EENOW

The Environmental Education Network of Washtenaw

We'd like to introduce you to the Environmental Education Network of Washtenaw. EENOW is a consortium of fourteen Washtenaw County organizations that provide environmental and/or science programs to youth and their families. Our mission is to increase awareness and understanding of our environment and to encourage greater participation in its protection. EENOW provides information about its members and other local environmental education organizations to you, the teachers and informal educators of Washtenaw County.

Washtenaw County is rich in environmental education resources. Many different organizations, both privately- and publicly-funded, provide a wide array of science/environmental education programs to the community. Some programs are offered on-site, some in schools. A number of programs take place outdoors; others are indoors. To make it easier for you to find the organizations and programs that are available and choose the ones you need to complement your curricula and programs, the Environmental Education Network of Washtenaw created this directory. We hope you find it useful.

The directory is divided into three parts. The Member Listing features contact information, educational program descriptions, and specific program information for each of the14 member organizations. The centerfold of the directory displays all EE NOW member groups in a Quick Facts Chart. Look for the Community Resources list in the back of the Directory for other community environmental organizations that may be helpful to you and your students.

Laura Kaplan
Ecology Center

Kirsten Levinsohn
Leslie Science Center

The Environmental Education Network of Washtenaw Directory was produced with the generous support of the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation and the Livingston-Washtenaw Mathematics and Science Center

Contact Us!
Environmental Education Network of Washtenaw (EENOW)
117 North Division Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48104

EENOW Directory

Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum

220 E. Ann Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
(734) 995-5439
www.aahom.org

The mission of the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum is to provide opportunities for interactive science and technology education for families and visitors of all ages. At the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum, children of all ages learn by doing-by experimenting, using, touching, handling, shaping, turning, listening, pulling apart, putting together, and turning off and on.

The Museum offers over 200 hands-on science, math, and technology exhibits, a NatureWorks gallery, a MediaWorks gallery, a Preschool Gallery, and weekend demonstrations and activities. Educational programs include Summer Science Camp, Writing Camp, overnight Camp-Ins, Brownie Try-Its, Birthday Parties, Outreach (including demonstrations), family nights and workshops, and ScienceWorks lab visits for school groups.

Fee: Call for specific program fees
Length of program: Varies by program
Grade Level: Appropriate for kids of all ages!
Subject Areas: Science, math, technology

City of Ann Arbor Leslie Science Center

1831 Traver Road
Ann Arbor, MI 48105
(734) 662-7802
www.lesliesnc.org

The Leslie Science Center offers environmental education for children and their families. Our programs provide an opportunity for scientific discovery of the natural world, an understanding of the interdependencies that connect all living things, and an appreciation of a lifestyle that is in harmony with the earth.

Our school field trip and outreach programs have been designed to enrich and supplement Ann Arbor science curricula and Michigan state standards. In addition to our school programs, we offer scout programs (2 hour and overnight); birthday parties; winter, spring, and summer camps; public programs and festivals.

Fee: $3.00 to $4.00/student
Length of program: 1.5 to 2 hours
Grade Level: Pre-school - middle school
Subject Areas: Ecology, animal behavior, classification, early Native American life, winter adaptations ecosystems, challenge activities

City of Ann Arbor Materials Recovery Facility (MRF)

c/o The Solid Waste Department,
City Hall, 100 N. Fifth Avenue
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
(734) 994-2807
www.a2gov.org

The MRF education center provides recycling facility tours and activities in order to increase public awareness of waste management options in recycling, reuse, composting, source reduction, and pollution prevention.

The MRF is part of the City's 400-acre Resource Recovery Center, located at Ellsworth and Platt Roads. Each weekday, over 100 tons of mixed papers and containers are sorted and compressed into 200 bales of materials and shipped to manufacturers for reuse.

MRF Open Houses are offered from September through June on the second Saturday of each month (10 a.m. - noon), and the second Tuesday of each month (2p.m. - 5 p.m.) Open Houses feature a special theme, activity and tour, and are geared for individuals, families and youth groups. Please call to pre-register for an Open House if there are more than eight in your group.

MRF group tours are free of charge and must be pre-registered.

Fee: None, unless topic requires fee for special supplies (at cost) or if facility is used after normal working hours
Length of program: Variable, generally 45 - 60 minutes; longer times are available as needed
Grade Level: Elementary - high school and adult

The Community Farm of Ann Arbor

1525 S. Fletcher
Chelsea, MI 48118
(734) 433-0261
www.communityfarmofaa.org

The Community Farm of Ann Arbor is part of the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) movement and uses bio-dynamic agricultural practices. The farm has five acres of produce, cows, goats, chickens and cats. We are a CSA farm, which directly connects our community (members) with the growers, the produce and the soil. Once a week, from June to November, our members come to pick up their produce. We hope they also come to enjoy the earth, a picnic, a walk or even some farm chores.

Group visits vary according to the age and desires of the group. We always try to involve the group in some type of physical activity or connection. This can range from rock collecting in the fields to hand-feeding the chickens in their coop. The compost piles on our farm are the center of our soil's health so we always try to spend time with our visitors in the compost, too. We ask that one adult accompany each group of five children.

Fee: None
Length of program: 1-2 hours
Grade Level: Preschool - college
Subject Areas: Animal care, vegetable harvesting, soil care & co-operative working

Ecology Center

117 N. Division St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48194
(734) 995-5888 x111
fax (734) 663-2414
email: GEE-WOW@ecocenter.org
www.ecocenter.org

The Ecology Center is a non-profit, membership-supported, multi-issue environmental education and advocacy organization founded following the first Earth Day in 1970. The Ecology Center's education program, GEE-WOW!, brings a variety of interactive, hands-on programs about the environment to schools throughout southeast Michigan. GEE-WOW! gives students concrete ideas about what they can do to protect the environment.

In addition to classroom programs, GEE-WOW! develops and sells educational materials, puts on environmental festivals, and conducts teacher training and in-service workshops. The Ecology Center's environmental library collection of books, videos, magazines, vertical files and curriculum materials is available for use by the public.

Fee: $60 - $85 per class; call for other program costs
Length of Program: Approximately 1 hour
Grade Level: Pre-school - high school and adult
Subject Areas: Solid waste, water, wildlife, toxics, pollution prevention

Hudson Mills Metropark

8801 N. Territorial Road
Dexter, MI 48130
(800) 477-3191
www.metroparks.com/parks/pk_hudson_mills.php

Hudson Mills is a Huron-Clinton Metropark. It features picnicking, shelters, play areas, canoeing, cross-country skiing, hiking, and bike trails. It has a variety of habitats, including meadows, ponds, swamps, a fen, a river, and over 40 bluebird houses. It does not have a nature center, but it does have an activity center with a few nature displays. Hudson Mills employs a year-round naturalist who does nature programs for the public, schools, and organizations.

Fee: Vehicle permit needed to enter the park ($2.00 weekdays, $3.00 weekends & holidays) Wednesday is free entry day!
Length of program: Varies with program and age group
Grade Level: Pre-school-high school and adult
Subject Areas: Pond and river studies, birds, beekeeping, insects, turtles, maple syrup and cider

Livingston-Washtenaw Mathematics and Science Center (LAWMASC)

1425 W. Grand River Avenue
Howell, MI 48843-1916
(517) 546-5550 x228
www.lawmasc.org

The Livingston-Washtenaw Mathematics and Science Center is committed to supporting the advance-ment of mathematics and science education in K-12 schools in Washtenaw and Livingston Counties. LAWMASC provides direct services and technical assistance, and serves as an information conduit providing resources to schools, districts, students, teachers, and community members in the region that we serve.

Our services include professional development, summer coursework for students entering grades 3-8, and family programs to enable parents/guardians and their children to learn mathematics and science together. In addition, we are a resource clearinghouse for exemplary curriculum and professional development materials for mathematics and science education.

Fee: Varies
Length of program: Varies
Grade Level: K - 12 & adult
Subject Areas: Mathematics and science (including environmental education)

National Wildlife Federation

Great Lakes Natural Resource Center
506 E. Liberty St., 2nd Floor
Ann Arbor, MI 48104-2210
(734) 769-3351
fax (734) 769-1449
email: greatlakes@nwf.org
www.nwf.org/greatlakes

The Great Lakes Natural Resource Center is the local office of the National Wildlife Federation (NWF). NWF's mission is to educate, inspire and assist individuals and organizations of diverse cultures to conserve wildlife and other natural resources in order to achieve a peaceful, equitable and sustainable future.

Whether taking children on a field trip to discover wildlife in the city or organizing community meetings, the Great Lakes Center offers tools for citizens to build a more sustainable future. NWF involves teachers, students and families in environmental education by inviting wildlife into the lives of children and adults through:

Backyard Wildlife Habitat(r)(including schoolyards and communities)

Earth Tomorrow(r) and NatureLink(r) initiatives, focusing on urban communities providing classroom materials and professional development opportunities for teachers.

The Center's staff of scientists, lawyers, educators and organizers works with citizens to protect the places they know and love in the Great Lakes region.

The Scrap Box

581 State Circle
Ann Arbor, MI 48108
(734) 994-4420
scrapbox.org

The Scrap Box is a nonprofit, tax-exempt community organization providing a central resource center for industrial discards. These are available for purchase in bulk by the bagful at minimal cost to teachers, parents, children, day-care providers, scout troops, religious programs, other community organizations, and individuals.

Hundreds of businesses generously donate a wide variety of materials, resulting in a constantly changing inventory of "good junk."

Our store is open to the public: Tuesday 10-6; Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday 2-6; Saturday 10-2.

Workshops are a popular way for people to experience the Scrap Box. Schools, camps, scout troops, teachers, or any group can arrange a workshop or shopping trip in the store, often when the Scrap Box is closed to the public.

Birthday parties can be arranged on Saturdays and Sundays, and occasionally at other times, too.

Fee: Call for fees
Length of program: 11/2 hrs
Grade Level: Pre-school - high school, and adult
Subject Areas: Math, science, language arts, art

University of Michigan Exhibit Museum of Natural History

1109 Geddes Avenue
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1079
(734) 764-0478
www.exhibits.lsa.umich.edu

The University of Michigan Exhibit Museum of Natural History offers three floors of exhibits and a wide array of educational programs on subjects in natural history and anthropology to the campus community and the general public. The Museum features permanent exhibits on prehistoric life, geology, human biology, astronomy (including a planetarium), Michigan wildlife (including recent displays on the impact of human activity on the environment), and anthropology (with a special focus on Native Americans). Educational programs include guided and unguided tours for school groups, outreach programs, teacher workshops, planetarium shows, children's workshops, birthday parties for children, and programs for families and adults.

Fee: General admission free; donations requested Group fee is $1.50 - $3.00 per person, plus $10 registration fee for groups of 10 or more
Length of program: 30 - 90 minutes
Grade Level: Pre-school - high school, and adult
Subject Areas: Prehistoric life, Michigan wildlife, anthropology including Native Americans, geology, astronomy including a planetarium, and human biology

University of Michigan Matthaei Botanical Gardens

1800 N. Dixboro Rd.
Ann Arbor, MI 48105-9741
(734) 998-7061
fax (734) 998-6205
email: lize@umich.edu
www.lsa.umich.edu/mbg

Matthaei Botanical Gardens-University of Michigan's 350+ acre museum of living plants and ecological sites-is dedicated to providing education about plants and living systems as they relate to peoples and cultures. The education department includes interpretation and several outreach programs: adult education classes and trips; youth, family and children classes and field experiences; public programs; docent-led tours for groups of 8 or more on trails and the Conservatory. The Conservatory, a unique asset of the gardens, houses plants from three major areas of the world-tropics, arid and warm-temperate.

Fee: Our tours cost $1 per person in addition to any entrance fees. (Conservatory fee: $3 per adult, $1 per child (5-12), children under 5 and Members of all ages free)
Length of program: One hour Trail or Conservatory; two hours covers both Conservatory and trails
Grade Level: K - 12, college, and adult
Subject Areas: Ecology, botany, special themed tours; call, e-mail, or check web site for a list

University of Michigan Nichols Arboretum

1610 Washington Heights
Ann Arbor, MI 48104-1700
(734) 998-9590
www.umich.edu/~wwwarb

The Nichols Arboretum at the University of Michigan provides a setting for environmental education and research through a program of conservation and restoration of individual plants, plant communities, and habitats. The Arboretum is used by the students of the University of Michigan and Ann Arbor schools; and Michigan residents.

Facilities include 123 acres of varied ecosystems, trails, diverse plant collections, and the James D. Reader, Jr. Urban Environmental Education Center at the Burnham House. Education programs include guided tours for school groups, monthly guided tours for the public, lecture series, and adult education programs.

Fee: Varies per program
Length of program: 90 minutes (or more)
Grade Level: Pre-school through adult
Subject Areas: Ecology, geology, native Michigan plants/ecosystems, native American plants and their uses, conservation, birds, landscape design, arts, natural history

Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission

P. O. Box 8645
Ann Arbor, MI 48107
(734) 971-6337
email: heumannm@co.washtenaw.mi.us
www.ewashtenaw.org/government/departments/parks_recreation/commission

Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission nature programs are dedicated to teaching the citizens of the county about local natural history: plants, animals, geology, and habitat ecology.

Free guided nature walks are available by appointment to groups of 15 or more. Indoor programs at your site are available by appointment December through April. Weekend drop-in nature walks are open to all.

Washtenaw County Parks (~1200 acres) contain 5 miles of interpretive trails in some of the Great Lakes' finest natural areas, including the Embury Swamp Natural Area Preserve, an Ice Age remnant, and the native Independence Lake Tall Grass Prairie.

Fee: No fee, except park entry, when applicable
Length of program: 1 - 2 hours
Grade Level: Preschool - high school, and adult
Subject Areas: Botany, geology, plant and animal ecology, history, wetland ecology

Washtenaw County Sustainability Education Project

P.O. Box 8645, 110 N. Fourth Avenue
Ann Arbor, MI 48107-8645
(734) 994-6361
email: educhange@igc.org
www.creativechange.net/examples/ex_sustain/index.htm

The Sustainability Education Project aims to incorporate sustainability into the curriculum and involve students in local problem-solving initiatives. The program offers mentorship, in-class support, teacher workshops about sustainability, a curriculum lending library, and opportunities to work with community groups. Enrollment is limited. Interested teachers should preview the project website for details before contacting the Project Coordinator by e-mail at the above address.

Length of program: Varies
Grade Level: Elementary - high school
Subject Areas: Science, social studies, inter-disciplinary topics for teachers of all subjects

Community Resources

In addition to the member organizations of the Environmental Education Network of Washtenaw, the following area resources are available to educators seeking information about the environment and related issues.

Buhr Park Children's Wet Meadow Project

2656 East St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
(734) 971-5870
email: dpetty@umich.edu
www.wetmeadow.org

Community Partners for Clean Streams

Global ReLEAF of Michigan

Huron River Watershed Council

Humane Society of Huron Valley

Michigan Groundwater Stewardship Program

Natural Area Preservation Division

Project Grow

Scio Residents for Safe Water

Sierra Club-Huron Valley Group

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

U.S. Geological Survey

Washtenaw Audubon Society

Washtenaw County Department of Planning and Environment

Washtenaw County Drain Commissioner

Washtenaw County MSU Extension

Washtenaw County Solid Waste Management System

Washtenaw Intermediate School District

Washtenaw-Potawatomi Land Trust

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117 N. Division St., Ann Arbor, MI 48104-1580 USA • phone 734·761·3186 • fax 734·663·2414 •