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| Boardman River Nature Center's Sabin Pond Trail |
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Invasive Species Network News
The Northwest Michigan Invasive Species Network works directly with over 40 partners in Benzie, Grand Traverse, Leelanau, and Manistee counties. Our mission is to
protect, enhance, and promote northwest Michigan's natural communities through terrestrial invasive plant management and outreach.
In this month's issue you will find information on the Grand Traverse Conservation District's Native Seedling and Native Plant Sales, as well as a note from Saving Birds Thru Habitat, and information on National Invasive Species Awareness Week and ISN give-away!
Yours in Conservation,
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 Volunteer Opportunities & Upcoming Events
- No ISN events scheduled in January/February | Visit our events page to add ISN events to your calendar
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A Note from "Saving Birds Thru Habitat"
One third of North America's birds are currently at risk of extinction. Native bees and butterflies are similarly at risk. Although tragic, this is no reason to descend into gloom and doom. Rather the situation is a call to action for those of us who care about the future for all of our wildlife.
Saving Birds Thru Habitat, along with partners including ISN, Leelanau County, Leelanau Conservancy and Leelanau Conservation District, has embarked on a new program that aims to educate and raise awareness among county landowners of this serious decline in birds, pollinators and other wildlife. The majority of these declines can be traced to habitat loss - either directly through development or indirectly through the spread of introduced flora and fauna species. Birds depend heavily on native insects, especially when feeding their young. And those insects require native plants to support healthy populations. Planting native plants, particularly those that host many insects such as caterpillars, is the best way to support the rest of the food chain. Oaks in particular support an incredible number of caterpillars that birds in turn feed to their nestlings. Read more about the importance of native plants and your landscape in this Bringing Nature Home article.
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Seedling & Native Plant Sale
Winter is the time for daydreaming about planting. Local conservation districts have started their native seedling sales. Place your orders soon!
Native Seedling Sales
Keep an eye out for native plant sales in the near future as well.
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| Redosier dogwood | Photo by: Tom Hilton |
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National Invasive Species Awareness Week
Febrauary 26th through March 4th marks
an effort to spread the word on conservation efforts and identify solutions to issues at the local, state, and federal level. We invite you to join us as we
inform individuals of concerns right here in northwest Michigan.
To encourage further education, ISN is also doing a giveaway of invasive species-focused items this week! To
participate, visit our facebook page. A winner will be chosen (at random) and announced on Friday, March 2nd. Check out the prize package below!
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Go Beyond Beauty
For many people, a garden's purpose begins and ends with beauty. However, we believe it is possible to create beautiful spaces that transcend beauty alone. Did you know that many of the plants that are most invasive in local natural areas originally arrived as ornamental garden plants? You can prevent the introduction and spread of invasives by purchasing plants at local nurseries and through landscapers that have committed to not selling high-threat invasive ornamental plants. Additionally, commit to not using invasives in your own landscape. Let's make Northwest Michigan an example of natural beauty, wildlife habitat, healthy waters, and bountiful gardens that inspires across the state of Michigan... and beyond!
We invite all nurseries, landscapers, businesses, organizations, and concerned landowners that are located in Benzie, Grand Traverse, Leelanau, and Manistee Counties to participate in Go Beyond
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Find ISN on Instagram and Facebook!
Help the Northwest Michigan Invasive Species Network get seen and heard-follow us on Instagram and Facebook.
Social media is a great way to share with our friends and family. Let them know your interest in ISN by following us and liking our pages. The more you get involved with ISN and our social media, the more your friends and family will learn about why and how habitat matters. Sharing posts from our page is also a great way to get others around you to see what ISN is up to and to further educate them on topics such as invasive species and habitat.
Thanks for your support!
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Invasive Species In The News
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