
#UNBiodiversity While there is a growing recognition that biological diversity is a global asset of great value to future generations, the number of species in the world is being significantly reduced by certain human activities. Lend a hand at Marshall to remove invasive plants and improve biodiversity. Meet in the parking lot off Dixboro Road, north of Plymouth Road (map: tinyurl.com/MarshallDixboro). Pre-registration through VolunteerHub is encouraged; please stay home if you are feeling ill. NAP continues to monitor recommendations from health officials, volunteers registered for events will be notified in advance of any changes to the workday. Please wear long pants and closed-toed shoes, and bring a water bottle and gardening gloves if you have them. All minors should be accompanied by a guardian. Tools and know-how provided. Register at tinyurl.com/Marshall052222.
Stewardship Workday
International Day for Biodiversity
Black Pond Woods Nature Area
Sunday, May 22
1 to 4 p.m.
Running an ecosystem is hard work – good thing we have each other! Every organism from the microscopic to the massive, contributes to healthy ecosystems and, they depend on each other for survival. In our natural areas, invasive and non-native plants threaten biodiversity by blocking access to resources needed by native species. Join us to celebrate and protect biodiversity by hand-pulling invasive plants. Meet us on Tibbits Court, off Pontiac Trail (map: tinyurl.com/BlackPondTibbits). Pre-registration through VolunteerHub is encouraged; please stay home if you are feeling ill. NAP continues to monitor recommendations from health officials, volunteers registered for events will be notified in advance of any changes to the workday. Please wear long pants and closed-toed shoes, and bring a water bottle and gardening gloves if you have them. All minors should be accompanied by a guardian. Tools and know-how provided. Register at tinyurl.com/BPW052222.
Spring Nature Walk with AADL
Scarlett Mitchell Nature Area
Sunday, May 29
1 to 2 p.m.
Scarlett Mitchell is 88 acres of mixed habitat – oak forest, wet meadow, shrubland – and a fabulous place to spot some cool birds, rare plants, and interesting mushrooms. Join this walk, then come back to Scarlett Mitchell next month for a Stewardship Workday! Meet in the Scarlett Middle School parking lot off Lorraine Street (map: tinyurl.com/ScarlettMiddleSchool). Make sure to dress for the weather (walks happen rain or shine) and bring a water bottle. The nature walks are a collaboration between the Ann Arbor District Library and Natural Area Preservation that take place once a month. Some of AADL's Science Tools will be available for use during the walk! Registration is strongly encouraged so we can accommodate everyone! Register at tinyurl.com/ScarlettWalk052922.
June
Stewardship Workday
Buttonbush Nature Area
Saturday, June 4
9 a.m. to noon
Named for the dramatic thickets of buttonbush shrubs that bloom in the “inundated shrub swamp" in late July, Buttonbush Nature Area is only two years old –one of Ann Arbor's newest parks. Join NAP to remove non-native plants, and spend some time getting to know this new and unique park. Meet at the park entrance at the end of Hickory Point Drive (map: http://tinyurl.com/ButtonbushHickoryPoint). Pre-registration through VolunteerHub is encouraged; please stay home if you are feeling ill. NAP continues to monitor recommendations from health officials, volunteers registered for events will be notified in advance of any changes to the workday. Please wear long pants and closed-toed shoes, and bring a water bottle and gardening gloves if you have them. All minors should be accompanied by a guardian. Tools and know-how provided. Register at http://tinyurl.com/Buttonbush060422.
Stewardship Workday
World Environment Day
Oakridge Nature Area
Sunday, June 5
9 a.m. to noon
#WorldEnvironmentDay was started in 1974 by the UN and is celebrated every year on June 5 to raise awareness and generate action. Join NAP at Oakridge Nature Area this #WorldEnvironmentDay to take part in the UN's Decade on Ecological Restoration by pulling invasive plants. Meet in the southwest corner of the intersection of Glazier Way and Huron Parkway (map: http://tinyurl.com/OakridgeWest). Pre-registration through VolunteerHub is encouraged; please stay home if you are feeling ill. NAP continues to monitor recommendations from health officials, volunteers registered for events will be notified in advance of any changes to the workday. Please wear long pants and closed-toed shoes, and bring a water bottle and gardening gloves if you have them. All minors should be accompanied by a guardian. Tools and know-how provided. Register at http://tinyurl.com/Oakridge060522.
Stewardship Workday
World Environment Day
Ruthven Nature Area
Sunday, June 5
1 to 4 p.m.
NAP will be out at Ruthven this #WorldEnvironmentDay to pull invasive plants. Join this day of action and take part in the UN's Decade on Ecological Restoration. For the last 48 years #WorldEnvironmentDay has raised awareness about pressing environmental issues – let's keep up the good work together! Meet at the Gallup boat dock parking lot, at the southeast corner of Huron Parkway and Geddes Road (map: http://tinyurl.com/GallupBoatDock). Pre-registration through VolunteerHub is encouraged; please stay home if you are feeling ill. NAP continues to monitor recommendations from health officials, volunteers registered for events will be notified in advance of any changes to the workday. Please wear long pants and closed-toed shoes, and bring a water bottle and gardening gloves if you have them. All minors should be accompanied by a guardian. Tools and know-how provided. Register at http://tinyurl.com/Ruthven060522.
Stewardship Workday
Narrow Gauge Way Nature Area
Saturday, June 11
9 a.m. to noon
Come visit a beloved neighborhood park known for its precious geologic features. Between ten and sixteen thousand years ago, the advancing and retreating of glaciers across the land created features known as kames. Narrow Gauge Way has one of these kames, which is a sand and gravel hill deposited from an ice sheet. Enjoy views of this natural wonder while removing invasive species from the park. Meet at the corner of Narrow Gauge Way and Watershed Drive (map: http://tinyurl.com/NarrowGaugeWatershed). Pre-registration through VolunteerHub is encouraged; please stay home if you are feeling ill. NAP continues to monitor recommendations from health officials, volunteers registered for events will be notified in advance of any changes to the workday. Please wear long pants and closed-toed shoes, and bring a water bottle and gardening gloves if you have them. All minors should be accompanied by a guardian. Tools and know-how provided. Register at http://tinyurl.com/Narrow061122.
Stewardship Workday
Huron Hills Golf Course Woods
Saturday, June 11
1 to 4 p.m.
Huron Hills Golf Course Woods in summer is a beautifully shaded environment filled with black oak, sassafras, red maple, Hill's oak, white oak, and witch-hazel. You can also be on the lookout for Pennsylvania sedge, Indian pipe, alum root, Carolina rose, hillside blueberry, and bracken fern. Join NAP to pull invasive weeds to protect and restore this lovely location. Meet on Hunting Valley off Provincial Drive (map: http://tinyurl.com/HHGCWHuntingValley). Pre-registration through VolunteerHub is encouraged; please stay home if you are feeling ill. NAP continues to monitor recommendations from health officials, volunteers registered for events will be notified in advance of any changes to the workday. Please wear long pants and closed-toed shoes, and bring a water bottle and gardening gloves if you have them. All minors should be accompanied by a guardian. Tools and know-how provided. Register at http://tinyurl.com/Huron061122.
Stewardship Workday
Brokaw Nature Area
Sunday, June 12
9 a.m. to noon
The variety of habitats within Brokaw make it a great place to explore. In the wet-mesic forest, you can find jewelweed—and green dragon if you're lucky. The mesic forest has seven species of oak, including the noteworthy shingle oak. Finally, the old field habitat is a great place to stop and smell the wildflowers, like wild bergamot and common mountain mint. Come out to help build and maintain the trails for nature explorers. Meet at the parking lot off West Huron River Drive, just southeast of Wagner Road (map: http://tinyurl.com/BrokawHRD). Pre-registration through VolunteerHub is encouraged; please stay home if you are feeling ill. NAP continues to monitor recommendations from health officials, volunteers registered for events will be notified in advance of any changes to the workday. Please wear long pants and closed-toed shoes, and bring a water bottle and gardening gloves if you have them. All minors should be accompanied by a guardian. Tools and know-how provided. Register at http://tinyurl.com/Brokaw061222.
Stewardship Workday
Barton Nature Area
Sunday, June 12
1 to 4 p.m.
The land at Barton Nature Area was purchased in the 1960s from Detroit Edison, who used Barton Dam for electric power production. Barton is the only dam in the city still used to generate electricity, but now the city sells the electricity to DTE. Historically, the entire oxbow area was cleared for farming due to the flat nature of the land. NAP volunteers have made tremendous progress restoring a variety of habitats at Barton, join this workday to pull invasive weeds! Meet at the Barton Dam parking lot on Huron River Drive (map: http://tinyurl.com/BartonParkingLot). Pre-registration through VolunteerHub is encouraged; please stay home if you are feeling ill. NAP continues to monitor recommendations from health officials, volunteers registered for events will be notified in advance of any changes to the workday. Please wear long pants and closed-toed shoes, and bring a water bottle and gardening gloves if you have them. All minors should be accompanied by a guardian. Tools and know-how provided. Register at http://tinyurl.com/Barton061222.
Stewardship Workday
Scarlett Mitchell Nature Area
Saturday, June 18
9 a.m. to noon
There are two Park Stewards at Scarlett Mitchell who have been working at the 88-acre park for 55 years! NAP is grateful for all those frigid mornings and hot afternoons these seemingly tireless stewards have dedicated to the park. The hundreds of native species living there are probably grateful too. Join the legacy of preservation as a volunteer, hand-pulling invasive weeds and trimming trails. Meet in the Scarlett Middle School parking lot off Lorraine Street (map: http://tinyurl.com/ScarlettMiddleSchool). Pre-registration through VolunteerHub is encouraged; please stay home if you are feeling ill. NAP continues to monitor recommendations from health officials, volunteers registered for events will be notified in advance of any changes to the workday. Please wear long pants and closed-toed shoes, and bring a water bottle and gardening gloves if you have them. All minors should be accompanied by a guardian. Tools and know-how provided. Register at http://tinyurl.com/Scarlett061822.
Stewardship Workday
Berkshire Creek Nature Area
Saturday, June 18
1 to 4 p.m.
At this mid-June workday, if you join NAP for an afternoon hand-pulling invasive weeds, you just might get to see some interesting and relatively rare native plants. Among them is green dragon, relative to Jack-in-the-pulpit, and named for part of its unique blossom which resembles a long, flickering lizard's tongue – the “dragon's tongue." Meet at the end of Warwick Road off Glenwood North of Washtenaw Avenue (map: http://tinyurl.com/BerkshireWarwick). Pre-registration through VolunteerHub is encouraged; please stay home if you are feeling ill. NAP continues to monitor recommendations from health officials, volunteers registered for events will be notified in advance of any changes to the workday. Please wear long pants and closed-toed shoes, and bring a water bottle and gardening gloves if you have them. All minors should be accompanied by a guardian. Tools and know-how provided. Register at http://tinyurl.com/Berkshire061822.
Stewardship Workday
Pollinator Week
Dolph Bioswale and Natural Area
Saturday, June 25
9 a.m. to noon
Pollinators would love your help this Saturday morning. In fact, hand-pulling invasive weeds at Dolph will support pollinators, and YOU! By removing aggressive non-native plants like garlic mustard and dame's rocket, you'll be freeing-up resources for the native plants that pollinators visit. When pollinators have good habitat, all the other organisms in the ecosystem benefit. Meet at the trailhead off Parklake Avenue, just south of Lakeview Drive (map: http://tinyurl.com/DolphParklake).
A small group will also care for the bioswale on the east side of the park (near Parklake Ave and Lakeview Dr). Within the bioswale volunteers will be removing invasive plants and giving some TLC to the space. Although professional landscapers visit the bioswale throughout the growing season to remove the more aggressive invasive species, there is still plenty of work that can be done on a smaller scale. If you are interested in becoming a steward, please contact Catie at [email protected]. Stewards work on their own schedule throughout the year to weed, plant, collect seed, prune, etc.
Pre-registration through VolunteerHub is encouraged; please stay home if you are feeling ill. NAP continues to monitor recommendations from health officials, volunteers registered for events will be notified in advance of any changes to the workday. Please wear long pants and closed-toed shoes, and bring a water bottle and gardening gloves if you have them. All minors should be accompanied by a guardian. Tools and know-how provided. Register at http://tinyurl.com/Dolph062522. This workday is organized by Natural Area Preservation and the City of Ann Arbor Systems Planning Unit in collaboration with the Water Resources Commissioner's Office.
Stewardship Workday
Pollinator Week
Lakewood Nature Area
Saturday, June 25
1 to 4 p.m.
Lakewood pollinators have a unique and locally rare plant species to enjoy, the Kentucky coffee-tree (Gymnocladus dioicus). This seeds of this member of the legume family were once used to make a weak coffee substitute. Come out for an afternoon hand-pulling invasive weeds that crowd and outcompete the native plant species that pollinators need to survive. Volunteer with NAP for the pollinators! Meet at the park entrance on Sunnywood Drive (map: http://tinyurl.com/LakewoodSunnywood). Pre-registration through VolunteerHub is encouraged; please stay home if you are feeling ill. NAP continues to monitor recommendations from health officials, volunteers registered for events will be notified in advance of any changes to the workday. Please wear long pants and closed-toed shoes, and bring a water bottle and gardening gloves if you have them. All minors should be accompanied by a guardian. Tools and know-how provided. Register at http://tinyurl.com/Lakewood062522.
Summer Nature Walk with AADL
Sunday, June 26
Bluffs Nature Area
1 to 2 p.m.
Bluffs Nature Area is a roughly 40-acre tract of land that engulfs you in nature, yet is close to the comforts of the city. On a glacially-formed ridge above the Huron River and N. Main St., it is an important link in the corridor of natural areas surrounding the Huron River that support wildlife. Join NAP for a nature walk in this park with an amazing variety of natural features and native species. Meet at the entrance on Sunset Road near Wildt Street. (map: http://tinyurl.com/BluffsSunset). Make sure to dress for the weather (walks happen rain or shine) and bring a water bottle. The nature walks are a collaboration between the Ann Arbor District Library and Natural Area Preservation that take place once a month. Some of AADL's Science Tools will be available for use during the walk! Registration is strongly encouraged so NAP can accommodate everyone! Register at http://tinyurl.com/BluffsWalk062622.
For more information about what each of these events may require, please read more about volunteering with NAP
here.
