Birds of Prey

Joy Funk - Outdoor Discovery Center

What makes a bird of prey different from other birds? Using the collection of live birds from Outdoor Discovery Center, you will learn the life history of several species including hawks, owls and falcons. There will be a chance to get an up-close look at the birds and explore artifacts including skulls, wings, talons and feathers.

Joy Funk graduated from the University of Illinois and worked as a naturalist in Kentucky and Illinois before joining the Outdoor Discovery Center team in 2013. It was the ODC's vision and broad scope to advance outdoor education and conservation in West Michigan that first piqued her interest in working there. Having practically grown up outside, Joy has a keen interest in providing the next generation an opportunity to do the same. She feels that playing, exploring, and learning outside is vital to a better life.

Membership Meetings are free to attend and open to the public.

Seeking Balance: Opportunities at the Intersection of Community and Conservation

Spencer High

Join us as Grand Rapids Audubon Club president, Spencer High, walks us through a brief history of the relationship between human beings and the naturally occurring world. We will learn about several key historical events that have helped shape conservation culture, and learn how our collective cultural perspective on nature has changed over time. Spencer believes that by studying and learning about this relationship, we can become better communicators of the value behind protecting our natural communities - and create a cultural shift towards living in balance with nature. This event is open to the public and free to attend.

John Ball Zoo’s Great Lakes Conservation Programs

Speaker: Bill Flanagan

Join us on Monday evening for a night of discussion, socializing, and sharing our love of Michigan nature. Doors open at 7, come meet fellow members, browse the library, and connect with others about birding. Program by Bill Flanagan begins at 7:30.

Bill Flanagan is the Conservation Manager at the John Ball Zoo. He manages the Zoo's field conservation programs which include a strong focus on Great Lakes species. Bill is a recovering herpetologist and has enjoyed the opportunity his current role has provided to learn about butterflies, native plants, and freshwater mussels. He will be talking about the Zoo's programs with rare turtles, the Grand River ecosystem, and the partnership to save the Poweshiek Skipperling from extinction.

This program is open to the general public who may attend as guests of the Grand Rapids Audubon Club. Remember to bring any bird related items you would like to donate to the raffle. Be sure to come early this month to browse the large selection of free books available

Event held in the Donnelly Center, located at 157 Woodward Lane SE between Fulton Street and Robinson Road. Parking is available in Lots "S" and "T" off Woodward Ln. The center entrance is on the north side of the building

Speaker: Clay Bowers

Foraging and Wild Edibles in Michigan

Join us on Monday evening for a night of discussion, socializing, and sharing our love of Michigan nature. Doors open at 7, come meet fellow members, browse the library, and connect with others about birding. Program by Clay Bowers begins at 7:30.

Clay Bowers explores how foraging and wild food tending can deepen our connection to the natural world. Bowers will discuss the importance of sustainable harvesting practices, showing how we can gather wild foods while respecting the land. His talk aims to make foraging accessible to everyone, whether they are survival enthusiasts or nature lovers who want to better understand their surroundings. Participants will learn how to locate and sustainably harvest the abundant, healthy, and organic foods growing around them in Northern Michigan. Through this experience, Bowers encourages us to move beyond seeing the forest as a place to visit; instead, we are invited to participate as active members of this thriving ecosystem.

Clay Bowers is a passionate forager and self-described "plant nerd" from Northern Michigan. With a lifelong fascination with plants and fungi, Bowers has spent the last decade honing his skills and knowledge of the natural world. For him, foraging is akin to navigating a complex city; each journey into the woods reveals new insights and connections between plants, fungi, and their habitats. What started as a survival skill has evolved into a way of life, inspiring Bowers to view himself as part of nature rather than a mere visitor. His humor, deep knowledge, and personal stories make his presentations engaging and enlightening for anyone interested in the art and science of wildcrafting.

This program is open to the general public who may attend as guests of the Grand Rapids Audubon Club.

Event held in the Donnelly Center, located at 157 Woodward Lane SE between Fulton Street and Robinson Road. Parking is available in Lots "S" and "T" off Woodward Ln. The center entrance is on the north side of the building.

Speaker: Nick Scobel

Life Underfoot: A Look Into Field Herping & Herp Photography

What species of reptile & amphibian call Michigan home and how does one go about finding them? Come along for an evening to explore the world of field herpetology; the pursuit of wild reptiles & amphibians, better known as “herping”. From habitats and techniques to photography and contributing to citizen science, discover the hidden world that hides right beneath your feet! Nick Scobel is a wildlife biologist, naturalist, and birder who lives just outside of Ann Arbor, Michigan. He spends much of his spare time traversing Michigan’s wetlands, woods, and prairies in search of our native reptiles & amphibians to document and photograph. He even finds time to fit in some birding during the winter months and during spring migration.

Speaker: Dr. Alan Steinman

Addressing Groundwater Challenges in Michigan

Dr. Al Steinman is a research professor at Grand Valley State University’s Annis Water Resources Institute whose interests include aquatic ecosystem restoration, harmful algal blooms, phosphorus cycling, and water policy. In this presentation, Dr. Steinman will discuss groundwater’s role in the environment, risks to it’s quality, conservation efforts and how his research contributes to the protection of one of Michigan’s most treasured natural resources. Groundwater receives less attention, but it supplies up to 67% of the flow in tributaries flowing into the Great Lakes and provides cold, high quality flow for highly valued trout streams in the region.

Bird on the Move: Looking to the Past to Secure the Future of the Kirtland’s Warbler

We will close out the 2023/2024 season with our GRAC Annual May Meeting with a special presentation focused on Kirtland's Warblers. Our presenter is Steve Roels - Kirtland’s Warbler Program Director for American Bird Conservancy.

The removal of the Kirtland’s Warbler from the federal endangered species list is a victory for the bird and its champions. Yet threats to the species’ future, including climate change and human development, persist. Examining the deep history of Kirtland’s Warbler and its instinctive behaviors offers hope that the bird, despite its fussy reputation, can adapt to a changing planet. Unprecedented research projects are revealing how the warbler’s movement ecology has enabled its survival across millennia and what we must do support the warbler as it navigates the new millennium. 

This event is open to the general public who may attend as guests of the Grand Rapids Audubon Club.

Wild Stories from the History of Bird Migration Research

Rebecca Heisman, author of Flight Paths, will join us via Zoom to present an interesting and informative program for our community!

We've all heard amazing facts about bird migration—the long distances that birds travel, the ways that they navigate, etc. But did you ever wonder how we figured all of this out? While working for the American Ornithological Society, Rebecca Heisman became fascinated with the varied and creative techniques that scientists have used to study bird migration, and this eventually became the basis for her book Flight Paths: How a Passionate and Quirky Group of Pioneering Scientists Solved the Mystery of Bird Migration. In her talk, she'll share some surprising stories from the history of bird migration research and discuss why understanding migration is so crucial for bird conservation.

Bio: Rebecca Heisman is an award-winning science writer who lives in Walla Walla, Washington, and has worked with organizations including the Audubon Society, the American Bird Conservancy, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and the American Ornithological Society. Flight Paths is her first book.

This program is open to the general public who may attend as guests of the Grand Rapids Audubon Club.

Michigan Natural Features Inventory and the Search for Rare Natural Communities

Jesse Lincoln - Michigan Natural Features Inventory

Jesse has spent 14 seasons as an ecologist at Michigan Natural Features Inventory (MNFI). The work takes him all over the state to some of our most unique and intact natural places. It is a perspective not always available to most people and he enjoys sharing images and lessons learned from our wild places. MNFI is our State’s Natural Heritage program. What does that mean? Find out during the presentation when Jesse will show highlights from projects around the state and talk about important efforts which guide the conservation of Michigan’s native biodiversity.

Ecological Assessments and Conservation Practices in the Lower Grand River Watershed

Wendy Ogilvie - Lower Grand River Organization of Watersheds

The Grand River is the longest river in Michigan, at 262 miles, flowing from its headwaters in Jackson County to its mouth at Grand Haven, where it enters Lake Michigan. The entire Grand River Watershed encompasses about 5,000 square miles. Due to its size, the management of the river is divided into 3 sections, Upper, Middle, and Lower. The Lower Grand River watershed covers nearly 3,000 square miles of land in all or parts of 9 counties in West Michigan. The Lower Grand River Organization of Watersheds (LGROW) has a mission to understand, protect, and improve the natural resources of the Lower Grand River Watershed for all to enjoy. This presentation will provide a summary of some of the work that LGROW does to fulfill its mission and highlight the West Michigan Coastal Corridor project, which was initiated by Audubon Great Lakes 2021 report, Grand River Coastal Corridor.

Community Science in West Michigan 

Travis Kurtz - Community Science Coordinator, John Ball Zoo 

Throughout the presentation we will learn about the different community science projects that the John Ball Zoo is spearheading locally. Public participation within projects like these help protect and conserve our local biodiversity, and are extremely important for helping conservation scientists gather data to make fact-driven decisions within their management of our natural landscapes. One of the projects we will learn about, the City Nature Challenge, is a part of a worldwide bioblitz hosted by iNaturalist the last weekend of April. Join us as we learn about the importance of all of the projects that are lead by the John Ball Zoo in 2024, and discover how members of the Grand Rapids Audubon Club can become more involved with community science locally. 

Maddison Chaffer (Son Visual) is a muralist, community organizer, and woodsman. Their large scale pubic artworks can be readily found around Grand Rapids and greater Michigan area. Drawing inspiration from the natural world, Maddie often works with species native to the Great Lakes region. With the radical visibility of public art, Maddie hopes to reach audiences who may not have regular access to nature. By combining outreach, organizing, art, and their deep love for the earth, Maddie aims to foster local connections between art and activism.

See examples of their art here: https://www.sonvisualco.com/

This program is open to the general public who may attend as guests of the Grand Rapids Audubon Club.

Event held in the Donnelly Center, located at 157 Woodward Lane SE between Fulton Street and Robinson Road. Parking is available in Lots "S" and "T" off Woodward Ln. The center entrance is on the north side of the building.