Environmental Interpretive Center

RSVP: Working towards Environmental Justice

Sustainability

Time is NOW: Working Towards Environmental Justice

shumwong — Fri, 21 Mar 2025 20:34:38 +0000

Time is NOW: Working Towards Environmental Justice shumwong Fri, 03/21/2025 - 16:34

Learn about current challenges and opportunities for ensuring a healthy environment for all in Metro Detroit.

Light refreshments will be provided. Open to all!

Limited Capacity. RSVP now!

2025-04-08T18:00:00-0400 to2025-04-08T19:30:00-0400

Environmental Interpretive Center

EIC

4901 Evergreen Rd
Dearborn, MI 48128
United States

https://goo.gl/maps/XpZNtb71UUrNfWTQ8

51��Ƶ-Dearborn Environmental Interpretative Center

United States

On Campus

51��Ƶ-Dearborn Environmental Interpretative Center and College of Education, Health, Human Services

Natalie Sampson - nsampson@umich.edu

Everyone

College of Education, Health, and Human Services

Health and Human Services

Environmental Health and Safety

Evening Hike

mrsolomo — Wed, 12 Mar 2025 17:51:39 +0000

Evening Hike mrsolomo Wed, 03/12/2025 - 13:51

Join EIC Naturalists for a relaxing evening walk as we enjoy the tranquility of early spring! Then, we'll all warm up by the fire! Good shoes are a must!

Join EIC Naturalists on the trails for a relaxing evening walk, enjoy the spring weather! Campfire to follow.

2025-04-25T19:00:00-0400 to2025-04-25T20:30:00-0400

Environmental Interpretive Center

EIC

4901 Evergreen Rd
Dearborn, MI 48128
United States

https://goo.gl/maps/XpZNtb71UUrNfWTQ8

United States

On Campus

Environmental Interpretive Center

Mike Solomon

734-395-3396

eic-programs@umich.edu

Social

Photography in Nature

mrsolomo — Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:16:43 +0000

Photography in Nature mrsolomo Tue, 02/18/2025 - 14:16

Join an EIC Naturalist on the trails for a short nature walk, with a focus on capturing photos of natural scenes, landscapes, and wildlife! Bring your own equipment! Cell phones are fine, and encouraged! All photography experience levels welcome!

monthly on Thursday, but only the 4th instance of this set, starting from Thursday, April 24, 2025 - 2:30 pm, forever

2025-04-24T14:30:00-0400 to2025-04-24T15:30:00-0400
2025-05-22T14:30:00-0400 to2025-05-22T15:30:00-0400
2025-06-26T14:30:00-0400 to2025-06-26T15:30:00-0400
2025-07-24T14:30:00-0400 to2025-07-24T15:30:00-0400
2025-08-28T14:30:00-0400 to2025-08-28T15:30:00-0400

Environmental Interpretive Center

EIC

4901 Evergreen Rd
Dearborn, MI 48128
United States

https://goo.gl/maps/XpZNtb71UUrNfWTQ8

United States

On Campus

Environmental Interpretive Center

Mike Solomon

734 395 3396

eic-programs@umich.edu

Arts

Michigan Naturalist Program

mrsolomo — Mon, 03 Feb 2025 19:38:50 +0000

Michigan Naturalist Program mrsolomo Mon, 02/03/2025 - 14:38

Interested in learning more about the unique habitats that surround us? Consider enrolling in the Michigan Naturalist program, offered in partnership by the University of Michigan- Dearborn, with Michigan State University!

This program is for adults, and consists of monthly Saturday sessions, 9am-1pm, running from May to October. A full site and session schedule, as well as additional information is available at https://www.canr.msu.edu/courses/michigan-master-naturalist.

MiNats participants enjoy a hard day of sampling at Humbug Marsh!

monthly on Saturday, but only the first instance of this set, starting from Saturday, May 3, 2025 - 9:00 am, forever

2025-05-03T09:00:00-0400 to2025-05-03T13:00:00-0400
2025-06-07T09:00:00-0400 to2025-06-07T13:00:00-0400
2025-07-05T09:00:00-0400 to2025-07-05T13:00:00-0400
2025-08-02T09:00:00-0400 to2025-08-02T13:00:00-0400
2025-09-06T09:00:00-0400 to2025-09-06T13:00:00-0400

Environmental Interpretive Center

EIC

4901 Evergreen Rd
Dearborn, MI 48128
United States

https://goo.gl/maps/XpZNtb71UUrNfWTQ8

United States

On Campus

EIC

Dorothy McLeer

natrlist@umich.edu

Everyone

Sustainability

Sharing nature’s beauty through touch, smell and sound

stuxbury — Wed, 16 Oct 2024 13:58:18 +0000

Sharing nature’s beauty through touch, smell and sound stuxbury Wed, 10/16/2024 - 09:58

Standing on a cruise ship deck recently, Donna Posont felt the wind in her hair, heard the crashes of the waves and enjoyed how the sun felt as it warmed her. Traveling with a group of nearly 25 friends, Posont says she did a lot of observing along the Canadian Atlantic coastline — and she credits her keen senses and a handy tool for giving her the ability to experience it differently than many others.

“Being a blind person, I don’t have the inconvenience of having sight dull my other senses. I’m lucky to appreciate things differently,” says Posont, who always has her white cane to help her navigate new and familiar spaces. Recalling her adventure, she then laughed: “Yes, I got lost on the ship. I should have had the crew take me on a tour first so I got more familiar with the layout. But my sighted friends were lost all the time too, so I don’t think it had to do with blindness.”

“People are people and we just have differing abilities from one another. Some of us need to plan differently. Just because you can’t see doesn’t mean you have a lack of vision.”

EIC naturalist Donna Posont

She’s right. And many people have called her work visionary. Environmental Interpretive Center staff member Posont, a 2015 College of Arts, Sciences and Letters alum, is a winner of the 2024 National Federation of the Blind’s Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award, which honors individuals and organizations that are a positive force in the lives of blind people. And earlier this month, Posont traveled to Grand Rapids to accept the Michigan Alliance for Environmental and Outdoor Education’s Merit Recognition Award. She also was featured in the latest issue of Audubon magazine.

The second blind person in the United States to become recognized as a certified interpretive guide by the National Association for Interpretation, Posont started a birding program at 51��Ƶ-Dearborn for individuals with low-to-no vision in 2009. Birding by Ear and Beyond, an all-ages bird walk, takes place from 9 a.m. to noon on the second Saturday of the month and begins at the EIC. Posont says sighted friends and family members are also welcome to attend and learn ways to experience their environment without using vision.

“The warmth from the sun on your shoes tells you that you are walking into a clearing. You can identify plants by smell,” says Posont. “You know a bird is a mourning dove by the way the wind whistles through their wings when they are taking off.”

Posont, a retired social worker who supported school-aged kids with visual impairments for many decades, enrolled in college at 51��Ƶ-Dearborn in 2008. Posont says she always wanted to be a scientist. But in the 1970s, when she first attended a university in her home state of West Virginia with the goal of studying biology, the school could not accommodate her in science labs and classes. So she found a fulfilling career in social work. Experience taught Posont — who progressively lost vision beginning around age 8 due to retinitis pigmentosa — that she could appreciate science outside of a lab. She’d go the nature route.

While on hikes with a friend at the Environmental Interpretive Center prior to enrolling at 51��Ƶ-Dearborn, Posont — who can see light, so she knows if it is night or day, but does not have usable vision — experienced the campus and the natural environment it offers. It was also close to her Dearborn home, where she moved decades earlier when her husband’s career transferred the family to Michigan. Learning about the strong environmental sciences programs, Posont knew 51��Ƶ-Dearborn would be the right fit for her.

She first got the idea to focus on birds when she was a 51��Ƶ-Dearborn student completing an internship at Camp Tuhsmeheta, a west Michigan outdoor education facility established by the Michigan School for the Blind. To help the children experience nature, Posont got an idea: She’d use bird songs as an entry point. She ordered plush birds that played recorded sounds. They’d listen to bird calls together and she’d make them relatable by assigning English-sounding words or phrases to them. For example, a translated cardinal sound is “Wit, wit! Cheer, cheer cheer!”

Posont says her 51��Ƶ-Dearborn professors also inspired her. As time went on, they became mentors and then friends. Her field biology professor, Orin Gelderloos — or Dr. G as generations of students have called him — taught her about the differences in tree bark and Posont would feel every trunk. She, in many ways, modeled her teaching style after his go-out-and-do lessons.

Later, as Gelderloos neared retirement, he and Posont worked together as a team . “He was my eyes and I was his ears. For example, when looking for birds with students, I’d tell the class what bird they were hearing because his hearing wasn’t as strong. He’d see it, point it out and tell them about it,” Posont says. “We were a great team then and when I see him, we’re still a good team.”

Posont says she’s proud of the connections she made on campus and her 51��Ƶ-Dearborn degree in environmental sciences with a naturalist concentration, and a biology minor. “Nearly 40 years later, I got that biology education I always wanted,” she says. “I also learned that I am a teacher — I didn’t realize that before — and how much I sincerely appreciate the beauty in our world.”

But birding and the great outdoors is about much more than nature to Posont. It’s a way to showcase blind people’s unique abilities in a way that increases confidence through experience and education.

“Through the years, I have had the pleasure of witnessing people once inhibited by their unique abilities turn into scientists taking off down the path using their canes. There have been some people who have been afraid to touch new things. Then, all of a sudden, they would be shaping bird beaks with homemade play-doh. And I’ve seen people who were afraid of speaking in front of others eventually learn to write Braille so they could have notes and share information,” she says.

Posont continues to explain that it’s not just learning about the birds — it’s about knowing what tools are available and becoming comfortable using them. “I always have my cane. I didn’t want to use it when I began losing my sight because acceptance is a process. But once I did, I learned this cane is my freedom. It allows me to travel and to ask for help. People who see it are more likely to stop since they realize that I’m blind. I’ve been able to do so much because of what’s available. I want others to know tools like canes aren’t a sign of weakness — they are the way to independence.”

Posont says knowing what’s available — she started receiving the support she needed after joining the National Federation of the Blind in 1979 — and learning from others is essential. Once concerned about the safety issues that might arise with parenting, Posont, a mother of five, learned from her NFB peers how bells on shoes and ultra-specific communication make the job much easier.

Now the grandma of 14 watches her grandchildren and plays games like Braille Uno with them. “I just need to remind them that they need to use their words. I can’t see if they are shaking their heads yes or no,” she explains.

Looking at her life, her travels and the recent awards, Posont says she didn’t know what was possible when she started losing her vision. What she once saw as a disability she now sees as a sense enhancer. She acknowledges that not having sight is frustrating at times, but wants others with vision impairments — when they are willing and ready to accept it — to realize how much can be done without sight.

“The younger person I once was — who cried and cried and cried because she couldn’t fit in — would be amazed at where this difference in ability has brought us,” Posont says. “You can still get married and have kids if that’s what you want. You can identify birds. You can be a scientist. You can be a teacher. You can experience the world through your other senses. That young person I once was would be amazed at what was possible. And now it’s her turn to let others see what’s possible for them.”

Story by Sarah Tuxbury

Faculty and Staff

Inclusion or Diversity

Teaching Resource

Off

Wed, 10/16/2024 - 13:50

National and statewide awards honor EIC staff member and ’15 alum Donna Posont for her work as an inclusive naturalist educator and advocate.

Donna Posont, right, leads monthly bird walks for people with visual impairments once a month on 51��Ƶ-Dearborn's campus. Photo by Michael Solomon

Plan a trip to the lake

stuxbury — Fri, 02 Aug 2024 15:49:26 +0000

Plan a trip to the lake stuxbury Fri, 08/02/2024 - 11:49

Standing at the edge of Fair Lane Lake, there are wood ducks, great blue herons and a black-crowned night heron — all on a recent weekday lunch walk.

The trail highlighted today starts at the EIC, in red, and continues around the lake.

“We’ve seen osprey, eagles, kingfishers and other birds on or over this lake. More than 100 years after it was put here, this lake continues to serve its purpose,” says Environmental Interpretive Center Program Supervisor Rick Simek, while pointing out the many waterfowl — including a wood duck family — seen on the lake. “The lake was created in 1915 as a conservation effort. By the early 1900s, some waterfowl species were in decline. That included the wood duck, which was rapidly declining and thought to be headed toward extinction. This lake was intended to provide a refuge for wood ducks and other waterfowl."

For the last installment of Reporter’s summer trail series, Simek highlights a few interesting sights, sounds and facts around and about Fair Lane Lake.

This walk, which takes about 45 minutes depending on your pace, starts at the EIC. Then head down Orchard Trail, turn left at the lake and follow it around until you are back at Orchard Trail. Trail tip: wear bug spray, especially on a wet, humid day.

The lake and its history

As Simek shared above, the lake was created with birds in mind. “Henry Ford was a very complicated man, to put it mildly. But he was instrumental in protecting bird life and promoting conservation efforts,” Simek says. “The reason we have so many birds here today — and birds that are doing very well — is because of him.”

In 1915, Ford commissioned a 10-acre lake — which is now closer to eight acres as dirt from the 1959 campus construction was poured in the lake — that was on a gradual slope that went from 12 feet on the south end (by the Ford estate) and became more shallow as it moved north (the side closest to Henry Ford College).

At the shallow end, wild rice was planted to provide food and habitat for marsh birds. Native plantings and waterfowl food favorites like the arrowhead plants, including the still-visible duck potato, and sweet-scented water lily were planted along the lake. And fish were plentiful and could winter at the deep end of the lake. “There is no evidence that Henry Ford fished at the lake, so the fish may have been put in to provide food for waterfowl such as diving ducks, which often feed on fish,” Simek says.

With the trees, foliage and other natural debris that’s settled at the bottom of water, the maximum depth has changed over the course of a century. According to a research project conducted by 2014 environmental science graduate Ryan Keeling, who took more than 100 measurements across the pond to create a 3D image, the maximum depth is seven feet. Keeling now works at Mast Reforestation in Seattle as a senior manager of GIS technical operations.

“The lake is aging,” Simek says. “But the fish are doing well and the lake continues to provide food and refuge for the plants and animals that live here.”

The stone bridge and steps along the lake

Looking straight out of a storybook, there’s a stone bridge on the walk along the lake. But its origins are a bit of a mystery. Simek says he’s been looking into it for years, but the Fords didn’t include it among their archival blueprints or any other documentation. Simek’s best guess is that it was built around 1915, shortly after the lake was made.

What he does know is that it is a beautiful way for the lake overflow to drain into the Rouge River. “It’s a great meditative place, especially after a heavy rain or when the snow is melting. I come out here often,” Simek says. “The water flows down like a small waterfall.”

Continuing down the path right past the bridge, there are stone steps along the lake. These were built so the Fords could easily go onto the ice to skate. For summer activities, there is a small metal ring along the steps; it's where the Fords may have kept a small boat, Simek says.

The tree trail and a ‘fallen giant’

After you walk through an open chain-link gate, there’s a sign with a QR code for the EIC’s website on the right. The sign reads, “The Hidden Benefits of Trees: An Exploration of Medicinal and Other Uses from First Nations to Today.”

Matching up each number-marked tree to the website, fun facts are shared about eight different tree species on the trail. For example, boiled husks from the nuts of the black walnut tree were used to make yellow dye for fabrics. And the inner bark of the black cherry tree was made into a tea that alleviated symptoms of colds, fevers and labor pain by First Nations peoples like the Chippewa and Potawatomi. Simek says ‘2007 biological sciences alum Greg Norwood, who is now an ecologist at the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, developed the tree trail guide as an undergraduate. The current guide is an updated version of Norwood’sl project.

Just past the last tree on the trail, look to the left. There’s a huge white oak on the forest floor. Simek calls it the “fallen giant” and says it was more than 300 years old when it died around 2000. The age estimation of the tree was made in the late 1970s by tree expert Paul Thompson — a statewide big tree coordinator for the Michigan Botanical Club, a role he had for 40-plus years — who worked with Biology and Environmental Studies Professor Emeritus Orin Gelderloos.

Simek, who started at 51��Ƶ-Dearborn in 1994, remembers when the tree still stood. “It has endured for more than three centuries — that’s nearly 100 years before we were a country. It’s this very real link to the past,” he says. “I like to think about the people and wildlife who found shade or shelter under the tree. They may no longer be here, but we will have this connection to them, thanks to this old tree.” Simek says he is sad to see the white oak slowly break down, but it also makes room for new life — including a small oak tree, which is in a cage to protect it from hungry deer, right near it. “It gives you the perspective of not just looking back, but also looking forward,” he says. “I hope this habitat stays preserved so this little oak can live 300 years too.”

Yellow flowers, conservation efforts and Eagle Scout projects

Turning the bend of the lake, there are tall yellow flowers on either side. Simek says they are ox-eye “false sunflowers,” a native wildflower. But these pretty petals didn’t just show up — it was a several-year effort of Simek and EIC volunteers. “As we’ve been removing invasive plants, we've been scattering ox-eye seeds. Birds like the seeds, pollinators like the flowers and I really enjoy seeing a nice pop of color,” he says.

Rick Simek says the sign at the top of Orchard Trail was created in 2017 by an Eagle Scout.

Community volunteers also are responsible for the cages around the small trees along the path to protect the growing saplings from hungry deer, the wooden walkways over the marshy areas along the path and the large EIC welcome sign at the mouth of the trail.

“With preserving this area, the university has given people, myself included, direct access to hands-on personal experience with nature. It is truly one-of-a-kind and the community appreciates what we have to offer,” Simek says. “We’ve had at least 40 Eagle Scout projects done here and I took a call from someone interested in doing one today. Nonprofits, schools, individuals and businesses come out to be wonderful stewards who make sure we keep this outdoor classroom and habitat in a condition that benefits everyone.”

Reporter checked out the south side of the Rouge Gateway trail in July, the north side of the trail in June and the EIC’s Orchard Trail in May. Have a favorite spot on campus and want to know a little more about it? Reach out and we’ll do a little digging.

Story by Sarah Tuxbury.

Campus Life

Off

Fri, 08/02/2024 - 15:48

Take a dip into the history of Fair Lane Lake, along with what you’ll see when hiking around the trails that surround it.

Rick Simek relaxes on a bench on the south end of Fair Lane Lake. Photos by Sarah Tuxbury

Intriguing sites just steps from the classroom

stuxbury — Mon, 08 Jul 2024 11:26:12 +0000

Intriguing sites just steps from the classroom stuxbury Mon, 07/08/2024 - 07:26

Fossils that dot building exteriors. A wrought iron-fenced rose garden that sits on top of underground tunnels. And a new water feature that helps the fish travel up the Rouge River from the Detroit River for the first time in more than a century.

These are a few of the intriguing sites along a trek from campus to the south end of Rouge Gateway Trail. First created in 2005, the gateway trail runs through campus and gives the community a scenic way to explore local history and a route to downtown West Dearborn.

“We have so many fascinating landscape features right in our backyard. Some are beautiful, some are functional, some are intriguing — and some have a little bit of everything,” says EIC Program Coordinator and Interpretive Naturalist Dorothy McLeer, who has led educational programs along this route. “If you want a shorter walk, you can start at the CASL Building or Fieldhouse and walk along Fair Lane Road from there. You’ll still see most of the sites I’m talking about today.”

This month's trek, marked by a purple path, takes us from the EIC (in red on the left) past the Henry Ford Estate (in red on the right) and onto the south side of the Rouge Gateway Trail.

A walk from the Environmental Interpretive Center to the Rouge Gateway Trail’s south bridge and back takes about 90 minutes, depending on your pace.

Here are a few things you’ll see when you take the south side portion of the Rouge Gateway Trail. Since the Orchard Trail leg of the walk — which is the beginning path from the EIC to Fair Lane Lake — was previously covered in a recent article, this trail guide’s highlights will start at the edge of Fair Lane Lake.

The greenspace between Fair Lane Lake to the Henry Ford Estate

At first glance, it just looks like grass — but something else is going on here. The land didn’t always look like this. Nearly 110 years ago, this meadow was designed to use curiosity to keep people moving forward.

When at the lake, you cannot see the house. When in the middle of the meadow, you can’t see the lake or the house — just an opening in the trees that hints something is up ahead.

Geese by Fair Lane Lake

Closer to the 1915 mansion, there’s a glimpse of the 56-room residence. McLeer says the peek-a-boo pathway was created through the progressive realization technique. And Henry Ford’s landscape architect, Jens Jensen, did it by redesigning the entire area.

“Jensen turned farmland into a scenic space that looks like it could have always been here,” McLeer says. “Everything you see in the meadow, including the lake, was put here by Jensen.”

On the grounds, McLeer says there are 100-plus-year-old Hawthorn trees that dot the landscape, which was a nod to the prairie style of Frank Lloyd Wright. Looking up, there are herons, hawks and eagles that nest in or around the meadow. “This meadow was created in a way that supports and highlights nature,” McLeer says. “At the time it was done, this was progressive. I think we can say, 100 years later, that Jensen’s plan was successful.”

A century-old terrace

Once getting to the clearing end of the meadow, Henry Ford Estate — a national historic landmark — is completely visible. The first prominent feature seen is the home’s terrace. Made of limestone from Kelleys Island State Park in Ohio, there are surprises in the brownish-gray material. “There are visible fossils in this limestone. They are everywhere,” McLeer says, pointing out lighter patterns on the steps of the porch and exterior walls of the house. Fossils include extinct marine invertebrates like trilobites and nautilus-type shells.

“This limestone was all under water in Lake Erie at some point. It’s a 100-plus-year-old home made of a million-plus-year-old material,” McLeer says. In addition to the main house, McLeer says the estate’s garage, powerhouse, gazebo and potting shed also are made from the natural stone.

The rose garden

Keep walking south around the 31,000-square-foot house and you’ll arrive at a picturesque rose garden with a fountain in the center. The garden’s opening welcomes guests with a decorative wrought iron gate that once belonged to an 18^th century English manor. The gate, pictured at the top of this article, was noticed by Clara Ford on a European vacation and a deal was struck to bring it back with them for their home.

Karen Marzonie, Fair Lane director of gardens and grounds, says the flowers, including the roses around the estate, have been carefully researched by combing through historic photographs, correspondence and receipts of plant purchases from when the Fords lived at Fair Lane. “It’s not unusual for homeowners, especially garden enthusiasts like Clara Ford, to revise their plant choices over time," she says. "Fair Lane’s gardens and grounds reflect the plant preferences of the Fords while responding to today’s need for disease- and deer-resistant plant varieties.”

Not only is the garden beautiful, it’s intriguing. McLeer says there’s a tunnel from the Ford’s power house to the main home that runs under the roses. Ford used a variety of tunnels to travel to the buildings without needing to be concerned about weather.

The tunnels were also an important safety feature in the wake of the 1932 Lindbergh kidnapping, in which the famous aviator Charles Lindbergh’s 20-month-old son was snatched from his home. McLeer says the Fords saw the underground passage as a way to protect their often-visiting grandchildren. At the time, their youngest grandchild, William Clay Ford, was 7. McLeer says she’s been in the tunnels before, but the tunnels are not open to the public, with the estate currently undergoing renovations.

The south side bridge

Keep traveling down Fair Lane Road until there’s an opening to the right marked by a “Rouge River Gateway Trail” sign. Take that until you see a bridge. Once you get to the red south bridge and cross the Rouge River, there’s a fork in the road — one way leads you to downtown West Dearborn and the other takes you across the river from the Henry Ford Estate.

“You can choose your own adventure,” says McLeer, who walked the trail recently. “It can take you to a busy downtown for lunch or a quiet place to enjoy listening to birds and the sounds of rushing river water.”

If there’s time, stop on the bridge and look for wildlife. McLeer says evidence of beaver families — like gnawed tree trunks — are often seen from the south bridge. “It depends on the time of day whether you’ll see them. They are most active at dawn and dusk,” she says.

Incredibly, the bridge is quiet and serene, even though a busy downtown is just around the bend.

Downtown West Dearborn

Looking to be part of the action? Head left. The trailhead emerges in downtown West Dearborn near the former Andiamo’s building. It seems a bit loud with car traffic after being among the trees and bird songs. There are trees along the way for shade, historic buildings for visual interest and restaurant options for a nice lunch break. Buddy’s Pizza is a few blocks from where the path emerges and more restaurants, coffee shops, stores, parks and museums are nearby.

There’s a Dearborn Summer Market that brings together the community with local farmers, entrepreneurs and small businesses. It’s at Bryant Branch Library — a very short walk from the trailhead — and runs from 3 to 8 p.m. July 12, Aug. 9 and Sept. 13. The address is 22100 Michigan Ave.

Prefer to take a bike? 51��Ƶ-Dearborn has a bike route that goes from the EIC to downtown West Dearborn via the Rouge River Gateway Trail. Want to make it a social event with 51��Ƶ-Dearborn colleagues? There's a group meeting at the Renick University Center's patio at 4 p.m. Friday, July 12, to walk to the market.

The fish ladder

If a scenic nature walk is the preference, go to the right and cross the second red bridge. On the right, you’ll come to a small waterfall in the river that appears natural — but it was added in the early 20th century to generate hydroelectric power that powered the Henry Ford Estate and 200-plus houses in Dearborn.

McLeer says it’s attractive and innovative, but the waterfall posed a problem for the fish that swam up the Rouge River from the Detroit River. They were blocked by the 12-foot waterfall/dam.

Looking at the environmental concerns and the health of the Rouge River and its wildlife, the Rouge River Advisory Council recently led an effort to create a $9 million fish ladder. (Yes, it’s a real thing and not an idea from Dr. Seuss.) Construction started in 2018 and finished in 2023. As McLeer puts it, “Now the fish can swim upstream to make more of themselves.”

To help Friends of the Rouge learn more about the fish in the river, McLeer says 51��Ƶ-Dearborn alum Robert Muller conducted a long-term research project that assessed fish life in the water. Muller began the project in 2012 as a college intern and continues the work today. The data he gathered helped show why the fish ladder was needed. Fish that travel upstream from the Detroit River to the Rouge include yellow perch, black crappie, emerald shiner and more.

“Environmentalists knew cutting off river access was an issue and the fish ladder had been in talks for quite some time. But it takes education, experts and funding to make large projects like this happen,” McLeer says. “It’s been more than 100 years, but they can finally swim upstream again.”

Many thanks to EIC Interpretive Naturalist Dorothy McLeer for sharing her insights along the trail journey.

Reporter checked out the north side of the trail in June and the EIC’s Orchard Lake trail in May. Next month, we’ll hike around Fair Lane Lake.

Story by Sarah Tuxbury.

Campus Life

Off

Mon, 07/08/2024 - 11:25

Take a stroll back in time — and see a new environmentally friendly addition to the land — when on a campus walk toward the south side of the Rouge Gateway Trail.

An ornate gate opens to Fair Lane's rose garden. Photos/Sarah Tuxbury

Get outdoors and explore

stuxbury — Mon, 13 May 2024 02:59:04 +0000

Get outdoors and explore stuxbury Sun, 05/12/2024 - 22:59

Looking above, there’s a bright blue indigo bunting from Central or South America making chirping sounds of “sweet sweet choo choo yum yum.” On the ground, mayapples — Clara Ford used to turn the ripened pulp of the fruit into jelly — are blooming. And right ahead is the Fair Lane Lake, with painted turtles on logs and great blue herons dipping in the water for fish.

Welcome to the Environmental Interpretive Center’s Orchard Trail, which visitors can access right near the Center’s covered picnic area.

On a recent walk down the Orchard Trail to the lake, EIC Program Coordinator and Interpretive Naturalist Dorothy McLeer pointed out interesting trail highlights that you might miss if you don’t know what you’re looking at. And this includes how the trail got its name.

Here's the walk we took, starting at the EIC, which looks a bit like Texas on this map. No matter where you choose to explore, there's something to see in all areas outside of the EIC. You'll find a list of free guided walks at the end of the article.

“When Henry and Clara Ford owned the land, there were apple trees here. After Mrs. Ford’s passing in 1950, the funding to maintain the apple orchard went somewhere else — and time has given us this wonderful example of natural succession,” McLeer said. “Apple trees are pretty short, 30 feet at the most. Maple trees, which are here now, are often more than 70 feet. As we stand here, I like the shade from the maples, but, for a smaller plant, it might be a problem. The apple trees are now gone, outcompeted by these wonderful maples that we can tap to make maple syrup, as Henry Ford used to do.”

Here are a few more things you may see if you take Orchard Trail to Lakeside Trail, walk to Jens Jensen’s Meadow and cut through the trail to end up at Clara Ford’s Rose Garden. The walk takes about an hour, depending on your pace.

The fuchsia-flowered tree near the picnic tables at the EIC

Although its blossoms are almost done, there is no missing the eastern redbud tree on the left side of the Environmental Interpretive Center. McLeer said initially its color grabs attention, but its family history may be even more intriguing. “What does this redbud have in common with sugar snap peas?” she asks. “They are both members of the pea family. If you look closely, the tree has pea pods.”

McLeer said nearly everywhere there’s a pink-hued flower, there will be a pod. But don’t pick the EIC tree when looking for a snack, she cautioned. The tree’s flowers are a favorite among hummingbirds, goldfinches, butterflies and bees. And a variety of EIC wildlife enjoy eating the Michigan native plant’s peapods. “This tree is like a grocery store for them. We have more nutritional options than the wildlife here, so let them enjoy,” she said. “Even though this one can’t offer you lunch, there are ways for you to still appreciate the tree. Not only is it beautiful, but the redbud tree still offers a nice shady place to relax and gives a front-row seat for you to see who visits the tree.”

A caged plant on the side of the lake

With its wine-colored flowers that bloom until mid-June, prairie trillium — which are native Michigan wildflowers— are striking and slowly grow up to a foot tall. But that’s not why they are caged off.

“Prairie trillium, known as Trillium recurvatum, are rare in Michigan. I don’t know another place where they grow naturally in our area. A biology faculty member, Judy Nesmith, found these about 10 years ago while taking out the Field Biology class,” McLeer said, adding that the plant is a Michigan species of special concern. “The cage is to protect it from trampling toes and hungry deer, while making it easier to point out to our classes and on trail walks.”

A family of geese enjoying Fair Lane Lake

Surrounding the prairie trillium are several bloodroot wildflowers (Sanguinaria canadensis). These ground-level plants, which are in the poppy family, have green-scalloped, lobed leaves and white-and-yellow flowers. But it’s what lies beneath the soil that gave the plant its name. “Bloodroot has a reddish-colored sap that comes out when its rhizome — which is a type of stem that grows underground — is cut open. Indigenous people who historically lived on this land used bloodroot as a dye, among other uses.”

When by the lake, also look for great blue herons [the EIC mascot], which frequently use the lake as a food resource, and painted turtles, the state reptile of Michigan.

“Fifth graders in Niles, Michigan, wrote to the state legislature and requested a state reptile. That’s how the painted turtle, which is native to Michigan, got its designation,” McLeer said. “This shows how speaking up about a change you want to see can make a difference.”

The area formerly known as Clara Ford’s Rose Garden

When planning for their future Fair Lane Estate, Henry and Clara Ford bought the 1,300 acres of land from several local farming families, including the Ten Eycks and the Blacks, in 1908. They made changes to the property — one major transformation was this rose garden space. It was spread out over three acres and contained more than 10,000 rose bushes, tended by 20 full-time gardeners.

This formal European-style garden was grand and attracted people from all over the world, McLeer said. However, not everyone appreciated the Rose Garden. Due to a contractual disagreement, famed landscape architect Jens Jenson, a proponent of native plantings who designed the other grounds of Fair Lane, resigned when he learned the rose garden was commissioned. The archive photo above is circa 1926. The image at the top of the article is what the rose garden area looks like today.

The formality of the rose garden is long gone, but the pond and stone gazebo remain. There are mallards sitting on nests in the pond’s reeds. Wildflowers are growing everywhere. The garden’s pond is used by many student groups to study aquatic insects and naturally occurring flora. “It’s now one of our most valuable study areas on the grounds, as far as teaching goes. We typically welcome about 2,000 kids a month from April to October on this property here. And those are the organized school groups,” McLeer said. “There’s always something to learn when coming out here. I’ve been at 51��Ƶ-Dearborn for more than 30 years, and these grounds are still teaching me new things.”

The stone bridge

There's a bridge made of boulders not far from the former rose garden, likely built circa 1920. The bridge's purpose was to create a walkway over the man-made drain for lake overflow. And that overflow water made for an outlet to the lake.

The ice skating warming shed, built in 1920. Image courtesy/ Rick Simek

Something once on the spot, which isn't there now, was a large log cabin that the Fords built and used as an ice skating equptment shed. "Henry Ford had ice skates in nearly every size, so if someone visiting wanted to skate, they could do so," said EIC Program Supervisor and Manager of the Natural Areas Rick Simek. "The skating shed was heated too, so it was a nice warm-up spot."

And where there is currently a bench, the Fords had one there too. "They would use it to lace up their skates before getting on the ice," McLeer said.

Reporter will feature a trail and the insights of 51��Ƶ-Dearborn’s EIC staff each month — on June 4, July 9 and Aug. 6 — during the summer.

See something on your walk that you're curious about? Snap a photo and send it to EIC's Laura Mallard at lmallard@umich.edu for answers and to have your finds possibly show up on EIC socials.

Upcoming walks

Bird walks
May 18 and 25, 9 a.m., EIC. Register here.
Join EIC staff member Rick Simek on the trails and see spring migrant birds. Whether just passing through on migration or staying a bit longer, many birds call the land outside of the EIC home.

Mushroom identification 101
May 23, 5 p.m. lecture, 6 p.m. walk, EIC.
EIC naturalist and 2023 51��Ƶ-Dearborn graduate Mike Solomon leads a tour through the grounds pointing out a variety of mushrooms, how to identify them and their uses.

Nature Walks for Mental Health
May 22, June 5 and 19, 1:30 p.m.. EIC. Register for this program.
Relax, unwind and get outside; with brief guided meditations and 45-minute nature walks.

Crepuscular Caper
May 24, 8 p.m., EIC. Register here.
Join EIC Naturalists for a casual walk in the Natural Area at twilight. Crepuscular is derived from the Latin word Crepusculum, meaning “twilight.”

Photography Walk
May 30, 2:30 p.m., EIC. Register for this program.
Take a hike with an EIC naturalist and nature photographer. Bring your own cameras and accessories — they supply the scenery.

Article by Sarah Tuxbury.

Off

Mon, 05/13/2024 - 02:48

From historic structures to native species plants, Environmental Interpretive Center experts point out a few interesting finds you can see on the campus trails.

Children of 2002 alum Phil Tuxbury — Ronen and Rebekah Tuxbury, ages 7 and 8 — explore the former rose garden area on a walk in May 2024. Photo by Sarah Tuxbury

How a campus educator is helping create a sustainable future

stuxbury — Mon, 26 Jun 2023 18:49:23 +0000

How a campus educator is helping create a sustainable future stuxbury Mon, 06/26/2023 - 14:49

Let me tell you about the birds and the bees and the flowers and the trees. Or rather, you should hear about these and the unique importance each plays in the world from 51��Ƶ-Dearborn’s Interpretive Naturalist Dorothy McLeer.

Not only does McLeer have 30 years experience, she was also recently honored for her teaching talent by the National Association for Interpretation. McLeer is the NAI 2023 Distinguished Professional Interpreter for the Great Lakes region. The professional award is presented to a respected interpreter who has demonstrated an impact in the field.

Taking groups on guided tours around 51��Ƶ-Dearborn’s trails, McLeer pulls out all the creative stops to help people retain information. She sings songs. She’s got jokes. She makes word associations. McLeer does whatever it takes to connect people with new information.

For example, here’s how she helps learners know what a radula is: “A radula is like a tongue. Mollusks use it to help them get food, like algae, by scraping things. When snails use theirs, they are like the vacuum cleaners of the pond — and that’s pretty rad.”

Dorothy McLeer

McLeer also has participants touch tree bark and make observations. They search for wildlife tracks and guess what animal may have made them. They listen and look for birds. Interpretive techniques are based on revelation. “Brain-based research shows that If you are able to use your senses and connect new knowledge to things you already know, it helps you make connections in a way that ties in experience and emotion,” McLeer said. “Relating information to students’ lives so there is meaning to the new information, makes it relevant to their lives. Emotional connections are stored in the brain’s long-term memory.”

McLeer’s such a natural (pun intended) that it seems like she always knew this was the right path for her. But she said she didn’t discover the environmental education field until she was an adult in her 30s. Working in retail and studying at Oakland Community College to be a teacher, she attended a Detroit Audubon awards event — fate would have it that she unknowingly sat at the same table as awardee William B. Stapp, the 51��Ƶ-Ann Arbor professor emeritus who is considered the founder of environmental education.

“I told him that I was studying to be a teacher and hoped I could teach science. Then he put two words together that I never heard in a sentence: environmental education. He explained to me what it was. It was a light that went on for me,” said McLeer, who said the field places an importance on educating all ages about their environment in an effort to develop a respect for nature and preservation. “That conversation was on a Saturday night. On Monday, I was in my school counselor's office changing my plans.”

McLeer learned about the 51��Ƶ-Dearborn environmental studies program started by Professor Orin Gelderloos and transferred. She first worked as a student naturalist and then became a full-time staff member after graduation. McLeer has since earned her graduate degree, along with publishing chapters in books, giving public lectures, teaching college classes and leading educational programs around the campus’ 120-acre Environmental Study Area.

During 2023 alone, more than 4500 K-12 school children have attended programs McLeer helped run. After a tour on May 22, third grader Joey from St. Pius Catholic School drew a picture of cattails, thanked McLeer for the fun walk and even pledged to become a future Wolverine. He wrote, “I already wanted to go to 51��Ƶ-Dearborn and now I will definitely go.”

McLeer said helping kids explore the outdoors is a highlight in her role. With climate concerns and species extinction, McLeer said it’s important that the next generation see how their actions can impact the world around them. To help do that, McLeer also inspires minds in her 51��Ƶ-Dearborn college classroom to find entertaining and efficient methods that blend science and education so that future educators can bring forth that awareness.

Alum Griffin Bray is part of the upcoming generation of professional naturalist educators. He met McLeer when he was nine years old as a participant in the EIC’s Young Naturalist Program in the mid-2000s. McLeer led many of his adventure-filled sessions.

He’s the one who nominated McLeer for the Distinguished Professional Interpreter Award.

Griffin Bray leading an EIC tour in a 2019 file photo

As a child, Bray didn’t recall her name exactly, but he held on to the lessons learned from McLeer and a love of 51��Ƶ-Dearborn’s campus trails stayed with him. The 2020 51��Ƶ-Dearborn graduate earned his NAI-certified interpretive guide credential through McLeer’s Environmental Interpretation course as an undergrad and is now a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

Inspired by his former teacher, Bray said, “She’s helped shape who I am today. As an environmental interpreter, I am able to work not only with the natural environment, but also with the community to engage people with their surroundings, provoke a deeper connection to the place, and provide them with a way to understand the natural world on their own terms.”

Joining an EIC team meeting via Zoom in the spring, Bray shared the award news. McLeer said she was shocked and delighted — both to see Bray and to learn about the award.

Three decades into her career, McLeer said having one of her students going into the field nominate her was a “full-circle moment” that told her that she’s on the right path — a path filled with birds, bees, flowers and trees. And one that is educating people to take a moment and notice what’s happening right outside of their doors.

“I have been so fortunate to have colleagues who are also friends, and are dedicated and passionate about what we do. For the last 30 years I’ve done something that has meaning — not just for me or the people that I am lucky to encounter, but meaning for where we live. It’s something that I take very seriously, but I have a heck of a good time doing it.”

Text by Sarah Tuxbury.

Awards

Faculty and Staff