Join us May 11 for our Birding Big Sit at North Point Nature Preserve. 

Located just east of Alpena, this preserve is home to almost 1,400 acres of forested wetlands, four miles of undeveloped shoreline and rare ecosystems found only along the Great Lakes. With Thunder Bay to the south and Misery Bay to the north, this rugged peninsula is an optimal location for spotting birds during spring migration. Public access to North Point Nature Preserve is permitted only during guided events like this one.

This event is open to people of all levels of birding and outdoor experience, and experts will be on site to help fledgling birders build their skill. Participants will meet at the NOAA Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center before caravaning out to the preserve. Attendees will be in groups and spread out to different locations around the preserve to document the birds they see and hear.

Event partners include Friends of Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, Thunder Bay Audubon Society and Spencer High, conservationist, wildlife educator and owner of Querkus Creative Consulting who hosts regular summer birding outings in the Grand Rapids area.

For transportation reasons, we ask that all participants register by Monday, May 6th.

We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals to engage fully. It is a priority for Huron Pines to ensure that our communications and programming are available and accessible to everyone. Please contact maddie@huronpines.org if you have any questions about accessibility or believe barriers remain.

We recognize that accessibility is not always possible in every area of our work. Our efforts are ongoing. Through a commitment to continued learning and understanding, we will strengthen our awareness of the barriers and inequities that exist at the individual and community levels, in order to advance more equitable opportunities to experience the outdoors in our region.

Huron Pines is leading the effort to inspire lakeshore communities in Michigan to join the Lake Huron Forever initiative. Projects like land protection and community engagement serve to activate collaboration and partnerships to sustain a healthy Lake Huron. The Lake Huron Forever initiative is supported by Bay Area Community Foundation, Community Foundation for Northeast Michigan, Community Foundation Grey Bruce, Consumers Energy Foundation and Saginaw Bay Watershed Initiative Network. Financial assistance for this project is also provided by the Michigan Coastal Management Program, Water Resources Division, EGLE, with funding through the National Coastal Zone Management Program.

This event is part of our Protect Wild Places program, supported by the Consumers Energy Foundation, which is working to empower Michigan communities to support the land and water to restore 5,000 acres of wildlife habitat and recreational land, and 150 miles of waterways and Great Lakes shoreline.