Nature Society
The Royal Oak Nature Society is a volunteer group working with the City to protect and promote the usage of Royal Oak's two nature preserves: Cummingston Park & Tenhave Woods.
The 7th Annual Soire/Fundraiser is April 20th, 2012. Check here for details!
For further information, please contact us at 248-246-3380 & leave a message, or e-mail us at naturesociety@ci.royal-oak.mi.us. Also, please contact us if you know someone who might be interested in donating something that can be used for our Silent Auction or if you know someone who might be interested in being a sponsor of one of our guest tables ($100 per table).
Both Cummingston Park & Tenhave Woods are nature areas that are over 20 acres in size and are heavily wooded with lined trails. They are open daily to the public from dawn to dusk. Dogs are not allowed inside either nature area. To learn more about why dogs are not allowed in these parks, please link on to "Why Dogs Are Not Allowed In Our Nature Parks".
Wearing boots while in the parks is recommended during the winter and spring months. Using insect repellant and dressing appropriately is advised from late spring through the end of summer.
To learn more about the parks, please come to our naturalist led nature walks. To find out when & where they are scheduled, link on to "Nature Walks". Park locations can be found by linking on to "Park Locations" and from that page, there are links to trail maps of the two nature parks.
Check out the links to the left for additional information!
Special Notices:
- Associate Membership cost $5 per year and gets you the General benefit along with four newsletters of “The Chinquapin” mailed or e-mailed to your household quarterly. With e-mail, the print quality is better & the photos are in color. Mark on membership form how you want it sent to you.
- The Nature Society has a new Facebook page. Please check us out & become a fan. Feel free to add nature related items & photos to our Wall.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Royal-Oak-Nature-Society/228095233882566
- Royal Oak Nature Society t-shirts for sale at our speaker programs throughout the year and can be purchased for $4.
The Nature Society is a member of the Royal Oak Opportunity To Serve (ROOTS) Foundation, established by the city to accept donations and endowments for the improvement of civic institutions. Donations and bequests may be designated for specific Nature Society projects. Check here for further information on the ROOTS Foundation.
Announcements
Royal Oak Nature Society's Award Winners Announced!
Royal Oak Nature Society Arboretum and Native Wildflower Garden:
- Check here for more details
Our goal is to have more species of southeast Michigan native plants than any other garden, and we will be completing our collection of Michigan deciduous trees in 2010. We wish to offer our visitors a window to the many varieties of native species to enjoy throughout the year. We hope you enjoy your walk through our Arboretum and hopefully learn or see something interesting each plant community in it! We desire that you incorporate some of these trees, shrubs, and wildflowers into your home garden. Please come back often to enjoy the many plants and environments throughout the year.
Nature Society Director Openings
- Fundraiser Director: Is responsible for the fund-raising efforts of the Royal Oak Nature Society, which includes the coordinating and organizing of the Annual Spring Fundraiser and other fund-raiser programs approved by the board.
If you are interested in volunteering for a position, please contact Ted Vickers at 248-549-5366 or send an email to the Nature Society.
Royal Oak Nature Society t-shirts for sale at our speaker programs throughout the year and can be purchased for $4.
The Nature Society is now on Facebook. If you haven't already done so, please consider becoming a member. Feel free to add nature related photos to our Facebook page and/or start discussions. http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=60222880753
The 7th Annual Soire/Fundraiser is April 20th, 2012. Check this event posting for complete details! For further information, please contact us at 248-246-3380 & leave a message, or e-mail us at naturesociety@ci.royal-oak.mi.us. Also, please contact us if you know someone who might be interested in donating something that can be used for our Silent Auction or if you know someone who might be interested in being a sponsor of one of our guest tables ($100 per table).
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Awards
2012 Awards
The President’s Award is given annually by the Nature Society President to the individual or group who has made the greatest contribution toward the Society’s mission the previous year. This year’s recipient of the President’s award is Chris Ethridge. Chris was our Education Director in 2010/11. Chris was involved in developing and putting on several programs for homeschoolers and he put on an educational program for the whole student body at Addams Elementary School. He also helped set up a pond program for all of the 5th Grade students at Addams on the last day of school in June, 2011. His efforts have enhanced our goal of reaching out to educate young people about the natural world.
The Chinquapin Award is given to an individual or group. The award recognizes notable contributions toward achieving the goals of the Society in a given year. The winners of this year’s Chinquapin Award are Sandy Wilkins and Jeanne Sarnacki for all of their hard work in planning to make sure that there was plenty of great food available for our guests at our annual fundraisers. Jeanne was in charge from 2008 to 2010 and Sandy took over in 2011 & 2012. We could not have put on our fundraisers without their help.
2011 Awards
The President’s Award is given annually by the President to the individual or group who has made the greatest contribution toward the Society’s mission the previous year. It may be given for work on a single event. The 2011 President’s Award is being given to Edi Sonntag.
Edi was instrumental in helping the society analysis water quality in what was to become Dragonfly pond. It was found at the time that the water had high ammonia and almost zero dissolved oxygen, making it toxic to almost everything but mosquitoes. The data Edi provided and many discussions on what might be possible to do, lead us to our decision to cut the trees, open up the area and let sunlight back in. This resulted in instant success and the multitude of life forms we have in the pond today appeared the first year. Along with this Edi has been a valuable member of our School Nature Night team for many years. She brings her “friends” turtles, lizards and snake to socialize with the school children, always a big hit. Her life along interest in Herpetology and critters of all kinds has lead to both to her own continuing education and the teaching of others. Edi has a BA in Animal Behavior from MSU, masters in Environmental Science from U of M-Dearborn and is working on finishing her PHD in Ecology from MSU. She worked at the Detroit Zoo with their reptiles and amphibians for 7 ½ years. She is now an Adjunct Faculty member at Henry Ford Community College, U of M-Dearborn and OCC. Edi is a Founder and Past President of the MSU Herp Club, a Life Long member of the Girl Scouts and a member of the Graduate Women in Science.
The Chinquapin Award may be given to an individual or group. This award recognizes notable contributions toward achieving the goals of the Society in a given year. The 2011 Chinquapin Award is being given to Jimmy Kipps.
Jimmy graduated from Royal Oak High last June. He has had a lifelong interest in insects and is now attending Oakland Community College and plans on transferring to Michigan State for their entomology program. Jimmy has been a great help to the Royal Oak Nature Society. Since 2008, he has run the afternoon pond life program at our May Open Houses in Tenhave Woods. He often joins our naturalists in helping in their pond life programs. Jimmy has an insect display which he brought to our School Nature Night programs for several years. He is the keeper of the Nature Societies insect collection. He helped us last spring when we put on a pond life program for 75 children from Adams school. Without his help we would not have been able to offer that program to that many children. Last summer with Jimmy’s help, we experimented with a night insect program in Tenhave Woods. Jimmy was involved in Boy Scout and became an Eagle Scout after doing his Eagle project in Tenhave Woods. Under his direction the Scout and Swamp Trails were re lined and improved. He was also to put up tree identification tags. These have been very popular with the public. The tree ID program has been expanded and now is an ongoing program of the Nature Society in both nature parks and the Arboretum.
2010 Awards
Tim Turner, past president of the Nature Society, is the winner of our Lifetime Achievement Award. This award goes to a person who has consistently worked for the maintenance and well being of the Royal Oak natural areas for at least five years. Tim became our president in 2005 and immediately got us geared up to start raising funds for future projects. He helped create our first fundraiser. It was held in at the Senior/Community Center in April, 2006. It was so successful that it was moved to a larger venue, the Royal Elk’s Club. Ever since then it has become an annual event.
Pat and Ray Coleman are the winners of the Presidents Award. This award is to be given annually by the President of the Nature Society to the individual or group who has made the freatest contribution toward the Society’s mission the previous year. Pat and Ray are professional photographers and have been an integral part of the Nature Society since its inception. They have done four speaker programs for us over the years entertaining us with their great nature photography. They also teach nature photography at our annual Open Houses.
Perry Gentner of Machine Works is the recipient of the Chinquapin Award. This award is given to an individual or group for recognition of notable contributions towards achieving the goals of the Society. Perry has used his earth moving equipment to rebuild Tenhave Wood’s vernal pond in the fall of 2005 & created a vernal pond from scratch in Cummingston in the fall of 2008.
2009 Awards
Robert Gasiorowski Lifetime Achievement Award
To be awarded to a person who has consistently worked for the maintenance and well being of the Royal Oak natural areas with a minimum of five years of service to the Society or the parks.
Winner: Bob Muller- Bob has been an integral part of the Nature Society since its inception back in 2000 and has been responsible for all of our programming and park projects.
President’s Award
This award to be given annually by the President to the individual or group who has made the greatest contribution toward the Society’s mission the previous year.
Winner: Royal Oak Public Schools- The Royal Oak Public Schools have begun a partnership with
the Nature Society to bring environmental education to the children of the Royal Oak Public School System and have also let us use Royal Oak Middle School for the Nature Society’s nature based speaker programs. Tom Moline, Superintendent of the Royal Public Schools, will be accepting this award for the school system
Chinquapin Award
The award recognizes notable contributions toward achieving the goals of the Society in a given year.
Winner: John Topor- John is a fossil collector, and for the past seven years, has donated his time teaching adults & children about fossils.
2008 Awards
Robert Gasiorowski Lifetime Achievement Award
To be awarded to a person who has consistently worked for the maintenance and well being of the Royal Oak natural areas with a minimum of five years of service to the Society or the parks.
Winner: Ted Vickers
President’s Award
This award to be given annually by the President to the individual or group who has made the greatest contribution toward the Society’s mission the previous year.
Winner: RO Women’s Club 7/Women’s Club
Chinquapin Award
The award recognizes notable contributions toward achieving the goals of the Society in a given year.
Winner: Richard Stoll
Winner: Troop 1627
2007 Awards
Robert Gasiorowski is the winner of our Lifetime Achievement Award. It is awarded to a person who has consistently worked for the maintenance and well being of the Royal Oak natural areas for at least five years.
The City of Royal Oak will receive the Presidents Award. This award is to be given annually by the President of the Nature Society to the individual or group who has made the greatest contribution toward the Society’s mission the previous year.
Boy Scout Troop 1610 will be given the Chinquapin Award. This award may be given to an individual or group for recognition of notable contributions towards achieving the goals of the Society in any given year. These awards will be given out at the Nature Society’s Second Annual Fundraiser.
Dr. Joseph S. Morrison Award
Bob Muller, Royal Oak Nature Society naturalist, was honored with the Royal Oak Historical Society’s Dr. Joseph S. Morrison Award at the 67th Annual Dinner & Program on Thursday, October 19th, 2006 at St. John’s Episcopal Church (Woodward & 11 Mile Rd). The award was presented to Bob Muller because he most typifies the ideals of historic preservation, he contributes significantly to advancing the preservation of the history of what was once Royal Oak Township & the present communities incorporated from the original township and he endeavores to educate others of the local history.
Contact Information
Phone: (248) 246-3380
Email: naturesociety@ci.royal-oak.mi.us
Mailing Address:
c/o Nature Society, 1600 N Campbell Rd, Royal Oak MI 48067
Get Involved:
If you are interested in becoming actively involved with the Nature Society, you can contact any of the following Board Members for further information:
Don Drife - President
John DeLisle - Vice President & Arboretum Stewardship
Dena Serrato - Tenhave Woods Stewardship
Ted Vickers - Communications
Nancy Vickers - Recording Secretary
Bob Muller - Programs
Helen Cost - Ways & Means, Treasurer
Chris Ethridge - Education
Guest Speakers
General Meetings & Speaker Program Schedule
Nature speaker programs are held at the Royal Oak Middle School (709 N Washington- Between 11 Mile Rd & Catalpa) from September to May.
- The June meeting is held at the Senior Community Center (3500 Marais).
The programs begin at 7:30 p.m. and are usually held on the first Wednesday of the month.
At our monthly meetings, September through June, we present speaker programs. Usually, they are slide shows focusing on various natural history topics. If you watch nature programs on PBS or the Discovery channel, our program is better because you can meet afterwards and ask the speakers questions.
“Flora and Fauna of Michigan” is being held on Wednesday, March 7th, 2012. Join Pat & Ray Coleman, professional photographers & Nature Society members, as they show us a wide variety of the plants, flowers, mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and insects of Michigan as an eye appealing experience. They will also point out some unusual or strange facts about some of them.
“Maine: Puffins, Plants, and Whales” is being held on Wednesday, April 4th, 2012. Nancy Tar has been involved in Audubon for 30 years and is past president of both Michigan Audubon and Oakland Audubon. Join her for a visit to Maine where she will show you the Atlantic Puffin Reclamation Project started by Steven Kress 35 years ago. Along the way we’ll see Acadia National Park, pelagic birds, plants, lobsters, and Finback Whales.
“You go photographing where? Michigan's Jack Pine Plains” is being held on Wednesday, May 2nd, 2012. In the center of the northern Lower Peninsula lies a high, sandy plateau. Much of the soil there contains almost no organic matter and drains very quickly. Away from the moderating effects of the Great Lakes, temperatures can fluctuate 50 degrees from day to night in the summer and reach 40 degrees below in winter. Michigan's Jack Pine plains contain some unique flora and fauna adapted to survive under these harsh conditions. Join Don and Joyce Drife, Royal Oak Nature Society botanists, for an up-close look at a part of Michigan most people just drive through.
“Nature Society Year in Review” is being held on Wednesday, June 6th, 2012 at the Royal Oak Senior/Community Center (3500 Marais) instead of at the Middle School. We will talk and show photos about what has been going on with the Nature Society, Cummingston Park, Tenhave Woods and our arboretum in Worden Park East.
Membership
Support the Royal Oak Nature Society by
Being a Nature Society Member
The Royal Oak Nature Society membership season begins in September and ends the following August. There are four membership levels.
General Membership is FREE and with it, you get Nature Society schedule updates e-mailed to you at least once a month.
Associate Membership cost $5 per year and gets you the General benefit along with four newsletters of “The Chinquapin” mailed to your household quarterly.
Supporting Membership is $10 & up per year and gets you the General and Associate benefits plus listed as a Supporting Member in our newsletter.
Patron Membership is $50 & up per year and gets you the General and Associate benefits plus two private walks a year, listed as a patron in our fundraiser program & newsletter, one free ticket to our annual fundraiser and an invitation to our Day Before the Dream Cruise Picnic at Gunn Dyer Park.
To become or to continue being a Nature Society Associate, Supporting or Patron member, please fill out the membership form (below) & send it along with a check to the Nature Society. To become a General Member, state that you would like to become a General Member and e-mail information including name(s), home address, e-mail address & phone number (optional) to: naturesociety@ci.royal-oak.mi.us
Donations are tax deductible.
Those who choose not to continue as members are still welcome to come to our monthly speaker programs as well as our nature walks. Those programs and walks are, and always will be, free to anyone who enjoys learning about nature.
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Nature Walks
There is at least one naturalist lead walk per month with additional ones added during the spring wildflower and fall color seasons. An emphasis is put on understanding the different forest types found in our parks. Further information is given on individual plant and animal species, geology and human history of the area.
"Winter Nature Walk” is being held at Tenhave Woods on Saturday, February 11th, 2012 beginning at 2:00 pm. Park Lexington & Marais & meet at the Lexington entrance.
“Owl Hoot” is being held on Friday, March 2nd, 2012 at 7:30 pm at Tenhave Woods. Park & meet at the Lexington/Marais lot. We will walk into Tenhave Woods and attempt to lure in or have screech & great horned owls answer tape recordings of their calls.
“Almost Spring Walk” is being held on Sunday, March 18th, 2012, 2:00 pm at Tenhave Woods. Park at the Lexington/Marais lot & meet at the Lexington entrance. Join us on the first day of spring. We will be looking for the first signs of the reawakening of the Tenhave plant community
“Owl Hoot” is being held on Wednesday, March 21st, 2012 at 7:30 pm at Tenhave Woods. Park & meet at the Lexington/Marais lot. We will walk into Tenhave Woods and attempt to lure in or have screech & great horned owls answer tape recordings of their calls.
“Pond Life” is being held on Saturday, April 7th, 2012, 10:00 am at Tenhave Woods (park at Lexington/Marais lot & meet at Lexington entrance). We will be sampling the vernal pond for what is living in it. We will have viewing trays to examine what we find. For those interested small aquarium nets will be available for you to catch your own pond life and have us identify. Come and learn about the interesting aquatic wildlife of Dragonfly Pond.
“Early Spring Wildflower Walk” is being held on Saturday, April 7th, 2012 beginning 12 noon at Tenhave Woods (park at Lexington/Marais lot & meet at Lexington entrance). The spring explosion is happening. We will be looking for Spring Beauty, Trout Lily, Bloodroot, & Spicebush and more. Come take a look at the dramatic changes that happens this time of year.
“Spring Wildflower Walk” is being held on Sunday, April 15th, 2012, beginning 2:00 pm at Tenhave Woods (park at Lexington/Marais lot & meet at Lexington entrance). We will be looking for trillium, blue & yellow violets, Spring Beauty, Wood Poppy,Jack-in-the-Pulpit, & Wood Anemone and more.
“Spring Wildflower Walk” is being held on Saturday, April 28th, 2012 beginning 10:00 am at Tenhave Woods (park at Lexington/Marais lot & meet at Lexington entrance). We will be looking for trillium, blue & yellow violets, Spring Beauty, Wild Geranium, Jack-in-the-Pulpit, Spice Bush, & Wood Anemone and more.
The following scheduled programs & Open House are being held on Saturday, May 5th, 2012, at Tenhave Woods (park at Lexington/Marais lot & meet at Lexington entrance).
9:00 am Migratory Bird Walk: Join us for a look at Tenhave’s resident birds and some that are just passing through.
- 10:00 am & 1:45 pm Wildflower Walks: This is a great time of the year to look for wildflowers. We will be looking for Wild Geranium, Foamflower, Jack-in-the-Pulpit, trillium, Wood Poppy and others
- 11:30 am & 1 to 3 pm: Pond Life Study: We will be sampling the vernal pond for all of the absolutely amazing abundance of life that now exists in the pond during the spring & summer! There will be viewing trays available to examine what was found. For those interested, small aquarium nets will be available for you to catch your own pond life that we will help you identify.
- 1:15 pm Animal Habitat For Young Children Walk: The theme of this walk is habitat and it is designed to make children aware that all living things, no matter how big or small, require food, water, shelter and space to survive. With Kristine Hill, a high school science teacher leading the way, the children will be looking for animals and evidence of their existence while walking through the woods. Program is geared for children from 5 to 8 years old.
- 1:30 to 3 pm Nature Photography: Pat & Ray Coleman, professional photographers, will show you how to photograph nature. Be sure to bring your own camera & take pictures afterwards of the abundant wildflowers that carpet Tenhave Wood’s forest floor this time of year.
- 1:30 pm Tree Walk: Tenhave Woods has 43 species of trees. Come and learn from Don Drife, Nature Society botanist, about some of the common tree species of southeastern Michigan.
“Pond Life” is being held on Sunday, May 20th, 2012, beginning 2:00 pm at Tenhave Woods (park at Lexington/Marais lot & meet at Lexington entrance). We will be sampling the vernal pond for what is living in it. We will have viewing trays to examine what we find. For those interested small aquarium nets will be available for you to catch your own pond life and have us identify. Come and learn about the interesting aquatic wildlife of Dragonfly Pond.
“Late Spring Nature Walk” is being held at Tenhave Woods on Saturday, June 9th, 2012, at 10:00 am. Park at the Lexington/Marais lot & meet at the Lexington entrance. Join us and see what is happening in the woods during the late spring and beginning of summer.
Newsletters
Photo Gallery
School Field Trip
Winter Walk
Work Weekend
Reports
- Flora List
- Bird List
- Cummingston Water Report
- History of a Piece of Land
- Bylaws
- Master Plans v.3 2009
- Nature Society and Nature Parks Information
Teams
If you are interested in becoming actively involved with the Nature Society, one or more of our teams may appeal to you:
The Stewardship team organizes maintainance, protection and improvements for the Cummingston Park, Tenhave Woods & and the Arboretum in Worden Park East.
The Communication team publicizes organizational activities to the general membership and public through various mediums and performs any other forms of communications required by the board.
The Education team provides outreach and liaison to outside individuals, groups and schools to promote environmental education.
The Fundraiser team leads the fund-raising efforts of the Royal Oak Nature Society, which includes the coordinating and organizing of the Annual Spring Fundraiser and other fund-raiser programs approved by the board.
The Programming team is responsible for setting up the speaker programs, workshops and all of the nature programs within Cummingston Park and Tenhave Woods.
The Ways & Means team investigates means of grant solicitation and then follows through accordingly.