News & Notes
Page contents:
Garden Volunteers
Nest Box Volunteers
Seven Ponds Big Day Bird Count
Used Book Sale
Board of Director News
Grants & Gifts
Seven Ponds on Facebook
Wants & Needs
Room rental at the Nature Center
Have you included Seven Ponds in your will?
Garden Volunteers
Volunteers are also needed for the various gardens at Seven Ponds. These gardens are a beautiful focal point during the summer months for teaching and reflection. If you are interested in doing general garden maintenance for the Butterfly Garden, the Herb Garden or the Woodland Wildflower Area, contact the nature center.
The Butterfly Garden will be in need of plenty of volunteers to spruce up the new garden after a long winter. Call the center for details.
Nest Box Monitors
We are again looking for dedicated volunteers to monitor our bluebird nest boxes this year. This very important opportunity helps us to keep track of not only bluebirds, but also wrens, swallows, chickadees and other small birds that use these boxes. Please contact Naturalist Carrie Spencer.
Lapeer County Birdathon & Big Day Count
It’s time for the annual Lapeer County Birdathon. Birdwatchers arise before dawn and watch birds until late afternoon. Members of the birdathon team also help raise funds for the nature center by soliciting pledges from their family and friends. This year’s event is scheduled for Saturday, May 19.
Many members of last year’s birdathon team plan on taking part, and additional team members are needed. Both beginning and advanced birdwatchers are welcome. It is really a great way to gain birding experience and we always have some wonderful sightings. It’s a fun day, give it a try!
If you would like to help us out with a birdathon pledge, simply write your name, address, and pledge amount on a piece of paper and send it to the nature center (or call it in). You may choose to make a fixed amount pledge (such as $25.00), or a per bird pledge (such as 25¢ per bird). Once the birdathon is over, you will be sent a list of birds seen by the birdathon team and a bill for the amount of your pledge. The birdathon team will probably see a total of about 100 species of birds on the day of the count.
Used Nature Book Sale
Saturday & Sunday
March 31 & April 1, 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
The nature center frequently receives donations of nature and garden books from members and friends. Now it is once again time for us to find new homes for these books during our used nature book sale. This year’s collection includes many great titles, including some books which are now out of print. The books will be available on the above days on a donation basis. If you still have nature or garden books which you no longer want, bring them out prior to the sale and we will try to recycle them for you.
Board of Director news
The Seven Ponds Nature Center Annual Meeting will be held on Saturday, April 7, 2012 in the Interpretive Building. The meeting will include a review of the center’s year 2011 activities and the election of board members and officers for the coming year. Changes to the nature center’s bylaws and Articles of Incorporation will also be voted on at the meeting. Seven Ponds members are very welcome and are encouraged to attend.
Grants and Gifts
The nature center was very pleased to receive the final portion of a bequest from longtime member Margaret Haines of Attica in late December. Margaret had been a member of the center since 1999. She would stop out from time to time to purchase bird seed and to talk to staff members about the birds visiting her feeders around her family farm. Thanks to the funds we received from Margaret’s generous bequest last year, the nature center was able to add funds to its Endowment and Reserve Funds, as well as take on several projects around the grounds. We can thank Margaret for the beautifully reconstructed A-Frame Bridge. Planned gifts, such as Margaret’s, continue to be an important part of the long term success of the nature center, and Seven Ponds greatly appreciates each and every gift of this type that we receive. If you are considering making such a contribution to the nature center and would like a copy of our planned giving brochure, please contact us.
Seven Ponds is now on Facebook!
You can “like us’ at www.facebook.com/SevenPondsNatureCenter.
Wants and needs
The nature center would greatly appreciate donations of the following items for use in environmental education programs or activities around the nature center:
plastic coffee can lids for a Heritage Harvest activity
childrens’ stickers to use as prizes
fish mounts of Michigan species for use in our Traveling Naturalist programs
Room Rental At The Nature Center
For many years Seven Ponds has had provisions for room rental, but it was seldom practical as the large room also contained our reception area, gift shop, exhibits, bird observation windows, and visitor access to restrooms. To rent this space during regular open hours would have pretty much meant shutting down the area to members and other visitors. Now that we have a large multi-purpose room which is isolated from other building functions, we will be able to provide additional opportunities for room rentals. The new multi-purpose room could provide a wonderful setting for a variety of events, including business retreats, group luncheons, wedding and baby showers, retirement parties, weddings, and other private events. The room features windows overlooking the woodlands and lakes of Seven Ponds and has a small warming kitchen for handling light refreshments. The room will easily accommodate over one hundred people in auditorium style seating or smaller group sizes with table seating. Tables and chairs are available. Additional portions of the building may also be utilized in conjunction with the rental of the large room, in instances when the building is not open to the public. The guidelines for rental of the multi-purpose room are as follows:
- Room rental is available to Seven Ponds Nature Center members only and must be approved by the Director.
- Nature center programs and activities take precedence over room rentals.
- Room rental activities must be compatible with nature center policies and activities. Other nature center visitors must be respected.
- The Interpretive Building is a smoke free facility.
- No pets are allowed.
- Consumption of alcohol is not permitted during the nature center’s open hours, and afterwards only with the approval of the Director.
- Nature center programs can be scheduled in conjunction with room rental for an additional fee.
- The renter is responsible for any property damage.
- Room rental rates vary with total rental time and time of day of the rental.
- For additional information, contact the nature center at 810-796-3200.
Have you included Seven Ponds in your will?
Making a planned gift is a great way to help advance the mission of Seven Ponds. A planned gift can help the nature center take on a large project which has been in the planning stages for several years, or allow us to make a significant addition to the Endowment Fund. If you would like to receive a copy of our planned giving brochure, contact the nature center at 810-796-3200.