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In this issue:
- Much to Celebrate!
- Benefit Event
- Upcoming Programs
- Tales From the Trails
- Green Ways
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Happy 22nd birthday to the EIC!
The patina on our copper mascot, the Great Blue Heron, has oxidized over the 22 years since our grand opening on May 25, 2001, but the thousands of school children coming through our doors once again are as bright as the copper sculpture!
We are grateful for the community support we have experienced since reopening last May 2. It's great to welcome the public back for our school and family programs, as well as the University students, faculty, and staff. We hope to welcome you for our upcoming programs or on a walk through the Environmental Study Area.
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Continuing the Vision: An Interactive Experience to Benefit the EIC
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The EIC hosted a sold-out fundraising event to benefit the EIC at the historic Fair Lane: Home of Clara and Henry Ford on 14 April 2023. The guests roamed the beautifully restored first floor of the Fair Lane and learned from guest services staff about the estate and the Ford family. | | |
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Interpretive Naturalists Dorothy McLeer, Wesley Priem (left), and Rick Simek brought the natural history to life with accounts of Naturalist John Burroughs; Henry Ford and Jefferson Butler’s efforts on behalf of bird conservation; and the history of the Rouge River. | |
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Attendees had the opportunity to bid on a number of unique gifts and items in the silent auction in the music room and learn from EIC student staff about their experiences working at the EIC.
The attendees dined on heavy hors d’oeuvres and wine in the pool room. Food Network star Michelle Bommarito baked and donated delicious cupcakes for the occasion and Wayne County Commissioner Sam Baydoun rounded out the dessert buffet with donated baklava.
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The guest of honor and first director of the EIC, Dr. Orin Gelderloos, was recognized with a standing ovation. In his remarks, he called for a renewed sense of gratitude and for honoring the many gifts that we have received. | |
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Notable attendees included Deputy Wayne County Executive Assad Turfe and former Michigan Supreme Court Justice and current member of the UM Alumni Association Board of Directors Kurtis Wilder. The university leadership was represented by Chancellor Domenico Grasso, Provost Gabriella Scarlatta, and Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement Casandra Ulbrich.
The event raised north of $20K for the Environmental Interpretive Center and many attendees enjoyed reconnecting with old friends and making new acquaintances. It truly does take a village and I am very heartened by the outpouring of support for the EIC. On behalf of the EIC staff, I thank all the attendees, sponsors, donors, volunteers, and everyone who contributed to make this event a success. For a glimpse of the event, enjoy the slideshow!
-- Claudia Walters, EIC Director
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They're Baaack...the birds AND
Public Bird Walks
Saturday, May 20, and 27, from 8-10 am
Join Rick Simek on the trails to welcome the spring migrant back to the Environmental Study Area. Whether just passing through on migration or raising a "brood" or two here, this is an important bird habitat.
(Photo of Blackburnian Warbler by Jim Simek)
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Summer Young Naturalist Program
Monday - Thursday
9:30 am -12 noon
Ages 7-9: July 17-20
Ages 10-11: July 10-13
Get your child outdoors and learning about nature! Led by UM-Dearborn student interpreters, this science-oriented program provides direct, hands-on learning in a beautiful natural setting. Session topics will include pond life, birds, insects and spiders, and frogs and turtles. The program fee is $60. Register online.
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Sprouts Gardening Program for Children
Children ages 6-8 are invited to participate in another exciting season of gardening at the campus Community Organic Garden. The children will directly experience the joys of gardening as they plant, tend, and harvest their own vegetables. The gardeners will also have fun exploring soil, worms, composting, garden creatures, and pollination.
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The cost of this program is $40 and children must be accompanied by an adult guardian at all the program sessions. Eight program sessions are planned, from 6 -7:30 pm on the following Tuesdays: 5/30, 6/6, 6/20,6/27, 7/11, 8/1, 8/15, 8/29. Register online.
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1st and 3rd Wednesday of every month through the end of August,
5 - 5:45 p.m. | Meet at the EIC
All students, faculty, staff, and community members are invited to join! These 45 minute strolls, hosted by Planet Blue Ambassadors, Counseling & Psychological Services Mental Health & Wellness Peer Educators, and the Environmental Interpretive Center, are meant to help you press pause on the chaos of life and reconnect with nature and your well-being.
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A Fishy Dilemma
If you happen to be walking the trails in the Environmental Study Area in early to mid-spring, you may notice a very large, neon-orange blob just under the water's surface in Fair Lane Lake.
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Though you may be inclined to interpret the blob as some sort of local equivalent of the Loch Ness Monster, you are actually looking at a very large school of goldfish.
You may find yourself wondering how goldfish, which were first bred over 1000 years ago in China, from a carp species found there, have found their way into the lake. Your "aha" moment will come soon after, as you realize how popular goldfish are as pets. It follows that someone—perhaps multiple people over many years—likely released their pet goldfish into the lake.
The nonnative goldfish introduction is likely to have negatively affected the Fair Lane Lake habitat and its native aquatic life. As bottom feeders, goldfish stir up sediments, which cloud the water. This can inhibit sunlight from reaching submerged plants, some of which provide important food and cover for native fish and other lake dwellers.
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Our habitat management planning for the Environmental Study Area has periodically involved discussing the possibility of removing the goldfish from the lake. That would entail netting thousands of them. If some got away, which would no doubt happen, their populations would rebound quickly with no net effect. Nix that idea. | |
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Over the past few years, I have come to see that there is at least some ecological benefit to the presence of goldfish in the lake. They are clearly a significant source of animal protein for some of the lake’s wildlife. The slow moving goldfish also make easy prey for turtle species in the lake including the Common Snapping Turtle and Midland Painted Turtle. I have even seen Mink carrying goldfish they had just caught in the lake.
Bird species I have seen catching and eating goldfish at the lake include Bald Eagle, Osprey (photo below), Pied-billed Grebe, Belted Kingfisher, Double-crested Cormorant, Black-crowned Night Heron, Green Heron, and Great Blue Heron.
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Photo by Jacob Yesh-Brochstein
These fauna are also probably keeping the lake’s goldfish population at least somewhat in check. This is not to say that releasing pet goldfish into natural aquatic habitats is an ecologically benign practice. It can wreak havoc on aquatic ecosystems, especially riparian areas that serve as important nurseries for native fish species. The best option for pet goldfish is to keep them at home.
Enjoy!
--Rick Simek
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Migration Headaches
On a recent May morning, this Lincoln's Sparrow was encountered on the sidewalk that leads up to the main entrance of the EIC. It had been stunned after flying into one of the door windows. Fortunately for the sparrow, it was able to recover and fly off after a few minutes, hopefully in good enough shape to continue with its northbound migration. (Photo by Rick Simek)
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This sparrow may have been luckier than many other migrants that plow into windows. According to a 2014 study, an estimated 1 billion birds in the U.S. die each year from window collisions. Many of those are migratory species.
We can help reduce bird mortality from window collisions. At the EIC, a large span of windows that face the nearby forest has one such setup, a vertical arrangement of paracord (see photo). This was made possible by a local Boy Scout who put the system in place for his Eagle Service Project. Since then, that section of the EIC has experienced a nearly 100 percent reduction in bird window collisions. We hope to continue on that trajectory with other EIC windows in the future. Check out this video to learn more.
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With the increasingly warm weather, many of you may be revitalizing your gardens with new plants. Although flowers such as petunias and tulips are enticing options, native plants are an alternative that is lower maintenance, better for the environment, and equally beautiful. Unlike non-native plants, native Michigan plants are best suited for the conditions in your yard; this means that less water and fertilizer will be necessary for the flowers to flourish. | |
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In addition, an abundance of native pollinators are more likely to visit and pollinate native plants, further improving the health and diversity of the life in your garden–and Michigan as a whole. Some examples of native flowers that would be both an easy and valuable addition to your garden include Bee Balm, Milkweed, Oxeye Daisy, and more.
Where you buy these native plants can be a concern. “It is highly likely that plants and seeds you buy at big box and chain garden centers have most likely been exposed to neonicotinoids at some point in their production,” says Mary Phillips, head of the Garden for Wildlife and Certified Wildlife Habitat programs at the National Wildlife Federation.
(Photo by Geoff Dickenson)
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Neonicotinoids are the most common and popular pesticides for garden use, despite the extreme damage they cause. These pesticides, which target insects, will kill any and all insects that come into contact–including essential species of bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. | |
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Furthermore, the chemicals found in neonicotinoids can pollute water, decrease soil quality, harm other forms of wildlife, and even cause damage to human health after extended exposure. So, if pesticides are necessary, do not purchase any that contain the neonicotinoid active ingredients imidacloprid, acetamiprid, dinotefuran, thiamethoxam, or clothianidin.
For the non-native plants you may already have, be sure to avoid using neonicotinoids.
Valerie Osowski - EIC Parkhurst Fellow
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Venturing outdoors and encountering nature is good for your health. Our trails are accessible, so please visit our Environmental Study Area. Stay engaged in learning activities and check out our Remote Learning Activities & Resources page for ideas to create a “Neighborhood Nature Journal” and “Family Nature Walk” activities!
We also hope to see you in person at our upcoming programs!
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Please remember...
The EIC Environmental Study Area is open daily from sunrise to sunset. We would 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.
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