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In this issue:
- Solar Eclipse? Totally!
- Evening Lecture Series
- Upcoming Programs
- Programs for Young Children
- Professional and Academic Achievements
- Scientific Illustrations Showcase: April 9th!
- Tales From the Trails
- Greenways: Be Water Wise
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Totally!
Look up! A remarkable astronomical phenomenon known as a solar eclipse will grace skies across most of the United States on April 8th, 2024!
A solar eclipse occurs when the orbits of Earth, the Sun, and the Moon line up just right, and the moon passes directly between the Earth and the Sun. When this happens, the Moon casts a shadow across part of the Earth’s surface. Usually, the moon only casts a partial shadow because its orbit is on a tilt. Sometimes, however, the Moon is positioned so that all light heading directly toward Earth is blocked; this is a total solar eclipse; the rarest type.
While many enthusiasts are planning excursions to places that will experience a total eclipse (like our own UM-Dearborn astronomers!), southeast Michigan will be very close to totality. You can observe the eclipse safely from here, just not with the naked eye! Incredibly, even during the peak of the eclipse in Dearborn, 99.2% coverage, the amount of sunlight reaching Earth is still enough to damage your eyes!
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Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has provided excellent instructions for building a pinhole projector to safely observe the sun at any time, not
just during an eclipse! Consider trying one, or picking up a pair of American Astronomical Society approved glasses to protect your peepers!
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Eclipses of any kind are special events, and total eclipses are especially rare events; so much so, in fact, that certain experiments and observations involving the Sun can only be conducted during a total eclipse. Considering the next solar eclipse to be visible from the contiguous US won’t happen
until 2044, I would suggest trying to observe it, if you can!
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Here are some viewing tips for the Dearborn area from our own astrophysicist, Dr. Carrie Swift.
In Dearborn:
The eclipse will start at 1:58 pm. Maximum eclipse will be at 3:14 pm. At this time over 99% of the Sun will be in eclipse. The eclipse will end at 4:27 pm.
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The EIC staff presents a series of monthly programs. Staff members, as well as local speakers, will offer talks on topics of their own interests related to environmental themes. The talks are presented in Room 119 inside the EIC. Casual walks in the Environmental Study Area will be offered after the talks.
Here are the speakers and their topics:
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Spring Ephemeral Wildflowers
Speaker - Dale Browne, EIC Staff Naturalist
Date – Thursday, April 25
Time – 5:00-6:00 p.m.
Dale Browne's horticultural background and naturalist talents lead to an informative and entertaining evening featuring the spring ephemeral wildflowers of southeast Michigan, like these Trillium grandiflorum.
(Photo courtesy Song of the Woods)
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Dale is a 2020 graduate of UM-Dearborn and a Certified Interpreter Guide (CIG) through the National Association for Interpretation (NAI). | |
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Mushroom Identification 101
Speaker – Mike Solomon, EIC Staff Naturalist
Date – Thursday, May 25 (the EIC's 23rd anniversary!)
Time – 5:00-6:00 p.m.
Mike Solomon is a 2023 graduate of University of Michigan- Dearborn, as an Honors Scholar in Environmental Studies (Naturalist Concentration). Like Dale, Mike is also a CIG through NAI. He spends much of his free time outdoors, hiking, fishing, exploring and foraging, which is not permitted in the Environmental Study Area.
(Chicken of the Woods photo by Alexander 62)
Please register for these programs.
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Sprouts Gardening Program for Children
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.
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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!
In 2024, there are eight program sessions planned, from 6:00-7:30pm on the following dates: 5/21, 5/28, 6/11, 6/18, 7/2, 7/16, 7/30, and 8/20.
Program fee is $40, and children must be accompanied by an adult guardian for all sessions. Registration is required.
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They're Baaack...The Birds AND
Public Bird Walks
Saturday, April 27, May 4, 11, 18,
and 25
9-11 a.m.
Join Rick Simek on the trails to welcome the spring migrant back to the Environmental Study Area. Whether just passing through on migration or raising a "brood" or two here, this is an important bird habitat. (Prothonotary Warbler photo by Geoffrey Clarke)
Evening Walk
Friday, April 26, 7:30-9:00 p.m.
Enjoy a stroll in the Study Area with EIC naturalists as day gradually transitions to evening. Dress for the weather, whatever it may be...
Please register for this program.
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Spring Ephemeral Wildflower Walk
Saturday, May 4
12-1:30 p.m.
Ephemeral means "lasting for a very short time," so we hope to "catch" a glimpse of these spring beauties before they fade into summer. Bring a hand lens, if you have one, for an up-close view of floral structures. (Trout Lily photo by Carl Fyler)
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Bi-weekly Programs
Art in Nature Winter 2024
Schedule: 2:30-3:30 p.m. on April 18th.
Guided nature walks include art demonstrations, tips, and prompts. Art supplies available upon request, or bring your own. There will also be opportunities to submit your artwork to be displayed in an Art Showcase in April. Please dress appropriately for sitting outdoors. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, email ankott@umich.edu. Please RSVP
Photography Walks Winter 2024
Schedule: 2:30-3:30 p.m. on April 4th.
Take a hike with an EIC Naturalist and Nature Photographer! Bring your own cameras and accessories, we supply the scenery. There will also be opportunities to submit your photos to be displayed in a Photography Showcase in April. Please dress appropriately for walking outdoors. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, email ankott@umich.edu. Please RSVP
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Professional and Academic Achievements | |
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A Great Night for the EIC!
March 20 brought a lot of great people together at the recent National Association for Interpretation (NAI) Great Lakes Regional Workshop, including this group of UM-Dearborn/EIC alumni. Pictured below from left to right: Dorothy McLeer, Natalie Cypher, Sabrina Deschamps, Dale Browne, Donna Posont, and Griffin Bray--all NAI award recipients over the years--and EIC Director Dr. Jacob Napieralski. (Look for Dale's smiling husband, Steve, in the mirrored reflection!)
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EIC Cooper Family Intern Valerie Osowski will be recognized as the Natural Sciences Earth and Environment Honors Scholar this month. Not only is Valerie a high achieving student, she is the president of the Student Sustainability Coalition and is spearheading a number of sustainability projects on campus, such as reducing bird/window collisions and "Greenie" the composting bucket! She also writes the Greenways column of this newsletter. The EIC is fortunate that Valerie will be with us for a little longer before her graduation. | |
Parkhurst Natural Areas Fellow Alexis Kott is officially a UM-Dearborn Difference Maker and will also receive the UM-Dearborn Honors Scholar Award in Urban and Regional Studies. You have seen her name associated with a variety of new EIC programs inviting new audiences from our campus and the surrounding communities to the EIC. Alexis' artistic talents welcome you with her original mural (above), painted at our reception area! View her featured article titled "Art is a Bridge to Learning." Alexis will graduate later this month. | |
Programs for Young Children | |
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Join us for an hour of fun!
Free & open to the public. Best for children 7 and under. Meet in the EIC Exhibit Area.
Music & Bubbles, Observe Wildlife, Nature Themed Books, Crafts or Activities
Wednesdays from 4:00-5:00 p.m.,
March 13th, April 24th.
For adults bringing children of various ages, there is an option for older kids (7+) to enjoy a nature walk with an EIC naturalist while younger kids. Please register for this program.
Children's Arts & Crafts Workshop
Welcome to children of all ages. Each workshop will have an environmental focus. All supplies will be provided.
4:00-5:00 p.m., Tuesday, March 26th, & Tuesday, April 16th.
Meet in Room 118 - see you there!
Contact Alexis Kott (ankott@umich.edu) for more information on these programs. Please register for this program.
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Burning For Better Habitat
We recently hosted a prescribed burn at our ½-acre prairie site in the Environmental Study Area (ESA). A crew of trained professionals from David Borneman, LLC, conducted the burn.
The reason for these periodic burns is that native prairie grasses and wildflowers are adapted to fire. Many grow from belowground buds that avoid damage by fire. In contrast, many of the non-native weedy species that compete with prairie plants do not survive fire due to not having that adaptation.
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Conducting burns during early to mid-spring also kills off “cool season” exotic grasses that are actively growing during that time. These include lawn grass strains that choke out native “warm season” prairie grasses that emerge later in the season, such as Purple Lovegrass (right). | |
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The recent ESA burn also will keep out woody plants, such as raspberry vines and small trees and shrubs, from forming thickets and taking over the prairie space.
The blackened and warmed soil after a burn also facilitates the re-growth of prairie plants.
In addition to adding an attractive and diverse plant community to the ESA, the small prairie there offers a host of benefits to wildlife. Native bees and butterflies frequent the diverse native wildflowers that bloom in the summer and fall. Native bird species, such as the American Tree Sparrow, feed on the nutritious seeds of native grasses such as Switch Grass (Panicum virgatum) in winter.
It will be interesting to see how the ESA prairie habitat responds to the recent burn. If you find yourself visiting the ESA this summer and fall, head over to the site of Clara Ford’s former Rose Garden to check it out. The prairie site is located just beyond the rectangular pool there. Enjoy!
Rick Simek
Natural Areas Manager
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Be Water Wise
Every gardener knows the phrase, “April showers bring May flowers.” However, not every gardener knows how to use those showers to their advantage! One way for both you and your garden to benefit from the rainy April weather is by using a rain barrel.
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Rain barrels come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors to easily collect rainwater for use in your yard. Switching from sprinklers to rain barrels for watering your lawn and garden will help your local environment by reducing flooding, erosion, runoff, and pollution in nearby streams and rivers.
Since at least 50% of most cities’ energy use comes from pumping water to homes, using a rain barrel will reduce carbon emissions as well.
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Depending on the cost of water in your area, you can also save up to $150 or more on your water bill each year by using a rain barrel instead of sprinklers! | |
The Friends of the Rouge aims to reach 6,000 rain barrels in the Rouge River watershed by 2025. If you would like to learn more about rain barrels or get involved in these efforts, visit The Friends of the Rouge website!
Valerie Osowski, Student Sustainability Coalition President
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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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