Notice time change for September only: Social time will take place from 7:00-7:15 PM, students will present from 7:15-7:30, and Nate’s program will begin as scheduled at 7:30.
Join Nate Fuller for a program highlighting the wonderful wildlife diversity of Sarett Nature Center. The center owns over 1,000 acres along the Paw Paw River between Benton Harbor and Coloma, Michigan. Over a dozen different natural communities support a rich diversity of flora and fauna. Since its beginning 55 years ago, Sarett naturalists have documented nearly 250 bird species on the property. From Prothonotary Warblers and Common Moorhens along the river, to Henslow’s Sparrows and Bobolinks in the grasslands, and a variety of songbirds and raptors in the forests between, Sarett is one of the most bird-rich sites in Southwest Michigan. The nature center’s diversity isn’t just limited to birds as the rich habitats also make it an important site for rare turtles, snakes, and other animals including the federally endangered Mitchell’s satyr.
Nate moved to Michigan to work for Sarett as an interpretive naturalist in 1995 shortly after earning his degree in biology from Northland College in Ashland, Wisconsin. This is where he met fellow naturalist Erin Jones (now Erin Fuller, former ASK President), and they moved to Kalamazoo in 2001 where Nate began work for Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy (SWMLC). Since arriving in Kalamazoo, Nate earned his graduate degree in geography and has occasionally taught for Western Michigan University. For 18 years he worked to protect, manage, and restore natural communities with landowners, volunteers, and many conservation partners through his work at SWMLC. He returned to Sarett to become its Executive Director in June of 2019. Nate and Erin continue to live in Kalamazoo with their son, Theo, and can be found regularly exploring nearby natural areas.
You are invited to join us to meet and hear Nate on September 23, 2019, at People’s Church, 1758 North 10th Street, Kalamazoo. Our program will start early this month so that we can get an update from Mattawan students and their teacher about their use of ASK education grants supporting their work at Portman Preserve. For the September meeting only, social time will take place from 7:00-7:15 PM, students will present from 7:15-7:30, and Nate’s program will begin as scheduled at 7:30. Guests and the public are encouraged to attend. Handicap parking and access is at either the front or rear en- trance of the building. Please remember to bring your own mug to reduce dishwashing.
Did you know that the American Kestrel is North America’s smallest falcon? A drive through Michigan farm country is sometimes rewarded with glimpses of this colorful bird perched on a wire or fencepost, eyeing a juicy insect or small mammal. Join us as we learn from Dr. Catherine Lindell about efforts to help fruit growers and American Kestrels by enhancing our agricultural landscapes with nest boxes. She and her lab group have worked with sweet cherry and blueberry growers in Michigan. Kestrels eat a wide variety of crop pests. She will discuss their success in attracting kestrels to fruit-production areas and their role in deterring crop pests.
Dr. Lindell is an Associate Professor in the Department of Integrative Biology and the Center for Global Change and Earth Observations at Michigan State University. She and her students investigate the roles birds play in agricultural and restoration contexts. She teaches courses in ecology and tropical biology. For anyone who is interested, more information can be found at her website https://clindell.natsci.msu.edu/.
We hope you’ll join us on Monday, October 28, at People’s Church, Our program starts at 7:30 PM and is preceded by a social time with light refreshments at 7:00 PM. Guests and the general public are encouraged to attend. Handicap parking and access is at either the front or rear entrance of the building. Please remember to bring your own coffee mug to reduce our dishwashing.
