On the Ground: Garlic Mustard Pull at Saugatuck Dunes State Park

On Saturday, April 20, 2024, On the Ground partnered with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Parks and Recreation Division to host a garlic mustard removal day at Saugatuck Dunes State Park. Although it was a windy day, 24 volunteers came out to help eradicate this plant and improve habitat for Michigan’s wildlife. Garlic…

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OTG Volunteers Needed: Brush Pile Building in Kalkaska County

Are you someone who enjoys the outdoors and wants to improve Michigan’s public lands? We have a great opportunity for you! On the Ground will be at the Traverse City Forest Management Unit in Kalkaska County on Saturday, April 27, 2024, from 10 AM – 3 PM constructing brush piles for wildlife. You are not…

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On the Ground: Spring Volunteer Opportunities

Are you looking for a way to give back and help improve wildlife habitat this spring? Look no further! On the Ground has many volunteer opportunities available throughout April and into May. Now is the perfect time to get outside and enjoy the sunshine and warmer weather while improving public lands here in Michigan. We…

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On the Ground: Volunteers Build “Rabbitat” at Bellevue Conservation Club

On Saturday, February 3, 2024, MUCC’s On the Ground Program hosted a brush pile-building event in partnership with the Bellevue Conservation Club. Brush piles are called “rabbitat” because they provide habitat for rabbits and many other species, including chipmunks, squirrels, mice, snakes, and ground-nesting birds. Brush piles are also used as hunting grounds for hawks,…

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Peace out Rainbow Trout: My last week of service.

My AmeriCorps service with MUCC is coming to an end this week. I’ve met a lot of wonderful and passionate people through On the Ground, outreach days and MUCC’s Out-of-Doors Youth Camp. The OTG Program hosted 28 events this year during my term. It was extremely gratifying to help improve wildlife habitat across the state…

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Nerves of Stihl: On the Ground Volunteers Participate in Chainsaw Safety and Stewardship Day

Last Saturday,  November 4th, 2023, MUCC’s On the Ground program partnered with Fenner Nature Center and Daisy Tree Care to host a Chainsaw Safety and Stewardship Day on FNC’s grounds. In total, 14 volunteers learned basic chainsaw maintenance and then got some hands-on experience cutting unwanted logs and trees in Fenner’s Maple Grove. The course…

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On the Ground Junior: Students from the Mecosta-Osceola Career Center braved the rain to help improve wildlife habitat in their community

On Tuesday, October 10, 2023, high school students and instructors from the Mecosta-Osceola Career Center participated in MUCC’s On the Ground Jr. program in partnership with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to improve wildlife habitat at Haymarsh Lake State Game Area.  During the morning portion of the project, students were divided into teams and…

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On the Ground Junior: High School Students Build Brush Piles and Deploy Trail Cameras for Wildlife with MUCC and The Nature Conservancy in Luce County

On September 27, 2023, high school students and instructors from Lake Superior State University’s Career in Technical Education program participated in MUCC’s On the Ground Junior program in partnership with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) to improve wildlife habitat in the Two-Hearted River Forest Preserve north of Newberry. During this stewardship project, students cut down overgrown…

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Volunteer with On the Ground to Help Restore One of Michigan’s Most Endangered Habitats: The Oak Savanna

Habitat improvement projects are always gratifying work, especially when they benefit rare habitats such as oak savannas. We often hear about how habitat restoration efforts impact charismatic species like white-tailed deer or wild turkeys, but many lesser-known species benefit from these projects just the same. Rare insects such as the dusted skipper, grizzled skipper, monarch…

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