Mornings at Fenner: A Flurry of Activity!

In today's post, Andrea (our Environmental Education intern) writes about her favorite time of day at Fenner: early in the morning! There's usually lots of activity at Fenner in the mornings - come check it out for yourself!

Fenner Nature Center is a place I love to be at any time of day. There is never a dull or boring moment. No matter the time of day, there is always something to see and do whether you’re simply going for a walk, participating in one of Fenner’s numerous programs, or volunteering. But if I had to pick my favorite time to be there, it would be, without question, early in the morning. This is when Fenner Nature Center is the most peaceful and the most alive.

A few times a week, I arrive at Fenner before the sun comes up. Even before I drive through the gate, I can tell that I’m entering a special place – a place where I no longer make the rules and, if I want to be rewarded, I must follow the rules of nature. As I drive down the road, the trees begin to form a canopy, engulfing me, and it becomes even darker. I stop here for a moment and take a look around. I must be patient – there is more to see here than I think at first. 

As my eyes begin to adjust, I notice a deer standing behind a tree. Her fawn is standing behind her, perfectly still. They know I’m here. As I look closer, I begin to see even more. There is a squirrel on the tree, scurrying down from its nest. Two turkeys begin to slowly meander across the road in front of my car. I begin to notice how loud the silence really is. Somewhere in the grasses, crickets are chirping. In the distance, I hear an owl hoot once more before retiring to its nest. The wind blows and I can feel the damp air on my face through the open car window. It smells like autumn and rain. To my left, leaves begin to rustle and I catch a glimpse of a groundhog waddling through the brush before he disappears. It’s beginning to get lighter out and I make my way down the road. I want to get out on the trails before the darkness disappears completely, because I know there is even more there waiting to be discovered.

We use our senses constantly every day. But when the majority of our time is spent behind a desk, behind the wheel of a car, and in front of a television, the dulling of our senses is inevitable. We stop seeing and hearing everything around us. But when we take a moment to stop, be still, and turn our brains off, our senses begin to awaken again. It’s amazing what nature is willing to show us if only we open our eyes and learn to see.

Animal photos by Sharkey Studios. 

A Night Hike at Fenner

In today's post, Jen Ismirle writes about enjoying the glimpses of animals and their activities she observed on our last night hike of the summer. 

For the past few weeks, I've been wanting to go on Fenner’s Summer Night Hike, but because of family plans and the rain, I kept missing out. But finally, last Friday, my schedule opened up and rain was absent in the weather forecast; it was all systems go!

There ended up being 12 of us total on the hike, including myself and our guide, Martha. She gave a brief presentation in the library first, showing us pictures of various animal we might see and also playing the sounds that different owls make. The screech of the barn owl was particularly interesting, and scary: click here to hear it.

We headed outside after that, and it was still light out as we began our trek. I was excited though to hear Martha say that this night hike would be the darkest one yet, as it is starting to get darker earlier. As we walked about, she stopped us a few times to play bird calls from a tape player she had, but apparently the owls and other birds were feeling shy or just weren’t around right then, because the calls didn’t lure them out.

Although I was disappointed that we didn’t happen upon any owls, we definitely weren’t alone on our walk. There were many squirrels rustling around nearby, and we also saw two deer, separately. We only caught a quick glimpse of the first one as it dashed behind some trees, but we were able to watch the second one romp across the entire field before it too disappeared amongst the trees. We saw a rabbit as it wandering through the forest too, just before we headed out into the field. Unfortunately, I was too slow to catch any of the animals with my camera.

By that point, it was starting to get dark and we could see a couple bats darting around in the sky as they were catching insects. When we walked over to the Field Pond, the children on the hike spotted a spider on its web, and were extremely interested in investigating it up-close. I stayed back as I am not big on spiders myself, but it was fun to watch the kids so fascinated by the spider and asking questions about it. They were fearless!

As it grew entirely dark, we winded our way through the rest of the field and around the Central Pond. Throughout the walk, we could rustlings all around us and many different bird calls, but we could no longer see what was making these noises. The children and some of the adults whipped their flashlights around, but it was difficult to catch a glimpse of these creatures of the night. We could also hear splashes from time to time in the pond, but only see the ripples on the water.

After we made our way back to the Visitor Center, it was time for a bonfire and s’mores! And after that, since we hadn’t been able to see any owls in-person, Martha brought out some owl pellets for the kids to dissect. They were able to find quite a few animal bones inside the pellets, including a rodent skull (which is on the right below).

I am very glad I was finally able to attend one of these night hikes, though sadly it was the last summer night hike for this year. It was interesting to witness (through sight and sound) the nocturnal activities of so many different animals, which I didn't even realize are happening nearby while I am sound asleep inside my home.

Starting September 1^st, there will also be Fall Migration Bird Walks, led by the Capital Area Audubon Society. Check out Fenner’s calendar to learn more.

Roadside Rescue Dresser for Fenner Nature Center

This year, we will be kicking off our annual Apple Butter festival with our "Beast of a Feast" fundraiser! One feature of this fundraiser will be a silent auction with many exciting items. 

**To help make our auction a success, please consider donating nature-related items to be auctioned, such as gift certificates or "gently used" outdoor gear such as kayaks, snowshoes, skis, fishing gear, and more. Together, we can connect even more people to nature!

Today's guest post comes from Karin Balkon Chudy, who writes about restoring this "roadside rescue" dresser (with the help of Katie Woodhams) to be auctioned off at our silent auction. Come out to Fenner on October 12th to make a bid on this gorgeous dresser yourself!

WHEW!!!!!! That is the first thing I have to say about this baby! The second thing I should tell you is the BACK STORY... A couple weeks ago, my niece contacted me about donating a piece of furniture for an AUCTION for Fenner Nature Center for whom she works. I of course said... "HECK YEAH"... :)

I said, "I have some small pieces," but I told her that if she came upon a dumpster dive or a ROADSIDE RESCUE that would be cool. Seeing as it was for a Nature Center, I thought it would be poignant that we saved something from the landfill. She said she would keep her eyes peeled. Well, no more than a few days later, she sends me a picture of THIS!!

A SOLID mahogany 4 drawer dresser just sitting on the side of the road... WHAT THE HECK!!! Some girls have all the luck... :) We got to scheduling a date when she could come stay for the weekend and we could knock out this project.

And knock it out we did!~ Here, she is making me laugh at the fact that she had no sooner backed up her truck and I was attacking the dresser like a PIT CREW in a race. 
I don't like to waste time...

We stripped off the old worn and broken brass pulls and filled the old holes.

Here is my niece Katie getting ready to sand the top. (I don't mind telling you that I loved having an ASSISTANT to do this job!)

Above is the solid mahogany stripped bare, and below it is stained with a nice mix of cherry and walnut stain.

Now for the fun part. We were really trying to keep our "footprint" as small as possible on this project. I KNEW what paint I wanted to use. 

Even better, the color I had pictured in my head was an exact match to Ce Ce Caldwell's MICHIGAN PINE... If you have not guessed yet, we are from MICHIGAN... It doesn't get any better than picking an environmentally safe paint, for a rescue project, for an auction, for a Nature Center, IN MICHIGAN... and its named MICHIGAN PINE... are you hearing angels singing yet????? :) I was.

So here we were... only about 3 hours in and we are already painting the dresser.

This is how we left it for the night... It was waiting for its... "BEAUTI-FI-CATION."

When Katie and I had gone back and forth in emails talking about what we wanted this project to LOOK like... we had finally decided on a FERN... But we didn't want the regular Fern that everyone thinks of... We wanted something STYLISH...

So I had researched some ferns and this is the one we decided on. (I am not a botanist and I KNEW artistic license would be used... so we have NO IDEA what type of Fern this really is... :)) We drew it on in the morning and got to painting!!

I can't tell you how much FUN I had working on this project. Having another artist to work with and being able to have your idea come to fruition on the canvas (in this case the dresser) was amazing. Even though it took us 6 hours combined, just to paint on the Fern. :)

Here I am distressing everything that we spent all our time painting... LOL!!

and HERE is our mess!!! LOL!!

But it was all worth the MESS for the finished product....

With her new crystal knobs,

and the fern gracefully flowing along her body, she is back to being a BEAUTIFUL part of Nature.

Here is Me and my Gorgeous Niece Katie... all cleaned up trying to look as BEAUTIFUL as this dresser... which will be auctioned off to the highest bidder. Going from Ugly Duckling to BEAUTIFUL Swan!!

To find out more about the auction you can visit Fenner Nature Center. The auction goes straight to Fenner Conservancy to help them meet their mission of connecting people to nature!

Thank you all, and thank you so much to my Niece Katie Woodhams, for allowing me to be a part of this!! We both didn't know if we could let our baby go... but we know its for a great cause. I hope you all have a BEAUTIFUL day!!

Check out Karin's original blog post too.

Nature Day Camps

In today’s post, Abby King writes about our variety of nature day camps this summer, and her favorite activities: "cave painting" and making paper. 

When I was a child, I spent a week or two every summer at Chippewa Nature Centers Nature Day Camp in Midland, Michigan. I cherish the memories I made there: games, camp outs, crafts, pond dipping, river walks, and more.

When I started my internship at Fenner Nature Center, I was happy to learn that it has a similar program. Because one of my areas of study at school is art and design, I was asked to plan and participate in a nature-themed craft once a week with the campers here. Though I don’t have much experience working with children, I agreed.

Each week of camp here has a different theme. There have been camps about weather, wilderness survival, bugs, vertebrates, nature art, pond life, homesteading, and ecology.

Planning a craft for each of these camps has been more difficult than I expected, but luckily, the camp counselors and Program Manager here have been more than helpful in coming up with ideas.

My favorite week has been the nature art week, which was ironically the only week that I didn’t plan the crafts. Instead of one craft that week I did two. On Tuesday that week we did “cave painting” in the observation blind here with paints made from mud and fruit.

On Wednesday that week, we made paper from paper. Old papers were blended into a pulp, which was then pressed onto screens and left to dry into new, textured sheets of paper. 

The Joy of Bicycling and My Commute to Fenner

In today’s post, Abby King writes about her love of bicycling, and all the interesting things she sees and experiences on her commute to Fenner each morning.

I have always enjoyed bicycling. When I was younger, my father and I used to take long bike rides along the rural roads near my home. We rarely had a particular destination in mind; instead, we simply bicycled for the joy of bicycling. Even when I fell and was left picking gravel out of my palms and knees, I still looked forward to the next ride. I loved the thrill of coasting down hills and the refreshing wind in my face.

I still like riding my bike. However, I am not a serious cycler; I do not keep track of my miles or venture out for a ride clad in neon spandex. No, these days I bike mostly to get where I need to be. I bike to work, I bike to the library, and I often bike to school.

I find that bicycling has several advantages over other modes of transportation. I have a car, but gas is expensive and the roads are filled with crazy drivers, overcautious slow drivers, and construction detours. Buses keep an unpredictable schedule which makes it nearly impossible to get anywhere on time, and they can be unpleasantly crowded.  Both cars and buses add to the pollution in the air. Walking is much too slow to be relied upon as transportation to all but the closest destinations, and while running is faster than walking, it is slower than bicycling and makes me hot and sticky.  To summarize, bicycling is cheap, efficient, and quick, not to mention a respectable form of physical activity. However, these are all obvious advantages. For me, the real pleasure of the ride comes from when and where I bike. My morning commute to Fenner is one of my favorite routes.

My trip in to work starts at around 6:30am, when I bike from my apartment to a nearby tree-filled park, which takes me to a main road. I take the road into MSU’s campus and from there I can transfer to the Lansing River Trail, a recent discovery of mine. It is a paved trail that stretches through Lansing for about 13 miles. The 2.5 miles of the River Trail that I ride on my commute are mostly wooded, and pleasant to ride through. The River Trail conveniently takes me to Aurelius road, very close to Fenner. From there it is a simple left turn onto Mt. Hope and a right turn into the driveway. This route takes me through woods, next to a shrubby meadow, into the city, and alongside the Grand River. The closer I get to Fenner, the more interesting things I tend to see. Several weeks ago I saw an absolutely enormous snapping turtle, perhaps two feet in length, sunning itself on a fallen tree in the river along the River Trail. Just this morning I saw a doe and her fawn wading into the river, and several minutes later as I turned into Fenner’s driveway I caught a glimpse of another doe, this one with twin fawns, striding gracefully into the long grass.

I cherish my bicycle commute. I am comfortable in the knowledge that I am saving money, reducing pollution, and working my body. Equally important, I know that I am making memories during my summer mornings in Lansing that I can keep for the winter, and for when I leave the region.  

One Hot Summer

Jessica Rizza writes about our hot summer this year in today's post, and how this affects the animals and plants at Fenner. Come out to Fenner to see for yourself!

It has been one hot summer this year; it’s the hottest year in U.S. history (so far) to be exact! There are many ways that we all deal with the heat. Some people spend their time at beaches and pools cooling off in the water, while others choose to stay indoors in the air conditioning. We, as humans, know how to beat the heat, but what about all the wildlife here at Fenner? The native plants and animals have had to devise their own plans to deal with this hot summer, just like we have.

For example, to deal with hot temperatures, deer will find a low shady area during the day to bed down in. There, it is cooler and there are no direct rays from the sun! A shaded area with a small pond or stream is preferred even more. If you want to spot some deer in the summer here at Fenner, go hiking out on the trails and keep an eye out for shaded moist places.

American toads and green frogs adopt the same strategy. To see frogs and toads in the pond behind the Visitor Center on a hot summer day, you might have to get a little dirtier than one would think. To stay cool, frogs and toads bask in the pond under fallen logs, overhanging trees, or dead branches. An area like this is one of their favorite places to keep cool. 

The native flora, however, isn’t so lucky. With the low precipitation that we’ve had here in Lansing there is only so much a plant can do to conserve its available water. A plant can’t get up and move to a shaded moist area like animals can, thus, a lot of plants around here have suffered losses due to the extreme dry heat we’ve had (especially the open grassy areas).

 
The moral of the story is to try to enjoy the heat and being outside because we’ll have a foot of snow again before we know it!

July Birds of the Month

In today’s post, one of our volunteers, Nathan Martineau, writes about two birds that can found at Fenner right now. Check it out, and try to spot one today!

Field Sparrow (Spizella pusilla)

One of four species of sparrows that nest here at Fenner, the Field Sparrow is a bird of pastures of tall grass, scattered with shrubs.  Due to its lack of prominent facial markings, this sparrow possesses a distinctive baby-faced look. While it is often quite a challenge to catch sight of one of these little sparrows, a much easier way to locate them is their song, which is quite loud and reminds many people of “a bouncing Ping-Pong ball.” 

From mid-March until mid-October, Field sparrows can easily be heard—and often seen—at two locations at Fenner:  the first is the vicinity of the Field Pond, which is often the only place where it is possible to see one of these birds.  The second place is the field that formerly held a buffalo for many years.  On the trail map, this area should appear to be south of the Service Drive (light gray), near the intersection of the Turner and Tamarack (blue and pink) trails.  You are practically guaranteed to hear Field Sparrows here, although the scale of the place, combined with restricted access, makes it extremely difficult to see one here.  In migration, it is often seen flocking with Chipping Sparrows (Spizella passerina), especially in spring.

Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea)

Many people say that the bluebird is the bluest bird in North America, but a male Indigo Bunting certainly gives a bluebird a run for its money!  Indigo Buntings can be found in forest edges and weedy fields here at Fenner from May through September.  As well as being abundant in spring and fall migration, it is a common summer resident and breeder throughout Michigan.  Indigo Buntings commonly eat the seeds of plants such as grass, dandelion, thistle, goldenrod, and other weedy plants. The bulk of their diet, however, consists of invertebrates like grasshoppers, beetles, flies and caterpillars.  

Letting a few dandelions go to seed will often attract Indigo Buntings to your yard in migration. At Fenner, I recently saw Indigo Buntings on the ground in the parking lot, which is unusual. I have also seem them out in the prairie.  Right now, they are found in breeding pairs and sometimes they can be seen singing from the tops of the trees on the prairie.

The Awesome Solace of Nature

In today’s post, Ken Sattler shares the solace he feels at Fenner, but also how “literally awesome” a trip to Fenner can be for people of all ages! 

I walk the trails here at Fenner as often as I can find time to, which is not nearly as often as I would like. There is solace here when I do. Everything seems as it should be – functioning exactly as intended. It is not quiet, but it is peaceful. It is not still, but it is calm. There is always a flurry of activity, if one cares to look carefully enough, as life and natural processes unfold. Something interesting is always waiting to be discovered.

The prevailing atmosphere, though, is one of quiescence. The natural world is intentional and teeming and productive and vibrant and sustainable here, while also remaining graceful and exquisite. There is a lesson to be learned in this, I think, though what it is exactly eludes me for now. Perhaps there are many lessons to be learned in this, each dependent on one’s own experience of life.

As in nature, however, Fenner also has its occasional outbursts of complete pandemonium. If pandemonium can be productive, though, then this is. My halcyon reverie is periodically – and refreshingly – checked by the calamitous riot of children and adults discovering that there is life outside of X-Box and iPhone, and that it is life worth experiencing. It is the welcome din of child-like discovery. Around every turn is something to behold – something which can make a kid exclaim, in a way that only a seven-year-old can, “Come over here you guys! You have to see this! This is, literally, awesome!”

Literally awesome. It is not virtually awesome, or hypothetically awesome, or abstractly awesome in a philosophical kind of way. Nor is it simply “awesome.” It is literally awesome – awesome in a way that cannot afford to be overlooked – awesome in the most definitive sense possible. The kid isn’t wrong. It is. That is nature, and that is Fenner. Often subtle. Sometimes in your face. But always, literally, awesome.

A Summer Night Hike: Taking the “Adventurous” Trail

Today’s post comes from Katie Woodhams, our Program Manager. On a Summer Night Hike here at Fenner, she rediscovered an awe of nature through observing wildlife and the circle of life firsthand. Read about her rich experience, and come to Fenner for our next Summer Night Hike on Friday (July 13), 8-10pm!

Whenever I tell people that I work at a nature center, their first reaction is always some sort of exclamation about how lucky I am to get paid to be outside and having fun.  While I do have fun at work, I have to tell you – it’s a rare occurrence for me to actually get outside!  While our camp counselors and naturalists are out blazing trails, I can usually be found at my desk, in a cubicle, staring at my computer like a zombie!  You probably can understand why I jumped at the chance to tag along for our first night hike of the summer!

As the sun sank lower in the sky giving the prairie grass that lovely golden glow, my fellow eco-explorers and I started off on our adventure with binoculars, field guides, camera, and smart phone in hand, loaded up with Audubon Field Guide Apps.  We had decided that the Visitor Center needed a monarch caterpillar mascot so our first stop was to go in search of one among the milkweed.  Just as we were about to give up, we found this cute little guy munching away!

Chemicals in the milkweed that are produced as a defense mechanism do not phase the monarch caterpillars.  Instead, the caterpillars accumulate these toxins in their bodies, which in turn help to protect them from predators.

After our new caterpillar friend, Heinrich, was safe in his new home inside the Visitor Center we headed back out to the prairie.  We came upon this fork in the trail and faced the age old dilemma about choosing the right path….Should we take that which is most traveled, or that which looks more adventurous?  

To the left, along the deer trail it is!

As we headed down the narrow path we discovered animal burrows and trails that we would not have seen had we taken the route more traveled.  At this point my excitement was rising and I had already forgotten all of the stress of the day.  

Just a few steps down the trail we found this entire tiny skeleton right at our feet!  We decided that it was some sort of rodent, based on the teeth.  Nearby we found what looked like a woodchuck burrow, so we inferred that this was a young woodchuck that had a little bit of bad luck.  A few steps later we came across a dead mole and spent many minutes inspecting the insect life that was “recycling” the little guy.  Hey, I know it’s gross, but we were so enthralled by the circle of life happening right before our eyes!   In nature, nothing is wasted, and we felt privileged to observe this first hand.

As the sun dipped below the tree line we headed over to the field pond.  I had heard that there was a family of wood ducks out there and wanted to see them firsthand.  Even though we snuck out onto the bridge as quietly as possible, we didn’t see any wood ducks (darn!). Instead however, we saw two mother turkeys and about 20 babies, called poults. They were getting ready for bed and picking out their roosts along the railing of the pond overlook.  I took a video as I tried to sneak up on them, but I decided to spare everyone all the heavy breathing and shaky camera work….instead, look at this cute picture below!  Mind you, they don’t look like this for very long.  Soon they will have filled their cute quota and turn into lanky, awkward, and gangly juveniles (just like people!)

As we left the prairie and entered the darkening woods, we spotted a raptor nest of some sort at the top of a red pine.  Upon closer examination at the bottom of the tree we found owl pellets!  Owl pellets are balls of hair and bones that the owls regurgitate because they cannot digest those parts of their prey.  They are fun to pull apart and investigate, and they help biologists deduce all kinds of information about the owl’s health and even the types of other animals that are living in the area.

I decided at this point to whip out my fancy smart phone and play some owl calls to try to hear if there were any in the area.  We tried Screech-owls, Barred Owls, and even Great Horned Owls, but never got a response.  Maybe we were too early, and the owls weren’t ready to wake up for the night yet! Just as we were giving up hope, we saw a large bird fly overhead.  Could it be an owl?.... Nope!  It was a Cooper’s Hawk!  The hawk landed right above us, and as I played various calls of its kind on my phone, it looked around, puzzled.  We watched it in awe since none of us had ever been that close to a wild hawk before! 

Throughout the rest of the hike I continued to act like a kid in a candy store.  While I studied biology in college, and have had many memorable experiences with nature, I still get goose bumps when I get a close encounter with a wild animal, or even if I find a pretty flower that I have not seen before. Experiences like this night hike remind me of why I went into this field, and why I believe that it is so important for everyone, especially kids, to have these same types of experiences.  In a time where one can look up a video on Youtube or watch a T.V show about nature and see high definition close-up imagery, I am still convinced that these firsthand experiences are much more memorable, as well as meaningful. There’s just something about making a discovery on your own that is so much more rewarding than having someone explain it to you on T.V.  I frequently reflect on what former Fenner naturalist Joan Brigham often stated, “Man is a part of nature, not apart from it.” Whenever I think of that statement I feel alive, complete, and ready for my next nature adventure!

What Can We Learn From a Tree?

Maddie Brady shares a thought on why appreciating nature is important to learn from a young age, and what we can learn from nature.

I think simple values like appreciating nature are lost in today’s hustle and bustle generation. I hope that one day when I have kids I will be able to teach them that it’s not all about what new gadget you have, it’s about remembering your roots and cherishing your family. Being at Fenner helps ground me some and helps me remember what’s really important.

I found this image online and I really liked it. Fenner is the perfect place for reflection because it’s so peaceful and secluded.

You can check out more by the artist, Joanne Raptis, at deviantart.

Taking a Hint from Nature: Try to Live Simple

Jen Ismirle writes about a recent deer sighting she had at Fenner and what it taught her about trying to live each day a little bit simpler. 

I love to see animals in the wild, and that includes any animals. I could sit for hours and watch squirrels living out their normal day-to-day romping, climbing, and foraging. It wasn’t until recently that I happened to think about why this is.

I was walking around the trails at Fenner hoping to see any animals at all, and I stopped a few times to watch chipmunks rustling through the plants, or birds singing in the trees. But then, this sauntered across the trail in front of me and to the other side:

I was beyond excited to actually see a deer in the wild that wasn’t dashing in front of my car! She was calm too, just glancing my way every so often as she swished her tail and chewed the food she found. As she meandered further from me to the point that I couldn’t see her anymore, I still didn’t want to continue walking the trail and hoped that I might catch another glimpse of this creature.

As I thought about it, I realized that in that moment, the stress of the day had evaporated from my mind. When I was watching the deer, I wasn’t thinking about the work I still needed to do or the errands I needed to run or anything else. I simply enjoyed watching this animal that had one focus at that time: finding food.

Perhaps we can take a hint from nature sometimes and not let stress weigh us down so much that we might not enjoy the world around us, or something as simple as a really scrumptious meal. 

The Value and Revitalizing Power of Nature

Maddie and Ken, two of our interns, write about how their experiences at Fenner take them back to their childhood memories of being out in nature, and how vital it is to get out and enjoy the nature we have here at Fenner.

Growing up, my parents used to take my brother and I camping every summer. We both quickly developed an appreciation for nature and spending time outside. I love walking around the trails at Fenner because it reminds me of when I used to go camping with my family.

It’s so peaceful walking or biking through the woods behind the nature center; it really helps to clear your mind. Listening to the chatter of the birds in the trees, the wind in the leaves and the scurry of the chipmunks chasing each other through the brush relaxes your mind and puts you at ease.

When I need to take a break from writing press releases or updating Fenner’s website, I like to take little walks on the trails. It’s not only good exercise for my body but it exercises my mind and heightens my senses.  You don’t just hear the sounds of the forest, you are engulfed in a canopy of green leaves and smells of wildflowers and blooming trees fill your nose.

The trails remind me of my childhood because we used to take nature walks or bike rides on trails similar in the Northern parts of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula.  Up there, roadside parks are more common and they have nice trails for walking in the woods. 

I would like to encourage anyone who’s reading this to visit Fenner Nature Center in the near future and just take a walk; it can really do wonders to revitalize mind, body and soul.

--Maddie Brady, Marketing Intern--

When I was a kid my dad used to regularly take me out to a place called Crabtree nature center in Barington, Illinois. I didn’t realize it at the time – I was simply enjoying walking the trails, seeing the flying squirrels in the nature center, and accidentally dropping my gum into the turtle tank – but those times were building in me a deep, lifelong appreciation for the natural world. They were also some of my favorite times spent with my dad when I was younger.

Fenner is a lot like Crabtree, without having to drive four hours to get there. Every time I see a family come through – see the kids go wide-eyed at what they experience, and seeing the parents get excited about learning alongside their kids – I realize how valuable and positive and formative a place like Fenner is. I’m excited about the opportunity to intern here this summer, and help Fenner continue to grow and thrive. My folks have talked about coming out for a visit this summer. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to give my dad a tour of Fenner, and to simply say ‘thanks’ for spending time with me as a kid.

--Ken Sattler, Fund Development Intern--