Learn about lichen & how to use a compass at the Eddy Discovery Center

Learn how to use a compass at the Eddy Discovery Center. Photo credit: Heidi Sandstrom/public domain.

submitted by Patrick Muldoon, Waterloo Natural History Association Program Coordinator

Discover the outdoor world at the Eddy Discovery Center in the Waterloo Recreation Area! The Gerald E. Eddy Discovery Center is located at 17030 Bush Rd, Chelsea, Mich., just 10 minutes north of Sharon Township, in the Waterloo Recreation Area. The Waterloo Natural History Association Program has two programs in February:

WINTER ORIENTEERING on Sunday, February 1, from 2pm to 4pm. Bring the family and challenge yourselves to an afternoon adventure in the forest with outdoor enthusiast Meg Gower. Winter is a great time of year for learning how to use a compass to find your way in the woods. Winter’s lack of leaves provides great views of Waterloo’s unique topography. This program is suitable for all ages and skill levels. Compasses will be provided or bring your own. The building is closed so the program will be entirely outdoors. Dress appropriately for the weather. Program limited to 30 participants. 

LOVE ON THE ROCKS — DISCOVERING LICHENS on Sunday, February 15, from 2pm to 3:30pm. We’ve all heard about the “birds and the bees,” but have you met the fungi and the algae? Join us for a guided walk celebrating one of Mother Nature’s greatest examples of a long-term relationship — lichens! Join Ellen Holste, of EnviroSpeak, to explore how fungi and algae live and thrive together, the diversity of lichen shapes and colors, and the role they play in local ecosystems. The building is closed so the program will be entirely outdoors. Dress appropriately for the weather. Program limited to 15 participants.

Each program costs $2/person or $5/family. Please register by emailing waterloonha@gmail.com with the program, your name, phone number, and number of people attending. Please park at the lower parking lot. 

Lichen. Photo credit: Ed Iglehart. CC BY-SA 2.0/Wikimedia Commons.

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