Earth Week Plus Expo Northern Michigan

05/13/2026

Please join Cheboygan County 4-H for their annual silent auction fundraiser, the inaugural event scheduled at the Cheboygan County fairgrounds for this Saturday, May 16, from 12-2, before the Bump and Run.

05/04/2026

Raising Monarchs, with Heather Schupbach
June 23 @ 6:00 pm
Monarchs on Milkweed
Learn from a monarch butterfly expert how to raise them. Heather Schupbach has been raising monarchs for more than 30 years–since she was 4 years old—having learned how from her mom, who also raised them.

“It’s impossible to guess whether it will be a good year or low-number year for the

monarchs,” says Schupbach. “Some years I’ve had as few as 11-14. One year, though, I released 765—but it was a full-time, tough, crazy time.” The average number per year that Schupbach releases back into nature is about 200.

Schupbach says anyone can raise monarchs. Access to milkweed is the most critical resource, as monarch eggs are found only on the underside of milkweed leaves. Some areas have declined monarch populations because of climate change, pesticide use, and habitat loss. To attract monarchs, plant milkweed in your garden.

Monarch eggs can be found throughout the summer according to Schupbach. They generally hatch in 3 waves. The larvae feed exclusively on milkweed. The springtime eggs, found in late May to the first few days in June, do not live long enough, once they hatch, to migrate to Mexico. They can lay the eggs, however, that hatch the butterflies making the historic migration. Monarchs must migrate to survive freezing northern winters and the loss of their food source, milkweed. The butterflies that hatch late August will not mate and are the generation that migrates to Mexico and either begin or make the entire migration back north in the spring.

The program is an Earth Week Plus presentation. It is free and appropriate for all ages.

05/04/2026

"Not so Nice," Earthworm Invaders! Saturday, May 23, 2026, 10:00 AM
Join naturalist Eowyn Bates for a walk in the woods to learn why Earthworms are not helpful to the soil. Alpena State Road, on right before stream crossing. Watch for signs

Worms, they're good for your soil, right? As it turns out, that's not exactly true! In Michigan, and most of North America, ALL earthworms are invasive and are destroying our forests! During the Ice Age, glacial activity killed our native earthworms off completely, and in the thousands of years since, nature has adapted to their absence. Without worms, the leaves that fell from trees would build up over time, creating a thick layer called "duff." This could get quite deep, ranging from a foot to up to your knee!

Plants, animals, and fungi had all adapted to use this duff, which would hold moisture while providing shelter and food. However, when European settlers arrived in North America, they brought along their earthworms with them, and the invasive worms quickly spread from there.

Now, the duff has largely been destroyed. Seeds can't germinate, as they cannot handle being moved and rotated by worm activity. Animals have nowhere to hide, and mushrooms--such as morels--have lost their food source. Trees are weakening and dying without the duff covering their roots, which used to help hold in moisture and protect against predators. Forest fires have also become much more of a threat, as without the moisture provided by the duff, the forest floor dries out much more quickly, providing tinder.

In this field trip, we will explore two areas of Alpena State Road: one with worms, and one without. We will look at the plants and animals found in each and see the impact worms have had on the forest firsthand!

Caution, Alpena State Road is quite rough, so a strong vehicle with four-wheel-drive is recommended.

The program is an Earth Week Plus Adventure. It is free, and suitable for all ages. See the complete schedule at earthweekplus.org.

05/01/2026

Come join Eureka Explorers in this FREE! Nature themed activity tomorrow.

Tomorrow is adventure day at the Pigeon River Country Discovery Center! This FREE family friendly day includes
✅ Hiking Safety & Gear Workshop
✅ Bird & Tree Identification
✅ Map Reading & Trail Identification
✅ Enjoy a short hike and hands‑on exploration

🥾 Bring a sack lunch, water bottle, and weather‑ready gear. The sun will be out, but it will still be chilly!

🔗 A Quick Pre-Registration is requested so we have an accurate count on who is coming. 4-H members and public welcome!
https://events.anr.msu.edu/PigeonRiver/

Come explore Michigan’s wild side with us! 🍃🌿

Please note: The address for this adventure is 9984 Twin Lakes Rd, Vanderbilt, MI 49795 but GPS gets a little wonky right around there, so make sure you download your map!

04/24/2026

Looking for something to do tomorrow? Come visit us at the Cheboygan Area Public Library for Earth Week Plus Expo Northern Michigan's celebration of Earth Day!

There are many rooms with amazing activities to do and fun things to see and touch and learn, and one room is dedicated to 4-H. We've got games, robotics, earth day crowns, painting, planting a seed, making a worm bin, and MORE!

Come check us (and everyone else at Earth Day) out at the library Saturday April 25th from 10am to 2pm.

Hope to see you there!

04/22/2026

In celebration of Earth Day, you are cordially invited to join Earth Week Plus at the Cheboygan County Library on Saturday, April 25, from 10 am to 2 pm for an enjoyable day of Earth Day activities.

04/21/2026

Beach Cleanup with Nautical North Family Adventures, Sunday, May 17, 2026, 10am - 12pm, an Earth Week Plus Adventure


Celebrate our beautiful beaches by helping with a beach cleanup sponsored by Captain Jenn Dowker and the Nautical North Family Adventures team. The company operates the Glass Bottom Boat tour, and charter dive sessions, which depart from the Cheboygan River to see sunken ships from long ago.

Bring gloves and a bucket to check in at Gordon Turner Park on Sunday, May 17, at 10 am to help clean up 3 beach sites for an Earth Week Plus Adventure. The beaches for cleanups include Cheboygan City Beach, Duncan Bay Nature Preserve, and Cheboygan State Park. Divers will report to their assigned location on the Cheboygan River. All trash collected will be brought back to be weighed at Gordon Turner Park.

At noon, Meag Schwartz, a representative from “Great Lakes, Great Responsibility” will do a brief presentation about the types, amount, and impact of trash on our waterways. Following that, participants are invited for a hot dog and soda celebration in the park afterwards.

The beach cleanups are Earth Week Plus Adventures--supporting conservation and protection of the earth’s resources. All programs are free and appropriate for all ages.
See earthweekplus.org for the complete schedule of events.

04/21/2026

Saturday, May 16 10am
Walk in the Woods with naturalists Jim Bricker and Eowyn Bates, Saturday, May 16, 2026, 10am

Meet at Alpena State Rd., (follow Earth Week Plus signs) and take a walk through the field and forest with naturalists Jim Bricker and Eowyn Bates. Learn to identify wild edibles in the woods. See which mushrooms are safe to eat—and those that are not.

If we’re lucky, we might see the rare, but easily identified, delicate, Pink Lady ‘s Slipper wildflower. A member of the orchid family, it relies on a symbiotic relationship with soil fungi for germination, and does not transplant well, or propagate easily from seed. The plant can be deep pink to white and grows 6 to 15 inches tall, blooming from late spring to early summer.

We’ll also look for the showy Great blue lobelia, a hardy perennial native to North America. It’s generally 2-3 ft. tall, and grows in medium to wet rich, loamy soil.

Bricker, an expert on ornithology, will give tips on birdwatching and may point out a Blackburnian warbler, a small, migratory songbird. The male features a fiery orange throat, face, and breast, and has been seen in the nearby woods. It breeds in coniferous mixed forests, and prefers tall trees like spruce, fir and hemlock.

The Earth Week Plus program is free and suitable for all ages. Dress for the weather.
Full schedule for Earth Week Plus activities at earthweekplus.org.

04/21/2026

Guided Sturgeon Viewing and Hatchery Tour, Saturday, May 9, 11:00-2:00
An Earth Week Plus Adventure

The sturgeon family is the most primitive of all bony fish, dating back to the Cretaceous period more than 120 million years ago. It is believed that ancestors of sturgeon lived with the dinosaurs. While there are species of sturgeon worldwide, they are found only in the northern hemisphere.

See the magnificent, huge, prehistoric lake sturgeon in their natural Black River habitat as they migrate upstream to spawn. Watch the MSU research team net and tag sturgeon to monitor the adult population. Tour the sturgeon hatchery and see them growing in huge tanks--until they are large enough to release into the lakes and streams. Learn about ongoing collaborative efforts that continue to restore and rehabilitate the iconic lake sturgeon.

Jay Woiderski, president of Sturgeon for Tomorrow guides participants along the Black River to view the sturgeon. He explains what is being done to protect them. Following the riverbank experience, participants will visit the nearby sturgeon hatchery to see larval lake sturgeon. Sturgeon for Tomorrow assists fisheries managers in the rehabilitation of this prehistoric fish.

The tour is limited. Pre-registration is required. To save your spot, register at www.sturgeonfortomorrow.org and click on Events to register.

The tour is free, and suitable for all ages, sponsored by Earth Week Plus. To see the complete Earth Week Plus schedule, visit earthweekplus.org.

04/20/2026

Come join us for Earth Day at Cheboygan Area Library.

Yes, the library is OPEN today, Monday, April 20th, 2026. We are so delighted to open our doors today!

We are celebrating volunteers all this week, and today we're spotlighting the folks from Earth Week Plus and the many organizations they bring together every year to put on the Earth Week Expo. There will be activities, crafts, games, live animals, and more to explore here at the library this Saturday, April 25th, and it is all brought to us by community members. Volunteers truly make the difference!

Flood conditions continue in Cheboygan today, and we are likely to remain in evacuation readiness status all week. Flood waters continue to move their way through our community, and roads continue to be closed. While the Flood Warning is now set to expire tomorrow evening, it will take a while for levels to lower significantly. We will do our best to help you stay alert and informed.

Our hearts go out to our neighbors whose homes and businesses are under water. Disaster relief opportunities are featured in our story today. The newest updates from officials are available on the Cheboygan County Sheriff Office page. Contact local organizations if you, too, would like to volunteer.

While National Volunteer week begins today, volunteers make our world better *every* day. Thank you, volunteers!