Newaygo Conservation District

06/14/2026

Session 2, Knee-high Naturalist program at Kropscott Farm Environmental Center is now open for registration!

🧭Registration for session 2 is now open!
📣Use code July15 to access the $15 scholarship, making this 2-day, 2-hours per day July session an affordable $10 total!
✨Only 10 scholarships, and 10 spots open for session 2!

🙋🏻‍♀️👧🏽🙋🏽‍♂️ Knee-high Naturalists is a program for children ages 3-7, with an attending adult. Adults are welcome to enjoy right alongside their naturalist or they may explore the property for a little respite and rejuvenation if their naturalist is independent with toileting. If you have an older child, they are welcome to tag along with you to explore.

✅Tip- when registration asks for a % fee, you can click the dropdown arrow and change it to $0 to avoid the fee.
https://www.newaygocd.org/events.html

Newaygo Conservation District is an independent unit of state government which has a philosophy and commitment to the stewardship and conservation of the environment. The NCD consults with landowners...

06/10/2026

📣 In August, NCD will be releasing some plans for a planting project of 2,000 tree, shrub, and native plants!

🌿Are you a property owner interested in our cost-share model?

🙋🏽‍♂️Comment, "PICK MY LAND" if you have some planting projects you've been looking to fund, but may need some support with funding and/or technical expertise on native species. When we begin to plan and reach out to land owners, we'll remember those who commented on this post.

06/09/2026

As you gear up to hit the trails through Newaygo County, please remember to PlayCleanGo. Invasive species travel in and out of our county via bike tire, boat, and camper traffic. If you are enjoying the Dragon Trail, keep in mind that all that fun does come at a price to your natural resources. Doing your part as an outdoor adventure-seeker, means you clean your tires after your trip or as you make the crossover from Newaygo to Mecosta and vice versa. Take a moment to read this quick educational info to understand how trail traffic impacts resources such as fish and wildlife.

Protect the places you love during PlayCleanGo Awareness Week, June 6-13 Michigan Department of Natural Resources sent this bulletin at 06/08/2026 12:58 PM EDT Share or view as webpage | Update preferences News Release June 8, 2026Contact: Joanne Foreman, 517-284-5814 Protect the places you love dur...

06/06/2026

WOOD you like an exemption on certain taxes?​

Don't forget to enroll your private forestland in MDARD's Qualified Forest Program. Application materials must be submitted by September 1, 2026 for the 2027 tax year.​

See the comment below for more information.

06/05/2026

👧🏽🌿Session 1- Knee-high Naturalists is SOLD OUT!

🐦Session 2- Registration opens soon!

🔬Summer Science Daytime Retreat- 2 spots and scholarships left!
✨Use SUMMER100 code at checkout!
💵$100 scholarship, making this an affordable $25 for your 8-12 year old.

https://www.newaygocd.org/events.html

Newaygo Conservation District is an independent unit of state government which has a philosophy and commitment to the stewardship and conservation of the environment. The NCD consults with landowners...

06/05/2026

As we wrap up the busier season of May student trips at Kropscott Farm Environmental Center, and head into the summer S. F. Wessling Observatory schedule, Knee-high Naturalists, and Summer Science Youth Retreat, we pause to celebrate how the Newaygo Conservation District continues to grow in volunteers and staff!

Thank you to all our community and neighboring community members for your commitment to the conservation of natural resource education and outreach!

06/02/2026

Registration is open through River Country Chamber of Commerce of Newaygo County! Join the networking social, hosted at Kropscott Farm Environmental Center. Make connections, enjoy the land, and catch a peek of the new visitor's center opening at Kropscott!

Join Fremont Area Chamber, Howard City Area Chamber and River Country Chamber of Commerce as they host a collaborative networking experience for you that isn’t just about exchanging business cards. It’s about building real relationships that open doors to new ideas, opportunities, and collaborat...

06/01/2026

✨WOW✨
🧭7 days posted
🎟️Only 7 spots & scholarships left!
🌱🙋🏽‍♂️👧🏽🙋🏻‍♀️ Snag yours before we're sold out in the next 7 days!

We've been waiting to release this new opportunity right here in Newaygo County! Thanks to The Ge**er Foundation & Fremont Area Community Foundation, Newaygo Conservation District will be launching the Knee-high Naturalist program at Kropscott Farm Environmental Center!

🧭Registration for session 1 opens tomorrow at 9:00 a.m.

📣Use code June15 to access the $15 scholarship, making this 2-day, 2-hours per day June session an affordable $10 total!

✨Only 15 scholarships, and 20 spots open for session 1!

🙋🏻‍♀️👧🏽🙋🏽‍♂️ Knee-high Naturalists is a program for children ages 3-7, with an attending adult. Adults are welcome to enjoy right alongside their naturalist or they may explore the property for a little respite and rejuvenation. If you have an older child, they are welcome to tag along with you to explore.

✅Tip- when registration asks for a % fee, you can click the dropdown arrow and change it to $0 to avoid the fee.
https://www.newaygocd.org/events.html

05/31/2026

May was packed full with student trips at Kropscott Farm Environmental Center, owned and operated by Newaygo Conservation District. Here's a little sneak peek of the fun we had with honey at the Apiary with 110+ kindergarteners! Huge thank you to the bee club for some impromptu education while they were updating the apiary & Great Lakes Bee Company for supplying some local honey and comb for the tasting + viewing from our Newaygo Conservation District staff!

05/31/2026

On Wednesday, May 13, a group of NMS 6th-8th grade science students visited and enjoyed a wagon ride; learned about the unique features and species of a vernal pool with a hike along our ADA trail; dissected owl pellets and viewed a variety of specimens under microscopes; learned about the survival strategies of birds and engaged in a Bird Survivor game; and completed water quality tests at our forest stream.

The pics below are students being delivered to the ADA trail via wagon ride, for the vernal pool session and hike along the ADA trail.