MACD's Education Newsletter — March 2025

Hello friends! You made it through the darkest weeks of the year. As spring approaches, your MACD Education Committee is excited to share featured programs, what fellow educators are doing, and helpful resources to plan spring programming and collaborations. Consider wildflower hikes (public parks & trails work great), creative community events, and social campaigns to boost Seedling Sales and awareness of district work. Send ideas for the next issue—thank you!

FundingProgram Spotlight Cool ThingsEducator & District Highlights Featured ActivityAnnouncements

In this issue

Program Spotlight • Funding Opportunities • Cool Things (resources) • Educator & District Highlights • Featured Activity • Announcements & Reminders • Sign-up & Contacts (Issue #3 — Education Committee, Quarterly Newsletter).

Program Spotlight

Mecosta & Osceola-Lake Conservation Districts

Farm Planning Field Day Workshop drew about 40 participants (producers and educators from 17 counties). Attendees shared experiences, asked questions, and saw practices in place for farm establishment.

Featured Speakers / Topics

Emergency Planning for the Farm
Animal Health Checks & Behavior
Cost of Production & Enterprise Budgeting for New Farm Decision Makers
Carbon Credits & Markets

Winter pasture walk at Mitchell Cat Creek Farms showcased out-wintering cattle on pasture, winter livestock water systems, and feeding methods. Great work, Mecosta & Osceola-Lake CDs!

Funding

Funding Opportunities

Great Lakes Protection Fund

Funds innovative projects that produce tangible improvements in Great Lakes ecosystem health and the eco-economic interdependence.

glpf.org

Michigan Nature Association — Field Trip Grants

Helps teachers connect students to natural areas; supports transportation and equipment costs.

michigannature.org

MAEOE Spring Grants

Environmental Education grants to formal & non-formal educators (up to $1,000 per project). Windows: Feb 1–Mar 15 and Sep 1–Oct 15.

maeoe.com/grants

Cool Things — Check Them Out!

Resources to Explore

Conservation Reading List (NACD)

Books on trees & forestry, soil, water, farming & ranching, habitats & wildlife, and more.

NACD Pack-A-Book

Association for Nature-Based Education (ANBE)

PD for nature-based educators across settings (preschools, forest kindergartens, in-home childcare, elementary, etc.).

Learn more

100 Things To Do Before You’re 12

Outdoor adventure checklist for kids, plus 20 Ideas for 20 Minutes Outside. Create your own local list!

The List • 20 Ideas

West MI Environmental Education Equipment Rental

Borrow equipment to power up your EE programs.

WMEAC Rental Form

NACD Conservation Education Hub

Curriculum, activities, and resources for districts and educators.

Education Hub

Featured Activity

EnviroScape® Watershed Model

Teach watershed science through hands-on modeling. Students identify parts of a watershed, understand stormwater runoff, and connect how pollutants enter waterways. EnviroScape® offers portable models and mini paint-your-own kits (English & Spanish instructions). CD staff can add vocabulary labels (toothpicks + sticky labels) for landscape features.

enviroscapes.com • Large-scale models may be borrowed from an EGLE District Office “Lending Station”.

Educator & District Highlights

Spotlight on People

Kathryn Borowicz — Manistee Conservation District

Kathryn joined MCD in 2023 and leads Environmental Education with a focus on K–12 programming. She holds a Michigan teaching certificate, delivers both in-school and out-of-school programs for youth up to age 18, and recently joined the MACD Education Committee. Keep up the great work, Kathryn!

Announcements & Reminders

Key Dates — March • April • May 2025

March

Mar 1 — National Self-Injury Awareness Day
Mar 9 — Daylight Saving Time Starts
Mar 12 — National Plant a Flower Day
Mar 17 — St. Patrick’s Day
Mar 22 — Grand Traverse CD Spring Market

April

Apr 1 — April Fool’s Day
Apr 3 — National Find a Rainbow Day
Apr 10 — National Farm Animals Day
Apr 15 — Tax Day
Apr 20 — Easter Sunday
Apr 22 — Earth Day!

May

May 1 — May Day
May 5 — Cinco de Mayo
May 11 — Mother’s Day
May 15 — National Bring Flowers to Someone Day
May 26 — Memorial Day

Share Updates / Subscribe

Send education news, stories, or funding updates

Email Rachel Straughen — rstraughen@gtcd.org
and/or Erin Horton — erin.horton@macd.org

Thank you for reading — and thank you for all you do to connect Michigan communities with conservation.