Chapters in Michigan

Join us for a fun evening to connect with your fellow Wild Ones and to meet newcomers!

We will be celebrating our accomplishments in 2026, our 19th year as a chapter with a short slide presentation. The River City 2027 officers and board members will be introduced. The meeting will be followed by the Seed Swap and refreshments. 

Wild Ones will be selling native plant books and related merchandise before and after the presentation.

Attendees are encouraged to bring native seeds from their garden to share if you have them. If you are new to native plants and don't have seeds to share, no worries, you can still take home some seeds.

FREE 2-hour parking is available in the library lot with ticket validation inside the library.
The parking lot is located on the East side of the library.

In November we will be discussing the book “Noticing: Intimate Encounters with the Natural World” by Richard Louv. 

By the author of Last Child in the Woods, Noticing is about discovering who you are by exploring the natural world. Louv shows how, by tapping into the thirty or more human senses we have, readers can develop skills––sensory, scientific, artistic, and spiritual––to see and experience the otherworlds of nature. 

Through personal essays, rich with descriptions of the California wilderness around his home in the most biodiverse county in the nation, Louv draws on wisdom from influences as far-reaching as neuroscience, nature photography, Indigenous traditions, and mindfulness to foster what he calls "bioenchantment.” He offers a new, deeper understanding of what it means to see a tree, know a fox, and to become fully human.

Join Zoom Meeting
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National Hiking Day—also known as National Take a Hike Day

Come join the WOWC Nature Explorers check out somewhere new! We'll venture into Palmer Park to discover its natural features, look for native plant communities, and document the biodiversity we encounter.  And especially the Old Growth Forest there. This is a TRAILBLAZER, meaning-this is our first time as a group here, so we'll be learning and discovering together!

(Find out what a TRAILBLAZER is vs. a WILD WALK)

SPECIAL GUEST

AND, we have a special guest joining us: JACKSON GOLDKLANG!  Jackson is a Southeast Michigan forester, filmmaker, and owner of the native plant nursery Perennial Gold.  Jackson is well known for his “ID Walks” where he shows people how to identify trees and get to know the natural communities of Michigan.  Jackson will help us explore part of the 70-acre Witherell Woods in Palmer Park which is the largest old-growth forest in the Tri-County area, and one of only seven forests in the City of Detroit.

A Note About Safety

WOWC Nature Explorers outings are informal outdoor activities, and participation is voluntary. Outdoor environments present inherent risks, including uneven terrain, changing weather, insects, ticks, and other natural hazards.

Participants are responsible for their own safety. Please assess your physical abilities and limitations, wear appropriate clothing and footwear, bring adequate water, and use your own judgment throughout the outing.

A TRAILBLAZER may involve unfamiliar trails, terrain, and less predictable conditions. Please participate only if you are comfortable with the nature of the outing.

By attending, you acknowledge and accept the inherent risks associated with outdoor recreational activities.

Please review our full Participant Safety & Responsibilities Guidelines before attending.

MEET IN THE PARKING LOT off of Merrill Plaisance Street (P nearest to 23 on the Palmer Park Trail Map)

WEATHER

Unless it is really bad weather, we will be hiking rain or shine, so prepare accordingly.  Check this posting for updates on any last-minute cancellations.

Hope to see you there!

Wild Ones Central U.P. Chapter will be holding its annual business meeting at Bay College Heirman University Center Room 903 at 5:00pm. We hope you can attend to help us review the past year and plan for the new one, as well as catch up with fellow members and talk about our gardening successes and challenges of 2026. Snacks will be provided!
Right now  is a great time to check your Wild Ones membership status and renew or join so you can vote on any proposals that come to the table, or if you'd like to consider joining our chapter board. Go to wildones.org  and click "My Membership" at the top of the page.

If you are a chapter member and  have an item to add to the meeting agenda, please send it to [email protected] 

Questions? Email [email protected] 

Dr. Shikha Singh, JLW CISMA (Jackson, Lenawee and Washtenaw Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area) Coordinator will teach us about stiltgrass and other invasive plants that are spreading in Lower Michigan. Learning to prevent, identify, and report these plants is important to help protect our local ecosystems. 

Listed date and time are tentative. Check back for all the details about this important program as they become available.