Events

Join us for our annual native seed cleaning and exchange.? Connie Crancer of
the MBG will provide insights into techniques for cleaning and preparing for
propagation the native seeds we use in our landscape restorations.? We will be
working in the greenhouse with simple tools and equipment, much of which you
can duplicate at home. Bring your extra seeds to share, and you can take home
extras to help with your own projects.? Of particular interest is the
venerated burning of the milkweed fluff.? We will be helping Connie and Bob
Grese prepare more seeds for the Great Lakes Garden.? This acre plus of new
plantings (within the fencing) at the MBG is just getting started.? Come and
help.? Have some fun.
Enjoy the chance to mix and mingle during the quiet months.? Free and open to
the public.

The 2014 Science, Practice, and Art of Restoring Native Ecosystems Conference

The Stewardship Network (TSM) will focus on Field and Place-Based Conservation ? Applying Techniques That Work at the Community Level

For more detail on the the conference (e.g., meeting times, agenda, speakers, etc, see:
http://www.stewardshipnetworkconference.org/site/c.biKRJ8NPInI4F/b.8527789/k.C009/Home.htm)

Planting a Rain Garden is a fun way for people to make a difference in the quality of the water in our rivers and streams, starting in our own back yards.? You don't need any special equipment - just some space, a spade, compost and a few plants.? Wild Ones have donated many native plants to local efforts - learn how they are an important partner in water quality of the Huron River.? Join us for a rain garden workshop.? We'll talk about the benefits of Rain Gardens and how to build and plant one.? Bring your questions.? Take the information home and start your own!

Bio:
Susan Bryan is the Rain Garden Coordinator for the Washtenaw County Water Resources Commissioner's Office, working with plants and people to protect the water quality in the Huron River.? She has designed many residential gardens, rain gardens, and bio-infiltration areas. She is a past president of Wild? Ones, has a master's degree in landscape architecture from the University of Michigan, and is an Advanced Master Gardener in Washtenaw County.

Planting a Rain Garden is a fun way for people to make a difference in the quality of the water in our rivers and streams, starting in our own back yards. You don't need any special equipment - just some space, a spade, compost and a few plants. Wild Ones have donated many native plants to local efforts - learn how they are an important partner in water quality of the Huron River. Join us for a rain garden workshop. We'll talk about the benefits of Rain Gardens and how to build and plant one. Bring your questions. Take the information home and start your own! Bio: Susan Bryan is the Rain Garden Coordinator for the Washtenaw County Water Resources Commissioner's Office, working with plants and people to protect the water quality in the Huron River. She has designed many residential gardens, rain gardens, and bio-infiltration areas. She is a past president of Wild Ones, has a master's degree in landscape architecture from the University of Michigan, and is an Advanced Master Gardener in Washtenaw County.

The Michigan Wildflower Conference is designed for persons who are interested in Michigan native plants and their habitats. There will be general and concurrent sessions both days.

For more detail on the the conference (e.g., meeting times, agenda, speakers, etc, see:
http://www.wildflowersmich.org/index.php?menu=5

Lawn Extension Ordinances/Cues for Care

Periodically, enforcement of Ann Arbor?s Lawn Extension Ordinances collides with people in our native plant community.? At the heart of the resulting?and frequently heated?discussions on the listserv is a frustration over the seemingly random enforcement of the ordinance.?? We are going to take up the legal issues behind the ordinances and graphically explain their function.?? Then, we will explore the ways in which Professor Joan Iverson Nassauer?s ?Cues to Care? can help us reduce the conflict over these ordinances and help, as well, with increasing acceptance of natural landscaping in our neighborhoods.

Once a year Greg Vaclavek opens his nursery to us for a special sale and informal plant exchange.

If you need native plants or have extras that you would like to share, this is the place. Staff from the nursery will be on hand to offer advice and answer questions. Take advantage of this special opportunity to visit the nursery, which is not open for retail sales at any other time of the year.

Note: Because the Native Plant Nursery is not a retail business, this sale is held with special permission. Please do not visit except during this sale! To purchase plants at other times, stop by the nursery's booth at the Ann Arbor Farmer's Market, May through September. Or visit the Native Plant Nursery website at http://www.nativeplant.com/.

It's pleasant and economical to share a ride; please consider carpooling to this event. Or, take the AATA bus, route #7.

Note:
Time: 6:00pm (Please note we are starting earlier than usual.)
Location: 3052 Nordman Road (entrance on Butternut, west of Nordman)

Stewardship Workday with Ann Arbor Wild Ones - Sharon Hills Preserve

Saturday May 24, 1-4 pm. We will meet you in the parking lot at 1:00pm and will head out from there to pull garlic mustard and dame?s rocket. The preserves trails are a bit confusing, so if everyone can arrive on time, that would be helpful. We will bring water and snacks, gloves and bags.

Sharon Hollow Road between Walker and Washburn Roads, Sharon Township. To reach the property from Ann Arbor, take I 94 W towards Jackson until exit 159 and merge onto M-52 S/ Chelsea Manchester Road. Turn right on Grass Lake Road. Where Grass Lake Road splits, take a left on Sharon Hollow Road. Follow Sharon Hollow Road south, the preserve will be just south of the intersection with Tolen Road on your left.

Join us for a short presentation on native landscaping for your backyard by the Wild Ones to kick off the workday, then we will head out to improve wildlife habitat in the preserve by removing invasive garlic mustard. Please dress for the weather, wear sturdy shoes, and bring a water bottle.

Register with Dana at [email protected] or 734.302.5263.

Look forward to seeing you there. Spend the morning at the adjacent Nan Weston Preserve, pop into Manchester for refueling, and then join the Legacy Land Conservation crew and others for the afternoon.

Rain Garden Tour at Maurita Holland's House
2701 Lowell Road. Off Newport, N of Miller

?My rain garden is entering its 3rd growing season. ?It is approximately 300 sq. ft. and takes water from 4 sources: ?eaves down spout, direct porch roof runoff, sump pump, and runoff from approximately 20 acres in my neighborhood as it runs to Newport Creek and on to the Huron River. ?The rain garden has endured two onslaughts of downed willow trees in the last 6 months and a crane brought in to remove them along with the browsing of a dozen deer that hang out in the backyard. ?In an effort to catch the considerable runoff from neighbors, I've removed about half of the backyard's turf grass, put down oak leaves and compost and plants native cultivars. ?I'd also begun to develop a woodland garden of spring ephemerals, though this has proved difficult because of the deer population. ?

I look forward to welcoming Wild Ones to my garden and to learning from them, too! ?Cookies on the raised porch promised as a good platform for viewing the terrain.? ---Maurita

Larry and Michelle Sanford-From Farmstead to Homestead

The property is 15 acres of lake bottom farm land just east of the
middle branch of Macon Creek on Redman Rd in Milan, Township, Monroe
County. It is heavy clay. When we bought it there was a fallen down
dairy barn, silo and lots of debris on about 1-2 acres and some woods
along the creek on the west side of the property. The rest had been
under cultivation or pastured in the past. We had the barn and its
concrete floor removed and the silo and all the debris. We were left
with a 1+ acre site that was bare "dirt." We seeded it with annual rye
as a cover and then broadcast native forbs on the site.
After that we started planting trees and shrubs: seedlings form Monroe County
Conservation district; seedlings from Native Plant Nursery; b & b trees
from where ever. This planting taught us that some of the flood plain
had been reclaimed by filing with foundry slag. The spot where we
started Michelle's garden just happened to be the only spot with good
soil. This apparently was the manure pile. There is about 12" of
composted manure there. After owning it about 2-3 years we started
building our house. It took nearly 2 years to complete (with all the
setbacks) and we moved in in April of 2010. Since then we've planted
many more trees and shrubs. There is about 10 A under cultivation which
our next door neighbor farms for us. We spend a lot of time in the
spring pulling garlic mustard from the flood plain. I'll probably think
of more later.

(POSTPONED. See: Events for Saturday, Sept. 13th from 2-3:30pm.)

Located in center of Scio Township, Tumuchtomo comprises 38 acres.
Approximately 26 acres of the property are under a conservation easement -
part of the Legacy Land Conservancy?s ~50 acre Merlin Way Easement which was
established in 1996. David started restoration work on a 10-acre section in
2004 and after several years of clearing, burning and herbiciding, he sowed
133 pounds Big bluestem, Little bluestem and Indian Grass seed in June of
2008. Since then, the grasses have established themselves and David is now
adding native forbs and trees where space allows. Like all of our events
this is free and open to the public.

Directions: Follow Ann Arbor Dexter Road to Zeeb Road. Head south on Zeeb
for about 1/4 mile and turn right (west) on Marshall Road (if you come to
the fire station, you?ve gone too far).
After about 3/4 of a mile, turn left (south) on Merlin Way. The sign for
Merlin Way is partly hidden by trees so look for it as you approach the top
of the hill just past the Norma and Dan Green?s place.
We are the last house on the right before the cul-de-sac - look for the
"Tumuchtomo? rock. Feel free to park, head-in, on either side of the big
oaks in the middle of the circular drive.

If coming from I94, take exit 169 and head north on Zeeb Road for about a
mile (if you come to Ann Arbor Dexter Road, you?ve gone too far). Turn left
(west) on Marshall Road - see above.

(734) 657-7569 if you get lost.

Co-hosted with The Stewardship Network's Huron Arbor Cluster and Raisin Cluster, and Wild Ones Ann Arbor Chapter

The prairies and forests of Leonard Preserve are home to an abundance of deer. We will enjoy a hike through the grasslands of this beautiful preserve and look at the landscape characteristics and learn some of the plants, such as fern, wild strawberry, and goldenrod, that support good deer forage. A four-year-old deer exclosure in the prairie will offer a chance to learn first-hand how deer impact their habitat at high densities.

Cost: Free! (Click here to register.)

Currently, there is an 80% chance of a thunderstorm at 6pm on Wednesday, September 10. We are still hoping for Wednesday, but have scheduled a rain date: Saturday, Sept. 13th from 1-2:30pm. We will give you an update on Wed so keep an eye on your emails. -Andrea

Located in center of Scio Township, Tumuchtomo comprises 38 acres.
Approximately 26 acres of the property are under a conservation easement -
part of the Legacy Land Conservancy?s ~50 acre Merlin Way Easement which was
established in 1996. David started restoration work on a 10-acre section in
2004 and after several years of clearing, burning and herbiciding, he sowed
133 pounds Big bluestem, Little bluestem and Indian Grass seed in June of
2008. Since then, the grasses have established themselves and David is now
adding native forbs and trees where space allows.

Like all of our events this is free and open to the public.

For prairie walking might we recommend long pants and long sleeves.

If you need seed for your projects, the Reads have invited us to bring paper bags.

Directions: Follow Ann Arbor Dexter Road to Zeeb Road. Head south on Zeeb
for about 1/4 mile and turn right (west) on Marshall Road (if you come to
the fire station, you?ve gone too far).
After about 3/4 of a mile, turn left (south) on Merlin Way. The sign for
Merlin Way is partly hidden by trees so look for it as you approach the top
of the hill just past the Norma and Dan Green?s place.
We are the last house on the right before the cul-de-sac ? look for the
?Tumuchtomo? rock. Feel free to park, head-in, on either side of the big
oaks in the middle of the circular drive.

If coming from I94, take exit 169 and head north on Zeeb Road for about a
mile (if you come to Ann Arbor Dexter Road, you?ve gone too far). Turn left
(west) on Marshall Road ? see above.

Impacts of Ecosystem Imbalance on Birds

Maurita Holland and Andrea Matthies of Washtenaw Citizens for Ecological Balance

Birds need winter shelter and food, and safe grasslands, shrubs, or trees for nesting. They need native plants which attract native insects in order to give their nestlings a protein diet. High population levels of white-tail deer are threatening all of these needs. Deer are also spreading seeds of various invasive plants?degrading the essential ecosystems. The speakers will present the reasons why this is happening in Ann Arbor and surrounding counties, and why the city government is considering means to control the excessive deer population. Recognizing that this is both an ecological and an emotional issue, we will welcome a conversational exchange. Free.

Learn more at: www.wc4eb.org

Joint meeting with Michigan Botanical Club
(Note: different meeting time and place than usual)

Title
Biodiversity: The Spice of Life ? or Life Support?

Abstract
The world is currently in the midst of one of the greatest waves of species extinction that has ever occurred in the history of life. But even as rates of species extinction are approaching those of prior mass extinctions, we know little about the different roles that species play in natural environments. We know even less about how the well-being of our own species might be linked to the great variety of life that is the most striking feature of our planet.

In this lecture, I will evaluate the evidence for a classic ecological hypothesis that Earth?s life-support systems depend critically on the variety of species that inhabit our planet. The idea that biological diversity regulates the production of food, the cleanliness of air and water, and outbreaks of pests and disease has been around since the time of Darwin. But while these ?services? of natural ecosystems are often touted by environmentalists to justify conservation, they have been highly controversial among scientists. Until the 1990?s there was little evidence that could establish any clear link between biological diversity and the rates of biologically essential processes. I will review the explosion of new research that has accumulated on this topic over the last two decades, and I?ll begin to ask the difficult, but crucial question of how many species our planet needs to support higher life.

Bio-sketch
Bradley Cardinale is an ecologist who uses theory, experiments, and syntheses of existing data to understand and predict the consequences of biodiversity loss for humanity, and to reverse those impacts through conservation and restoration of ecosystems. He is perhaps best known for his meta-analyses that have helped build a scientific consensus on how biodiversity loss will affect the functioning of ecosystems and their ability to provide society with the goods and services needed to prosper.

Cardinale is currently an Associate Professor in the School of Natural Resources and Environment at the University of Michigan. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Maryland in 2002, and completed a postdoc at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Cardinale has published more than 90 peer-reviewed scientific papers, and won several research awards. In 2013, he became and elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and in 2014 he was named by Thompson Reuters as one of the most highly cited ecologists in the world. He currently serves on the editorial board of Ecology and Ecological Monographs, and is an elected member of the science committee of the United Nation?s Environmental Program Future Earth.

Annual potluck, slide show, and Deep Roots Award

Winding up our scheduled events for 2014 is our annual potluck. Come join
us for a harvest celebration of ideas and foods. It is a great chance for
new members of our native plant community to join with veterans and share
ideas and gain encouragement. If you are running late or forgot food, come
anyway.

We will also be voting on next year?s slate of officers. If anyone would
like to join the board?in whatever capacity interests you, please contact
me.

Then, this year?s Bob Grese ?Deep Roots? award will be given to one of our
members in recognition of outstanding stewardship. This award?s name
recognizes that inspiration that Bob and his passion for native plants and
the ideas of Jens Jensen have provided for our community.

To finish off, we will have show and tell. Please bring some slides of your
projects and talk about what you planned, what you accomplished. We will
have a projector, so just bring your USB.