1st Annual NCEC (Newaygo County Wild Ones Chapter) Native Plant Seed Swap
A Native Plant Seed Swap and Wild Ones Chapter discussion will occur on Saturday, November 11, from 1 p.m. – 3 p.m. The free event will be held in Hope Hall at the Center for Hope & Healing, White Cloud, 49337. Guests are encouraged to collect native plant seeds from their yards & gardens to share with others.
“We want to spread native plants around our county to help support our pollinators and wildlife. And what better way than to share free seeds with other homeowners!” states Katie Clark of the Newaygo County Environmental Coalition (NCEC).
“We will also discuss the possibility of starting a Wild Ones Chapter in Newaygo,” added Sally Wagoner of NCEC. “Wild Ones is a national non-profit that promotes the preservation of biodiversity through increasing native plant communities. There are chapters all around Michigan, but the closest one to us is in Grand Rapids.”
“The number of community members interested in native plants is growing rapidly. We think the time is right to start a Wild Ones chapter here,” Ms. Wagoner added. “A Wild Ones affiliation will provide information and resources on growing native plants, as well as assure camaraderie among native plant enthusiasts here.”
According to Katie and Sally, there are instructions on how to prepare your seeds for the seed swap:
Guests are invited to attend even if they do not have seeds to share. Registration is encouraged, but walk-ins are welcome. To register, click here: Seed Swap & Wild Ones Chapter.
Questions? Email: buzz@nc-ec.org. For information about Wild Ones, go to www.wildones.org.
NCEC is a 501c3 non-profit that endeavors to be the environmental resource hub and to support the beauty and sustainability of Newaygo County and the region. Learn more at www.nc-ec.org.
Address: 490 Quarterline St, Newaygo, MI 49337
Email buzz@nc-ec.org
A cloud of road dust blanketed the car behind me from my excited acceleration as I passed the Newaygo Prairie Nature Sanctuary. Ignition time was in less than an hour. This was my very first burn.
“Vernal Pools are like our Coral Reefs of the Forest,” states Katie, Vice Chair and Program Manager of the Newaygo County Environmental Coalition (NCEC). “They are small, important wetlands that appear in spring and dry up during the fall. They are ideal breeding grounds for a variety of amphibians and invertebrates that would be vulnerable to lake or stream fish; the fairy shrimp, wood frogs, spotted and blue-spotted salamanders can only breed in Vernal pools. They even travel back to their birth Vernal pool to spawn.”
As humans, it makes sense that we often think of the Earth from our own point of view. We imagine it as a place with trees and meadows and houses and highways. We think of cities as places for people, roads as ways to get from one place to another. But this is only our experience, and there are about a billion others.