From exploring native gardens and learning about monarch butterflies to protecting inland lakes and discovering the hidden life beneath local waters, Conservation Week offers Eastern Upper Peninsula residents a full week of opportunities to connect with the natural resources that define the region.
The Chippewa Luce Mackinac Conservation District has scheduled activities throughout the week, with events taking place in both Sault Ste. Marie and Curtis. The lineup is designed for children, adults and families while highlighting everything from native plants and pollinators to stormwater management and aquatic ecosystems.
Executive director Mike McCarthy said the goal is to give people a better understanding of conservation while showing them simple ways they can make a difference in their own communities.
The week begins Monday with a Garden Party at the Sault Ste. Marie waterfront, where the conservation district will showcase landscaping projects completed in partnership with the City of Sault Ste. Marie near the Carbide Dock and the Soo Locks Visitors Center.
McCarthy said the evening will give visitors a chance to see how carefully selected trees and native plants work alongside modern stormwater infrastructure to improve water quality in the St. Marys River.
“We’re going to have information about both the stormwater infrastructure and the plants and trees,” McCarthy said. “We’ll also have mini garden tours to showcase the gardens, what they’re doing and how they function.”
The event is designed as an open house where visitors can ask questions, learn about the projects and enjoy light refreshments while exploring the newly landscaped areas.
The focus shifts west to Curtis on Tuesday, where the conservation district will participate in Monarch Day, hosted by the Portage Township and Curtis Public Library.
The morning program at the library will focus on children, while the afternoon session at the Erickson Center for the Arts is geared toward adults interested in learning more about monarch butterflies, native pollinators and the habitat they depend on.
“We’re going to talk about monarch life history and other native pollinators and plants,” McCarthy said. “We’ll talk about how we can create better habitat for our monarchs.”
Wednesday’s scheduled mushroom hike has already reached capacity, a sign of growing interest in outdoor recreation and nature education throughout the region.
Thursday features two very different opportunities.
Children can build fairy houses during an afternoon workshop at Sherman Park, combining creativity with lessons about nature and habitat.
Thursday also features another Curtis event, as the Erickson Center for the Arts hosts Lake Conservation Day, offering information for lakeshore property owners and anyone interested in protecting the region’s inland lakes.
“It’s talking about how to conserve our inland lakes,” McCarthy said. “We’ll provide information to landowners on subjects like natural shoreline protection, fishing information and how to stop stormwater runoff from going into the lake without being treated first.”
The week continues Friday with a special edition of the conservation district’s popular Tap Talk series at Soo Brewing Company.
The presentation, titled Our Underwater Forest, will explore the important role aquatic vegetation plays in maintaining healthy lakes and rivers.
Conservation Week concludes Saturday with the district’s participation in Riverfest, where staff will host an informational booth alongside other organizations promoting stewardship of local natural resources.
Beyond the week’s scheduled events, McCarthy hopes residents will take a few minutes to complete a survey about the conservation district’s five-year conservation needs assessment.
The survey is open to anyone who lives, works, or spends time in Chippewa or Mackinac counties and asks participants to identify the conservation issues they believe deserve the most attention in the years ahead.
“We’re looking for people to provide us with information on what their conservation and natural resource priorities are,” McCarthy said. “We’re also asking what we can do better …”
The survey remains open through December, and participants are eligible to enter a draw for one of three prizes valued at up to $500.
For McCarthy, the survey represents another way the conservation district hopes to involve residents in shaping future conservation efforts.
While several Conservation Week events will take place in Sault Ste. Marie, others require a trip to Curtis, giving residents across the conservation district’s three-county service area an opportunity to learn more about protecting the natural resources that make the Eastern Upper Peninsula unique.
Information about Conservation Week events and the conservation needs assessment is available through the Chippewa Luce Mackinac Conservation District.
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