Community Calendar

Help us reach our goal of zero suicides!

We're fighting for a better future. For those affected by suicide. For open conversations about mental health. For prevention. We can't do that without you. Walk with us to prevent suicide.

Join us for the 13th annual Gryphon Place Suicide Prevention Walk on Saturday, September 19, 2026. The 5K cause-walk will raise awareness for suicide prevention, allow people to connect with each other, and provide critical funds for Gryphon Place. 100% of the community-raised dollars stay here in the community, supporting the local programs and services we offer.

Schedule:
8:30 AM Registration Opens + Resource Fair Begins
9:30 AM Panel Discussion Beings
10:00 AM Opening Remarks + Walk Begins
12:00 PM Walk + Resource Fair Ends

Come explore KNC on a guided hike through some of our favorite areas. Each month will feature a different trail, taking you through our greatest hits and best kept secrets. Dress appropriately for the weather and bring your best trail shoes! Hot tea will be provided- help us reduce waste by bringing your own travel mug.

Saturday, September 19, 2026, 2-3pm- Discover the Fern Valley Trail

Saturday, October 17, 2026, 2-3pm- Discover the Beech Maple Trail

Saturday, November 28, 2026, 2-3pm- Discover the Cooper’s Outlook Trail

Meet: Visitor Center

Fee: Included in regular KNC admission; KNC Members free!

Audience: All ages

KNC Free Admission Day
The Kalamazoo Nature Center has a number of free admission days throughout the year. We hope you’ll visit us! Become a KNC Member and enjoy free admission all year! Learn more >

Please note, the Visitor Center is closed on certain dates with trails open. Other free admission days may occur; check out the Calendar for details.

2026 Upcoming Free Admission Days:

National Public Lands Day: Sept. 26, 2026
Veterans Day: Nov. 11, 2026
Thanksgiving Day: November 26, 2026 (Trails open, Visitor Center is closed)
“Green Friday”: November 27, 2026 (Trails open, Visitor Center is closed)
Buy Local Art & Gift Fair: December 5, 2026
Christmas Eve: December 24, 2026 (Trails open, Visitor Center is closed)
Christmas Day: December 25, 2026 (Trails open, Visitor Center is closed)

Climate Change in Kalamazoo
Our land in Michigan is an ecological ark, a precious resource to protect against climate change. We’ll look at our climate from an incredibly local view, looking at our emissions and futures right here in Kalamazoo.

Saturday, September 26, 2026, 2-3pm

Meet: Cooper’s Glen Auditorium inside the Visitor Center

Fee: Included in regular KNC admission; KNC Members free!

Audience: All ages. Drop-in program!

Lea Sevigny of Joyful Wildcrafting is back, and continuing her series of traditional skills and foraged goods. This time, we’ll learn how to use common foraged fruits to make delicious jams and jellies, and even take home foraged jams to enjoy!

Please note- this program will be held at Heronwood Field Station, not our main campus.

Sunday, September 27, 2026, 2-4pm

Meet: Heronwood Field Station at 6378 Hart Dr, Kalamazoo, MI 49009

Fee: KNC Members $16; Non-Members $20

Please Register >

Audience: All ages

Nate Fuller, Sarett Nature Center Executive Director, will share the dynamic story of bird diversity at the nature center as habitats and climate conditions change. Sarett owns over 1,000 acres in southwest Michigan that includes a wide range of habitats from wet to dry and forested to open grassland.

Sarett staff and volunteers have been documenting its wildlife diversity, especially birds, for over 50 years. Learn how fluctuating water levels are impacting prothonotary warblers while habitat restoration is helping American kestrels and Eastern bluebirds. Sarett staff are witnessing northern range shifts of historically southern species like yellow-breasted chats, white-eyed vireos, and blue grosbeaks while species like common ravens and red-shouldered hawks recover historic breeding ranges. And what is the deal with fish crows? We will schedule a field trip to Sarett in the fall.

Nate Fuller is the Executive Director of Sarett Nature Center. He first worked at Sarett as a naturalist from 1995 to 2001 before returning as director in 2019. In between times working at Sarett he was the Conservation and Stewardship Director for Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy. In that role he worked to establish public natural areas and restore wildlife habitat across nine counties of southwest Michigan. Nate received a bachelor’s degree in biology from Northland College in Ashland, Wisconsin and a master’s degree in geography with an emphasis in environmental and resource analysis from Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo.

We hope you'll join us on Monday, September 28th, at People's Church, 1758 North 10th Street, Kalamazoo. This program is geared to all audiences, and we enthusiastically invite families and nature lovers of any age to join us! Come at 6:30 PM (new time) for some refreshments and socializing. Snacks and beverages will be provided. It's helpful if you bring your own cup. The one-hour program will start at 7:00 PM. Handicap parking and access is at either the front or the rear entrance of the building.

We will have a simultaneous Zoom link for those who can’t make it or feel uncomfortable attending in person. The link will be available shortly before the meeting in the ASK member October newsletter and on our event calendar - https://kalamazooaudubon.org/calendar/. We will also be recording the meeting for later viewing.

Bone Cleaning and Jewelry
Are you a vulture with an eye for the macabre? Learn about the many ways to clean bones, as well as the ethics and legality of bone collection. Then, create a unique piece of jewelry using bones processed through KNC’s unique method!

While we will do some cleaning in class, most of the information will be through discussion, as these techniques take many days to do on your own.

Saturday, October 10, 2026, 10-11:30am

Meet: Visitor Center Classroom

Fee: KNC Members $12; Non-Members $15

Please Register >

Audience: All ages

Imaginal Writing Workshop
Gather your little writers for a fairy-and-folk-tale inspired, local-nature-based story-telling experience!

We’ll start our stories together, then dive into our imaginations to explore the rest of the story and write it down, with bits of guidance along the way.

This program is aimed at young writers and their families. Please bring your own notebook or journal.

October 3

November 7

Time: 11:00am-12:00pm

Meet: Glen Vista Gallery inside the Visitor Center

Fee: KNC Member child $12; Non-Member child $15 (Adults free with purchase of children’s ticket)

Audience: Families and children ages 5-12

Please join us the first Saturday of each month at 9 AM (barring special events or bad weather which will be announced on our Facebook page), for "Beginning Birding Walks," led by experienced birders from the Audubon Society of Kalamazoo. This event is free and open to the public. Meet at the second parking lot at Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery in Mattawan, just off SR 43. All skill levels are welcome.

We will enjoy nature while typically identifying 20-40 species of birds, plus butterflies, frogs, etc. Over 200 bird species have been sighted at Wolf Lake, which offers a variety of habitats and easy walking trails. Annual highlights include colorful songbirds like orioles, warblers, tanagers, hawks and eagles, kingfishers, Great Blue and Green Herons, and over 20 species of waterfowl. Eastern Bluebirds can be found year-round! Children accompanying adults are welcome. The focus is on birding fundamentals, and extra binoculars are always available. The walk typically takes about 2 hours (but feel free to arrive late or leave early).

Take a Fall Fun Run! Start off your day at the popular 5K Raptor Run/Walk along some of KNC’s most beautiful fall trails. All proceeds support the Kalamazoo Nature Center’s education program.

1K Kids Run
Starts at 9 am Saturday, October 17, 2026
$30, includes short sleeved shirt if registered by October 4.

Kids ages 8 and under head out on a stroller-friendly, 1K romp around the Habitat Haven Trail.

Raptor Run 5K
Starts at 10 am Saturday, October 17, 2026
$50, includes long sleeved shirt if registered by October 4.

Run or walk along some of KNC’s most beautiful trails. The untimed event includes steep hills, forest views, and a variety of terrain.

Register by October 4 for a FREE run shirt!