We are looking for about 15 volunteers to help with a pollinator planting at the main entrance of Wint Nature Center at Independence Oaks County Park on Wednesday, July 15, from 8 am to 11 am.
Register Here: https://act.sierraclub.org/
This is a hands-on volunteer opportunity to help add native wildflowers to one of the most visible places at Wint Nature Center, creating a welcoming native plant garden right where visitors enter the center. The planting will support a larger effort by Oakland County Parks to reimagine the entrance area as a welcoming landscape that highlights the role of native plants, pollinators and healthy habitat.
The planting is part of a pollinator microgrant project, funded through the National Sierra Club and organized locally by the Sierra Club’s Southeast Michigan Group in partnership with Oakland County Parks. The $2,000 grant was administered by Cecilia Garcia-Linz, Sierra Club Michigan Chapter Volunteer Engagement Coordinator, and spearheaded by SEMG Political Chair Jane ONeal and SEMG Outings Chair and Wildlands and Wildlife Committee Chair Ken Jacobsen.
We are also grateful to Oakland County Parks leadership, including Director Chris Ward and Deputy Director Alan Jaros, for helping connect us with their staff to work on this project. The idea grew out of discussions they had with Ken Jacobsen about the activities of SEMG’s Wildlands and Wildlife Committee and how Sierra Club volunteers could become more involved in stewardship and outdoor education opportunities in Oakland County Parks.
Jon Noyes, Principal Planner for Planning and Resource Development, helped move that connection forward and suggested Wint Nature Center as the location. Lindsey Scupholm, Natural Areas Specialist, is the lead on the Pollinator Garden and is working closely with Park Supervisor Jeremy Brown and Maintenance Coordinator Dave Patnaud to ensure the garden’s long-term health and maintenance. Ashlie Smith, Chief of Nature and Outdoor Education, will also help connect the garden to nature programming and outdoor education opportunities at Wint Nature Center. Together, they are helping guide the planting, education and long-term vision for the space.
That $2,000 grant will create multiple benefits. The new planting will provide food and habitat for bees, butterflies and other pollinators, while also creating a highly visible educational space for the public. Because it is located at the main entrance to Wint Nature Center, the garden will be seen by visitors as they enter the center and can be integrated into nature programs led by Nature Center staff.
This is especially important because the planting will not just be decorative. It will become part of a living teaching space where staff can help youth and other visitors learn about native plants, pollinators, wildlife habitat and the connections between healthy landscapes and healthy ecosystems.
The garden area includes hundreds of native plants selected to support pollinators and add more habitat value to an area that has been mostly mowed lawn. We also plan to incorporate a stop at the garden into future Sierra Club hikes at Independence Oaks, giving us a chance to talk with participants about the importance of pollinator gardens, native plants, outdoor education and the role Sierra Club is playing in supporting these efforts.
If you are interested in helping with the planting, register through the link below. No special experience is needed, but volunteers should be prepared to help plant, get their hands dirty and be outside for the morning. Please dress for the weather and bring work gloves, water and any small hand tools you like to use for planting.
Volunteer planting details:
Wednesday, July 15
8 am to 11 am
Main entrance of Wint Nature Center at Independence Oaks County Park
About 15 volunteers needed
If you are interested, please register at https://act.sierraclub.org/
This is a great opportunity to spend a summer morning outdoors, support pollinators, help educate the public and create something lasting at one of Oakland County’s most beautiful parks.