Suzie Knoll will lead a field trip within American Youth Foundation’s Camp Miniwanca property. Participants will see several species of brightly-colored warblers that briefly stop to forage for insects along the long journey back to their northern breeding grounds. We will also see many other species of birds that are establishing breeding territories in the forested habitat at the Camp. Knoll will point out characteristics for identifying birds by sight and song. Bring your own binoculars if you have them; we will have a few extra on hand if needed. The field trip will take place under light rain conditions but will be cancelled in the event of medium to heavy rain. Space is limited to 20 participants.

Please note that as of may 10, this field trip is full. Fill out the form below if you’d like to be on a waiting list

Macroinvertebrate Sampling on the White River

Designated a Natural River by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, and located right here in Oceana County, the White River is one of the state’s finest river systems due to its undeveloped nature and pristine quality.

We are joining the White River Watershed Partnership in their efforts to monitor the quality of the White River Watershed. Twice a year, in the spring and in the fall, a team of professionals and interested citizens dip nets into tributaries and streams of the White River to collect macroinvertebrates (insects you can see with the naked eye). Once collected, the team meets back at the Kropscott Environmental Center to sort and identify the macroinvertebrates. The number and diversity of macroinvertebrates are indicators of water qualify and health of a watershed.

It’s a fun, educational, hands-on experience, ideal for seasoned and budding stream biologists, but open to anyone who has an interest in the White River. Adults please plan to accompany children younger than 16. If you’d like to be a part of this important monitoring work, you can dedicate a half or full day in the following ways:

• Meet at 9:30am at the Kropscott Farm Environmental Center to participate in the stream sampling. Bring waders if you have them.

• Meet at 12:00pm at the Kropscott Farm Environmental Center to help sort and identify macroinvertebrates. Tweezers, jars, and magnifying headsets are provided. No previous experience needed.

Address and Directions: 6523 W. Baseline Rd, Fremont. From M-20 in Hesperia, continue east on M-20 and take Stone Road south 1 mile and turn right at Baseline Rd.

Back-up Date: In case of inclement weather, May 18 will be a back up date!

To register: Contact Raymond Schinler, Board Chair White River Watershed Partnership, at (231) 861-4624 or raymondschinler@gmail.com. You can also visit the White River Watershed Partnership website for more information.

RECOVERING OUR ROOTS - THE IMPORTANCE OF LOCAL PLANTS IN OUR EVERYDAY LIVES

Are you curious about foraging and wild harvesting local plants? Would you like to know more about how to integrate plants into everyday life? Join organic farmer and forager, Amanda Jones for this informative series with a focus on common plant identification, how to sustainably harvest wild plants and practical ways to prepare and consume wild foods. Classes will be held at the Oceana Conservation District Office and will include walks to observe plants growing in their natural environment. Knowing the plants that grow around us is a great way to eat locally and feel connected to our ecosystem.

TOPICS AND DATES

Wild Foods to Welcome Spring, Saturday, May 11, 2024

Summer’s Bounty: Medicinals and More, Saturday, August 10, 2024

Tea Blends for Autumn’s chill, Saturday, October 12, 2024

Herbs for Winter Wellness, Saturday, December 14, 2024

WHEN: SELECT SATURDAYS, 9AM-NOON

WHERE: OCEANA CONSERVATION DISTRICT OFFICE AND VARIOUS LOCAL NATURAL AREAS

COST: $100 ALL 4 CLASSES IN THE SERIES, $30 PER SESSION DROP-IN, AS SPACE ALLOWS

Questions? Contact Kiki at kari.wilson@macd.org

Sign up to register

Join Suzie Knoll and Jim Nicholas on a stroll along a nature trail on the property of Jim and Bonnie Nicholas in Shelby to identify and learn about the cultural history of many of our beloved spring ephemeral wildflower species such as trillium, spring beauty, trout lily, jack-in-the-pulpit, bloodroot and Dutchman's breeches.

Meeting location will be shared with those who registered a few days prior to the event.

please note: REGISTRATION IS NOW FULL. If you would like to be on a cancellation list, please fill out the fields below.

Calling all land and water stewards! If you’re looking for new ways to connect with like-minded locals and participate in meaningful conservation activities, look no further. This month’s Stewardship outing will focus on Michigan’s adopt-a-highway program. Let’s work together to keep litter off our roadsides, limiting the amount of trash and microplastics that find their way into our beloved waterways.

We will meet at the carpool lot located on Polk Rd near US 31. Please sign up using the registration form below.

Please plan to pick up your trees, shrubs and dune grass on April 20th near the pig/goat barn at the Oceana County Fairgrounds. Please plan to enter the fairgrounds through the Main St gate, and exit through the Polk Rd gate.

Join Oceana Conservation District and partners for the final event in our three part series featuring the invasive pest threatening local hemlock populations: Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA). Learn what treatment methods are available to landowners, watch demonstrations of each method by one of our HWA crews, and receive additional resources to aid in your self-treatment project.

Drew Rayner, West Michigan HWA coordinator, and representatives from HWA treatment crews out of Muskegon, Ottawa, and Mason-Lake will be present to provide their expertise, answer questions, and provide self-treatments recommendations.

To sign up for this event, please register using the form below.

This event is now full

Join Conservation District staff member Adam Chandler on a guided night hike through Otto Nature Preserve. We will learn about many fascinating adaptations that owls have for navigating their life in the forest and we will listen for calls. We hope to hear Eastern Screech, Barred, Great-horned and/or Long-eared Owl, but it is not guaranteed. Either way, time is never wasted when out for a winter night hike in the woods on a full moon.

Please be sure to have your tree sale orders submitted by 5 pm. Either download an order form and mail in your payment, or visit our tree sale page and order online.

REgistration is now closed

Oceana Conservation District, MSU Extension and Oceana County Farm Bureau cordially invite you to this year’s Agricultural and Natural Resources Banquet! We will enjoy drinks, hors d’oeuvres, and conversation during the social hour starting at 5pm, followed by dinner, brief reports, awards and a featured presentation on Fisheries!

Michigan DNR Fisheries Biologist Mark Tonello will discuss stream ecology and fisheries management highlighting the work currently being done in Oceana County to manage the White River, Stony Creek and Pentwater River Watersheds. We hope you take advantage of the opportunity to celebrate Oceana County’s agriculture and natural assets while staying up-to-date on current initiatives.

Tickets are $25 and must be purchased in advance. Please register below and you will be redirected to our web store to purchase tickets. The deadline to register is March 13.

Join Conservation District staff member Adam Chandler on a guided night hike through Otto Nature Preserve. We will learn about many fascinating adaptations that owls have for navigating their life in the forest and we will listen for calls. We hope to hear Eastern Screech, Barred, Great-horned and/or Long-eared Owl, but it is not guaranteed. Either way, time is never wasted when out for a winter night hike in the woods on a full moon.

This event is now full

Children along with a caregiver are invited to join educator Kiki for a woodland ramble at Otto Nature Preserve.

If you are interested in attracting wildlife and providing habitat for birds, butterflies, bees, and/or deer, whether you have one acre or 80, you will want to join Oceana Conservation District Forester Rod Denning and Executive Director Suzie Knoll who will share their expertise on managing landscapes for wildlife. Focusing on woodland plantings, Rod Denning will provide tree and shrub species recommendations according to various habitat and soil types and will share planting guidelines that will aid in the success of your planting. Focusing on prairie and grassland plantings, Suzie Knoll will present information on creating habitat for pollinators and birds, sharing species recommendations, site prep and planting guidelines, and maintenance expectations.

The information provided will help you choose the best species for your site and soil conditions just ahead of the District’s Tree/Shrub Seedling Sale in April and the Native Plant Sale in May.

Please register below.

This event has been cancelled.

Children along with a caregiver are invited to join educator Kiki for a woodland ramble at Otto Nature Preserve.

This is the second event of a three-part series featuring the invasive pest threatening local hemlock populations: Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA). This event will be a guided hike led by Stewardship Coordinator Sky Harsch. In addition to taking in the coastal views and exploring Oceana’s largest hemlock-dominated forest, you will learn how to identify hemlock trees and how to check your hemlocks for HWA.

To sign up for this event, please register using the form below.

Oceana and Mason-Lake Conservation Districts are co-hosting an educational event for farmers on Jan 18 at West Shore Community College in the Admin Building. Agriculture producers will receive updates and information on produce safety, soil health, pesticide management, invasive species and more!

Meets MAEAP Phase 1 requirement and qualifies for three (3) RUP license credits.

Please register by January 12 by calling (231) 861-5600 or emailing lynda.herremans@macd.org.

• How to manage Invasives on Farms

• Produce Safety

• Benefits of the MAEAP Program

• Hot Tips for Farm Management

• Pesticide Jug Recycling

• Farmer Panel

Oceana Conservation District and the Oceana County Parks Commission invite you to bundle up and get out into the woods on a winter night in Oceana County. We will forgo the glare of flashlight or cell phone and let our night vision adjust to the darkening woods. Participants are encouraged to be the light! Please bring a flameless candle or lantern to help create a ribbon of light through the woods. We invite you to celebrate the wonderland that is Michigan in winter! All registrants are encouraged to check email for event updates.

Oceana Conservation District and the Oceana County Parks Commission invite you to bundle up and get out into the woods on a winter night in Oceana County. We will forgo the glare of flashlight or cell phone and let our night vision adjust to the darkening woods. Participants are encouraged to be the light! Please bring a flameless candle or lantern to help create a ribbon of light through the woods. For this first hike of our winter series we invite you to embrace the solstice, the shortest day of the year, and celebrate the wonderland that is Michigan in winter! All registrants are encouraged to check email for event updates.

please note that interest in this program is very high. we added more family hikes in january and february to meet the interest. if you haven’t yet signed up for this event, you may consider registering for January or february candlelight hikes instead.

The National Audubon Society invites birdwatchers to participate in the longest-running citizen science survey, the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count. Each year, the Audubon Christmas Bird Count mobilizes over 72,000 volunteer bird counters in more than 2,400 locations across the Western Hemisphere to track the health of bird populations at a scale that scientists could never accomplish alone.

Oceana Conservation District is coordinating a bird count in the western part of Oceana County on Thursday, December 14. We will break up into small parties and follow assigned routes, identifying and counting birds. Some people may wish to participate by watching feeders instead of following routes. Data compiled will contribute to a vast citizen science network that continues a tradition stretching back more than 100 years.  

To sign up for the count and/or to receive further details, please call (231) 861-5600.

Children along with a caregiver are invited to join educator Kiki for a woodland ramble at Otto Nature Preserve.

This is the first event of a three-part series featuring the invasive pest threatening local hemlock populations; Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA). This event will be an informational seminar at our office covering hemlock tree and HWA identification, treatment options available to landowners, and upcoming research on sustainable management strategies for the future of Michigan’s Hemlocks. You may also attend this seminar virtually by using the following link HWA Series Part 1- Virtual.

Session 2 of the series will take place in January where we will identify hemlock trees in the forest and see evidence of HWA up close, followed up with 3rd session in the spring in which we will host a self-treatment training/demonstration.

This HWA Series is presented by West Michigan Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area (CISMA) Coordinator Natalie Bekins. Natalie is an experienced HWA crew lead, currently organizing survey and treatment work within our seven-county management area.

To sign up for the series, whether you attend in person or virtually, please register using the form below.

Forest Forensics is the art and science of using clues to determine the history of a local area. Join us at Otto Nature Preserve where Julie Crick, forest ecology specialist and natural resource educator with MSU extension, will guide us in identifying and exploring the ecological tells that help bring the story of the forested landscape to life.

Come join us in our highway clean-up! Staff and volunteers will be collecting garbage along US 31 between Polk and Wayne Roads. An excellent stewardship opportunity. We will meet at the car pool lot located on Polk Rd. near US-31.

We are looking for numerous volunteers to pick up trash along the Lake Michigan shoreline of Oceana County. If you'd like to be a part of this community effort to keep our beaches clean and beautiful, please invite your family and friends and sign up for this excellent stewardship opportunity! 

Volunteers will be assigned a location on the beach with public access.

Fill out the information below to register.

Dune Grass, also known as American Beachgrass and Marram Grass, is a spreading, rhizomatous native bunch grass common along the shores of Lake Michigan. Dune grass is often used as an erosion control plant for dune stabilization or on non-dune areas where soils are sandy and dry. Dune grass is attractive to many homeowners because it requires minimal maintenance-no mowing necessary, and once established, this native plant requires no irrigation or fertilizer.

Visit our dune grass webpage to place an order.

Orders due Sept. 11 by 5pm.

Learn about the biology, ecology and identification of mushrooms in the forest. Ed Klunk, local mycologist, will lead the trip and share his wealth of fungi knowledge with us. Plan to bring a 3 to 6 inch folding or hunting knife, a basket or other small open container that can be easily carried (small paper shopping bag or old onion sack). This will be a two-part session, starting at Oceana Conservation Office and followed by a visit to Otto Nature Preserve.

Dispose of unused, unwanted, outdated cleaners, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, electronics and more, at this 14th annual event. Visit our HHW page for more information.

This year’s Farm Field Day titled “New Fundamentals of Specialty Crop Spraying” will be coordinated and hosted by the Oceana Conservation District and MSU Extension and held at the West Michigan Research Station. This event is targeted for agricultural producers and will cover the basics of sprayer optimization as well showcase the newest, cutting-edge autonomous sprayer technology available today. We will be both indoors and outdoors learning about optimizing sprays using a variety of equipment. We can expect to see demonstrations using fluorescent dye to visually show spray patterns using an airblast sprayer, a high clearance sprayer, an aerial drone, and ground driven drone. There will also be a special demonstration including a Mini GUSS (global unmanned spray system) from John Deere and Gillison’s sonic Spray ultasonic spraying system. Evening Meal included.

Registration is required by August 4 so that we can plan accordingly for food.

MSU Extension program participaNt demographic data collection form

MSU Extension programs are open to everyone and MSU is required, to ensure civil rights policy adherence, to report program participant race and gender data to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Only aggregated information (total numbers across all programs) about race and gender are reported to the USDA.

Providing the following information is voluntary and will be maintained strictly for reporting purposes. These records are kept separately from mailing lists and other participant information.

Thank you for taking the time to provide us with this information.

All in our community who resonate with our mission are welcome to come to our Conservation Celebration mixer! Enjoy drinks and quality conversation with our staff and board at the Oceana Conservation District office.