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Otsego Conservation District
“Your gateway to natural resource management”
News and Events
Upcoming Events
*NEW* CEE Art in the Garden Festival
Join us for the first ever "CEE Art in the Garden"
(CEE = Conservational, Environmental, Ecological).
"CEE Art in the Garden" is a conservation-based mini-festival held in
the Otsego Conservation District Alternative Landscaping & Demonstration
Gardens (AKA "the community garden") on June 23 from 12P-10P that
features multiple workshops for adults and kids, informational displays,
LIVE MUSIC, as well as local art on display.
We will be showcasing local artists that have a natural theme to their
work, as well as local and regional music such as
Hipps-n-Ricco (Blues/Rock),
The True
Falsettos (Swing), and
The Vermeers (Folk/Rock). (Click to listen!)
Some of the workshops to be held throughout the day include:
• Mushroom Logs – create a mushroom log
that you can take home and harvest.
• Hydroponics Demonstration/Workshop – build a small hydroponics system
you can take home that is constructed from a pop bottle.
• Butterfly wings – create wings from poster board, decorate them, and
play all while discussing the lifecycle of butterflies.
• Nutrition – A discussion of nutrition with local health food experts.
• Card/Bookmarks – create cards and bookmarks from pressed flowers,
leaves, and other natural items.
• Natural jewelry – create necklaces and other jewelry from natural
items such as seeds.
• Root Beer Brewing – brew root beer on site to take home, and enjoy
some root beer that has been home brewed just for the occasion.
• Skulls and Furs – get an up close look at a collection of animal
skulls and furs while learning about the anatomy of these creatures and
other interesting facts.
• Puddle stones – create a puddle stone for collecting water for
wildlife in your yard (similar to a bird bath, but on the ground).
• Forestry/Wildlife Nature Walk – Join a local forester for a walk
through the woods to discuss multiple aspects of forestry and the
wildlife contained in the forest.
• Recycled crafts – build items such as birdhouses, bird feeders, wind
chimes, and much more from recycled materials.
• Campfire – stories told around the campfire full of Michigan folklore
and regional stories.
We are also arranging for an outdoor art gallery set up throughout the
garden and forest site, on-site yoga workshops, local food
vendors/farmers, green energy demonstrations, hoop house demonstrations,
and much more!
This is a FREE event open to the public.
If you are an artist wishing to show their work, a musician hoping to
perform, an educator looking to put on a demonstration, or just someone
interested in being a part of our volunteer event team, contact Justin
Burchett by calling
(989) 732-4021 or emailing
jburchett@otsegocountymi.gov.
We hope to see you there!
Seed to Harvest Program
Area 3rd-6th graders now have an opportunity to take part in a
free program that seeks to educate children on the basics of gardening
from putting seeds in the soil to harvesting your crop. Click on
the flyer below for more information and/or
email Justin with any questions!
News
2011 WILD WRITERS PROGRAM
A HIT WITH STUDENTS
Students had a great time at the second annual Wild Writers Program.
Wild Writers was led by Professor Ernest Wolf and coordinated by Shelley
St. Ange-Sheldon (Gaylord Herald Times) and Cathy Campbell (Otsego
County Library), and allowed children to explore nature in the
conservation district's demonstration gardens and conservation forest.
From their exploration, students wrote short stories, poems, songs,
performed plays and drew pictures of what they saw.
To read some of the stories students wrote please click here.
FUN AT THE FOURTH ANNUAL
CONSERVATION DAY CAMP
Nearly 100 students joined the Otsego
Conservation District for the fourth annual conservation day camp. This
free day camp gave students the chance to explore the conservation
district’s demonstration gardens and conservation forest through
activities like a compass course and insect survey. Students got to use
their creativity and imagination by making stepping stones, toad abodes,
soda bottle terrariums and home-made hummingbird feeders.
The 2011 Summer Conservation Day Camp was funded by the Great Lakes Energy People Fund and the Otsego Conservation District. Great Lakes Energy People Fund provides grants for specific humanitarian, educational and community development purposes. For more information about day camp please contact the Otsego Conservation District at (989) 732-4021.
2010 FALL TOUR OF
ACCOMPLISHMENTS EXPLORES COMPOSTING, WILDLIFE PLANTING AND ORGANIC
MARKET GARDENS
The sun shined for the Otsego Conservation District’s 2010 Annual
Fall Tour. A number of community members gathered at the Demonstration
Garden in Gaylord to hear about the brand new composting demonstration
site as well as an update on the native plants greenhouse. After a stop
at a wildlife planting in Livingston Township, the group traveled to
Witt’s Organic Gardens to tour the market gardens and a seasonal high
tunnel cost-shared through the Natural Resource Conservation Service
(NRCS). Lunch at the Gaylord Regional Airport included a tour of the
facility as well as a bus ride on the runway. Thanks go to everyone who
showed up, to Barb Fleming and Judy Estelle for a delicious, home-cooked
lunch, and to the airport for hosting us!
HOME COMPOSTING DEMO – A
COMPLETE GUIDE TO BACKYARD COMPOSTING
September 15, 2010
The Otsego Conservation District is proud to announce the completion of
a home compost demonstration site in the Alternative Landscaping
Demonstration Garden. The site, just like the garden, is open to the
public. A variety of handouts and signs makes a self-guided tour easy,
or you can contact the Conservation District for a group tour!
Click here for
details and directions.
GREENHOUSE GRAND OPENING A
SUCCESS!
On June 5th, 2011 the Otsego Conservation District celebrated the
opening of its native plants greenhouse. Over 1500 plants were sold to
landowners looking to install buffer strips along streams and lakes and
improve their flower gardens with native perennials. Proceeds from the
sale make the Conservation District services possible. Thank you to all
who stopped by. If you weren’t able to make it – don’t worry! There are
still plenty of plants left. If you’d like to stop by to check out our
stock, call (989) 732-4021 and we’ll meet you at the greenhouse. Happy
Planting!
Newsletters
© 2008 Otsego Conservation District