Come and meet many of the fascinating and little-known creatures that live in our spring ponds – from delicate fairy shrimp to ferocious diving beetles.  No boots required, as we will be viewing these in our special “pour-a-ponds” outside on the deck. Wildlife educator Megan Lotz will provide magnifying glasses and help you identify these tiny animals. 

Cost: $2/person or $5/family. Eddy Discovery Center

Please register by calling 734-475-3170. Include your name, phone, and number of people attending.

All events held at the Eddy Discovery Center near Chelsea, MI

Join us for an entertaining and educational wildlife program as Randy Baker from Naturalist Endeavors brings you a variety of live animals from North, South and Central America.  Learn about their life cycles, adaptations for survival, habitats, and how they fit in with the plants and animals around them.

Cost: $2/person or $5/family. Eddy Discovery Center

Seating limited, so please register in advance at 734-475-3170. Include your name, phone, and number of people attending.

All events held at the Eddy Discovery Center near Chelsea, MI

Join naturalist Carol Strahler this evening for a lively presentation featuring frogs, salamanders, and quivering masses of eggs from local ponds.   Find out how you can recognize frogs by their calls.  The program will be followed by a walk to a nearby pond to see and hear frogs singing in the night.  Bring a flashlight and dress for the weather. 

Cost: $2/person or $5/family. Eddy Discovery Center

Please register by calling 734-475-3170. Include your name, phone, and number of people attending.

All events held at the Eddy Discovery Center near Chelsea, MI

Who wants to come home after a wonderful day outside to find a tick attached to them or their furry companion? NO ONE! Ticks unfortunately love the Michigan outdoors too, and the risk of tick-borne diseases is increasing. Come learn about these creatures and how to avoid them, so that you can continue to enjoy the great outdoors.

Cost: $2/person or $5/family. Eddy Discovery Center

Please register by calling 734-475-3170. Include your name, phone, and number of people attending.

All events held at the Eddy Discovery Center near Chelsea, MI

TWO SHOWS: 1:30 and 3:00

Nature Discovery will present a fun and educational program about snakes and turtles that can be found in our state. Observe these intriguing creatures up close as you learn about their diverse life styles and survival skills. Following the program, you will have the opportunity to handlesome of these gentle reptiles.

Cost: $2/person or $5/family. Eddy Discovery Center

Please register by calling 734-475-3170. Include your name, phone, and number of people attending.

All events held at the Eddy Discovery Center near Chelsea, MI

Saturday, March 9, 2024

10:00 AM - 4:00 PM

It’s time for that traditional rite of spring – tapping maple trees.  Take a guided walk to see various methods of collecting sap, and learn how to boil it down to make syrup.  Antique equipment for making syrup will be on display from the Waterloo Farm Museum, and maple products will be available for purchase.  

Free admission.

All events held at the Eddy Discovery Center near Chelsea, MI

Bring your child to the Discovery Center to paint a birdhouse for your garden. Steve Rogacki has donated wren houses for this event which were made in his woodshop. Paint and supplies will be provided. This workshop is appropriate for children ages seven and up and parents must attend with them. Dress for painting!

Cost: $4 supply fee per birdhouse. Limit 2 per family. Program fees apply for non members. Cost: $2/person or $5/family.

15 Birdhouses available. Please register in advance at waterloonha@gmail.com. Include your name, phone, and number of birdhouses you are requesting.

All events held at the Eddy Discovery Center near Chelsea, MI

Naturalist Robert Ayotte will lead a walk along the Discovery Center trails to find out about life in the forest in winter. Learn how to recognize some of our native plants and how they are adapted to survive the frigid temperatures. We will search for signs of animals, including their tracks if there is snow on the ground. Dress for the weather, and be prepared for icy trails.

Cost: $2/person or $5/family. Eddy Discovery Center

Please register at waterloonha@gmail.com. Include your name, phone, and number of people attending.

All events held at the Eddy Discovery Center near Chelsea, MI

From frozen frogs to floating fairies and fragile fingernail clams, Master Naturalist Doug Jackson shares the wonders of our enchanted woodland pools. Learn about the fascinating creatures that inhabit these pools and find out how you can participate in a statewide program collecting data about them. Your data will help to protect these often overlooked, yet delicate and important, ecosystems referred to as the coral reefs of the Midwest.

Free admission

Please register at waterloonha@gmail.com. Include your name, phone, and number of people attending.

All events held at the Eddy Discovery Center near Chelsea, MI

Bring the family and challenge yourselves to an afternoon adventure in the forest with outdoor enthusiast Meg Gower. Winter is a great time of year for learning how to use a compass to find your way in the woods. This program is suitable for all ages and skill levels. Compasses will be provided or bring your own.

Cost: $2/person or $5/family. Eddy Discovery Center

Please register at waterloonha@gmail.com. Include your name, phone, and number of people attending.

All events held at the Eddy Discovery Center near Chelsea, MI

Our annual member meeting is back after an extended hiatus. Mark your calendars for a WNHA Dessert Party on Sunday, November 12 at 2:00PM!

The Annual Membership Meeting is an opportunity for us to thank you, our members, for your support throughout the year, as well as getting a little board business done such as voting on board members and officers. The meeting will include an exclusive animal program available only to members and their guests. Bill and Terri Neill from Science Alive have promised to bring some of their coolest animals to entertain us for a unique program designed just for us. Cookies and beverages will be provided!

All events held at the Eddy Discovery Center near Chelsea, MI

Local crane enthusiast Bill Wells will begin this program at the Discovery Center with a short discussion of Sandhill Cranes and their fascinating behaviors. Afterwards, he will lead a driving tour to view cranes in the fields around the Waterloo Recreation Area. Visitors can expect to see some of these magnificent birds at close range. Bring binoculars and cameras.

Cost: $2/person or $5/family. Eddy Discovery Center

Please register in advance at 734-475-3170.

All events held at the Eddy Discovery Center near Chelsea, MI

Join Rachel Mifsud from Will Forage for Food on a walk through the woods to discover what Mother Nature has to offer this fall.  You will learn about edible, medicinal, and otherwise useful plants and mushrooms that can be found in the Waterloo area. 

Cost: $2/person or $5/family. Eddy Discovery Center

Please register in advance at 734-475-3170.

All events held at the Eddy Discovery Center near Chelsea, MI

Here is an opportunity to learn how to capture great images, whether you are using your cellphone or a DSLR camera. Photographer Thomas Nighswander, who specializes in State and National Parks photography, will begin this workshop indoors followed by a walk on the trails for hands-on practice with your camera. The focus will be on what creates a great photograph, how to see with a creative eye, and how your camera can best capture those special moments. Bring your own camera or cell phone.

Cost: $2/person or $5/family. Eddy Discovery Center

Program limited to 25 people.  Call to reserve a space at 734-475-3170. 

All events held at the Eddy Discovery Center near Chelsea, MI

Survival at its finest!  Francie Krawcke of Michigan Avian Experience will bring live raptors to demonstrate their remarkable survival adaptations and behaviors.  Enjoy a close-up look at these magnificent birds.

Cost: $2/person or $5/family. Eddy Discovery Center

Please register in advance at 734-475-3170.

All events held at the Eddy Discovery Center near Chelsea, MI

In this hands-on workshop, Meg Gower will show you traditional ways to navigate, as well as basic survival skills.   Learn how to make fire without matches, build a shelter, locate water, signal, and more.  Program geared to ages 10 to adult.

Cost: $2/person or $5/family. Eddy Discovery Center

Program limited to 30 people. Call to reserve a space at 734-475-3170.

All events held at the Eddy Discovery Center near Chelsea, MI

Come search the woods to find and collect fall mushrooms! Afterwards, mushroom experts Phil Tedeschi and Kirk Coppernoll will look at your collection and identify those that are edible and those that are poisonous. Bring a basket or paper bag and waxed paper for collecting.

Cost: $2/person or $5/family. Eddy Discovery Center

Program limited to 35 people. Call to reserve a space at 734-475-3170.

All events held at the Eddy Discovery Center near Chelsea, MI

Join us for an exciting, hands-on presentation of live reptiles from the Critchlow Alligator Sanctuary.  You will have the opportunity to see large and small alligators up close along with other intriguing reptiles.  Learn about the fascinating characteristics of these creatures and how they survive in the wild.  

Cost: $2/person or $5/family. Eddy Discovery Center

Please register in advance at 734-475-3170

All events held at the Eddy Discovery Center near Chelsea, MI

Discover what you can learn about ancient Michigan from looking at a rock.  Geologist Larry Bean will show you how to “read” the story told by rocks and help you to identify specimens collected at a local quarry. 

Cost: $2/person or $5/family. Eddy Discovery Center

Please register in advance at 734-475-3170

All events held at the Eddy Discovery Center near Chelsea, MI

Join us for an educational and entertaining program with live animals from around the world brought to you by Joby Cuellar.  Learn about the lifestyles, habitats and traits that make these animals unique as you view them up close and personal.

Cost: $2/person or $5/family. Eddy Discovery Center

Please register in advance at 734-475-3170

All events held at the Eddy Discovery Center near Chelsea, MI

Find out what Mother Nature has to offer as we join Rachel Mifsud from Will Forage for Food to look for edible, medicinal, and otherwise useful plants and mushrooms along the Discovery Center trails.  The walk will be leisurely, but be prepared to go off the trail as we search for plants.  

Cost: $2/person or $5/family. Eddy Discovery Center

Please register in advance at 734-475-3170

All events held at the Eddy Discovery Center near Chelsea, MI

Join us for an entertaining, hands-on program presented by Brendan Finerty from Jackson’s Wild World Zoo.  You will get a close-up look at a wide variety of live animals from around the globe – from the hottest desert to the deepest jungles to the highest mountains.  

Cost: $2/person or $5/family. Eddy Discovery Center

Please register in advance at 734-475-3170

All events held at the Eddy Discovery Center near Chelsea, MI

Forest ecologist Robert Ayotte will lead wildflower enthusiasts on a hike to view the spring blooms found on herbs and trees along the Discovery Center trails.  Previous knowledge of flowering plants will be useful.  Bring your loupe!  

Cost: $2/person or $5/family. Eddy Discovery Center

Program limited to 20 participants. Please register in advance at 734-475-3170

All events held at the Eddy Discovery Center near Chelsea, MI

Here is your opportunity to learn about the wildflowers popping up in our local forests right now.  After a short program indoors where you will find out why these plants produce flowers in the spring, Robert Ayotte will lead a walk along the Discovery Center trails to see what is budding and blooming.  Hand lenses will be useful.  

Cost: $2/person or $5/family. Eddy Discovery Center

Program limited to 20 participants. Please register in advance at 734-475-3170

All events held at the Eddy Discovery Center near Chelsea, MI

Find out what happens after the sun goes down in this exciting exploration into the world of nocturnal animals.  Leslie Science Center will bring live animals, such as bats, owls, and arachnids, to show you why these creatures choose to work in the dark and how they are adapted for life at night. 

Cost: $2/person or $5/family. Eddy Discovery Center

Program limited to 50 participants. Please register in advance at 734-475-3170

All events held at the Eddy Discovery Center near Chelsea, MI

Join Becky Green, Beekeeper and Certified Pollinator Champion to learn about pollinators.  Becky will explain how pollination works, and why it is so important to all of us.  She will introduce you to our pollinators, and discuss what challenges they are facing.  You will take home ideas of what you can do to help pollinators, including instructions on how to build a Bee Hotel for wild bees in your neighborhood.   Becky will also have some of her local honey available for sale.  

Cost: $2/person or $5/family. Eddy Discovery Center

Please register in advance at 734-475-3170

All events held at the Eddy Discovery Center near Chelsea, MI

Come and meet many of the fascinating and little-known creatures that live in our spring ponds – from delicate fairy shrimp to ferocious diving beetles.  No boots required, as we will be viewing these in our special “pour-a-ponds” outside on the deck. Wildlife educator Megan Lotz will provide magnifying glasses and help you identify these tiny animals.

Cost: $2/person or $5/family. Eddy Discovery Center

Please register in advance at 734-475-3170

All events held at the Eddy Discovery Center near Chelsea, MI

Join naturalist Carol Strahler this evening for a lively presentation featuring frogs, salamanders, and quivering masses of eggs from local ponds.   Find out how you can recognize frogs by their calls.  The program will be followed by a walk to a nearby pond to see and hear frogs singing in the night.  Bring a flashlight and dress for the weather. 

Cost: $2/person or $5/family. Eddy Discovery Center

Please register in advance at 734-475-3170

All events held at the Eddy Discovery Center near Chelsea, MI

Dr. Cara Shillington will introduce you to live spiders, tarantulas, scorpions and other intriguing invertebrates.  Learn about poisonous spiders in Michigan, where they hang out, and how to avoid them

Cost: Free for WNHA members; otherwise $2/person or $5/family.

Please register in advance at 734-475-3170

All events held at the Eddy Discovery Center near Chelsea, MI