Schoolcraft Conservation District

06/01/2026

Outdoor events are always a gamble, but sometimes, the weather works out in your favor. Last Thursday was the perfect day for our seed swap and season opening celebration at the Manistique Community Garden. Everyone seems to be itching for summer--we don't blame them!--and we had a fantastic turnout. Seed packets and starter plants were exchanged, balloon animals were made, rocks were painted for the Community Garden's rock snake, and we enjoyed some delicious food courtesy of the Manistique Women's Club. Thank you to everyone who attended!

Still interested in free seeds? Visit schoolcraftcd.org/seed-library or drop by our office or Manistique Farmers' Market booth this Wednesday to see what we have in stock!

05/27/2026

Come say hi to us at the Manistique Farmers' Market today from 5-6:30!

05/26/2026

Join us at the Manistique Community Garden this Thursday from 5:30 to 7 PM for seed swapping, food, and good conversation! If you have unused seeds you'd like to exchange, feel free to bring them, but it's not required. Conservation District staff will be there to answer any gardening questions you might have, and representatives from the Community Garden committee can answer questions about bed rentals and policies. We'll also have some kid-friendly activities like rock painting and balloon animals. All are welcome!

05/20/2026

SCD's Warbler Wonderland Birding Festival 2026 was an incredible success!
Over the weekend birders flocked to Manistique from all over the Midwest (and from as far away as Washington DC and Colorado!) to see spring migration at its best.
The UP really showed off, gifting us perfect weather and abundant birds. We saw 22 warbler species and 102 total bird species [see list below].

Warbler Wonderland was created to bring people to Manistique to participate in one of the fastest growing outdoor activities in America (bird watching) in an environmentally conscious way. Birding connects people to the world around them and encourages them to care for it. The birding festival also helps generate economic activity for our area before the main tourism season begins. We have had many visitors travel to the UP for the very first time because of the birding festival. That is pretty special!

This is one of the best weekends of the whole year and I already can't wait until next year! Mark your calendars for May 22 and 23, 2027.

*** Notable birds of 2026: golden-winged warblers and orange-crowned warblers, we rarely see them during the festival. The sheer volume of palm and magnolia warblers! A yellow-headed blackbird for the first time. The secretive thrushes who came out and let us see them multiple times, veery and hermit thrushes. ***

2026 Master Bird List
Warblers:
American Redstart
Black-And-White
Black-Throated Green
Blackburnian
Blackpoll
Cape May
Chestnut-Sided
Common Yellowthroat
Golden-winged
Magnolia
Mourning
Orange-Crowned
Ovenbird
Nashville
Northern Parula
Northern Waterthrush
Northern Yellow
Palm
Pine
Tennessee
Wilson’s
Yellow-Rumped

Other Birds:
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Least Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe
Blue-Headed Vireo
Red-Eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Common Raven
Black-Capped Chickadee
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
Ruby-Crowned Kinglet
Cedar Waxwing
Red-Breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher
House Wren
Winter Wren
Sedge Wren
Gray Catbird
Brown Thrasher
European Starling
Eastern Bluebird
Veery
Swainson‘s Thrush
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
Pine Siskin
American Goldfinch
Chipping Sparrow
Clay-Colored Sparrow
White-Crowned Sparrow
White-Throated Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Eastern Towhee
Yellow-Headed Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Baltimore Oriole
Red-Winged Blackbird
Brown-Headed Cowbird
Common Grackle
Scarlet Tanager
Northern Cardinal
Rose-Breasted Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting
Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Mallard
Common Merganser
Red-Breasted Merganser
Wild Turkey
Mourning Dove
Ruby-Throated Hummingbird
Sandhill Crane
Black-Bellied Plover
Killdeer
Upland Sandpiper
Ruddy Turnstone
Dunlin
Spotted Sandpiper
Ring-Billed Gull
Herring Gull
Common Loon
Double-Crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Green Heron
Turkey Vulture
Bald Eagle
Broad-Winged Hawk
Belted Kingfisher
Red-Headed Woodpecker
Red-Bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker

05/04/2026

*WE'LL BE AT THE SCHOOLCRAFT COUNTY FAIRGROUND BARN AGAIN TODAY (5/5) FROM NOON TO 4 PM! STOP BY TO SEE WHAT WE HAVE LEFT IN STOCK!*

We have lots of fruit trees, as well as some hardwoods, raspberries, and grapes still left over from our Tree Sale that are now available on a discount! Give us a call at (906) 286-2890 to learn what we still have in stock, or drop by the Schoolcraft County Fairground barn today (5/4) from noon to 4 PM.

04/30/2026

Friendly reminder that our Tree Sale pickup is this week! Orders can be picked up at the Schoolcraft County Fairgrounds at the big red barn in the back. We'll be there tomorrow from 10 AM - 5 PM and Saturday morning from 9-11. If those days/times don't work for you, please reach out to us at (906) 286-2890 to make other arrangements. We look forward to seeing everyone!

04/24/2026

FINAL CALL FOR TREE SALE ORDERS! Have you been debating buying a tree or shrub from us this year? There's still time! We'll start packaging orders first thing on Monday, so don't wait--get your order in today at schoolcraftcd.org/tree-sale.

Pickups will take place next Friday, May 1 from 10 am to 5 pm and Saturday, May 2 from 9 am to 11 am at the Schoolcraft County Fairgrounds (in the big red barn at the top of the hill). Can't make those times? No worries! Give us a call at (906) 286-2890 to make other arrangements.

04/22/2026

04/21/2026

This is the last week to place your tree sale orders! We still have some pears in stock, so be sure to grab them before our sale closes out! Parker pears are vigorous growers that produce large yellow-bronze fruit. Patten pears produce tender and juicy fruit, and are a good pollinator for most other varieties. Summercrisp pears are sweet, crisp, and have a fantastic storage life of up to two months. Luscious pears pair (no pun intended) particularly well with Parkers, and come with the added bonus of being fireblight resistant and very hardy. Order yours this week at schoolcraftcd.org/tree-sale!