Community Calendar

Summer Exploration Series
Looking for ways to keep your brain going all summer long? The Summer Exploration series is a great way for elementary and middle school scientists to get involved in ecology alongside their grown-ups.

Meet: Visitor Center Classroom
Fee: $12/Member child, $15/Non-Member child, 1 adult included in price.
Please Register >
Audience: Children with an adult

June 4- Slime and Scales: Learn about salamanders, snakes, turtles, and all things cold-blooded

June 18- Feathered Friends: The sounds, colors, and behaviors of the avian world

July 2- The Great Bug Hunt: Discover and identify the incredible world of insects

July 16- Aquatic Adventures: Dive under the surface to see the tiny life in our ponds and streams

August 6- Secret Lives of Plants: Take a deep breath and see the bright green world of our photosynthetic neighbors

August 20- Homes and Habitats: Dig into the ecology of our habitats, and the ways that plants, animals, and fungi find their niche

Prairie Wildflower Walk
Travel our Emma Pitcher Prairie to learn about Michigan’s beautiful native prairie flowers, and leave with a better understanding of the beautiful ecosystems that once covered our continent.

Meet: Visitor Center front desk

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

Audience: All ages

Date: Saturday, June 6 from 2:00 – 3:00PM

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).

Plein Air Art Group
Looking to relax and unwind with some outdoor art? Stop by for an informal plein air painting and sketching group to sketch the beautiful landscapes of the nature center. We’ll hike from the visitor center together, and learn a little about our ecosystems as we capture them on canvas.

Please bring your own art supplies.

June 7, 2026- Emma Pitcher Prairie
August 2, 2026- Raptor Ridge

Time: 1:00 – 2:30PM
Meet: Sun dial by the parking lot
Fee: Included in regular KNC admission; KNC Members free!
Audience: Adults

Silver Maples: Welcome to DeLano Farm
Summer is here on the farm! Come take a tour of the farm at KNC’s historic homestead, and learn about what lets an organic farm like ours stay growing year after year. After, we’ll enjoy some of this year’s harvest together!

Date: June 11, 11:00AM – 1:00PM

Audience: This program is geared for adults 50 and up, but all ages are welcome.

Fee: Non-members $10, members free! Please register.

Meet: DeLano Farm 555 West E Avenue Kalamazoo, MI

Saturday Story Time
Join us once a month for a picture book story time, featuring a selection of nature-themed books perfect for little explorers. We’ll follow our book with a gentle hike if weather permits, so be sure to bundle up!

June 13– Goodbye Spring, Hello Summer by Kenard Pak
July 18– Cicada Symphony by Sue Fliess
August 8– The Wild by Yuval Zommer

Meet: Clubhouse inside the Visitor Center
Fee: Included in regular KNC admission; KNC Members free!
Audience: Families with young children
Time: 10:00-11:00AM

Yoga is a great way to recenter yourself, connect with your surroundings, and strengthen your body. Join us and instructor Apral Milar-Corcoran for a course that’s great for beginners, returning practitioners, or anyone looking for a relaxing experience.

Please bring your own yoga mat.

Date: Saturday, June 13, 10:00 – 11:30AM
Fee: Non-members $10, Members free. Please register.
Meet: Glen Vista Gallery inside the Visitor Center
Audience: Teens, adults

Summer is here! Celebrate the celestial turn of the seasons with the powerful drumming of Carolyn Koeble, and build a deeper connection with the natural world through the power of sound.

Saturday, June 13, 11:30AM – 12:30PM
Fee: Non-members $15, Members $12
Please Register >
Audience: All ages
Meet: Amphitheatre (Coopers Glen Auditorium if inclement weather)

Author Natalie Dykstra recounts the story of Isabella Stewart Gardner’s extraordinary life in this moving and illuminating biography. A Boston socialite, Gardner lived a life full of passion but one which was also marked by grief. Dykstra delivers compelling insight into Gardner’s friendships, world travels, and her keen eye for collecting treasures all of which shaped the creation of the Stewart Gardner Museum.

Please note that this event will not be livestreamed or posted on YouTube.
All book discussions are free, open to the public, and take place in-person at the Meader Fine Arts Library. Participants do not need to have read the book, but it will help facilitate the overall discussion. The author will not be in attendance unless otherwise stated. Preregistration is encouraged.

Join the KIA as we remember Juneteenth, which is a holiday that commemorates the abolishment of slavery in the United States. Participate in various activities, including viewing artworks by African American artists, drop-in low-mess art activities, and more.

Please note that this event will not be livestreamed or posted on YouTube.