Community Projects

If you like to be outdoors and work with plants, volunteering on Community Projects is a way to get hands-on experience with various native plant projects and get to know fellow Wild Ones enthusiasts.  Work days occur in Spring, Summer, and Fall at various locations in Kalamazoo.  Each work day is about a 2 hour commitment.

The objectives of these projects include 1) providing better resources for wildlife in degraded public spaces, 2) helping to improve water quality in some of the city’s wetlands, ponds and streams,  3) making the beauty of native plants visible in areas frequented by many people, and 4) promoting the name and vision of Wild Ones in the community.

For more information on how you can get involved, or to be notified by email of upcoming sessions, email Paul Olexia. The schedule for this year’s work days is below.

2024 Work Day Schedule

Date	Day	Time	Location	Task
April 24	Wednesday	2-4pm	Glen Park2	Prep for new plants and transplant
May 22	Wednesday	2-4pm	Glen Park2	New plants
May 31	Friday	2-4pm	Tom & Ruth’s house4	Plant Exchange prep
June 14	Friday	10am-noon	Northglade school3	Plant and clean up
June 26	Wednesday	10am-noon	KPS5	Clean up, weed, new plants
August 16	Friday	10am – noon	Axtell  Creek1	Purple loosestrife
August 21	Wednesday	10am-noon	Northglade school3	Weed and clean up
Sept. 4	Wednesday	10am-noon	KPS5	Weed and clean up
Sept. 13	Friday	2-4pm	Glen Park2	Weed and clean up

¹Axtell Creek (at Howard St. and Crosstown Parkway – MAP)  Park at Montessori School Building; access from Howard St. with permission, or east across Crosstown Parkway in the commercial parking lot). The main thing we currently do along Axtell Creek, downstream (east and northeast) from Howard St.  is to try to control the purple loosestrife which is rather dense.  We have introduced beetles there but they don’t seem to be  thriving, although there are some remaining as of last year.  Our major activity involves cutting off the flowering heads of purple loosestrife to try to reduce seed production and encourage some native species such as button bush, nine bark, and swamp milkweed to compete with the loosestrife. Volunteer and learn about native wetlands, and how to identify invasive species.

²Glen Park (Kensington Ave – MAP).  Glen Park is a small “pocket park”.  It can be accessed by heading west on Parkview Ave. from Oakland Drive. At approximately 1 mile, Broadway Ave. heads to the north off of Parkview.  Turn right on to Broadway and at the first intersection turn left and then left again to get on to Kensington Ave.  There is a sign for the park on the left side of Kensington. It can also be accessed through the Winchell neighborhood (consult the MAP link). Volunteer and learn about native plants, invasive species and site restoration.

³Northglade Montesorri Magnet School (1914 Cobb Ave – MAP). North off of Patterson, just west of N. Westnedge. Volunteer and learn about native plant installation and site maintenance.

⁴Tom & Ruth Small’s Gardens (2502 Waite Ave, Kalamazoo – MAP): Volunteer and help us get ready for the annual Spring Plant Exchange

⁵KPS – Kalamazoo Public Schools Administration Building (1220 Howard St, Kalamazoo | MAP): In 2013, with the assistance of the Kalamazoo Public Schools we established a new planting of native prairie and savanna plants.  Since then we have worked regularly to control invasive alien species as well as some natives that readily self-seed. We also add new plants as openings allow. Volunteer and learn about native plants, invasive species and how to maintain native plantings.

Others: On occasion we have collaborated with other organizations and with some local businesses, schools (El Sol, Montessori School) and churches. We believe strongly that a major way we can impact this community is through plantings in places that show off the beauty of native plants and inform the public of their importance.

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Heartfelt gratitude to our wonderful volunteers

Our volunteers who do vital work on community projects and plant exchanges to help spread the word about native plants and make our work and our mission more visible in the community.

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