Events Archive: 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | Upcoming Events
April 2025
Monguagon Daughters of the American Revolution Presentation: Using Native Plants in Sustainable Landscapes
Public Welcome Family-Friendly Free Event Program/Speaker Presentation
Description TBA
WOWC Seeds to Community Monthly Planning Members Only
Online/Virtual
Volunteers Needed Members Only Limited Access Recording Chapter Meeting Hands-On/How-To Workshop Seed/Plant Share Seed Handling
The mission of the WOWC Seeds to Community program is to create connections with people and nature through the process of growing native plants from seed. The program is driven through community engagement in collection, germination and cultivation workshops.
WOWC Seeds to Community events require planning and community engagement. Join each third Thursday of the month to be a part of the year-round community initiative of growing native plants from seed.
This April meeting will include discussion on:
Up-Potting Workshop Planning
Seed Collection Opportunities
Usage of Seedlings
Program Donations
Members will receive invite and Zoom link via email. Reach out to Derek Shaffer or [email protected] with questions.
Stewardship Workday - Stewardship Saturday at the Environmental Interpretive Center
Environmental Interpretive Center at University of Michigan Dearborn, 4901 Evergreen Rd, Dearborn, MI, 48128 Map
Volunteers Needed Public Welcome Invasive Species Removal Habitat Installation/Maintenance Public Restroom Free Public Parking Lots of Physical Activity Drinking Fountains
Join WOWC for a Stewardship Saturday volunteer workday event to preserve the health of the Environmental Study Area at U of M-Dearborn!
This year-round, ongoing effort helps to improve and sustain the ecological health of the habitats in the Environmental Study Area. That includes addressing the many threats posed by invasive plants and re-establishing native plant life.
Children must be at least 10 years of age to participate.
All equipment for removing invasive plants will be provided by the Center. But if you can bring a sturdy pair of long-handled branch loppers, please do. Also, please bring your own drinking water and work gloves for use in the field.
This activity involves moderate physical activity in off trail natural habitat areas. Wear suitable work clothes that can be scraped and poked by twigs and/or the occasional thorny plant, or have contact with sticky bur seeds. A good pair of sturdy work shoes/boots is also a must. No sandals, please.
Read more about the Environmental Study Area here
May 2025
WOWC May member meeting - guest speaker Karen Marzonie, Director of Gardens & Grounds at Fair Lane Estate (In person & Virtual)
Environmental Interpretive Center at University of Michigan Dearborn, 4901 Evergreen Rd, Dearborn, MI, 48128 Map
Live Stream Available
Public Welcome Family-Friendly Recording Available Free Event Chapter Meeting Wheelchair Accessible Public Restroom Free Public Parking Drinking Fountains
Karen Marzonie, Director of Gardens & Grounds at the Ford Fair Lane Estate with speak on her groups efforts on restoring the native gardens and grounds at the Ford Fair Lane Estate, in an effort to restore some of Jens Jenson's original designs.
WOWC Seeds to Community Monthly Planning Members Only
Online/Virtual
Volunteers Needed Members Only Limited Access Recording Chapter Meeting Hands-On/How-To Workshop Seed/Plant Share Seed Handling
The mission of the WOWC Seeds to Community program is to create connections with people and nature through the process of growing native plants from seed. The program is driven through community engagement in collection, germination and cultivation workshops.
WOWC Seeds to Community events require planning and community engagement. Join each third Thursday of the month to be a part of the year-round community initiative of growing native plants from seed.
This May meeting will include discussion on:
Up-Potting Workshop Planning
Seed Collection Opportunities
Monthly Seed Collection Watch Communications
Usage of Seedlings
Program Donations
Members will receive invite and Zoom link via email. Reach out to Derek Shaffer or [email protected] with questions.
June 2025
WOWC Seeds to Community - Up-potting workshop and seedling swap
Environmental Interpretive Center at University of Michigan Dearborn, 4901 Evergreen Rd, Dearborn, MI, 48128 Map
Volunteers Needed Public Welcome Family-Friendly Registration Required Free Event Hands-On/How-To Workshop Seed/Plant Share Wheelchair Accessible Public Restroom Free Public Parking Drinking Fountains
Bring your jugs from our winter sowing event in February, or seedlings from your own winter sowing project to be a part of our new Seeds to Community program!
Winter sowing can produce a large quantity of seedlings, and here is an opportunity to separate them out into individual pots or trays, and trade species with other participants! Beyond what was sowed in the last workshop, there will be additional stratified seeds from WOWC that will be ready to plant in trays as well as seeds not requiring cold stratification. We would love for you to go home with the plants you would like for your space!
For those that are ambitious or looking to make an even bigger impact, we are hoping to have additional seedlings to be used by WOWC for upcoming planting projects.
Limited materials will be provided, please bring gently used seed trays, small individual plant pots, or other suitable planting containers you may have.
If you are interested in volunteering at this event, please let us know at [email protected]
WOWC Seeds to Community Monthly Planning Members Only
Online/Virtual
Volunteers Needed Members Only Limited Access Recording Chapter Meeting Hands-On/How-To Workshop Seed/Plant Share Seed Handling
The mission of the WOWC Seeds to Community program is to create connections with people and nature through the process of growing native plants from seed. The program is driven through community engagement in collection, germination and cultivation workshops.
WOWC Seeds to Community events require planning and community engagement. Join each third Thursday of the month to be a part of the year-round community initiative of growing native plants from seed.
This June meeting will include discussion on:
Up-Potting Workshop Recap
Seed Collection Opportunities
Monthly Seed Collection Watch Communications
Usage of Seedlings
Program Donations
Members will receive invite and Zoom link via email. Reach out to Derek Shaffer or [email protected] with questions.
July 2025
WOWC July member meeting - Fair Lane Estate Gardens & Grounds Tour with Karen Marzonie - (Outdoor Tour) Members Only
Fair Lane: Home of Clara and Henry Ford
Members Only Family-Friendly Chapter Meeting Public Garden Tour Group Tour
Karen Marzonie, Director of Gardens & Grounds at the Ford Fair Lane Estates will be conducting an evening tour of the estate's gardens, paying a particular attention to the native plants that were part of the original plans by landscape designer Jens Jenson.
A $5.00 donation to the Ford Fair Lane Estate Gardens & Grounds is suggested.
WOWC Seeds to Community Monthly Planning Members Only
Online/Virtual
Volunteers Needed Members Only Limited Access Recording Chapter Meeting Hands-On/How-To Workshop Seed/Plant Share Seed Handling
The mission of the WOWC Seeds to Community program is to create connections with people and nature through the process of growing native plants from seed. The program is driven through community engagement in collection, germination and cultivation workshops.
WOWC Seeds to Community events require planning and community engagement. Join each third Thursday of the month to be a part of the year-round community initiative of growing native plants from seed.
This July meeting will include discussion on:
Seed Collection Opportunities
Monthly Seed Collection Watch Communications
Seed Cleaning Event Planning
Collaborative Efforts with S2C Washtenaw
Program Donations
Members will receive invite and Zoom link via email. Reach out to Derek Shaffer or [email protected] with questions.
August 2025
River Bend Gardens Tour Members Only
Hosted by Wild Ones Ann Arbor Chapter and Wayne County Michigan ChapterMembers Only Family-Friendly Free Event Home/Private Garden Tour Nature Walk/Hike
River Bend Gardens was established in July 2017, and formally founded by my wife and I in January 2019 as a private botanical garden, aviary, and retreat for our family of five children.
The property was selected for its unique combination of natural features, and is located in Washtenaw County, 15 miles Southwest of Ann Arbor, in the Village of Manchester. The gardens are situated on 65 acres with a half mile of frontage on the River Raisin, and adjacent to the South and West with the Leonard Preserve, a 259-acre property owned by Washtenaw County’s Natural Areas Preservation, and The Nature Conservancy.
There are twelve gardens that make-up River Bend, with nine natural plant communities, and several glacial features in the landscape from kames, an out-wash plain, to a floodplain that includes a Buttonbush depression. In addition to the River Raisin, the property includes a 4 acre pond, two brooks, and over 30 natural springs.
Hiking River Bend Gardens offers our guest an opportunity to view a gardener's pragmatic effort at native plant preservation and restoration. Wayne is happy to share the mechanics of the preservation work and prairie restoration with considerations to methods, successes, and failures.
River Bend Gardens offers our guests a short walk (1/4 mile) to the prairie and meeting location, or guests may elect a longer hike (3 miles) through the garden on the trails to the meeting location. While the trails are established, they are not completely groomed, the garden is not ADA compliant, nor is there a restroom present on the property.
Guests who chose the three mile hike on the Garden Trail, presented in yellow on the attached trail map, should arrive at 9:00am at the East Entrance Garden. You can use 115 Mound Street Manchester, MI 48158 as the GPS address. There is a horseshoe drive where you can pull-in for parking, or on the shoulder of Mound Street on the north side of the street facing west.
Guests who prefer a short walk to the prairie should arrive at 10:30am at the West Entrance Garden. You can use 328 River Bend Manchester, MI 48158 as the GPS address. There is adequate parking off the street on garden property.
In either case there will be someone from the River Bend family there to guide you to the meeting location. After a discussion and Q&A, the guests will be free to walk the trails and experience the gardens at their own pace.
WOWC Seeds to Community Monthly Planning Members Only
Online/Virtual
Volunteers Needed Members Only Limited Access Recording Chapter Meeting Hands-On/How-To Workshop Seed/Plant Share Seed Handling
The mission of the WOWC Seeds to Community program is to create connections with people and nature through the process of growing native plants from seed. The program is driven through community engagement in collection, germination and cultivation workshops.
WOWC Seeds to Community events require planning and community engagement. Join each third Thursday of the month to be a part of the year-round community initiative of growing native plants from seed.
This August meeting will include discussion on:
Seed Collection Opportunities
Monthly Seed Collection Watch Communications
Seed Cleaning Event Planning
Collaborative Efforts with S2C Washtenaw
Program Donations
Members will receive invite and Zoom link via email. Reach out to Derek Shaffer or [email protected] with questions.
September 2025
September Wild Ones National Webinar
Hosted by Wild Ones NationalOnline/Virtual
Public Welcome Recording Available Free Event Program/Speaker Presentation
Details coming soon!
WOWC Seeds to Community Monthly Planning Members Only
Online/Virtual
Volunteers Needed Members Only Limited Access Recording Chapter Meeting Hands-On/How-To Workshop Seed/Plant Share Seed Handling
The mission of the WOWC Seeds to Community program is to create connections with people and nature through the process of growing native plants from seed. The program is driven through community engagement in collection, germination and cultivation workshops.
WOWC Seeds to Community events require planning and community engagement. Join each third Thursday of the month to be a part of the year-round community initiative of growing native plants from seed.
This September meeting will include discussion on:
Seed Collection Opportunities
Monthly Seed Collection Watch Communications
Seed Cleaning Event Planning
Seed Storage Planning
Collaborative Efforts with S2C Washtenaw
Program Donations
Members will receive invite and Zoom link via email. Reach out to Derek Shaffer or [email protected] with questions.
October 2025
October Wild Ones National Webinar
Hosted by Wild Ones NationalOnline/Virtual
Public Welcome Recording Available Free Event Program/Speaker Presentation
Details coming soon!
WOWC Seeds to Community Monthly Planning Members Only
Online/Virtual
Volunteers Needed Members Only Limited Access Recording Chapter Meeting Hands-On/How-To Workshop Seed/Plant Share Seed Handling
The mission of the WOWC Seeds to Community program is to create connections with people and nature through the process of growing native plants from seed. The program is driven through community engagement in collection, germination and cultivation workshops.
WOWC Seeds to Community events require planning and community engagement. Join each third Thursday of the month to be a part of the year-round community initiative of growing native plants from seed.
This October meeting will include discussion on:
Seed Cleaning Event Planning
Collaborative Efforts with S2C Washtenaw
Seed Storage Planning
Program Donations
Members will receive invite and Zoom link via email. Reach out to Derek Shaffer or [email protected] with questions.
November 2025
November Wild Ones National Webinar
Hosted by Wild Ones NationalOnline/Virtual
Public Welcome Recording Available Free Event Program/Speaker Presentation
Details coming soon!
WOWC Seeds to Community Monthly Planning Members Only
Online/Virtual
Volunteers Needed Members Only Limited Access Recording Chapter Meeting Hands-On/How-To Workshop Seed/Plant Share Seed Handling
The mission of the WOWC Seeds to Community program is to create connections with people and nature through the process of growing native plants from seed. The program is driven through community engagement in collection, germination and cultivation workshops.
WOWC Seeds to Community events require planning and community engagement. Join each third Thursday of the month to be a part of the year-round community initiative of growing native plants from seed.
This November meeting will include discussion on:
Winter Sowing Workshop Planning
Seed Data Updates
Collaborative Efforts with S2C Washtenaw
Program Donations
Members will receive invite and Zoom link via email. Reach out to Derek Shaffer or [email protected] with questions.
December 2025
WOWC Seeds to Community Monthly Planning Members Only
Online/Virtual
Volunteers Needed Members Only Limited Access Recording Chapter Meeting Hands-On/How-To Workshop Seed/Plant Share Seed Handling
The mission of the WOWC Seeds to Community program is to create connections with people and nature through the process of growing native plants from seed. The program is driven through community engagement in collection, germination and cultivation workshops.
WOWC Seeds to Community events require planning and community engagement. Join each third Thursday of the month to be a part of the year-round community initiative of growing native plants from seed.
This December meeting will include discussion on:
Winter Sowing Workshop Planning
Seed Data Updates
Program Donations
Members will receive invite and Zoom link via email. Reach out to Derek Shaffer or [email protected] with questions.