A pond at the Johnson Nature Center. Photo courtesy of Johnson Nature Center.
The Johnson Nature Center in Bloomfield Township is raising money to buy adjacent land to expand its program and keep the land out of the hands of developers.
The nature center, located at 3325 Franklin Road, is owned and operated by Bloomfield Hills Schools.
Friends of the Johnson Nature Center is actively engaged in efforts to purchase 3.76 acres of undeveloped land located at 3115 Franklin Road.
The property has stream frontage along a tributary of the Rouge River, allowing for trail expansion and greater access to water quality testing for K-12 students, said Nature Center Director Alan Jarosz. It is said to become.
He said preventing land development would help protect the Rouge River basin.
The Nature Center and its Friends group may benefit from matching grants available from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund to fund land acquisition.
“Based on the current list price of the land, Bloomfield Hills School, in collaboration with our partner organization Friends of the Johnson Nature Center, is seeking $300,000 in matching funds to qualify for the grant. . $50,000 has already been raised,” Yaros said in an email.
“If the project is approved and funding is raised, this acquisition will increase reserve land by almost 10%,” he said.
“Johnson Nature Center is one of the few facilities in Bloomfield Township and the City of Bloomfield Hills where casual outdoor experiences are publicly available. Without an organized parks department, the community is unable to provide leisure, health, and wellness services. We depend on this Bloomfield Hills School Reserve.”
A group of friends is hosting a Forest to Table Walk Dinner fundraiser at the Nature Center. Tickets are $200 and are still available for the event on Saturday, September 9th.
Dinners will feature edible ingredients from native and exotic species, and chefs will create dishes that make use of plants that are often seen as “something to be eliminated,” Jaros said. .
See below for more information about the dinner and nature center. johnsonnaturecenter.org.
