The People Behind the Scenes at Fenner Nature Center

In today's post, Ken Sattler writes about the staff and volunteers who make our many programs possible, and who are dedicated to keeping Fenner looking beautiful too. Consider becoming a volunteer for our upcoming "Beast of a Feast" fundraiser and our Apple Butter festival by filling out this quick application. 

My last couple of posts talked about the wonder, discovery, and ‘literal awesomeness’ of Fenner. To be sure, it’s a fantastic place – a gem in the Lansing community. But my intent for interning here was to learn what makes an amazing place like this tick. What I’m finding is that it’s a complex chemistry between a staggering array of variables. There are, of course, the big, highly visible things which need to be coordinated – the excellent day camps, school programs, and festivals to name a few. These all require countless hours of planning and organization. There are also endless minutiae that must be addressed – things that the average visitor to Fenner will likely never notice, but which would be sorely missed if they were to go neglected.

At the end of the day it all really boils down to a small fleet of very dedicated people putting in a lot of hard work and careful planning.  Many of the people who put in the work on the grounds and the programs and advisory boards are volunteers. Personalities need to mesh, and that doesn’t always happen smoothly. Agreements must be reached – sometimes compromises must be made. Funding must be found to implement plans, and that takes a whole other set of people working behind the scenes to make sure that Fenner can continue to be the haven that it is, and can run the excellent programs that it does.

To walk the grounds at Fenner is to experience a peaceful respite amid the bustle of the City of Lansing. Behind the serenity of nature is a flurry of activity – plants and animals working in cooperation and in competition with one another to survive and to thrive. Behind the serenity of Fenner is a similar struggle. These dedicated staff and volunteers are creating the partnerships and wrestling with the issues that need to be faced in order to keep Fenner running smoothly. Like the rest of the wildlife here, they can be hard to spot at times. But they’re around, if you know where to look. If you happen to cross paths with any of them, take a moment to let them know how much you enjoy Fenner, and appreciate the work they put in to keep it running.

On October 12th, Fenner will be having their first annual "Beast of a Feast" fundraiser, complete with tasty food and drinks, a silent auction full of exciting items (like this roadside rescue dresser), and a great local band, The Whiskey Pickers! And on October 13th and 14th will be Fenner's 39th annual Apple Butter Festival complete with live music, old-fashioned games, food, and of course the stirring of the apple butter! 

To make all of these wonderful events and celebrations possible, Fenner needs the help of many volunteers. Please consider giving a bit of your time and fill out this application to let us know what you would be interested in doing as a volunteer. And enjoy all the festivities too!

Have fun and make a difference at Earth Day Extravaganza: Sunday, April 22nd

Every day we hear about environmental destruction in our world, and it may leave you thinking there is nothing you can do to make much of a difference. You CAN make a difference! On April 22nd, people around the world will stand up for the protection of our earth and participate in local events that celebrate our home planet. Together, we will call attention to environmental issues around the world and celebrate the nature we have all around us!

An exciting Earth Day Extravaganza will be held here at Fenner Nature Center, presented in partnership with the MSU Fisheries and Wildlife Club and the help of many other local organizations like The Nature Conservancy. This day of nature career exploration and stewardship features a variety of informative activities such as bird identification hikes, interactive presentations about native Michigan animals, wildflower identification hikes, and the opportunity to form a team and join our garlic mustard pull challenge! We are also kicking off our Butterfly Garden Restoration with the help of the Capital Area Master Gardeners.

As you enjoy all the activities of the day, don’t miss one of our most exciting events: Picnic for the Planet! With your help, the Nature Conservancy hopes to break the Guinness World Record for the most people picnicking in a 24-hour period around the world! Come enjoy the activities inside the visitor center and on the trails, and remember to bring a sack lunch so you can join The Nature Conservancy and make history!

Here is a schedule for the activities of Earth Day Extravaganza:

•      Mist Netting: 7:00 am – 9:00

•      Guided Bird Walk: 8:00 am – 9:00 am; 10:30 am – 11:30 am

•      Wildflower Identification Hike: 9:30 am – 10:30 am; 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm

•      Small Mammal Trapping: 9:30 am – 10:30 am

•      Garlic Mustard Pull Challenge: 9:00 am – 3:00 pm

•      Native Animal Presentation: 11:45 am – 12:45 pm

•      Tree Identification Hike: 10:30 am – 11:30 am

•      Pond Dipping: 11:00 am – 3: 00 am

•      Herpetological Surveys: 12:30 pm – 2:30 pm

•      Picnic for the Planet: 11:00am, 12:00pm, 1:00pm

•      Bluebird nest checks: TBD

•      Michigan Wildlife presentations: 10:00 am – 3:00 pm

Whether you intend to get your hands a little dirty and join us to help rid the park of invasive plants, create new habitat for butterflies and other integral pollinators, or simply come out to learn about nature and spend time outdoors with family and friends, we are certain that it will be an unforgettable day.

PNC Bank will also be on-site with their Mobile LearningAdventure! Be sure to stop by, check it out, and get your little ones involved in their interactive exhibits.

We hope to see you at Fenner Nature Center on April 22 for Earth Day Extravaganza!

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Volunteering at Fenner

Our guest post today is written by Cait Quinn, one of our enthusiastic volunteers. She writes about what it's like to volunteer at Fenner!

Hello!

My name is Cait and I’m going to be guest blogging for you all today! I’m a volunteer at Fenner and, like all of you wonderful supporters of the nature center, have fallen in love with the place! Everyday I come in, I never quite know what to expect. One day I could be emptying sap from maple trees, and the next I could be feeding all of our little creatures inside. There is always something new to help out with, and that sparked my interest to stay involved. I leave here always having something to talk about with my friends. For instance, did you know that Fenner used to have a prairie dog facility? After going through some files on my first day, I came across some old letters written by past Fenner employees requesting that the town of Lubbock, Texas catch and ship about a dozen prairie dogs to be a new exhibit for the nature center. What a cool thing to come across!

And in the Texan correspondent’s letter back to Fenner, the writer mentioned that they have been catching prairie dogs for many different cities around the US and even the world. Their most recent endeavor (as of March 1960) was sending prairie dogs to the King of Morocco. So our Fenner prairie dogs could have been from royal descent!

There is so much history here at Fenner and in our Lansing community that I encourage all of you to take advantage of. Fenner is so community oriented, and that definitely influenced my decision to continue volunteering here. Within the first hour I arrived I knew everyone’s name, they knew mine, and we could all joke around like we had known each other a lot longer. I think that’s the key to having such a successful nature center, because in the end, these 134 acres are for us all, not just those who hike the trails or study the outdoors. It’s for every resident to take advantage of! Come see our friendly turkeys outside the visitor center, hike the trails, learn about our maple syrup trees, sign up for a program and maybe even spot a deer or two while you’re here! And of course, come get to know the wonderful people who work for Fenner. We are glad to have you.

P.S. Join us for a pancake dinner on Saturday, March 17^th at 4:00pm to celebrate and enjoy all the maple syrup we have made this year! I was just outside today emptying all the sap, and boy do we have a ton. So come enjoy our delicious syrup with some equally excellent pancakes.