Katie Clark, the Vernal Pool Patrol Coordinator for the Newaygo County region, will be offering a series of free presentations and monitoring training throughout the 2025 Vernal pool season that starts in March and goes through August. 

What are Vernal Pools, and why are they so important to our ecosystems?

“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.”

The Vernal Pool Patrol, organized by the Michigan Natural Features Inventory (MNFI), is one of the country’s pioneering statewide vernal pool monitoring programs. This program owes its success to the dedicated community “citizen scientists” who are passionate about nature and committed to preserving Michigan’s unique ecosystems. As part of the larger Michigan Vernal Pools Partnership, the Vernal Pool Patrol aims to advance vernal pool research and conservation across the state.

“Newaygo County’s vernal pools are waiting to be discovered and protected,” states Katie. “Many people have vernal pools on their property, or near where they live, and don’t even know it. But by joining the Vernal Pool Patrol, you will become a guardian of these unique habitats.”

Listed below are the MI Vernal Pool Patrol of Newaygo Region Training Events.  Each will have a family-friendly version and advanced patrol training options:

-Saturday, April 19-12 pm-4 pm at Kropscott Farm and Environment Center. Register here: https://www.facebook.com/share/12Gr23n4umB/  or contact. Katie Clark at Katie.c@nc-ec.org.

-Saturday, April 26-10 am – 2 pm at McDuffee Creek Nature Preserve. Register at: https://www.facebook.com/share/18mSDoYLgG/

-Sunday, May 4th- 11 am to 2 pm at Nichols Lake, Bitely MI. Register here:  https://www.facebook.com/share/1BcRk8gqjR/

-Saturday, June 14th, 10 pm-2pm at Kropscott Farm and Environmental Center. Registration link to come soon.

-Saturday, August 23- 1 pm to 4 pm at Kropscott Farm and Environmental Center. This is a fall training and MI Vernal Pool Patrol “Pool Party” to celebrate the 2025 monitoring season and all those who participated. Registration to come soon.

Join in our hunt for treasure!

“Vernal pool mapping and monitoring is like a treasure hunt in the woods,” chirps Katie Clark, MI VPP of Newaygo Region coordinator. “Except the treasure is something we get to help protect and preserve for future generations of creatures and humans.” 

To become an official MI Vernal Pool Patrol Member. Contact coordinator, Katie Clark at Katie.c@nc-ec.org  or go to https://vernal-pool-patrol-mnfi.hub.arcgis.com/  before 5/4/2025 to register for the training and program.