Reservations are required and space is limited.
Phone 941-0960.
Wings & Things
Four separate Saturday sessions allow you to discover the wonder of butterflies, birds, spring wildflowers, and more, along the Fox Den Trail. Dr. Duke Elsner brings his extensive knowledge of butterflies and other insects to the fore as he guides all four sessions of this hike. Molly McCombs, avid Audubon and retired science teacher, will come along on two of the sessions to help in bird and plant identification. We will provide collecting nets. Bring along your binoculars.
Dr. Duke Elsner: May 3 & May 17
Dr. Duke Elsner and Molly McCombs: May 10 & May 31
These four hikes begin at 10:00 at the Oleson Pavilion.
Ecology of Hickory Meadows: May 24
Join Greg Lacross in a hike along the prairie trails of Hickory Meadows. Discover the glacial history of the area and learn to identify native and invasive species of the area.
10:00 Hickory Meadows Parking Lot
What Can You Eat in the Woods?: July 19
Did you ever wonder which plants are poisonous and which are edible? Naturalist Mike Heuser guides the hike along the Sabin Pond Trail, through a variety of habitats.
10:00 Oleson Pavilion
Sugaring for Moths: Aug. 7
Bring the whole family on this nocturnal adventure. Dr. Duke will paint a sugary recipe of fermenting fruit on tree trunks along a trail at Brown Bridge Pond. Then you will return to the trees to discover moths, beetles, millipedes and other critters that have been drawn to the sweet mixture. This is a very popular hike. Bring your flashlight or headlamp.
9:30 p.m. Brown Bridge Quiet Area, West Parking Lot
Grand Opening of the Boardman River Nature Center Please Note: Kids’ Hikes are geared for ages 5-12. Reservations are required and space is limited. A Nocturnal Adventure: June 17 Reptiles & Amphibians: June 19 This Hike is For the Birds: June 25 Stuff in the Sky: June 27 Traverse City Rocks!: July 15 Michigan Mammals: July 17 Creepy Crawlies: July 22 The Wonder of Ponds: July 23 Nature Scavenger Hunt: July 31 Grand Opening of the Boardman River Nature Center
We’ll have lots of fun for the whole family, with hands-on activities for the kids and guided hikes and workshops for adults and families. Tour the new Nature Center building and enjoy exhibits, watch a nature film in the multi-media room, attend a workshop in the classroom and much more.
Saturday, August 16th, 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Sunday, August 17th, 12 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Discovery Hikes for Kids
Unless otherwise noted, all Kids’ Hikes meet at 9:00 a.m. at the Oleson Pavilion at the Sabin Pond Trail. It is located at the site of the Boardman River Nature Center, on the east side of Cass Road, about 1.5 miles south of South Airport Road.
Phone 941-0960.
Dr. Duke leads an after-dark adventure to discover insects of the night. He’ll set up a light box and ultraviolet lights for attracting the insects. Bring your flashlight or headlamp and come see what critters we find. We’ll play a fun cocoon game and drink some “Bug Juice.” 9:30 p.m.
Come and explore the Sabin Pond Trail as we search for snakes, turtles, frogs and salamanders. Leslie Mertz guides the hike and she’ll bring along live examples of snakes and turtles. We’ll have turtle shells and other related items for hands-on activities.
Session 1: 9:00-10:00 (Ages 5-8)
Session 2: 10:30-11:30 (Ages 9-12)
Join our Audubon guide, Molly McCombs in a search for nesting birds. Shore birds that will be nesting are Canada geese, ducks, and swans. After the hike, make your own bird’s nest to take home.
Why does the wind blow? What are clouds made of? Weatherman Joe Charlevoix guides this fun, hands-on hike. We’ll have coma races and make a cloud finder to take home.1:00 p.m.
Do you like to collect rocks and fossils? Come along with geologist Paul Schmude as he tells us about the geologic history of our area. Bring your water shoes as we collect rocks along the Boardman River. After the hike, you’ll get to pick out a Petoskey Stone to take home and polish.
Session 1: 9:00-10:00
Session 2: 10:30-11:30
Touch study skins and skulls of local mammals. You’ll get to feel the fur of a raccoon, a bobcat, a skunk and more. Ken Gregory will guide the hike around Sabin Pond as you search for animal tracks, scat, animal holes and dens. Take home a poster of wetlands plants and animals for your room.
We provide collecting nets and jars for you to take along in your search for bugs, beetles, butterflies and other critters. Dr. Duke guides this fun discovery hike. Afterwards, we’ll bring your critters to the pavilion to look at under magnifiers and identify before release back into the wild.
Discover the amazing variety of life that lives in a pond. Freshwater ecologist Marc Schollett guides the hike along Sabin Pond and through the wetlands. We’ll provide collecting jars for you to bring your little animals back to pavilion, where you can look at them under magnifiers and microscopes.
Session 1: 9:00-10:00
Session 2: 10:30-11:30
Do you have a good eye for finding things? Join us on a fun hike to discover some of the wonders of nature. We’ll give you bags for collecting things like pine cones, beech nut husks, acorns and seeds. Then we’ll bring the natural items back to pavilion and make a fun nature craft to take home.
We’ll have lots of fun for the whole family, with hands-on activities for the kids and guided hikes and workshops for adults and families. Tour the new Nature Center building and enjoy exhibits, watch a nature film in the multi-media room, attend a workshop in the classroom and much more.
Saturday, August 16th, 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Sunday, August 17th, 12 p.m. - 5 p.m.
