Wildlife Weekend 2024

On February 9-11, 2024, enjoy one of three workshop strands, details below. Activities begin in the evening on Friday and conclude Sunday at noon. Invite a friend, these workshops are for everyone, not just educators. If you will be attending the DNR’s Nature Center Summit on that Friday, consider staying the weekend for Wildlife Weekend. 

Strand options:  

Strand One:  Snowshoe Making 101 

Enjoy Michigan winters with a pair of snowshoes that YOU make yourself. Craig Kasmer, Interpreter at Hartwick Pines State Park, has been offering amazing snowshoe workshops for many years but this one includes an opportunity to go snowshoeing at one of Michigan’s favorite state parks. Additional Fee for snowshoes/lacing/ bindings: $180

Strand Two:  Geology Potpourri

The RAM’s almost Geologist In Residence, Steve Tchozeski, will take you on a billion year timeline. Learn how Native Americans in the Great Lakes region used and traded rocks and minerals. Go on a simulated Arkansas quartz dig, dig for fossils as well, and learn the finer art of jewelry making with the materials you have mined in class. Additional Fee for take-home supplies: $15

Strand Three:  Finding Your Way

Learning an exciting and efficient way to use a compass, test your skills with a course through the North woods and learn how maps and compasses are used together to prevent a navigational nightmare. This isn’t a 2-hour compass class, but a 10–12-hour exploration of true/magnetic North, using a map with a compass, how the Land Ordinance of 1785 shaped the world we live in today, how to write the legal description and much more. Optional Add-On: $35 to purchase a Silva Compass

*Choose only one strand per attendee when registering*

Lodging and Meal Fees:

Fees include six meals and two nights of lodging with an assigned roommate. Upgrade to a non-shared room for an additonal $50. 

MAEOE Member: $295

Non-Member: $345

Choose your to-be-developed special skill with Snowshoe Making, Geology Potpourri, or Finding Your Way with a compass. End each evening resting in front of the fire and making new friends, playing cards, drinking some winter libations, and soaking in that classic cabin feel of the RAM center.

If you have any questions about the event, email fraileyK@michigan.gov. For assistance with registration, email admin@maeoe.com