Nature programs at the Eddy Center
The Eddy Center is located just 10 miles north of Sharon Township
by Sara Swanson
We frequently help promote events at nature preserves, the county park, and the state park within the Manchester area but because of our hyper-local policy, we don’t often write about very neat, nearby opportunities outside of that area. However, we are bending that policy a little because Kathy Claflin from the Waterloo Natural History Association (WNHA) reached out to us and asked if we could let Manchester-area residents know about the public programs they sponsor, just 10 minutes north of Sharon Township, at the Gerald E. Eddy Discovery Center located at 17030 Bush Rd in the Waterloo Recreation Area.
The Waterloo Recreation Area is 21,000 acres of forests, prairies, and wetlands located west of Chelsea. The WNHA is a nonprofit organization established to help visitors maximize their experiences in the Waterloo Recreation Area. One of the things they do is sponsor nature-related programs most weekends during the school year. Advanced reservations are required for all programs. Register by calling 734-475-3170. Program cost is $2/person or $5/family but are free to WNHA members. A State Recreation Passport is required for entry to the park.
Upcoming programs:
CAPTIVATING CATERPILLARS: 2–3:30pm, Sunday, September 11. Spiny and smooth, colorful and camouflaged, hairy and hairless, caterpillars are an amazingly diverse group of animals! Join naturalist Faye Stoner in this program to explore the world of caterpillars that is all around us. We will begin indoors looking at traits that help us identify caterpillars as well as learning how they protect themselves, what they eat, and more. Afterward, we will take a walk outside to learn special techniques for finding them. You are welcome to bring caterpillars to share with others. Program suitable for ages 8 and up. Program is limited to 35 people.
WILDLIFE AND ECOSYSTEMS: 2–3pm, Sunday, September 18. Join us for an entertaining and educational wildlife program as Randy Baker from Naturalist Endeavors brings you a variety of live animals from North, South, and Central America. Learn about their life cycles, adaptations for survival, habitats, and how they fit in with the plants and animals around them. Program limited to 50 people.
DRAWING CLASS WITH LIVE RAPTORS: 2–2:30pm — Introduction to Drawing; 2:30–4pm — Drawing Raptors, Sunday, October 21. Jen Koppin, artist and educator, and Francie Krawcke, raptor educator, team up to offer you an opportunity to develop your drawing skills using live raptors. Francie will have magnificent birds from Michigan Avian Experience for you to draw during the second portion of the program. Limited drawing supplies will be available, so bring your own paper and sketching tools. Program is limited to 25 people.
FALL MUSHROOM HUNT: 2–3:30pm, Sunday, September 23. Come search the woods to find and collect fall mushrooms! Afterward, mushroom expert Phil Tedeschi will talk about what you have collected and identify those that are edible. Bring a basket or paper bag and waxed paper for collecting. Limited to 30 people.
SENSING ANIMALS: 2–3pm, Sunday, September 30. How do wild animals perceive the world? Many of them can see, hear, or smell things better than humans. In this hands-on program, Science Alive will bring live animals to demonstrate the amazing ways their senses allow them to learn about and survive in their environments.
SEVEN OUTDOOR SKILLS EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW! 2–3:30pm, Sunday, October 7. Sure, your iPhone has an app for everything, and you won’t get lost using your GPS. But what if your batteries die? In this hands-on workshop, Meg Gower and Ryan Dibble will show you ways to navigate the world, as well as basic survival skills. Learn how to make fire without matches, build a shelter, locate water, signal, and more. Aimed at ages 10 to adult. Program is limited to 25 people.
ANIMAL ACOUSTICS: 2–3pm, Sunday, October 14. Nature is full of the sounds of animals — songs, screeches, buzzes, growls, and countless more. For this interactive program, the Howell Nature Center will bring a variety of noisy animals to the Discovery Center. While you listen to the sounds these animals can make, you will learn how they help these creatures to survive and what adaptations they have for hearing the sounds of others.
The Eddy Discovery Center itself is well worth a visit. It has exhibits and a short film that introduce visitors to the diverse natural habitats that are found today within the Waterloo Recreation Area. Up until Thanksgiving, the Center is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10am–5pm, and Sunday, noon–5pm. It is closed on Mondays. It closes Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day and reopens on weekends after New Year’s Day.
Just outside the Center, visitors can explore miles of trails offering hikers of all ages and abilities the chance to explore the diverse geology and habitats in the area. The trails are open year-round.
The Waterloo Recreation Area has a bog you can visit! A bog is a very specific wetland featuring a sphagnum moss mat that can support plant life growing over a body of water. They frequently feature unique plants like carnivorous pitcher plants.
There are many miles of hike-able trails just outside of the Eddy Center.
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