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Come join us for a fun and rewarding experience!
This volunteer opportunity is FREE, but you must register.
OFFSITE TOUR: Food Gatherers Facility, 1 Carrot Way, Ann Arbor
Time: 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
This tour is limited to 15 attendees. A waitlist will be available.
Please let the Elderwise office know if, after registering, you are unable to attend this event. This gives students on the waitlist an opportunity to join. It also helps the onsite class assistant have an accurate roster.
Food Gatherers exists to alleviate hunger and eliminate its causes in our community. Established in 1998 as Michigan’s first food rescue program and the sixth in the United States, Food Gatherers is the first food rescue program to be funded by a for-profit business, Zingerman’s Delicatessen. Food Gatherers rescues several tons of food daily that volunteers help process, inspect, and sort.
NOTE #1: The professional staff at Food Gatherers know we are primarily seniors and will not ask our volunteers to move or lift heavy items. The shift does involve being on your feet for two hours. Our specific assignment depends on what they have on hand that day, so let's be prepared.
NOTE #2: Volunteers must wear sensible closed-toed shoes (no sandals) and shirts with t-shirt length sleeves or longer. A head covering (hat, beanie, bandana, etc.) is required for most tasks. Hairnets will be provided if you need one. You may be in the Green Room which is temperature controlled around 50 degrees F, so it’s a good idea to bring an extra layer such as a sweatshirt or a coat. Also, keep in mind you may be working with open food, and things can get a bit messy. If you are wearing clothing that does not comply with these guidelines, you will not be able to volunteer.
REQUIRED: A Group Member Volunteer Waiver Form and more information will be sent to all registrants a few days prior to the tour. Please bring the form with you when you come to volunteer. Please be on time with your waivers filled out. If you decide to fill out a waiver on site, please arrive a few minutes early to do so.
Additional important information will be emailed to class registrants a few days before the event, as well as the waiver document.
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Fee: $0.00
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Instructor(s): Professional Staff Food Gatherers
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Dates: 5/4/2026 - 5/4/2026
Times: 12:30 PM - 2:30 PM
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Sessions: 1
Days: M
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Building: Offsite
Room: Food Gatherers Facility, Ann Arbor
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OFFSITE TOUR: Tour site location TBA
This tour is one of two identical wildflower walks – please register for only one.
This tour is limited to 12 attendees. A waitlist will be available.
Please let the Elderwise office know if, after registering, you are unable to attend this class. This gives students on the waitlist an opportunity to join. It also helps the onsite class assistant have an accurate roster.
This excursion will take us to both upland oak-hickory forests and a river floodplain dominated by silver maple. The pink flowers of wild geranium will be easily seen. Lower to the ground, both white and purple violets abound, along with some less-obvious botanical rarities. An impressively large honey locust with dangerous looking spines has found refuge in this protected river valley, along with the uncommon rough-leaved dogwood. The old fields of this family farm have been successfully planted in prairie forbs, and the property owners have seen the ongoing restoration work in the forests improve the ecological health of these natural areas as well. The walk will be less than one mile and is mostly level, but occasionally uneven with tree roots, and it may be muddy in places. 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. Additional important information will be emailed to class registrants a few days before the tour.
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Fee: $20.00
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Instructor(s): Beverly Walters
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Dates: 5/11/2026 - 5/11/2026
Times: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
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Sessions: 1
Days: M
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Building: Offsite
Room: Saline River Valley
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- This class has reached the enrollment limit. Please click the "Add to Waitlist" button below.
OFFSITE TOUR: Park Lyndon North, 18801 N. Territorial Road, Chelsea
This class has an enrollment limit of 15. A waitlist will be available.
Please let the Elderwise office know if, after registering, you are unable to attend this class. This gives students on the waitlist an opportunity to join. It also helps the onsite class assistant have an accurate roster.
Park Lyndon North is one of southern Michigan’s finest natural areas, an area of high relief that is home to 500 species of plants. It boasts wetland and upland nature trails dominated by glacially sculpted hillsides. The steep rolling terrain features oaks, hickories, poplar, beech, maples, tulip trees (and many more), with the upland trail winding over the Ice Age stream deposits of a prominent esker. In addition, the lowland portion traverses a beautiful tamarack swamp. 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. Additional important information will be emailed to class registrants a few days before the tour.
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Fee: $20.00
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Instructor: Tom Friedlander
Capacity Remaining: 0
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Dates: 5/15/2026 - 5/15/2026
Times: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
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Sessions: 1
Days: F
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Building: Offsite
Room: Park Lyndon North, Chelsea
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OFFSITE TOUR: Tour site location TBA
This tour is one of two identical wildflower walks – please register for only one.
This tour is limited to 12 attendees. A waitlist will be available.
Please let the Elderwise office know if, after registering, you are unable to attend this class. This gives students on the waitlist an opportunity to join. It also helps the onsite class assistant have an accurate roster.
This excursion will take us to both upland oak-hickory forests and a river floodplain dominated by silver maple. The pink flowers of wild geranium will be easily seen. Lower to the ground, both white and purple violets abound, along with some less-obvious botanical rarities. An impressively large honey locust with dangerous looking spines has found refuge in this protected river valley, along with the uncommon rough-leaved dogwood. The old fields of this family farm have been successfully planted in prairie forbs, and the property owners have seen the ongoing restoration work in the forests improve the ecological health of these natural areas as well. The walk will be less than one mile and is mostly level, but occasionally uneven with tree roots, and it may be muddy in places. 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. Additional important information will be emailed to class registrants a few days before the tour.
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Fee: $20.00
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Instructor(s): Beverly Walters
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Dates: 5/18/2026 - 5/18/2026
Times: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
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Sessions: 1
Days: M
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Building: Offsite
Room: Saline River Valley
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- This class has reached the enrollment limit. Please click the "Add to Waitlist" button below.
OFFSITE TOUR: Saginaw Forest, 3900 W. Liberty Road, Ann Arbor
This class has an enrollment limit of 12. A waitlist will be available.
Please let the Elderwise office know if, after registering, you are unable to attend this class. This gives students on the waitlist an opportunity to join. It also helps the onsite class assistant have an accurate roster.
The 80-acre Saginaw Forest was established in 1903, and is managed by the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability. It includes a 55-acre tree plantation originally intended to determine which species of trees can be used to replant the worn-out farmlands of Michigan. We will see some remaining specimens of the 40 planted species, which included 28 trees not native to Michigan and 10 not native to the United States. We will also explore areas of significant forest regrowth, with scattered silver maples, white pine, oaks, Norway maples, elm, ash, aspen, willow, hackberry, red and silver maples, and possibly the rare Murray birch. 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. Additional important information will be emailed to class registrants a few days before the tour.
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Fee: $20.00
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Instructor: Tom Friedlander
Capacity Remaining: -5
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Dates: 5/22/2026 - 5/22/2026
Times: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
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Sessions: 1
Days: F
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Building: Offsite
Room: Saginaw Forest, Ann Arbor
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OFFSITE TOUR: Burns-Stokes Preserve, 2905 Zeeb Road, Dexter
This class has an enrollment limit of 15. A waitlist will be available.
Please let the Elderwise office know if, after registering, you are unable to attend this class. This gives students on the waitlist an opportunity to join. It also helps the onsite class assistant have an accurate roster.
Dragonflies are over 300 million years old, yet have changed very little since they first appeared on Earth. Come take a deep dive into nature’s perfect predators, their life cycles, their unique features, and their mythology as represented in many different cultures. This field trip will be held at the Burns-Stokes Preserve, which is situated along the river, with consistent sightings of dragonflies and damselflies. Appropriate outerwear is recommended, including tall boots. Attendees should be prepared to go off trail, where the walking can be rough and root-y in places. Elle Bogle is a passionate outdoor educator and adventurer who takes pride in connecting people with the beauty of nature. She worked as a naturalist with WCPARC for seven years, and is currently an environmental specialist with the Ann Arbor Public Schools where she has been teaching for nine years, an educator with the Ecology Center, and offers freelance naturalist services through her Wild Wander business. Her specialties include amphibians, reptiles, dragonflies, and mindfulness in nature. Additional important information will be emailed to class registrants a few days before the tour.
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Fee: $20.00
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Instructor(s): Elle Bogle
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Dates: 6/3/2026 - 6/3/2026
Times: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
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Sessions: 1
Days: W
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Building: Offsite
Room: Burns-Stokes Preserve, Dexter
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OFFSITE TOUR: Matthaei Botanical Gardens, 1800 North Dixboro Road, Ann Arbor
This class has an enrollment limit of 20. A waitlist will be available.
Please let the Elderwise office know if, after registering, you are unable to attend this class. This gives students on the waitlist an opportunity to join. It also helps the onsite class assistant have an accurate roster.
Fee: Member $10 Nonmember $20, plus an additional $10 entrance fee, added at checkout
Note: Parking is $4 for two hours, payable at desk or kiosk.
Water is life. It is everywhere, flowing in and out of different places, and it touches all we see. Water provides humans with numerous ecosystem benefits, provides habitat for a variety of plants and animals, and is an essential part of resilient ecosystems. Join us at Matthaei Botanical Gardens to explore the diversity of life in various water-related spots along the trail, and gain appreciation for their roles in nature and interconnectedness with the Great Lakes. Explore how healthy, resilient water travels. Discover various birds, animals, and plants that live with, and in, the Matthaei waterways. Walking shoes are recommended. The tour will be led by Matthaei-Nichols Professional Docent Staff. Additional important information will be emailed to class registrants a few days before the tour.
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Fee: $20.00
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Instructor(s): Gardens Matthaei Botanical
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Dates: 6/4/2026 - 6/4/2026
Times: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
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Sessions: 1
Days: Th
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Building: Offsite
Room: Matthaei Botanical Gardens, Ann Arbor
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OFFSITE TOUR: 797 W. Textile Road, Ann Arbor
This class has an enrollment limit of 20. A waitlist will be available.
Please let the Elderwise office know if, after registering, you are unable to attend this class. This gives students on the waitlist an opportunity to join. It also helps the onsite class assistant have an accurate roster.
The Past IS Worth Preserving. Join us for a story of the Sutherlands and Wilsons. This tour of the Sutherland-Wilson farm includes a presentation on the history of Pittsfield Township, as well as the six generations who lived in this home. We will explore the house, barn, and outbuildings, and learn how they have been renovated over the years by the Pittsfield Township Historical Society. If you enjoy local history, you will enjoy this tour. Carol Pollack-Rundle, a retired ophthalmic technologist at Michigan Medicine, has been interested in history for years. She is a charter member of the Pittsfield Township Historical Society and has served as its treasurer for four years. She is also a house docent and owes her knowledge of the house to other members of the historical society, especially Ed and Mary Ellen Wall, the authors of many books on Pittsfield Township history. Additional important information will be emailed to class registrants a few days before the tour.
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Fee: $20.00
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Instructor(s): Carol Pollack-Rundle
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Dates: 6/5/2026 - 6/5/2026
Times: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
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Sessions: 1
Days: F
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Building: Offsite
Room: Sutherland-Wilson Farmstead, Ann Arbor
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OFFSITE TOUR: 6480 S. State Road, Salline
Enrollment: This tour is limited to 30 attendees. A waitlist will be available.
Please let the Elderwise office know if, after registering, you are unable to attend this class. This gives students on the waitlist an opportunity to join. It also helps the onsite class assistant have an accurate roster.
Accessibility: PLEASE NOTE that the Park is not yet fully accessible.
Join us for an outdoor tour of Fellowfield Discovery Park, a 10-acre ecojustice park dedicated to restoring relationships between people, place, and planet. The program begins with a welcome and introduction to the park’s purpose and philosophy, followed by hands-on activities at the Park’s discovery stations. Together, we will reflect on how past decisions have shaped the land, and how healing and stewardship are taking root. Participants will also have time to explore the trails and gardens at their own pace, including an exclusive preview of future exhibits still in development. Please note that although this development continues, the park is not yet fully accessible. Katy Adams is Fellowfield’s founder, an experienced non-profit leader, educator, and ecologist with deep family roots in the area. She is passionate about creating thoughtful spaces where people can explore and imagine, safely question the systems that shape our lives, and practice the skills needed to thrive in diverse and interdependent communities. Additional important information will be emailed to class registrants a few days before the tour.
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Fee: $20.00
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Instructor(s): Katy Adams
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Dates: 6/12/2026 - 6/12/2026
Times: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
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Sessions: 1
Days: F
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Building: Offsite
Room: Fellowfield Discovery Park, Saline
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