SEEDS

09/02/2026

A sustainable trail isn’t just a path through the woods it’s a carefully designed feature of the landscape.

EcoCorps crews worked alongside the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy to build and improve trails with long-term sustainability in mind. Good trail design considers drainage, slope, soil conditions, erosion, and how people will actually use the trail.

One of the biggest advantages of this approach is working with the materials already available creating a trail that fits naturally into its surroundings.

The amount of work that goes into a trail can be surprising. With the right tools, techniques, and a well trained crew, one person can construct roughly 20 feet of trail in an hour from moving and shaping soil to creating a durable walking surface.

It may look like a simple path when you’re finished, but a sustainable trail is the result of thoughtful design, hard work and skilled crews.

08/30/2026

Taking a little time to compost turns your waste from a negative into a big positive for your garden and the environment. If you're ready to get your hands dirty, join us September 14-18 for one of our free Northern Michigan Compost Crawl events to learn more.

Plan Your Compost Crawl: https://ecoseeds.org/northern-michigan-compost-crawl-2026/

08/28/2026

Composting is one of the easiest ways to make a big impact on our environment, and starting September 14, SEEDS and our partner organizations will help you get educated and have fun with composting during the 2026 Northern Michigan Compost Crawl!

Part of the Michigan Organics Council's Great Michigan Compost Tour, this weeklong series of free tours, demonstrations, and hands-on experiences has something for everyone, no matter your age or experience level.

Plan your Compost Crawl today at ecoseeds.org/northern-michigan-compost-crawl-2026/

08/23/2026

Turning One Tree Into a Lot More

What happens when a tree that might have been discarded gets a second chance?

At SEEDS, EcoCorps rescued this white oak from becoming firewood or being thrown away. We milled it into live edge boards, dried the lumber, and are now turning it into useful products for the community.

Along the way, our crew is building real woodworking skills while keeping the carbon stored in the wood for much longer than if it had simply been burned or discarded.

And we try not to waste the waste. Even the wood shavings and sawdust can find a second life as a carbon rich material in our composting program.

One tree. Lumber, skills, community projects, and compost.

Turns out a tree can have quite the second career.

08/19/2026

Meet the Slippery Jack Mushroom (Suillus spp.)

Found in Michigan forests, Slippery Jacks are easy to recognize by their sticky, slimy caps and sponge-like pores instead of gills. These mushrooms form important partnerships with pine trees through mycorrhizal relationships, helping trees take in nutrients and water while receiving energy in return.

While they may not be the most glamorous mushroom in the woods, Slippery Jacks play an important role in forest ecosystems by supporting healthy soil, nutrient cycling, and the hidden connections beneath our feet.

08/16/2026

Michigan's oak savannas are habitats that need active management to stay open and healthy.

By removing encroaching trees and shrubs, we can restore the grasses, wildflowers, and wild lupine that support wildlife like the endangered Karner blue butterfly.

08/11/2026

Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis)

With its brilliant red blooms, Cardinal Flower is a great native wildflower to attract native pollinators. Blooming from mid to late summer, it provides a valuable nectar source when many other flowers begin to fade. This vibrant native thrives in moist soils and supports butterflies, hummingbirds and other important pollinators.

08/06/2026

08/03/2026

🌱 A few clicks can help SEEDS grow thousands of dollars in community support!

Thanks to Oryana shoppers, more than $11,000 was raised this year supporting SEEDS programs through Groceries for Good. Now, we need your help to be nominated again!

Visit the link below, scroll down to the nomination form, and enter SEEDS Ecology & Education Centers.

👉 https://oryana.coop/community/groceries-for-good/

Your nomination can help create more opportunities for young people, strengthen our community, and care for the places and land we all call home. Please nominate SEEDS today—and share this post so others can too! 🌿

Groceries For Good Making Change, One Generous Shopper at a Time One of Oryana Community Co-op’s core missions is to support the non-profit organizations in Traverse City and across northern Michigan, driving real change. Every month, we feature a local 501(c)(3) non-profit to receive donations fr...