Archived News Release: June 4, 2019 - City of Ann Arbor Natural Area Preservation (NAP) works to protect and restore Ann Arbor's natural areas and to foster an environmental ethic among its citizens. This involves conducting plant and animal inventories, ecological monitoring and stewardship projects in Ann Arbor's parks. These tasks are performed by both staff and volunteers.
For all stewardship workdays: 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.
Volunteer opportunities coming up in July are listed below. For more information about NAP, visit www.a2gov.org/NAP.
Sunday, July 7, 9 a.m.–noon
Bluffs Nature Area
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. Take part in efforts with NAP to allow the native plants to thrive by pulling invasive species. NAP will show you how to find them. Meet in the parking lot off Main Street, just north of Lake Shore Drive (map).
Tuesday, July 9, 7:30–8:30 a.m.
Bruegger's Bagels, 709 N. University Ave.
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.
Sunday, July 14, 9 a.m.–noon
Black Pond Woods Nature Area
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 NAP protect these woods by removing non-native plants such as Japanese hedge parsley. Kids can help, too, so bring the family! Meet on Tibbits Court, off of Pontiac Trail (map).
Sunday, July 21, 9 a.m.–noon
Ruthven Nature Area
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).
Nature Walk with NAP and Ann Arbor District Library
Thursday, July 25, 6-7:30 p.m.
Marshall Nature Area
Marshall Nature Area is 87 acres of oak hickory woodland with scattered prairie pockets. Join NAP 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 AADL and NAP that take place once a month April through September.
Stewardship Workday
Saturday, July 27, 1–4 p.m.
Marshall Nature Area
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 NAP to remove these invaders and keep the park beautiful. Meet in the parking lot off Dixboro road, north of Plymouth Road (map).
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