 Katie Clark and grandaughter Copeland view the vernal pools monitoring tools A free Vernal Pools Monitor Training will take place on Tuesday, February 6 from 4pm-6pm at Brooks Township Hall: 490 Quarterline St, Newaygo, 49337. This will be Part 1, the indoor session of the two session class. Part 2 will be the hands-on field work, complete with vernal pools monitoring, to be held on April 4, 4pm – 6pm, at the North Country Trail – Trailhead on 40th Street, White Cloud. The Newaygo County Environmental Coalition invites community members to become “Citizen Scientists” to help identify and monitor these elusive short lived ponds that are vital to the health of our diverse environment. Although the class is geared toward older youth and adults, vernal pool monitoring can be a family activity. Attendees of this class will be prepared to join the Newaygo Vernal Pool Patrol for outdoor fieldwork when the spring thaws begin. Vernal pools, also known as ephemeral pools or temporary woodland ponds, are small wetlands that fill with water during the autumn or winter due to rainfall and rising groundwater. These isolated pools lack continuous connections with larger bodies of water, making them ideal breeding grounds for a variety of amphibians and invertebrates that would be prey for lake and stream fish. Often referred to as the coral reefs of the forest, vernal pools are home to indicator species such as Fairy shrimp, Wood frogs, Spotted salamanders, and Blue-spotted salamanders. “Newaygo County’s vernal pools are waiting to be discovered and protected,” states Katie Clark of NCEC, and the Newaygo Region’s Vernal Pool Patrol Coordinator. “Many people have vernal pools on their property, or near where they live. We often do not think much of them. But by joining the Vernal Pool Patrol you will become a guardian of these unique habitats. “Monitoring vernal pools is a great activity for families, even with young children. What kid doesn’t like putting on their boots and walking in the water?” added Katie. “Together, we can support the beauty and sustainability of our environment and ensure that future generations can enjoy the wonders of Newaygo County. Join us at this training and make a difference!” The Vernal Pool Patrol, organized by the Michigan Natural Features Inventory, is one of the pioneering statewide vernal pool monitoring programs in the country. This program owes its success to the dedicated community scientists who are passionate about nature and committed to preserving Michigan’s unique ecosystems. As part of the larger Michigan Vernal Pools Partnership, the Vernal Pool Patrol aims to advance vernal pool research and conservation across the state. The Vernal Pool Patrol Training on February 6 is free and open to the public. Registration is required by clicking here: Vernal Pool Patrol Training. To learn about the Vernal Pools Patrol visit: MI Vernal Pools. Qutstions? Contact Katie at NCEC: [email protected], or visit the website at www.nc-ec.org.
0 Comments
 I still have that feeling the first time we met every time I see you.”-Jayson Edgay So, where did you two meet? Years ago I co-facilitated a couples therapy group and as a bit of introduction this was the question that generally got asked. Is it important? Who knows. But generally it makes a good story. We all know those who met in high school with some who stayed together until marriage and some who kind of knew each other but ended up together years later. Couples I have known over the years have met at college, in bars, grocery stores and workplaces as well as at parties and book stores. Some met while attending concerts or ballgames or weddings of friends.. There are set ups from friends, online services designed to match folks up and and speed dating has apparently made a comeback in some circles. The couples listed below have recently decided to sign on for the delightful duration known as marriage. Each has a story of how they met. Call it Chapter One In some kind of way that meeting led to showing up at the clerk's office. And the opportunity to add many more chapters to the story of their relationship. James Richard Halliwell III, Grant & Makenzie Rayne Morrin, Grant Eric Fowler, Grant & Brittany Puckett, Grant Jack Kober, Cedar Springs & Sarina Foster, Evart Andrew Klampferer, Grant & Danielle tenHaaf , Grant  Artists sought for Porcupine Mountains Artist-in-Residence Program Let’s say you are an artist (budding or otherwise) and sometimes find yourself in need of a place where you can better channel your creativity. Have you ever wanted to just stay in a cabin out in the woods and be left alone to practice your particular artistic genre? Well then, here is a golden opportunity to create while exploring and experiencing life in the pristine Porcupine Mountains of Michigan. Applications are now being accepted for the Porcupine Mountains Artist-in-Residence Program for 2024 spring, summer and fall and winter 2025 residencies. The program is open to artists and artisans whose work can be influenced by the unique northern wilderness setting of Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park – also known as "the Porkies." Located in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, the park encompasses 25 miles of wave-washed shores, four inland lakes, entire river systems, countless waterfalls, enchanted wooded peaks and an escarpment that rises slowly from the edge of Lake Superior until it plummets abruptly into the Carp River valley. Still, the park's most impressive feature – and the reason for its creation – is its virgin forest of eastern hemlock and northern hardwoods and the variety of flora and fauna that it supports. Because of these attributes, the park is an ideal location to inspire creativity. The Artist-in-Residence Program offers writers, composers and all visual and performing artists an opportunity to experience the natural beauty of the Porkies and to express it through their art form. Each year, artists are selected for residencies lasting a minimum of two weeks. They are given the use of a rustic cabin located on the Little Union River and, if requested, a three-night backcountry permit so that each may live in and explore the park’s 60,000 acres of natural beauty, ranging from stunning vistas to 90 miles of rugged backcountry trails. The program is open to all art forms except those that may be inconsistent with the mission of the park. Selection is based on artistic integrity, ability to reside in a wilderness environment, the artist’s ability to relate to and interpret the park through their art medium and a willingness to donate an original, finished piece of art inspired by their stay in the Porkies. Artists will also be asked to share their experiences with the public through a demonstration or talk during their residencies. Application materials for the Porcupine Mountains Artist-in-Residence Program can be found at the Friends of the Porkies webpage at Porkies.org/Artist-in-Residence. Applications for the 2024-25 season must be received by Feb. 14, 2024. Selected artists will be notified by phone in mid-April, and by will be posted by the end of April on the Friends webpage and on Facebook at Friends of the Porkies.   Katie Clark demonstrating seed separation. Photo by Sally Wagoner UPDATE!!! Mother Nature did it again! Due to Her decision to finally make winter, we have rescheduled this 2 for 1 Event. Winter Native Plant Seed Sowing & Wild Ones! Our Inaugural Chapter Meeting! Now Saturday, January 27, 11am - 1pm Brooks Township Hall, 490 Quarterline St, Newaygo, 49337 The Newaygo County Environmental Coalition (NCEC) will host a native plant event on Saturday, January 13 at 11am. The winter seed sowing and Wild Ones Chapter will be held at Brooks Township Hall, 490 Quarterline St, Newaygo, 49337. Winter is the best time to sow native plant seeds, and Katie Clark of NCEC will demonstrate how to turn common household containers into mini-greenhouses for the future plants. “The containers, with the planted seeds, are placed outside now so they can go through periods of cold and warm during the winter,” explained Katie. “Many types of native plant seeds need this, a process called stratification. As spring arrives, the seeds open and new plants begin to emerge. Then you plant them where you want them to grow as the weather warms.” The first Wild Ones Chapter of the Newaygo Region will also be meeting at this event. Wild Ones Native Plants & Natural Landscapes is a national organization that promotes environmentally sound landscaping practices to preserve biodiversity. “A Wild Ones Chapter in our area will help promote the preservation, restoration and establishment of native plant communities,” states Sally Wagoner of NCEC. “The organization aligns with the NCEC focus area of Healthy Habitats. A local Wild Ones Chapter will bring native plant enthusiasts and the curious together from around West Michigan for resources, education and camaraderie.” The first Wild Ones meeting will explain the requirements of becoming a Chapter which includes starting a membership roster, creating a coordination team, and coming up with a description chapter name. The National Wild Ones organization will help the local Chapter get off the ground with a starter kit of brochures and resources, as well as a chapter advisor. “We are thrilled with the enthusiasm and dedication so many of our community members have about native plants,” added Sally. ”The turn-out at our native plant sales and demonstration programs has been great. We are so happy that our community knows the benefits of native plants. They are essential for supporting our struggling pollinators. And they are key to healthy native biodiversity that is so important for Newaygo County’s unique and endangered habitats.” The public is invited to this free event. Registration for the Winter Seed Sowing and Wild Ones Chapter is recommended. Click here to register: Winter Seed & Wild Ones. Sign up for Newaygo County Environmental Coalition Enews: NCEC Enews. You can follow NCEC Facebook, or visit the website at www.nc-ec.org.  Winter Seed Sewing in mini- greenhouses. Photo by Sally Wagoner  Cari Ebert will be bringing her expertise to NC RESA Thursday, Jan. 11. Nationally known consultant to present at NC RESA NCRESA has invited Cari Ebert to come to Newaygo County to train their early childhood staff and offer a presentation to the public (target audience - childcare workers and families with young children, birth to 5). She is a highly sought-after national presenter. The Great Start Family Coalition is partnering to offer dinner and childcare for the event. Every family will receive a free children's book and there will be lots of door prizes awarded. Location: 4747 W. 48th St. Fremont, MI (NCRESA's Educational Service Center building) Date: January 11th Time: 5:00 Dinner Time: 5:30 - 7:30 Presentation Families will need to register by January 7th to attend: Scan QR code on flyer or use the following link. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040C48A4AB2EA1FE3-46843556-thepower A little about the presentation... The Power of Play This seminar is based on the understanding that young children learn best through play that is relevant and meaningful to their lives...not through direct instruction, drill work or flash cards! Through play, children discover, interact, absorb, experience, create, explore and learn. Cari provides clinically relevant activities and strategies to create functional learning opportunities that promote cognitive, physical, social-emotional and language development in the natural environment. There will also be an evidence-based discussion of the limitations of screen-based learning for young children with developing brains and bodies. A little about Cari... Cari Ebert, MS, CCC-SLP is a pediatric speech-language pathologist in the Kansas City, Missouri area. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Iowa in 1993 and her master’s degree from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale in 1995. Cari is a therapist, consultant, author, product developer, and nationally recognized speaker who gets paid to do what she loves most—TALK! She specializes in autism, apraxia, and early intervention. Cari’s son has dual diagnoses of autism and apraxia, allowing her to engage audiences both as a professional and as a parent of a child with different abilities.   The Commission on Aging is a bevy of activity these days and recently they have modified their newsletter to better reflect what the COA is all about and, more importantly, the range of services they provide to the community. Here is a link to their newsletter, The Evergreen. Take a look and see what you just might be missing at the COA. mycommunityonline.com/publication-page/newaygo-county-commission-on-aging?pid=cb0424b7-4c24-44ea-bb7c-bab8e78863b3&type=Community&acc=15-0739  N3 World Headquarters crew poses a few challenges
“Hope Smiles from the threshold of the year to come, Whispering 'it will be happier'...”Alfred Lord Tennyson We at N3 World Headquarters like Al’s imagery here, seemingly speaking to how the advent of a New Year can deliver an unwavering optimism going forward. It feels like a fresh beginning, a way to start a streak of something positive. The possibility could be hanging out there that this might be the year where you wind up sitting around next NYE saying,”Man, now That was a good year.” Then of course there are the resolutions that accompany the new calendar. For the overly ambitious group this might take the shape of something like “We’re going to be smarter when it comes to decisions, take charge of any remaining shortcomings and enter a veritable renaissance period in our personal lives.” For others the bar gets set a little lower. Lose some weight, exercise, or maybe stop pointing out to your spouse each and every one of the lone, abandoned shoes spotted alongside the roadsides…that kind of thing. While personally the list of needed changes among the denizens of N3WH is more than a tad cumbersome it certainly doesn’t stop us from passing on suggestions as to resolutions that might be put forward for those in the community at large who might be in search of a challenge to go with their New Year. Doing More To Support Local While we hope folks did at least a part of their holiday shopping at the variety of shops our area is pleased to enjoy, most of our local businesses are entering the toughest part of the year. We’re not asking for people to engage in the kind of buying generally reserved for November/ December, but hey, maybe visit a few of our local establishments now and then and see if anything catches your fancy. Believe me any action at the main street stores in Newaygo and Fremont will be greatly appreciated and help allow them to continue to be part of our increasingly vibrant downtowns. And remember these folks get hit up for every fundraising initiative that comes along so maybe give them a break if they aren’t thrilled to contribute to the latest worthy cause Listening To Others Start with catching at least a few of the lunchtime Calvin January Series the Dogwood will be hosting. The topics are generally compelling and the speakers present ideas in an easy to relate to manner that promotes listening. And if there is anything we need more these days it’s the ability to listen. Note: Is it me or do you find the people who fancy themselves good listeners rarely even come close? Do yourself a favor and look through these. Then pick at least one you’re really interested in and another that sounds like you wouldn’t be quite so eager to see. See them both. Trust us on this. Oh, and they are FREE. https://calvin.edu/january-series/speakers/ https://dogwoodcenter.com/ Gaining Perspective Now combine this with taking breaks from not just social media but any news program that includes opinions. In fact if you must see the news, try restricting it to local stations.Give it a shot for a month with no cheating by sneaking in a few minutes with your favorite opinion person or station. Sounds scary if you’ve been caught up in what is happening in the world and have a compelling need to know, but anything really big ends up being referenced locally because they also need to fill time between commercials. And it is only a month. A month to focus on the news that might actually have an impact on our day to day lives. Like weather. Gauging the difficulty of doing this is a good self measure of how attached one is to the programming and the weight of its influence. As a bonus if you are going with the Dry January thing it’s likely a good month to wean from the all-news all-the-time stations anyway since their coverage can certainly send one to the liquor cabinet. Like most resolutions these are likely to be forgotten long before any snow we accumulate this year has melted (or even arrived). But should you join us in giving one or more of these a shot we applaud your efforts. If not, carry on citizenry. Our hope is that we all find some achievement, some growth, some laughter and a dollop or two of kindness as we venture out into 2024. “Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man.”-Ben Franklin |
Archives
October 2024
Categories |
RSS Feed