Chippewa Nature Center Calendar




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Visitor Center Hours: Monday-Friday 8-5, Saturdays 9-5, Sundays and Holidays 1-5 Trails open every day from dawn to dark 2012: May \| June \| July \| August September \| October \| November \| December Download a Registration Form to sign up for fee-related programs

July 2012

1/1/12-12/31/12 Member: $7 Non-member: $10 Ages: 9+	IP12-01 Walk 100 Miles Register at the Visitor Center to walk 100 miles on Chippewa Nature Center Trails and you will receive a logbook in which to keep track of the dates and mileage you have traveled. To achieve your goal, travel along any of the nature center trails by walking, skiing or snowshoeing. Take in the beautiful views along the Pine and Chippewa Rivers, investigate the fields, forests and wetlands, see how things change throughout the seasons, look for and enjoy the bountiful wildlife and join the many guided hikes throughout the year. Travel 100, 200 or 500 miles in 2012 and receive a t-shirt to mark your achievement! Three additional prizes will be awarded to the three people who have logged the most miles. Registration: 989-631-0830 or scheduler@chippewanaturecenter.org

7/1/12 Sun 1:30-5 pm Free Admission All Ages	Homestead Sunday Take a break from your busy schedule and enjoy a peaceful afternoon at the Homestead Farm. Staff and volunteers will be on hand at our log cabin and one-room schoolhouse to answer your questions, give tours of the farm and teach lessons from long ago. Kids of all ages can help with chores, play traditional games and visit the farm animals. The Homestead and Schoolhouse will be open Sundays, May 27 - September 2.

7/3/12 Tues 7/4/12 Wed 7/5/12 Thurs 7/6/12 Fri 8 am-5 pm 7/7/12 Sat 9 am-5 pm 7/8/12 Sun 1-5 pm Free Admission All Ages	Summer Exploration Days: Wonderful Wetlands! Add a special element to your visit this summer by exploring Summer Exploration Days! This indoor program includes a variety of self-guided, hands-on exploration stations. Experiments, fun facts, crafts, and scavenger hunts are just a few of the types of activities you'll find. The activities change weekly, so feel free to come back again and again!

7/4/12 Wed 8-11 pm Free Admission All Ages, under 18 w/adult	Members Only - A Cabin, a Campfire and Some Fireworks Enjoy the evening around this special members-only campfire, enjoy making a few crafts and best of eating s’mores! CNC members are invited to join Cathy Devendorf at the Homestead farm for our annual Fourth of July event. Members can start their evening by playing a few simple games, making a simple craft and toasting a few marshmallows around the campfire. Between 9:00-9:30 Cathy will read a few stories before we gather up our blankets and lawn chairs and settle in to watch the Midland city fireworks. Out-of-town guests-no problem, members are welcome to bring guests to this event. Please note: Fireworks and sparklers are not permitted at CNC.

7/6/12 Fri 6-8 pm Free Admission All Ages	Nature's Fireworks Have you ever noticed how much the fireworks resemble flowers? Join Naturalist Karen Breternitz as we search for the explosion of colors and patterns that wildflowers display. Meet at the Visitor Center.

7/8/12 Sun 1:30-5 pm Free Admission All Ages	Homestead Sunday Take a break from your busy schedule and enjoy a peaceful afternoon at the Homestead Farm. Staff and volunteers will be on hand at our log cabin and one-room schoolhouse to answer your questions, give tours of the farm and teach lessons from long ago. Kids of all ages can help with chores, play traditional games and visit the farm animals. The Homestead and Schoolhouse will be open Sundays, May 27 - September 2.

7/10/12 Tues 6:30-7:30 pm Free Admission All Ages, under 18 w/adult	Catching Pipsissewa Join Naturalist Karen Breternitz on this short hike as we try to catch some Pipsissewa: catch it in bloom, that is. Karen has never been able to catch it blooming, but she won’t give up trying. Will this be the year? Come and find out! There is more to this area than Pipsissewa, so even if it’s not blooming there will be lots of things to discover. Meet at the Chippewa River Road property about ¼ mile west of Meridian Road. (For directions, call 631-0830).

7/10/12 Tues 7/11/12 Wed 7/12/12 Thurs 7/13/12 Fri 8 am-5 pm 7/14/12 Sat 9 am-5 pm 7/15/12 Sun 1-5 pm Free Admission All Ages	Summer Exploration Days: Butterflies & Moths Add a special element to your visit this summer by exploring Summer Exploration Days! This indoor program includes a variety of self-guided, hands-on exploration stations. Experiments, fun facts, crafts, and scavenger hunts are just a few of the types of activities you'll find. The activities change weekly, so feel free to come back again and again!

7/12/12 Thurs 10 am-12 pm Free Admission Ages: 9+, under 18 w/adult	Butterfly Hike The Butterfly Count is only a few days away, so it's time to practice identifying these winged jewels! Senior Naturalist Janea Little will take you afield to show you how to identify, and sometimes capture, the variety of butterflies that call CNC "home." We are likely to give chase to a few of the less-cooperative individuals, so long pants are a wise choice to prevent the thistles and stinging nettle that lurk just off the trail from becoming a problem.

7/12/12 Thurs 7 pm Free Admission All Ages	Valley Herb Society - Private Meeting Join the VHS next month on August 2 for their monthly meeting. They will be taking a field trip to Dow Gardens to see the rose garden. For program information, please contact Cathy Devendorf at cdevendorf@chippewanaturecenter.org or 989.631.0830.

7/13/12 Fri 9-10 am & 10:30-11:30 am Free Admission Ages: 6 mos-2 yrs w/adult	Wee Stroll This program is designed for parents to take a guided walk with their child, learn about the outdoors and learn ways to introduce children to the natural world around them.

7/14/12 Sat Start time weather dependent Free Admission Ages: 9+, under 18 w/adult	Butterfly Count Chippewa Nature Center has hosted a Butterfly Count each July since 1988. Over the years we have found as many as 38 species in one day, adding a new species almost every year. Beginner and experienced lepidopterists alike are invited to spend a few hours, or the whole day, scouring CNC's property (and beyond, if we have enough participants) to record all of the butterflies we can find. We'll head out in small groups to cover as much area as possible, so if you are new to butterflies, don't worry, we'll put you with people who know what they're doing:) Much of the count is done off-trail, so plan on wearing long pants and maybe even long sleeves (thistle gets tall!). Start-time is weather dependent, so call Senior Naturalist Janea Little ahead of time (631-0830) to be put on the list of participants.

7/15/12 Sun 1:30-5 pm Free Admission All Ages	Homestead Sunday Take a break from your busy schedule and enjoy a peaceful afternoon at the Homestead Farm. Staff and volunteers will be on hand at our log cabin and one-room schoolhouse to answer your questions, give tours of the farm and teach lessons from long ago. Kids of all ages can help with chores, play traditional games and visit the farm animals. The Homestead and Schoolhouse will be open Sundays, May 27 - September 2.

7/17/12 Tues 7/18/12 Wed 7/19/12 Thurs 7/20/12 Fri 8 am-5 pm 7/21/12 Sat 9 am-5 pm 7/22/12 Sun 1-5 pm Free Admission All Ages	Summer Exploration Days: Beavers & Muskrats Add a special element to your visit this summer by exploring Summer Exploration Days! This indoor program includes a variety of self-guided, hands-on exploration stations. Experiments, fun facts, crafts, and scavenger hunts are just a few of the types of activities you'll find. The activities change weekly, so feel free to come back again and again!

7/17/12 Tues 6-9 pm Registration Deadline: 7/11/12 Members: $15 Non-members: $22 Ages: 15+, under 18 w/adult	F12-22 Local Kayak Trip Join Kyle Bagnall in a leisure kayak trip traveling down the river. Interesting facts about the natural and cultural history found along the way will be pointed out. This trip is an easy way to relieve the pressures of the week and get a little exercise and is a great way to get out and enjoy the outdoors! If weather or water conditions are not favorable, this trip will be canceled (determined the afternoon of the trip at CNC's discretion) and participants will be refunded.

7/18/12 Wed 6:30-7:30 pm Free Admission All Ages, under 18 w/adult	Catching Pipsissewa Join Naturalist Karen Breternitz on this short hike as we try to catch some Pipsissewa: catch it in bloom, that is. Karen has never been able to catch it blooming, but she won’t give up trying. Will this be the year? Come and find out! There is more to this area than Pipsissewa, so even if it’s not blooming there will be lots of things to discover. Meet at the Chippewa River Rd. property about ¼ mile west of Meridian Road. (For directions, call 631-0830).

7/19/12 Thurs 9-10 am & 10:30-11:30 am Free Admission Ages: 3-5 w/adult	Preschool Story Hour: Hop Like a Grasshopper Come spend an hour learning about nature! The hour will include a story and may include songs, art, rhymes and other age-appropriate activities.

7/22/12 Sun 1:30-5 pm Free Admission All Ages	Homestead Sunday Take a break from your busy schedule and enjoy a peaceful afternoon at the Homestead Farm. Staff and volunteers will be on hand at our log cabin and one-room schoolhouse to answer your questions, give tours of the farm and teach lessons from long ago. Kids of all ages can help with chores, play traditional games and visit the farm animals. The Homestead and Schoolhouse will be open Sundays, May 27 - September 2.

7/23/12 Mon 5:30-7 pm Free Admission All Ages, under 18 w/adult	Rattlesnakes and Horse Tails There is nothing to fear as we look for Rattlesnake Plantain (belonging to the orchid family) and Horsetail (a living fossil) at the River Point Property. If we’re lucky, we will also catch the Button Bush in bloom and see some fruiting fungi too. Meet Naturalist Karen Breternitz at our River Point parking lot located on Hubert Road. To get there, take Pine River road ¾ mile west of the CNC entrance, turn right on Hubert Road and drive to the end of the road.

7/24/12 Tues 2-4 pm Free Admission All Ages, under 18 w/adult	Butterfly Hike Have you ever wanted to catch a butterfly? It's not easy, but you can learn how to use an aerial net today. Any butterflies we catch, we'll look at and identify, then release them. Meet Educator Jeanne Henderson at the Chippewa Trail pavilion.

7/24/12 Tues 7/25/12 Wed 7/26/12 Thurs 7/27/12 Fri 8 am-5 pm 7/28/12 Sat 9 am-5 pm 7/29/12 Sun 1-5 pm Free Admission All Ages	Summer Exploration Days: Seeds! Add a special element to your visit this summer by exploring Summer Exploration Days! This indoor program includes a variety of self-guided, hands-on exploration stations. Experiments, fun facts, crafts, and scavenger hunts are just a few of the types of activities you'll find. The activities change weekly, so feel free to come back again and again!

7/25/12 Wed 7-10 am Free Admission Ages: 9+, under 18 w/adult	Birds & Bagels Late July might not seem like the peak of birding season, but between summer-long nesters such as goldfinches, wrens, robins and doves, and birds that are actually beginning migration, such as orioles, shorebirds and swallows, we should be able to find plenty of birds. Plus, we can take on the challenge of identifying molting and juvenile sparrows! Join Senior Naturalist Janea Little for 2+ hours of birding, followed by refreshments in the Visitor Center. Loaner binoculars are available. Generously sponsored by Big Apple Bagels.

7/25/12 Wed 9 am-2 pm Free Admission All Ages, under 18 w/adult	Homestead Quilters Pick up a needle and learn this beautiful craft with the Quilters at their regular monthly meeting.

7/27/12 Fri 6-9 pm Registration Deadline: 7/20/12 Members: $15 Non-members: $22 Ages: Women 14+, under 18 w/adult	F12-23 Adventures for Women: Kayaking the Chippewa River Enjoy a quiet paddling trip down the Chippewa River, a wide, slow-moving river perfect for either beginners or experts who want to relax. We'll put the kayaks in the river near Meridian Road and float down to our main canoe launch just downstream of the Pine/Chippewa River confluence. Along the way, we'll watch for herons, eagles, map turtles, orioles, flycatchers, muskrat, mink, fish, and other wildlife who call the river "home."

7/28/12 Sat 2-3:30 pm Free Admission All Ages, under 18 w/adult	Dipping at the Wetlands There is a tremendous amount of activity beneath the surface of the pond. Join CNC Educator Jackie Kelly at our Wetlands Area on Badour Road, south of Pine River Road as we use dippers and nets to discover what is living underwater. Please dress for the weather.

7/28/12 Sat 9 am-4 pm Registration Deadline: 7/20/12 Members: $15 Non-members: $22 Ages: 15+, under 18 w/adult	F12-24 Michigan’s Wild Pathways Series: Northern Midland County Trails How well do you know the trails that wind through northern Midland County? Of course there’s Pine Haven Recreational Area (8 miles), but have you tried the beginning of the Midland to Mackinaw Trail, Veteran’s Memorial County Park trails, or some of the AuSable State Forest 2-tracks? On this outing, Senior Naturalist, Phil Stephens, will explore the sometimes surprising natural and human history of these and a few other interesting areas (some even have hills!). We will hike a total of perhaps 6 miles, so bring a lunch, water, rain coat, and comfortable walking clothing. Transportation is in a Nature Center vehicle.

7/29/12 Sun 1:30-5 pm Free Admission All Ages	Homestead Sunday Take a break from your busy schedule and enjoy a peaceful afternoon at the Homestead Farm. Staff and volunteers will be on hand at our log cabin and one-room schoolhouse to answer your questions, give tours of the farm and teach lessons from long ago. Kids of all ages can help with chores, play traditional games and visit the farm animals. The Homestead and Schoolhouse will be open Sundays, May 27 - September 2.

7/31/12 Tues 8/1/12 Wed 8/2/12 Thurs 8/3/12 Fri 8 am-5 pm 8/4/12 Sat 9 am-5 pm 8/5/12 Sun 1-5 pm Free Admission All Ages	Summer Exploration Days: Take a Closer Look Add a special element to your visit this summer by exploring Summer Exploration Days! This indoor program includes a variety of self-guided, hands-on exploration stations. Experiments, fun facts, crafts, and scavenger hunts are just a few of the types of activities you'll find. The activities change weekly, so feel free to come back again and again!

2012: May \| June \| July \| August September \| October \| November \| December
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