Remembering Ken Nietering
If you happened to be walking the trails of the Environmental Study Area on a summer day over the past few years, you might have encountered a tall gentleman with a wide-brimmed hat, long-lens camera in hand, looking out over Fair Lane Lake. After a quiet nod of friendly greeting, Ken Nietering would have calmly switched his attention back to one of his favorite wildlife photography subjects: the dragonflies that were darting here and there just above the surface of the lake.
As Ken stood and watched, he surely observed an assortment of fascinating dragonfly behaviors including prey capture, territoriality, mating, and egg laying. In the midst of all this busy biological activity, Ken would wait patiently for one of these fascinating and colorful insects to alight close enough for a photo.
Over many visits to the lake, Ken was able to capture a wonderful series of photographic images that represent almost all of the known species of dragonflies that occur there. He thoughtfully and generously donated a host of these photos to be added to the Environmental Interpretive Center’s photo documentation of species diversity in the Environmental Study Area. Permanently housed at the Center, Ken’s dragonfly photo collection will provide a resource for current and future generations to enjoy and tap into for research and other educational purposes.
Ken’s legacy will also live on as we remember him as someone who cherished the many benefits and natural wonders of the Environmental Study Area. This is something he regularly shared with his wife Emily, who has volunteered to help with so many meaningful and important habitat rehabilitation projects in the Study Area over many decades.
The family requested planting memorial trees in Ken’s memory. The Center has planted six American chestnut trees that he and Emily previously donated for planting in the Environmental Study Area. The EIC is also listed as a place for memorial gifts, “Since,” as Emily said, “we were there almost every week and he loved hunting and photographing dragonflies there.”
Another way to remember Ken is to think about what each of us finds special about visiting the Environmental Study Area. It’s a kind of fellowship that connects each of us, through time and place, in having this wonderful natural oasis to explore and experience, so close to home.
-Rick Simek
Don't forget to submit your photos!
The Environmental Interpretive Center is hosting our first-ever Pollinator Photography Contest! The contest will run from June 24 through August 31, allowing maximum opportunities to catch a pollinator in the act! To learn the “who, what, and how” of submitting your photographs of pollinators and their habitats, visit the Pollinator Photo Contest web page. First prize recipients in each category will receive a jar of locally sourced EIC honey from our own urban apiary and a highly prized EIC T-shirt!
Please remember...
The EIC Environmental Study Area is open daily from sunrise to sunset. When walking the trails, please follow Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s orders on social distancing, mask wearing and small groups. We would also like to remind nature-goers that fishing on site is prohibited and to leave bikes and dogs at home because they cause disruption and stress to the EIC wildlife.
