Join Conservation District staff 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 (nearly) full moon.

IMPORTANT: Due to a high level of interest in this program, we are offering two time slots on Saturday, February 4. Space is limited to 25 participants for each session. There is no fee to attend the program, however, you will need to register for one of the time slots below.

hike #1: 6 - 7:30 pm: FILLED

Hike #2: 7:30 - 9 pm

Join Conservation District staff on a guided night hike through Gales Pond and Doolittle County Parks. 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 (nearly) full moon.

Due to a high level of interest in this program, we are offering four different time slots and locations on Saturday, February 12. Space is limited to 20 participants for each session. There is no fee to attend the program, however, you will need to select an option below and add it to your shopping cart and then checkout to complete the registration. Please call (231) 861-5600 if you have any questions.

Join Conservation District staff on a guided night hike through the 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.

Join Conservation District staff on a guided night hike on through the new 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 contact us for more details and to register for the event.

“Threats to Our Forests:  Bugs, Beetles, and Blight"

– Guest Speaker Cheryl Nelson, Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

Cheryl Nelson is a forester with the Forest Health Response Team.  She has been with the MDNR for seventeen years and for two-and-a-half years with the Forest Health program.  She is a graduate of Michigan Tech. 

The presentation will cover forest health issues such as beech bark disease, oak wilt, hemlock wooly adelgid, gypsy moth, emerald ash borer, and heterobasidion root disease. Future risks include spotted lanternfly, and Asian longhorn beetle.

- Rod Denning, forester at Oceana Conservation District, will facilitate the webinar and will discuss programs available to forest owners like the Forestry Assistance Program (FAP).

Rod has a B.S. in Forestry from Michigan State University and a M.A. in Geography from Western Michigan University. He is retired from Grand Valley State University – Annis Water Resources Institute and currently one of twenty district foresters across the state who work for the Michigan Forestry Assistance Program (Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development). Rod’s service area includes Oceana, Newaygo, and Muskegon counties and his home office is at the Oceana Conservation District in Shelby.

This event is a virtual webinar and registration is required. Click here to register.