MUCC Staff Attend MDNR’s 5th Annual Nature Center Summit

On Friday, February 10, 2023, a few of MUCC’s staff members attended the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) Nature Center Summit at North Higgins Lake State Park. The Nature Center Summit was established five years ago as an opportunity to connect nonformal educators from organizations like nature centers and nonprofits to the science behind statewide natural resource management. The goal of this conference is to provide educators from around the state with the latest and most scientifically accurate information about Michigan’s wildlife, fisheries, forests, and policies so they can help relay this information to the masses. The Summit was a great opportunity for MUCC’s staff to gain valuable information about how to present this material to the public. 

One of the highlighted topics at this year’s Summit was terrestrial invasive species and the role that different organizations play in preventing the spread of these species throughout the state.  After the talk, educators brainstormed ways to get our respective audiences involved with invasive species prevention and control. This information is valuable to MUCC’s On the Ground program as one of the more frequent events hosted is invasive species management and removal. If you’re interested in helping to remove invasives from Michigan’s public lands, join us at one of our upcoming On the Ground volunteer events. Visit mucc.org/on-the-ground/ for more information about the program and for details on how to register for events.