Engaging the Community at CMERC

CMERC Binoculars.JPGWe have an expansive definition of community relative to CMERC that includes MSU educators, researchers, students, agency partners, and Native and Indigenous populations from across Michigan. The center is open to the public and is used by members of the community for wildlife watching, cross-country skiing, photography, and walking. Our goal is to build and continue to strengthen relationships with community members. CMERC aims to be a welcoming site that strives to meet the needs of those who want to engage with the broad resources and knowledge creation that CMERC has to offer. 

Since 2018, community activities at CMERC have spanned multiple areas including:

  • Site for MSU Extension programs (e.g., Conservation Stewards, Master Naturalists, Master Gardener, 4-H camps)
  • Community science participation (e.g., citizen science, eBird, BioBlitz, iNaturalist)
  • Development of an oral history interpretive trail that explores CMERC’s agricultural past 
  • Creation of more ADA-accessible trails and an accessible bird banding station
  • Site for community field trips for local clubs, youth scouting programs, and senior living facilities 

 

Request to Host Community Activity at CMERC

Volunteer at CMERC

Outreach Projects

 

BioBlitz Citizen Science Project

Units/Collaborators: MSU Science Festival, MSU Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, MSU Extension

Timeline: 2018 – present

Herp Team Frog Crop.jpgDescription: BioBlitz is a periodic event where scientists and the general public work together to survey an area in an attempt to record all the living species there. Our most recent BioBlitz occurred in spring 2024. More than 500 species have been detected thus far, including plants, insects, birds, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and more! Results from BioBlitz are used to help facilitate long-term research planning at CMERC.

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