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Blandford Nature Center no longer taking injured wildlife

Submitted by Anonymous on Tuesday, October 15th, 1:22 pm
Blandford Nature Center no longer taking injured wildlife

WALKER, Mich.--   Blandford Nature Center is no longer taking in injured wildlife.

Katie Van Doeselaar, office manager for Blandford Nature Center, says the board of directors decided the center’s rehabilitation program did not further the organizations’ mission.  Van Doeselaar says the program has also been consistently losing money over the past four years.  When one of the two wildlife staff members resigned to go back to school, Blandford’s board decided it was time to turn away wildlife rescues.

Van Doeselaar says the change is not permanent; the board will reassess the situation in the future.  In the meantime, Blandford encourages people with injured wildlife to contact any of the following rehabilitators in West Michigan:

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Blandford Nature Center partners with school for new learning program

Submitted by Anonymous on Monday, October 14th, 11:34 am
Blandford Nature Center partners with school for new learning program

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.  – Blandford Nature Center is helping a group of Grand Rapids students overcome so-called Nature Deficit Disorder.

This is the first year the nature center is partnering with West Side Christian School to provide outdoor learning on the school’s grounds, located at 955 Westend Ave. NW.  Blandford staff will lead the three to four seasonal outdoor lessons, which will help the school in implementing its Next Generation Science Standards.

Blandford Nature Center hopes to expand the program to other schools in the future.  For more information, visit the organization’s website here.

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Nature center opens grounds to injured veteran hunters

Submitted by Anonymous on Monday, October 7th, 1:09 pm
Nature center opens grounds to injured veteran hunters

WALKER, Mich.—The deer herd in Walker is a little slimmer now, thanks to a group of hunters from Operation Injured Soldiers.

On Sunday, October 6, Blandford Nature Center closed down its property for the deer bow hunting event.   The hunt was limited to a small portion of Blandford’s property in Walker.  Six veterans and a team of volunteers took down five deer

 An employee of Blandford Nature Center says this is the third year the organization has held deer hunts on its property. It’s the first year Blandford has partnered with injured veterans.

Blandford Nature Center officials say the deer cull is necessary because recent studies show there is too many deer on the property.  The nature center supports the hunt to ensure there are enough resources to maintain a healthy deer herd.

The next deer hunt will be December 1 and likely involve a youth group that’s already been selected.

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Family campfire at Blandford Nature Center

Submitted by Cheri Mikowski, WZZM Receptionist & Community Blogger
Saturday, July 27th, 2013, 6:00am
Family campfire at Blandford Nature Center

Families are invited to enjoy a summer evening with a campfire at Blandford Nature Center school yard Thursday, August 1.

Participants can roast marshmallows over the fire and make S'mores while getting their questions answered by a Blandford Naturalist.

The campfire event runs from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.  at 1715 Hillburn Ave. NW.  Tickets are $5 for nature center members and $6 for non-members. Visitors must RSVP by calling  (616)735-6240. For more information, visit www.blandfordnaturecenter.org.

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Sibley Elementary students fight invasive plant

Submitted by Anonymous on Thursday, May 16th, 2:23 pm
Sibley Elementary students fight invasive plant

Students at Sibley Elementary are doing their part to help stop invasive plants from taking over Millennium Park.

On May 14,  students removed Garlic Mustard from the park, replacing the invasive plant with native plant seed balls they formed themselves.  Preventing the spread of Garlic Mustard helps keep the food supply intact for birds, butterflies and other wildlife.

Last year, Sibley students built nesting boxes to support the wood duck population.   A spokesman for the Grand Rapids Public Schools says activities like this teach students the importance of preservation and show them how they can make a difference.

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Winter Break Special: Winter Survival

Submitted by Cheri Mikowski, WZZM Receptionist & Community Blogger
Thursday, December 20th, 2012, 1:36pm
Winter Break Special: Winter Survival

RSVP soon, for this Winter Survival Special taking place on January 2, 2013 from 9am to 1pm at the Blandford Nature Center in the Learning Lab & on Trails located at 1715 Hillburn Avenue NW Grand Rapids, Michigan. This session will give you the knowledge of being prepared if you ever got stranded in the dead of winter. Learn some valuable survival techniques, including shelter building, constructing a fire & the proper attire.

Cost: $20/Members, $25/Non-Members (School age children 8-12 years of age)

Call: (616)735-6240 to RSVP or www.blandfordnaturecenter.org for other event listings.

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All About Bats at the Blandford Nature Center

Submitted by My Town Staff, Hyper-Local News, Information, and Events
Tuesday, October 23rd, 2012, 1:05pm
All About Bats at the Blandford Nature Center

From: http://blandfordnaturecenter.org/

Join us Saturday October 27 for two special programs.  We have the Organization for Bat Conservation at 2:00 sharing live bats with us to learn more about the nocturnal creature and their benefits to our insect populations.  At 3:00 PM, we'll have a bat box building program in which you take a home a bat box that will house up to 60 bats!

Live bat program $5 members, $6 for nonmembers. Bat Box Building class is $30 per box for members, $36 for nonmembers.  Please register at 735-6240.

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