New signs on the trails!

The Sanctuary is excited to share new trail maps and interpretive signs with our visitors! Thanks to a $5,000 grant from the Kalamazoo River Community Recreational Foundation we were able to create 2 new interpretive signs, an updated welcome sign, 5 updated trail maps on the main paved path, and 4 way-finding maps on the Lake Loop and Bluebird Trails!

Our main Welcome sign was updated with artwork from Amelia Hansen. In picture: Lisa Duke (Sanctuary Manager), Malik Sankofa (Environmental Education Intern) and Abby Branstetter (Environmental Education Intern)

The alternative turf grass sign explains the two turf demonstrations that were installed last year at the main entrance of the Sanctuary during a major renovation of the gardens.  One lawn is of tall fescue and the other lawn is a mix of short fescues.  Both lawns require much less watering and fertilization compared to a traditional Kentucky Bluegrass lawn and the sign explains why that is important.  Thank you to Amelia Hansen for the beautiful artwork, Stu Bassett our KBS grounds manager and Ben Yost of Farm ‘N Garden for their editing expertise.  

The bee spiral sign explains the purpose of the structure that was built for ground-nesting bees during the 2016 pollinator workshop held at the Sanctuary.  70% of bee species are ground nesters.  The bee spiral was constructed as an experiment in providing these important pollinators a location to nest that is out of human traffic areas and safe for people and bees alike.  Thank you to Heather Holm for her expertise and for the use of her photos for this sign.  Heather’s beautiful and informative books on native plants and pollinators are for sale in the Sanctuary Resource Center!

The Sanctuary is proud to offer over 3 miles of paved and unpaved trails!  The trail maps that were installed in 2012 were updated to include our expansion efforts!  You can see them along the main paved path.

Four wayfinding maps were installed along the Lake Loop and Bluebird Trails to improve visitor navigation.  In this picture: Malik Sankofa (Environmental Education Intern) and Abby Branstetter (Environmental Education Intern) install a sign post.

This project could not have been completed without the graphic design work of Mary Robertson, a multi-talented volunteer.  Mary donated over 28 hours of her time in the creation of these signs.  We are very excited to have these new signs up for our visitors to enjoy!