Blandford Nature Center

We are excited to announce our first ever Admission Free August! The end of summer is a great time to get out in nature, and we welcome the community to explore our trails and Visitor Center again at no cost Thursday, August 1st through Saturday, August 31st. This month of free admission includes access to 264 acres of forests, meadows, and wetlands, 8 miles of trails including 1 mile of ADA accessible trails, 2 outdoor playscapes, the Blandford Farm and Children’s Garden, and our Wildlife Education Center with over 30 rehabilitated Wildlife Ambassadors. As part of Admission Free August, we are also offering a variety of free programs and activities throughout the month! Check out our Community Calendar to see all of our free and paid programming opportunities: https://loom.ly/7uJhPo4 Thank you to Meijer for sponsoring this month of free admission! Our Wildlife Ambassadors are so fun to learn about and visit with during our Admission Free months, but our Wildlife Education Center will be closed periodically throughout the day for routine cleaning and feeding, school trips, and to give our Ambassadors breaks to recharge their social battery. We hope you will come meet them, but recommend calling ahead to see if the Wildlife Education Center will be open, or visiting us in the afternoon! #AdmissionFreeAugust #FreeAdmission #GetOutside #Free #Nature #Outdoors #NatureForAll #EarthDay #FamilyFun #NatureCenter #Wildlife #Trails #Hike #Farm #Accessible #Community #Environment #Explore #Adventure Image Description: Over a background of wildflowers there is large text that reads 'Admission Free August Thursday, August 1st through Saturday, August 31st.' Above this text there is the Blandford Nature Center logo and the Meijer logo.

Thank you to our Service Group of the Summer Quarter: Eenhoorn LLC Eenhoorn, LLC continues to support Blandford in many ways each year. This year, Eenhoorn helped us prepare the Children’s Garden at the Blandford Farm ahead of the busy Summer Season! In addition to volunteering, Eenhoorn also sponsored our Summer Solstice event, helping us provide the community with an evening of ambient music in nature. We are very grateful for wonderful volunteer groups like Eenhoorn that continue to show up and support our mission! #ThankfulThursday #Volunteer #Volunteering #Nature #Garden #Gardening #Nonprofit Image Description: Eenhoorn volunteers standing outside at the Blandford Farm.

Thank you to our July Volunteer of the Month: Amy Hartzell! Amy volunteers with our Wildlife Team and assists in preparing meals, cleaning enclosures, and providing enrichment for our Wildlife Ambassadors. We are so grateful for all of her support as we work to engage our community through enriching experiences in nature. Thank you for all that you do for Blandford, Amy! #VolunteerOfTheMonth #Volunteer #ThankfulThursday #Volunteering #Nature #NatureCenter #OutdoorEducation #Environment #Nonprofit #Wildlife #Stewardship Image Description: Amy standing in our Wildlife Education Center.

Thank you to the wonderful team from Oliver Packaging and Equipment Company that volunteered with us at The Blandford Farm! This great group of volunteers helped us weed beds of of celery and Swiss chard, a task that is so crucial to the success of our farm! We are so thankful for groups like Oliver Quality! #ThankfulThursday #Volunteer #Volunteering #Nature #Garden #Gardening #Nonprofit Image Description: Oliver Quality volunteers stand together outside.

Thank you to the awesome group of volunteers from LMCU who helped us weed beds of leeks, celery and parsley at The Blandford Farm! This group worked diligently through the heat to help us accomplish this task that is so crucial to the success of our farm! We are so grateful for the continued support from LMCU in the many ways they help us further our mission! Thank you volunteers! #ThankfulThursday #Volunteer #Volunteering #Nature #Garden #Gardening #Nonprofit Image Description: LMCCU volunteers stand together outside.

Thank you to the wonderful volunteers from MATHISON | MATHISON ARCHITECTS who helped to plant and mulch Isla's garden, and weed at The Blandford Farm! We are so grateful for their hard work. It is because of volunteer groups like Mathison Architects that we are able to continue providing healthy food options to our community. Thank you volunteers! #ThankfulThursday #Volunteer #Volunteering #Nature #Garden #Gardening #Nonprofit Image Descriptions: Mathison Architects volunteers standing outside at the Blandford Farm.

Thank you to our June Volunteer of the Month: Calla Heald! Calla is a weekly illustrations volunteer, and she just completed the design that will be featured on the 2024 Summer Camp t-shirts! Next up she'll be helping us with screen-print designs for an upcoming event! We are so grateful for all of her support as we work to engage our community through enriching experiences in nature. Thank you for all that you do for Blandford, Calla! #VolunteerOfTheMonth #Volunteer #ThankfulThursday #Volunteering #Nature #NatureCenter #OutdoorEducation #Environment #Nonprofit #Wildlife #Stewardship Image Description: Calla is outside holding up a t-shirt with her illustration.

During the month of June, we are partnering with the Lakeshore Museum Center to offer a membership swap! Bring your Blandford Membership Card with you to visit the Lakeshore Museum Center for FREE during the month of June. Lakeshore Museum Center members will receive free admission to Blandford's facilities and trails as well as discounts on membership and gift shop purchases. #MembershipSwap #Membership #Museum #NatureCenter #Nature #Outdoors #Learn #FamilyFun #Free #FreeAdmission #History #GetOutside #Discounts Image Description: The outside of the Holland Museum is shown with the Blandford Nature Center logo and Holland Museum logo beneath it. At the bottom of the image there is text that reads 'March Membership Swap'.

We'd like to give a big congratulations to the 2024 winners of the Mary Jane Dockeray Scholarship, named in honor of the founder of Blandford Nature Center: Paige Schuiling and Sophie Meyer! This scholarship, administered by Grand Valley State University is open to all West Michigan Students who intend to pursue a career in science at any 2- or 4-year college or university. Recipients are selected on the basis of academic achievements and potential for succeeding in a career in science. About Paige: Paige is from Jenison High School and plans to attend the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor to study Environmental Science. About Sophie: Sophie is from City Middle-High School and plans to attend Michigan Technological University to study Forestry. Good luck Paige and Sophie! We wish you both a bright future in your college careers! #MaryJaneDockeray #Scholarship #ScholarshipWinners #STEM Image Description: A photo of Paige and a photo of Sophie with text over the images that reads "Congratulations! Mary Jane Dockeray Scholarship Winners".

Our first Farm Work Day of the season is TOMORROW, May 31st at 10am! If you've been wanting to become more involved at the Blandford Farm, now is a great chance for you to come and get your hands dirty. We have several dates throughout the summer, so we hope to see you there! Please Note: This opportunity is for individuals 18+. If you are under 18 and interested in getting involved with our farm projects, check out our Youth Stewardship Work Days! Learn more and register here: https://loom.ly/PZEQCK4 #Farm #Volunteer #FarmVolunteer #Farming #VolunteerOpportunity Image Descriptions: Volunteers working outside at the farm.