Les Cheneaux welcomes you to celebrate the legacy of Aldo Leopold — one of America’s most influential naturalists — during our festival. Activities include paddling excursions, orchid and wildflower tours, birding trips, presentations, and many other nature-based activities. Experience the woods and water that formed Leopold’s early impressions of the natural world as we honor the mark he made on conservation and the environment.

Schedule:

Wednesday, May 29, 2024

8:00 AM - 2:00 PM
North Country Trail Hike
Adventure Tour
North Country Trail

8:00 AM - 3:00 PM
A Day in da Woods
Adventure Tour
Start at Hessel School House

8:40 AM - 1:00 PM
Tour of Drummond Island's Maxton Plains Alvar
Adventure Tour
Drummond Island, MI

9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Eyes on the Forest: Michigan Sentinel Tree Project
Adventure Tour
Hessel School House

9:00 AM - 1:30 PM
Les Cheneaux Sense of Place Tour
Adventure Tour
Starts at Hessel School House.

9:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Carmeuse Quarry and Gerstacker Preserve Tour
Adventure Tour
Meet at Cedarville High School and bus to locations.

4:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Adventure Tour
Smartphone Photography Workshop
Hessel School House

Thursday, May 30, 2024

5:30 AM-10:00 AM
Birding By Ear
Birding Tours
Hessel School House

7:30 AM-10:30 AM
Birding the Woollam Preserve
Birding Tours
Woollam Preserve, Cedarville, MI

8:00 AM-11:00 AM
Lovable Lichens and Mosses
Nature Hike
Hessel School House

8:30 AM-10:00 AM
Birding 101 with Elliot Nelson
Indoor Presentation
Hessel School House

8:30 AM-11:30 AM
Carnivorous Plants
Nature Hike
Hessel School House

8:30 AM-11:30 AM
Orchid and Wildflowers
Nature Hike
Hessel School House

9:00 AM-12:00 PM
Discovering the Mertaugh Preserve
Nature Hike
Hessel School House

9:00 AM-12:00 PM
Nature Journaling
Art Classes
Hessel School House

1:30 PM-3:00 PM
Bird Songs Game Show
Indoor Presentation
Hessel School House

1:30 PM-5:30 PM
Ferns of the Niagara Escarpment and Beyond
Nature Hike
Hessel School House

2:00 PM 5:00 PM
Carnivorous Plants
Nature Hike
Hessel School House

2:00 PM 5:00 PM
Foraging for Wild Herbs
Foraging Workshops
Hessel School House

2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Hiking the Derby Preserve
Nature Hike
Hessel School House

2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Loveable Lichen and Mosses
Nature Hike
Hessel School House

4:00 PM-5:30 PM
Intro to Plant ID
Indoor Presentation
Hessel School House

7:00 PM-8:30 PM
Aldo Leopold in the Les Cheneaux
Indoor Presentation
Hessel School House

7:00 PM - 9:30 PM
Birding the Grasslands and Munuscong Potholes
Birding Tours
Hessel School House

Friday, May 31, 2024

5:30 AM-10:00 AM
Secretive Marsh Birds
Birding Tours
Hessel School House

7:00 AM-11:00 AM
Birding the Woollam Preserve
Birding Tours
Hessel School House

7:00 AM-11:00 AM
Flora of Northern Fens and Adjacent Conifer Swamps
Nature Hike
Hessel School House

7:45 AM-12:30 PM
Exploring Aldo's Paddlestrokes
Adventure Tour
Woods andamp; amp; Waters

8:00 AM-11:00 AM
Stream Ecology
Nature Hike
Hessel School House

8:00 AM-12:00 PM
Wetland Birds of Munuscong Bay
Birding Tours
Hessel School House

8:00 AM-1:00 PM
Tour of the Fiborn Karst
Adventure Tour
Hessel School House

8:15 AM-11:15 AM
Orchids and Wildflowers
Nature Hike
Hessel School House

8:30 AM-12:00 PM
Piping Plover Research
Birding Tours
Hessel School House

9:00 AM-12:00 PM
Intro to Foraging Wild Mushrooms
Foraging Workshops
Hessel School House

10:00 AM-12:00 PM
The Sound of Nature: Sound Meditation and Bird Feeder Building
Art Classes
Snows Heritage Park, 207 Ν. Blindline Rd., Cedarville, MI 49719

1:00 PM-4:00 PM
Foraging for Wild Herbs
Foraging Workshops
Hessel School House

1:30 PM-5:00 PM
Visiting the Dwarf Lake Iris at Beavertail Point
Nature Hike
Hessel School House

1:30 PM-5:30 PM
Ferns of the Niagara Escarpment and Beyond
Nature Hike
Hessel School House

2:00 PM-4:00 PM
Natural Inventories on Great Lakes Islands
Indoor Presentation
Hessel School House

2:00 PM-5:00 PM
Carnivorous Plants
Nature Hike
Hessel School House

2:00 PM-5:00 PM
Hammering Blooms
Art Classes
Snows Heritage Park, 207 Ν. Blindline Rd., Cedarville, MI 49719

2:00 PM-5:00 PM
Lovable Lichens and Mosses
Nature Hike
Hessel School House

7:00 PM-8:30 PM
A Sand County Almanac at 75: Stories Behind Aldo Leopold's Masterwork
Indoor Presentation
Hessel School House

7:00 PM-9:30 PM
Birding the Grasslands and Munuscong Potholes
Meet in Pickford and caravan to location

7:00 PM - 9:30 PM
Birding the Munuscong Potholes
Birding Tours
Hessel School House

Saturday, June 1, 2024

5:30 AM-10:00 AM
Birding By Ear
Birding Tours
Hessel School House

7:00 AM-10:00 AM
Birding the Gerstacker
Birding Tours
Hessel School House

7:00 AM-11:00 AM
Flora of Northern Fens and Adjacent Conifer Swamps
Nature Hike
Hessel School House

7:00 AM-11:00 AM
Wetland Birds of Munuscong Bay
Birding Tours
Hessel School House

7:30 AM-10:30 AM
Birding the Woollam Preserve
Birding Tours
Hessel School House

8:00 AM-11:00 AM
Orchids and Wildflowers
Nature Hike
Hessel School House

8:30 AM-10:00 AM
Unraveling Red-tailed Hawk Migration in the Mackinac Straits
Indoor Presentation
Hessel School House

9:00 AM-11:00 AM
Aldo, the Naturalist Map, and You
Art Classes
Snows Heritage Park, 207 Ν. Blindline Rd., Cedarville, MI 49719

9:00 AM-12:00 PM
Foraging Workshops
Hessel School House
Foraging Wild Herbs

9:00 AM-12:00 PM
Nature Journaling
Art Classes
Hessel School Houses

11:00 AM-12:30 PM
Intro to Plant ID
Indoor Presentation
Hessel School House

1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Local Bat Research
Indoor Presentation
Hessel School House

1:00 PM-3:00 PM
Nature Inspired Arts and Crafts
Art Classes
Hessel School House

1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Foraging for Wild Mushrooms
Foraging Workshops
Hessel School House

1:30 PM-5:30 PM
Ferns of the Niagara Escarpment and beyond
Nature Hike
Hessel School House

2:00 PM-5:00 PM
Exploring the Gerstacker Preserve
Nature Hike
Hessel School House

2:00 PM-5:00 PM
Foragers Watercolor Palette
Art Classes
Hessel School House

2:00 PM-5:00 PM
Precious Pollinators
Nature Hike
Hessel School House

3:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Bird Songs Game Show
Indoor Presentation
Hessel School House

5:30 PM-7:30 PM
Picnic on the Lawn
Indoor Presentation
Hessel School House

7:00 PM - 9:30 PM
Birding the Grasslands and Munuscong Potholes
Birding Tours
Hessel School House

Sunday, June 2, 2024

5:30 AM-10:00 AM
Secretive Marsh Birds
Birding Tours
Hessel School House

8:00 AM-11:00 AM
Orchids and Wildflowers
Nature Hike
Hessel School House

8:00 AM-11:00 AM
Wetland Birds of Munuscong Bay
Birding Tours
Hessel School House

8:00 AM-12:00 PM
Birding Les Cheneaux Hot Spots by Car
Birding Tours
Hessel School House

Date: May 29-June 2, 2024

Location: Various Towns in Michigan

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