Archived News Release: October 4, 2024 - City of Ann Arbor Natural Area Preservation (NAP) works to protect and restore Ann Arbor's natural areas and to foster an environmental ethic within the community. This involves conducting plant and animal inventories, ecological monitoring, and stewardship projects in Ann Arbor's parks. These tasks are performed by both staff and volunteers. NAP also offers environmental education and enrichment activities for K-5 students, seniors and the general public. NAP is sharing events planned for November 2024.
To attend an event, participants are encouraged to preregister using VolunteerHub at https://cityofannarbor.volunteerhub.com/lp/nap; registration links to each event in VolunteerHub are also provided with each description.
Stewardship Workday
Folkstone Park
Sunday, Nov. 3
9 a.m.–noon
Come to Folkstone to see one of the most underrated native shrubs in our landscape — bladdernut. This tall shrub with striped bark likes it shady and moist. In spring, bladdernut blossoms with hanging clusters of white tubular flowers that smell a little like vanilla custard. Then the “bladders" appear as green, papery, inflated seed capsules which mature over the summer and persist into winter. Let's remove invasive shrubs to keep the habitat healthy at Folkstone — for the bladdernut shrubs and all the organisms that depend on them. Meet at the park entrance at the north end of Folkstone Court. Volunteers will use hand tools to cut small-to-medium shrubs. Workday sites have unpaved trails and require going off trail. Preregister through VolunteerHub so NAP can plan on enough staff and supplies for a safe and successful event. For your safety, wear long pants, tall socks and closed-toe shoes. All minors should be accompanied by a guardian. More information: How to prepare for a NAP workday (PDF).
K-5 Nature Crafts: Build an Owl
Mary Beth Doyle Park
Tuesday, Nov. 5
2–3:30 p.m.
If you're looking for something fun to do on your day off school this Election Day, say, “hoot"! Owls are the ninjas of the woods: quiet, fierce and wise. Learn about these brilliant birds, take a short hike in the woods of Mary Beth Doyle Park and use found natural materials to craft one of your own! Meet at the parking lot at the end of Birch Hollow Drive. (aka the Disc Golf Course parking lot). This event is for K-5 students accompanied by an adult. Please dress to be prepared for all weather. Some trails at this park are unpaved and the group will briefly go off trail. Preregistration through VolunteerHub is required. NAP uses VolunteerHub to manage participant waivers — please create individual accounts for each child. (Adults can use their own email address for child accounts.) Call NAP if assistance with this is needed, at 734.794.6627 or email [email protected].
K-5 Forest Fridays: Hibernation Homes
Dolph Nature Area
Friday, Nov. 8
4–5:30 p.m.
Where do Michigan animals go in the winter? Come explore Dolph Nature Area and learn about hibernation, hibernacula and more at this after school program. If you like building forts, this is the program for you! Meet at the intersection of Parklake Avenue and Lakewood Drive on the east side of the park (look for a City of Ann Arbor vehicle). This event is for K-5 students accompanied by an adult. Please dress to be prepared for all weather. Some trails at this park are unpaved and the group will briefly go off trail. Preregistration through VolunteerHub is required. NAP uses VolunteerHub to manage participant waivers — please create individual accounts for each child. (Adults can use their own email address for child accounts.) Call NAP if assistance with this is needed at 734.794.6627 or email [email protected].
Stewardship Workday
Stapp Nature Area
Saturday, Nov. 9
9 a.m.–noon
In just one afternoon, you can change the landscape for native pollinators, migrating birds and all the creatures who depend on the Huron River watershed! Stapp Nature Area is a beautiful place to match a fraction of the enjoyment and peace you receive from nature with a little bit of effort to support native habitat. Cutting invasive shrubs with NAP is straightforward and rewarding — and staff will be with you every step of the way to help identify the right shrubs, how to use the tools effectively and explain the significance of your work. Meet at the park entrance on Traverwood Drive, south of the library. Volunteers will use hand tools to cut small-to-medium shrubs. Workday sites have unpaved trails and require going off trail. Preregister through VolunteerHub so NAP can plan on enough staff and supplies for a safe and successful event. For your safety, wear long pants, tall socks and closed-toe shoes. All minors should be accompanied by a guardian. More information: How to prepare for a NAP workday (PDF).
Stewardship Workday
Foxfire West Nature Area
Saturday, Nov. 9
1–4 p.m.
Wilderness can be found in Ann Arbor! Explore and help restore Foxfire West Nature Area, one of the city's wild, off-trail spaces. Not wild as in uncultivated, feral as in untamed. Jokes aside, it takes a lot of work and expertise to keep urban green spaces in a “natural" state. NAP staff knows how to keep it wild and want to teach you the easy part — how to identify and remove invasive shrubs — and why your effort is so important. Meet at the corner of Hickory Point Drive and Indian Creek Circle. Volunteers will use hand tools to cut small-to-medium shrubs. Workday sites have unpaved trails and require going off trail. Preregister through VolunteerHub so NAP can plan on enough staff and supplies for a safe and successful event. For your safety, wear long pants, tall socks and closed-toe shoes. All minors should be accompanied by a guardian. More information: How to prepare for a NAP workday (PDF).
Stewardship Workday
Sylvan Park
Sunday, Nov. 10
1–4 p.m.
Three hours of your weekend, plus five acres of oak-hickory forest, comes out to priceless ecological impact. How does the staff of NAP know this? More than 30 years of experience managing Ann Arbor natural areas with the help of volunteers and the community. So many of the natural spaces in Ann Arbor parks are beautiful native habitat where flora flourish and fauna frolic. This is because thousands of volunteers come out for three hours at a time, remove invasive shrubs and perform other stewardship activities. Cut shrubs with NAP — you really can see the difference! Meet at the north end of Burton Road. Volunteers will use hand tools to cut small-to-medium shrubs. Workday sites have unpaved trails and require going off trail. Preregister through VolunteerHub so NAP can plan on enough staff and supplies for a safe and successful event. For your safety, wear long pants, tall socks and closed-toe shoes. All minors should be accompanied by a guardian. More information: How to prepare for a NAP workday (PDF).
Veterans Day Stewardship Workday
Marshall Nature Area
Monday, Nov. 11
1–4 p.m.
Head in (…to the forest) on your day off! This Veterans Day at Marshall Nature Area, give some time and effort with Natural Area Preservation (NAP). The staff are enthusiastic about preserving native habitat and look forward to welcoming anyone who wants to take a short hike and cut down some invasive shrubs. The gently rolling terrain winds through woodlands and prairie pockets. It may be a little hilly at Marshall, but those same hills buffer the sights and sounds of the nearby roadways and play an important role in providing the resources needed by the diverse natural communities here. Meet at the parking lot off Dixboro Road. (additional parking on Church Street, across Dixboro). Volunteers will use hand tools to cut small-to-medium shrubs. Workday sites have unpaved trails and require going off trail. Preregister through VolunteerHub so NAP can plan on enough staff and supplies for a safe and successful event. For your safety, wear long pants, tall socks and closed-toe shoes. All minors should be accompanied by a guardian. More information: How to prepare for a NAP workday (PDF).
Stewardship Workday
Argo Nature Area
Saturday, Nov. 16
9 a.m.–noon
Join other “Argonauts" in their quest to remove invasive shrubs from Argo Nature Area; when Argo is returned to its natural state, only then can Jason set out for the golden fleece. Myths notwithstanding, where Argo's trails and vistas are adorned with wildflowers — and not obscured by woody thickets — the efforts of volunteers like you are apparent. Come out and make way for more scenic walks and native plants. Meet on Longshore Drive at Amherst Avenue. Volunteers will use hand tools to cut small-to-medium shrubs. Workday sites have unpaved trails and require going off trail. Preregister through VolunteerHub so NAP can plan on enough staff and supplies for a safe and successful event. For your safety, wear long pants, tall socks and closed-toe shoes. All minors should be accompanied by a guardian. More information: How to prepare for a NAP workday (PDF).
Stewardship Workday
Cedar Bend Nature Area
Saturday, Nov. 16
1–4 p.m.
You can see the whole city from up here! And the view is only possible because of volunteers like you! When the maple, hickory, dogwood and black cherry trees (among others) drop their leaves in the fall, the top of Cedar Bend Nature Area gives a breathtaking view of the bend in the Huron River and quite a bit of the central part of town. Invasive shrubs once dominated the understory, shading out shorter native plants and obscuring the view entirely. Volunteers have contributed hundreds of hours (maybe more!) working toward restoring the landscape to the spacious and open park it was meant to be. Meet at the Island Park parking lot, at the end of Island Drive. Volunteers will use hand tools to cut small-to-medium shrubs. Workday sites have unpaved trails and require going off trail. Preregister through VolunteerHub so NAP can plan on enough staff and supplies for a safe and successful event. For your safety, wear long pants, tall socks and closed-toe shoes. All minors should be accompanied by a guardian. More information: How to prepare for a NAP workday (PDF).
Stewardship Workday
Riverwood Nature Area
Sunday, Nov. 17
9 a.m.–noon
The flowering dogwoods at Riverwood need your help to stay healthy and vibrant! For centuries, flowering dogwood trees have been a boon for humans and wildlife alike. They are a larval host for butterflies, and they offer birds and other animals beautiful red fruits (or drupes) for food. The bark has been used as a traditional medicine to treat fevers, and the roots and bark can be harvested to make red dyes. Come remove exotic shrubs from the park and help the dogwoods with Natural Area Preservation. Meet at the park sign on Riverwood Drive, just west of Newport Road. Volunteers will use hand tools to cut small-to-medium shrubs. Workday sites have unpaved trails and require going off trail. Preregister through VolunteerHub so NAP can plan on enough staff and supplies for a safe and successful event. For your safety, wear long pants, tall socks and closed-toe shoes. All minors should be accompanied by a guardian. More information: How to prepare for a NAP workday (PDF).
Stewardship Workday
Bird Hills Nature Area
Sunday, Nov. 17
1–4 p.m.
Fresh air and giving back can set the stage for a great week. Turn your Sunday “scaries" into Monday mindfulness! Cut down some invasive shrubs with NAP to work out the tension and anxiety, and invite the calming effects of nature in. Bird Hills is full of hilly bird habitat (and bat habitat, and insect habitat, and more!) where diverse natural communities contain towering trees and rare wildflower species. Staff will lead you along the unpaved trails and give you all the guidance you'll need to identify and remove the shrubs and offer insight into how your work helps keep Bird Hills thriving. Then go get some good rest and start your week off right! Meet at the Newport Road parking lot entrance, just north of M-14. Volunteers will use hand tools to cut small-to-medium shrubs. Workday sites have unpaved trails and require going off-trail. Preregister through VolunteerHub so NAP can plan on enough staff and supplies for a safe and successful event. For your safety, wear long pants, tall socks, and closed-toe shoes. All minors should be accompanied by a guardian. More information: How to prepare for a NAP workday (PDF).
Stewardship Workday
Sunset Brooks Nature Area
Friday, Nov. 22
1–4 p.m.
Time spent in nature, physical activity and volunteering all release the “happy hormones" that have a measurable effect on our mental health. The stewardship activities at NAP workdays are the perfect mix to give you a boost of dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins. The work at this event is straightforward and will be led by welcoming staff. The setting of this event — Sunset Brooks Nature Area — has the biodiversity and quality habitat that make it easy to appreciate nature. As if that's not enough, the group of volunteers will also surely be fun and friendly! Meet at the park entrance on Sunset Road, at the end of Brooks Street. Volunteers will use hand tools to cut small-to-medium shrubs. Workday sites have unpaved trails and require going off trail. Preregister through VolunteerHub so NAP can plan on enough staff and supplies for a safe and successful event. For your safety, wear long pants, tall socks and closed-toe shoes. All minors should be accompanied by a guardian. More information: How to prepare for a NAP workday (PDF).
Stewardship Workday
Arbor Hills Nature Area
Sunday, Nov. 24
1–4 p.m.
Where are all the fall fans this weekend? Outside! Autumnal afficionados make the best volunteers for nature! Showing support through seasonal stewardship activities makes future falls fabulous. Just a short trip to the north side of Ann Arbor will bring you to the splendid woods and wetlands of Arbor Hills Nature Area. Meet up with NAP staff to learn how to easily identify and safely cut down troublesome shrubs, and what kinds of wildlife will be grateful for the help. Meet at the park entrance at the end of Ashburnam Road. Volunteers will use hand tools to cut small-to-medium shrubs. Workday sites have unpaved trails and require going off trail. Preregister through VolunteerHub so NAP can plan on enough staff and supplies for a safe and successful event. For your safety, wear long pants, tall socks and closed-toe shoes. All minors should be accompanied by a guardian. More information: How to prepare for a NAP workday (PDF).
K-5 Forest Fridays: Opt Outside Fire-building
Bandemer Park
Friday, Nov. 29
1–2:30 p.m.
Opt Outside this Black Friday and learn how to safely build a fire with local materials. Participants will use the fire circle at Bandemer Park, which is a short hike from the parking lot. Each family group will be able to build their own fire, then everyone will put them all together and enjoy some vegan s'mores! Meet at the north parking lot off at the end of Whitmore Lake Road (aka Bandemer Disc Golf parking lot). This event is for K-5 students accompanied by an adult. Please dress to be prepared for all weather. Some trails at this park are unpaved and the group will briefly go off trail. Preregistration through VolunteerHub is required. NAP uses VolunteerHub to manage participant waivers — please create individual accounts for each child. (Adults can use their own email address for child accounts.) Call NAP if assistance with this is needed at 734.794.6627 or email [email protected].
Park millage renewal on Nov. 5 General Election ballot
The 2025–2044 Park Maintenance and Capital Improvements Millage renewal proposal is set to appear on the Nov. 5 General Election ballot, asking Ann Arbor voters to decide whether to continue supporting the Ann Arbor park system. If passed, the renewed millage would continue funding park system enhancements, repairs, NAP programs and restoration for the next 20 years. The millage renewal proposal remains for 1.10 mills and does not pose an increase; the rate would remain the same as the millage that is expiring this year. Visit parks online for answers to frequently asked questions, to learn about projects and activities funded through the current and past millages and much more. Additional questions — or interest in scheduling a parks and recreation informational presentation for your neighborhood or community organization this summer or fall — can be directed to [email protected].
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