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IN-PERSON: The Elderwise classroom at the Vineyard Church
Zoos serve as hubs of conservation, research, and education, aimed at preserving the diversity of wildlife on our planet. Amphibians and reptiles are in decline globally, and are critical to maintaining healthy ecosystems. Our presenters will cover the global importance of these species, and the ways in which zoos are trying to prevent their extinction. Alyssa and Zach are graduate students at Eastern Michigan University with years of wildlife experience between them. They study amphibian and reptile conservation broadly, with research emphasis on snake conservation in zoos. Alyssa Schwarzenberg is interested in animal welfare, and studies the temperature preference of the critically endangered Aruba Island rattlesnake. Zachary Johnson is interested in captive breeding, and works on the genetic diversity of the endangered copperbelly water snake.
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Fee: $15.00
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Instructor(s): Alyssa Schwarzenberg EMU Graduate Student:, Zachary Johnson EMU Graduate Student:
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Dates: 4/10/2025 - 4/10/2025
Times: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
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Sessions: 1
Days: Th
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Building: Vineyard Church
Room: Classroom at the Vineyard Church
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OFFSITE TOUR: Scio Woods Preserve, 4000 Scio Church Road, Ann Arbor MI
Enrollment: This tour is limited to 15 attendees. A waitlist will be available.
Please let the Elderwise office know if you are unable to attend this tour. This gives students on the waitlist an opportunity to join. It also helps the onsite class assistant.
Vernal pool life abounds in spring when the water level is high and the winter snows have melted. Join Washtenaw County Parks naturalist Elle Bogle for a morning exploration of these incredible ephemeral ecosystems. We will use dip nets to examine tiny creatures from frog and salamander larvae to fairy shrimp and learn to identify the aquatic dwellers of these remarkable habitats hidden beneath the smooth water of leafy, woodland pools. Please wear tall boots that can get wet and muddy. Elle Bogle is a passionate outdoor educator and adventurer who takes pride in connecting people with the beauty of nature. She has been working as a naturalist with Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission for four years and as an environmental specialist with the Ann Arbor Public Schools for five years. Her specialties are amphibians and reptiles, dragonflies, and mindfulness in nature. She is an avid reader and book lover who also enjoys traveling, kayaking, hiking, and spending time with her family. Driving directions and parking instructions will be emailed to the class registrants a few days before the tour.
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Fee: $15.00
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Instructor(s): Elle Bogle
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Dates: 4/15/2025 - 4/15/2025
Times: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
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Sessions: 1
Days: Tu
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Building: Offsite
Room: Scio Woods Preserve
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IN-PERSON: The Elderwise classroom at the Vineyard Church
Join Matt Spoor for Warblers of Washtenaw, an engaging talk about these vibrant, migratory birds. Many warblers grace Washtenaw County briefly each year, passing through during migration. Take a moment to pause, learn about their fascinating journeys, and discover ways to spot them. Matthew Spoor, a naturalist with roots in birding, is a passionate environmental educator and enabler of habitat restoration efforts throughout Washtenaw County. As Park Steward Coordinator at the City of Ann Arbor Natural Area Preservation, he works with volunteers to develop and implement ecological restoration workplans in Ann Arbor's natural areas. Matt volunteers his expertise as a Park Naturalist Assistant for Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation, as a Board Member and Field Trip Chair for the Washtenaw Bird and Nature Alliance, and as Ornithology Instructor for MSU Extension’s Michigan Master Naturalist Program. Matt also developed and manages A2Nature.org, a simple, hand-curated website about Ann Arbor area nature events.
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Fee: $15.00
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Instructor(s): Matthew Spoor
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Dates: 4/29/2025 - 4/29/2025
Times: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
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Sessions: 1
Days: Tu
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Building: Vineyard Church
Room: Classroom at the Vineyard Church
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- This class has reached the enrollment limit. Please click the "Add to Waitlist" button below.
OFFSITE TOUR: LeFurge Woods Nature Preserve
Enrollment: This tour is limited to 15 attendees. A waitlist will be available.
Please let the Elderwise office know if you are unable to attend this tour. This gives students on the waitlist an opportunity to join. It also helps the onsite class assistant.
Join botanist Bev Walters on a wildflower walk through LeFurge Woods just north of Ypsilanti, where the rich woodland never fails to delight the nature explorer. It is home to the typical spring wildflowers such as Trillium, Wild Ginger and various Violets, and it also harbors some of the less common species like Waterleaf, Spring Cress, and Blue Cohosh. Trails are often muddy in the spring, so wear appropriate footwear. Beverly Walters has experience both as a field botanist and a Museum Collections Manager at the University of Michigan Herbarium. Now retired, she helps maintain and improve the Herbarium's Michigan Flora Online website (https://michiganflora.net), a popular resource for plant identification. Bev pursued her botanical studies at Michigan State University. Driving directions and parking instructions will be emailed to class registrants a few days before the tour.
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Fee: $15.00
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Instructor: Beverly Walters
Capacity Remaining: -1
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Dates: 5/1/2025 - 5/1/2025
Times: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
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Sessions: 1
Days: Th
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Building: Offsite
Room: LeFurge Woods Nature Preserve
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- This class has reached the enrollment limit. Please click the "Add to Waitlist" button below.
OFFSITE TOUR: Northwest Washtenaw County
This hike is limited to 8 attendees.
Note: Because the enrollment is limited and Tom’s hikes are popular, he will be guiding this same exact hike on May 30.
Please let the Elderwise office know if you are unable to attend this tour. This gives students on the waitlist an opportunity to join. It also helps the onsite class assistant.
Mud Lake Bog occupies part of a 260-acre property owned and protected by the University of Michigan, west of Whitmore Lake. It is a true bog system - an open, often floating wetland characterized by an absence of water input from streams and by acid-loving plants adapted to nutrient-poor conditions. The bog is reached by a strenuous slog through densely tangled swamp land and wet mucky ground. Those who persevere will be rewarded by the breathtaking open aspect of the quaking peat bog itself and the lake it still surrounds after thousands of years. Hikers should dress warmly in old clothing and wear boots suitable for walking through pooled water and mud. Tom Friedlander is a retired University of Michigan trained tree-and-shrub taxonomist who spent 38 years teaching and coaching at Greenhills School in Ann Arbor. Driving directions and parking instructions will be emailed to class registrants a few days before the tour.
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Fee: $15.00
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Instructor: Tom Friedlander
Capacity Remaining: 0
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Dates: 5/16/2025 - 5/16/2025
Times: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
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Sessions: 1
Days: F
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Building: Offsite
Room: Mud Lake Bog
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OFFSITE TOUR: Northwest Washtenaw County
This hike is limited to 8 attendees.
Note: Because the enrollment is limited and Tom’s hikes are popular, he will be guiding this same exact hike on May 16.
Please let the Elderwise office know if you are unable to attend this tour. This gives students on the waitlist an opportunity to join. It also helps the onsite class assistant.
Mud Lake Bog occupies part of a 260-acre property owned and protected by the University of Michigan, west of Whitmore Lake. It is a true bog system - an open, often floating wetland characterized by an absence of water input from streams and by acid-loving plants adapted to nutrient-poor conditions. The bog is reached by a strenuous slog through densely tangled swamp land and wet mucky ground. Those who persevere will be rewarded by the breathtaking open aspect of the quaking peat bog itself and the lake it still surrounds after thousands of years. Hikers should dress warmly in old clothing and wear boots suitable for walking through pooled water and mud. Tom Friedlander is a retired University of Michigan trained tree-and-shrub taxonomist who spent 38 years teaching and coaching at Greenhills School in Ann Arbor. Driving directions and parking instructions will be emailed to class registrants a few days before the tour.
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Fee: $15.00
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Instructor(s): Tom Friedlander
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Dates: 5/30/2025 - 5/30/2025
Times: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
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Sessions: 1
Days: F
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Building: Offsite
Room: Mud Lake Bog
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HYBRID: In the classroom and online. A Zoom link will be sent to all one day before class.
Ray Stocking has new revelations to share in this fascinating program on one of the first great showdowns in America – the confrontation between the need to fulfill the demand for fashion, land, and timber, and the desire to save the “Lord God” bird, the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker. It has been almost 20 years since the “rediscovery” of this stunning bird, and the expert backlash that immediately followed that announcement. With Ray’s guidance, we will have an opportunity to review what has happened since, and what lies ahead. Join us for this important chapter in the continuing saga of commerce versus conservation in America. Ray Stocking is a former president of the Washtenaw Audubon Society, a former board chair of the Michigan Audubon Board of Directors, and a passionate bird watcher. Ray lives in Ann Arbor and birds there…as well as everywhere else.
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Fee: $15.00
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Instructor(s): Ray Stocking
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Dates: 6/4/2025 - 6/4/2025
Times: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
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Sessions: 1
Days: W
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Building: Hybrid: In-Person and Online
Room: Vineyard Cafe and Zoom
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OFFSITE TOUR: Matthaei Botanical Gardens, 1800 North Dixboro Road, Ann Arbor, MI
Enrollment: This class is limited to 25 attendees. A waitlist will be available.
Fee: Member $10, Nonmember $5
Plus and additional $10 for entrance fee.
Note: Parking is $4 for two hours, payable at the kiosk
Matthaei Botanical Gardens education team members will lead an interactive tour of the Great Lakes Gardens and Conservatory to explore plants from the unique plant communities in the Great Lakes Region and from around the world. The Great Lakes Gardens re-create our region’s natural habitats such as open dunes, alvar, and prairies. We will see species found in Michigan and nowhere else in the world, as well as native orchids, and prairie wildflowers. In the gardens, a series of accessible pathways, boardwalks, and overlooks invites up-close views of plants we might never encounter in the wild, while interpretation illuminates the role conservation plays in protecting this unique diversity. Walking shoes are recommended. Stations where one can sit and rest will be available throughout the tour. The tour will be led by Matthaei-Nichols Professional Docent Staff. Driving and parking directions will be sent to class registrants a few days before the tour.
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Fee: $15.00
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Instructor(s): Gardens Matthaei Botanical
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Dates: 6/13/2025 - 6/13/2025
Times: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
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Sessions: 1
Days: F
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Building: Offsite
Room: Matthaei Botanical Gardens
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