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In this issue:
- Microseason: "Verdant Burst"
- From Earth Day to Birthday--25th Birthday Recap
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Upcoming EIC Programs, Children's Gardening Program, Summer Nature Exploration Camp, & Partner Events
- Pollinator Photo Contest 2026!
- UM-Dearborn is Designated as the FIRST Bird City Campus!
- Tales From the Trails: Oooh, Baby, Baby...
- Greenways: Campus Compaction in Action
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Microseasons Illustrated:
Verdant Burst
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We had a great time celebrating our 25th Birthday on May 16! If you were one of the 100+ guests that joined us, thank you for sharing in our festivities. Here are some snaps from our party, all taken by UM-Dearborn staff photographer Matthew Stephens. A link to some highlights of the event, filmed by Rick Morrone and his team, is available for viewing.
We are working toward our "25 for 25," to earn $25,000 by year's end. We're doing well, and there is still time to help push us over the goal. Just click on the Giving Portal below.
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Upcoming Programs and Partner Events | | |
Sunset Near the Solstice
June 19, 8:00-9:30
Get an "early start" on celebrating summer's arrival with your EIC friends. Sunset is scheduled for 9:13 Eastern time, so we will enjoy an evening stroll toward the meadow.
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There we will watch the sun set into the "notch in the trees," designed by the Ford's landscape artist Jens Jensen, pictured above. Please use this Google Form to register for the evening program.
(Photo courtesy of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation)
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Photography in Nature Walk
Thursday, June 25
5:00-6:30 p.m.
Join EIC staff naturalist Mike Solomon for an evening stroll, capturing spring sightings in photos.
Meet at the EIC. Please complete the Google Form registration for this program.
(Prothonotary Warbler photo by Geoffrey Clarke)
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Wayne County Parks Bugtopia!
July 25, 9:00-11:00 a.m.
Nankin Mills Park
A Celebration of our tiny but important six-legged friends. Inflatables, live insects, catching insects, crafts and more at this free event!
Come see your EIC friends Mike and Dorothy while you visit a variety of organizations and their "bugs."
Contact Wayne County Parks
734-261-1990
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Pollinator Power Party! (Virtual!)
Join the Electric Power Research Institute and Pollinator Partnership for the Pollinator Power Party, an annual Pollinator Week celebration spotlighting pollinator-friendly practices, real-world success stories, and actionable resources for protecting pollinators and the ecosystems they support.
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How to Participate:
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Bookmark this pollinatorpowerparty.org link
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Click here to Sign up to receive the Daily Pollen newsletter
- Explore the featured resources and opportunities on our website announced each day of the Party.
- Discover activities, tips, and tools to help pollinators.
- Take action and share what you’ve learned on social media using #PowerInPollinators for a chance to receive a Pollinator Week swag box!
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Click on this Pollinator Power Party Bioblitz link to make pollinator observations and monitor populations across the U.S.
| | Pollinator Photo Contest 2026! | | |
The Environmental Interpretive Center and UM-Dearborn Bee Campus USA are now accepting entries in the 7th annual Pollinator Photo Contest!
Since 2019, the University of Michigan-Dearborn has been certified as a Bee Campus USA affiliate by the Xerces Society for our efforts to promote pollinator education and conservation.
To learn more about the photo contest and to see some photographs taken over the history of the contest, including those portraits above, visit the photo contest website.
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UM-Dearborn is the FIRST
Bird City Michigan Campus!
As migrating birds travel across southeast Michigan each spring and fall, many are drawn toward the University of Michigan-Dearborn campus — a rare stretch of natural habitat surrounded by urban development.
(Photo of Annah Frost & Rick Simek by Matthew Stephens)
| | | That reality inspired Project Protect Avian Travel, a student-led initiative focused on tracking and reducing bird-window collisions across campus. Project PAT brings together students, faculty and staff to collect data, identify collision hot spots and help make campus safer for migrating birds. | | |
The EIC’s efforts to protect migratory birds recently reached a milestone when UM-Dearborn became the first university in Michigan to receive Bird City Michigan Campus designation through Michigan Audubon.
(Photo of Magnolia Warbler by Jim Simek)
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Ooooh, Baby, Baby...
It's the season of baby "everythings," and although many of them are soooo cute, and people want to help wildlife, most of the time it's best to leave the babies alone. Birds, raccoons, fawns, and so many other animals are often left temporarily by their parents, but remain close and within hearing distance. (Robin fledgling photo by Pat Kavanaugh via Birdshare)
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The EIC, and other facilities like ours, receive phone calls as well as actual animals "in need of help" when people find them without parents. We are not licensed to accept or rehabilitate wildlife. Here are a few things you should know to keep the animal safe and avoid breaking the law.
Advice from the US Fish and Wildlife Service includes, "If you think you've found an orphaned or injured wild animal, what should you do? We at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service know that it’s natural to want to help.
| | Most states require permits or licenses, training and approved facilities to rehabilitate wildlife and some species, including most birds, require federal permits as well. For the safety of the animal, yourself and your family, always call a professional." (Fawn photo courtesy of Operation Wildlife) | | | |
Click on the Michigan Department of Natural Resources link, which provides contact information for a variety of wildlife rehabilitators, according to county. To protect yourself, as well as the wildlife, please contact a licensed professional wildlife rehabilitator, but remember--in most cases, nature takes care of itself.
-Dorothy McLeer, Editor
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Campus Compaction in Action!
Recycling single-use plastic is a great way to lower your carbon footprint. Sometimes, this is easier said than done. Many cities have robust recycling programs, including Dearborn. Unfortunately, one of the most common single-use items, plastic bags, are often unable to be recycled in the systems cities use. Bags can get caught in sorting machines, and shut them down.
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At the EIC, we work to recycle as much of the waste we generate as we can. From separating recyclables out of trash bound for the landfill, (Thanks to John Berger!) to feeding their apple cores and other food scraps to our “compost creature” Greenie! (Pictured right) In this way, we
demonstrate to students that recycling is not only feasible, but pretty easy. It has been a long-running frustration that there was no option, aside from the landfill, for all those plastic bags and bits of packaging in which students bring their lunches. (Photo by Editor)
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This year, the Facilities Operations department introduced a new system for us to recycle plastic bags and other soft packaging on campus, through the Recycling Hub for Special Items. In addition to plastic bags, the new system takes other plastic waste like pallet wraps, compresses and heats them. In minutes, hundreds of plastic bags are transformed into a brick! These bricks are sent to a recycling center, where they are turned into plastic pellets for reuse in applications like park benches and picnic tables. As a bonus, the
items inside the bricks (pictured below right) are still recognizable, which students get a kick out of. Groups of students have already been able to pick out some of the same snacks and treats they packed in their lunches!
Talk about a "packed lunch!" (Photos by Mike Solomon)
-EIC Staff Naturalist Mike Solomon
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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! | |
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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