Environmental Interpretive Center April 1, 2025 | | |
In this issue:
- Earth Month Ecochallenge
- Upcoming EIC Programs
- Summer Nature Exploration Camp
- Green Forum: "Forest Therapy and Tourism;" New Course: Bicycle Urbanism; Environmental Justice Panel Discussion; & Sustainability Fest
- Tales From the Trails: "Have a Ball!"
- Greenways: Project PAT Volunteer Training Session, April 19
- Award-winning Staff Member Mike Solomon!
- Volunteers' Spotlight: Gettin' Sappy
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Earth Month Ecochallenge 2025
Since the first Earth Day in 1970, when 20 million people in the United States rallied for a better future for our planet, Earth Day has evolved into the planet’s most significant annual civic engagement event. Expanding beyond a single day, Earth Day now encompasses the entire month of April globally. The Earth Month Ecochallenge is your opportunity to transform Earth Day intentions into impactful actions and lasting habits. (Photo courtesy of NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory)
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Evening Spring Walk!
Friday, April 25
7:30-9:00 p.m.
Join us to celebrate the arrival of spring on an evening walk with your EIC friends. Hopefully, there will be some confirmation of this change with what conservationist and writer Aldo Leopold called the "sky dance" of the American Woodcock. Wear sturdy shoes and dress for whatever the 2025 "spring" weather serves up. (Photo courtesy of Ryan Mandelbaum, Flickr.)
Please register for this program.
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Nature Walks for Mental Health
This semester's round of nature walks will be conclude on April 9th, from 2:00-2:45pm. Attendees of previous walks will be entered into a prize raffle at the final End of Semester Celebration! These walks will resume again soon. Please register for this program.
Photography in Nature Walks
These guided walks will take place on the 4th Thursday of the month from 2:30-3:30, April 24, May 22, June 26, July 24, Aug. 28. Please register for this program.
Sprouts Children's Gardening Program
Children ages 6-8 are invited to participate in the Sprouts Children's Organic Gardening Program! Located in the campus Community Organic Garden, Gardeners will experience all the joys and struggles of growing their own food.
They will plant, tend, and harvest their own vegetables, learning the story of where their meals come from. The children will also explore and learn about soil health, composting, garden creatures, plant parts, and pollination!
Meeting dates for this program are: 5/20/25, 5/27/25, 6/10/25, 6/17/25, 7/1/25, 7/15/25, 7/29/25, 8/19/25
Please register for this program.
Summer Nature Exploration Camp
Get your child outdoors and learning about nature! Led by EIC staff and UM-Dearborn student interpreters, this science-oriented program provides direct, hands-on learning in a beautiful natural setting. Session topics will include pond life, birds, insects and spiders, and frogs and turtles.
Ages 7-9, July 7-10; ages 10-12, July 14-17. Please register for this program.
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EIC Fellows Green Forum
Our Fellows, representing the four UM-Dearborn academic colleges, invite you to their final presentation of the Green Forum speaker series. The program will take place in the EIC Auditorium, where light refreshments will be available.
April 1, 4-5 p.m.: Dr. Linas Daubaras
Lithuanian College of Engineering
"Forest Therapy and Tourism"
Dr. Daubaras is a lecturer at Kaunas Forestry and Environmental Engineering University of Applied Sciences and is a lecturer on nature tourism and landscaping. He is an author of educational books, and co-author of scientific articles. He says, "While guiding my guest in the nature, I feel content to be able to convey (especially to young people) my knowledge of nature, to promote its preservation, and thus to contribute to this most important thing in the world."
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Intriguing new course!
Bicycle Urbanism will explore the ways in which cities are designed to support humans. Students will explore practices and policies that support (or hinder) safe, convenient, and accessible bicycle infrastructure and the underlying culture that influences rates of non-motorized transportation.
Taught by Professors Carmel Price and Natalie Sampson, the program will start in Metro-Detroit and then continue to Scandinavia, visiting Copenhagen (Denmark), Gothenburg (Sweden), and Oslo (Norway). For more information, click on the QR code in the flyer (right).
| Environmental Justice Panel Discussion at the EIC! | |
Sustainability Festival!
Celebrate Earth Month at the Sustainability Fest! This year, there are a whole bunch of different activities and perks to offer attendees who join the Fest, including a mending station run by Detroit Repair Cafe, a bookswap hosted by the Student Sustainability Coalition, a panel on environmental health and community centered advocacy (2:00-2:45 in Room 1227, across the hall), and of course, the opportunity to connect with many different sustainability-focused organizations who will be tabling! Please RSVP here.
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This event will be held in the Renick University Center, Kochoff Hall C
from 1-3:30pm.
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Havin' a Ball!
Every March, on a day in which the sun shines and the daytime temperature goes above 60 degrees Fahrenheit, the Eastern Garter Snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis) in the Environmental Study Area emerge from their winter hideaways. This year, that happened on March 10, when staff naturalist Mike Solomon noted a rather sluggish heap of garter snakes while out with a group of schoolchildren. (Photo courtesy of Ontario Nature)
The snakes that Mike and his group saw were poised to renew an age-old purpose, which they waste no time in pursuing when conditions are right. Garter snake mating season was ready to commence. Within days of Mike’s sighting, reports were coming in at the Center about garter snakes moving quickly about, and without concern for the presence of people nearby. These were male snakes searching for females.
| | If you happen upon this fascinating display of snake behavior, you will notice that the males are sticking their tongues out in quick succession. Snakes pick up scent molecules on their tongues, which are transferred to a special organ, called the Jacobson’s Organ, on their roof of their mouth. In this instance, the males are probably trying to pick up scent pheromones from a female. (Photo by Chris Friesen, courtesy of Oregon State University) | | | There is a way to respectfully observe the full extent of this fascinating behavior. Sit or stand still, and watch quietly. I have done this on numerous occasions, and have sometimes had the male snakes slither over my shoes, without a care. | | |
This behavior can be misinterpreted as the snakes aggressively pursuing a human observer. Rest easy, as it is nothing of the sort. In fact, it represents a very vulnerable period of activity for the snakes, as predators on the watch, such as hawks, find them easier prey. It also makes the snakes vulnerable to being picked up by people and released well away from where they need to be, such as near their winter hideaway and near other garter snakes. That can result in a disoriented, starving snake. (Photo by Kirdinn Toan)
You may also see the males moving toward a writhing mass of garter snakes nearby. That’s the mating ball, with many males vying to mate with one female, which is often the largest snake in the ball.
Garter snake mating season will soon be over. To try catching up with a snake-mating ball, consider a walk in the ESA on a warm, sunny day, before around mid-April. If you find one, please let one of the Center naturalists know about it!
-Rick Simek
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Project PAT Volunteer Training
For many, the month of April is a time to enjoy and appreciate all the beauty that our planet has to offer. Plants are sprouting, birds are singing, the sun is shining, and Earth Day is just around the corner. Volunteering is the perfect way to show your love and support for Earth this year, and there are plenty of opportunities right here at the Environmental Interpretive Center!
Last month, I introduced the EIC’s new Project Protecting Avian Travel, which will rely on help from volunteers to monitor how birds are affected by window collisions throughout the migration season at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. If you would like to participate as a volunteer or simply learn more about the project, please join us for the Project PAT Launch Party on April 19, from 1:30-2:30. There will be refreshments, information about Project PAT, and a short training session for those who are interested in supporting the initiative this migration season!
If you are interested in this project, but can't make the "party," please let us know by filling out the registration form.
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EIC alumni Griffin Bray, Program Assistant Dale Browne (last year’s recipient of "the McBeath"), and I nominated Mike for this award, with support from other EIC colleagues. We couldn’t be happier for Mike to receive this recognition for his interpretive talents and the many contributions, both big and small, that he makes in the EIC’s operations. Congratulations, Mike!
-Dorothy McLeer, Editor
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Volunteers' Spotlight: Gettin' Sappy
Our maple sugaring season is nearing its sweet ending, and we would sincerely like to thank our sap collecting volunteers who “stuck” with us, emptying nearly 70 sap buckets practically every day since February 23! Under the leadership of Mike Solomon, nearly 600 gallons of sap came out of our forest, pulled on a garden cart back to the EIC and the wood smoke aroma of the “outdoor kitchen.”
| | With only 2-5% sugar in the sap, it’s a 40:1 ratio to produce the 63-67% sugary liquid you’d prefer on your waffles and pancakes! Our evaporator, and our resident syrup chefs, boiled the watery sap down to its essence—in this case, only 15 gallons of syrup, bottled by our staff. It takes a LOT of time and boiling to reach the desired sweetness. (That might explain the cost of pure maple syrup at the grocery store!) (Photo by editor) | | | |
In southeast Michigan, the sugar maples tell us that the sugaring season is roughly between Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14) and St. Patrick’s Day (March 17). Mark your calendars for next year for a real sweet time!
-Dorothy McLeer
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Venturing outdoors and encountering nature is good for your health. Our trails are accessible, so please visit our Environmental Study Area. Stay engaged in learning activities and check out our Remote Learning Activities & Resources page for ideas to create a “Neighborhood Nature Journal” and “Family Nature Walk” activities!
We also hope to see you in person at our upcoming programs!
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Please remember...
The EIC Environmental Study Area is open daily from sunrise to sunset. We would like to remind nature-goers that fishing on site is prohibited and to leave bikes and dogs at home because they cause disruption and stress to the EIC wildlife.
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