See Showcase Displays for history of the Kiosk.
Friends of Scarlett Mitchell Woods: In 2021, a number of folks, including Mike, Manfred, and I, began seriously looking at forming a group to care for the central forty acres of the woods in the future. We contacted other volunteer organizations who ran school-owned natural areas, such as Thurston Nature Center, Friends of Greenview-Pioneer Woods and Eberwhite Woods. We traded visits with the stewards of those parks. We publicized our efforts via social media platforms like Facebook and NextDoor and posted invitations to users of the woods in the showcase as well. In the year that followed we met on Zoom to discuss various issues, make decisions, such as what to name our group, and accomplished a lot of necessary organizational work. We also continued efforts to introduce the woods to new folks through Spring Unfolding Walks, etc., always publicizing these open-to-the-public events on the bulletin board as well as through email and social media.
Vandalism and Recovery: This spring I was forced to slow down on keeping the displays up to date by shoulder surgery that took place on May 18, a month earlier than planned. At the very end of the school year, during my recovery period, someone smashed the protective plexiglass with rocks, a heart-sickening act of vandalism. A Colonial Square Cooperative neighbor who lives nearby and also works for the co-op, informed us of the damage and picked up the debris. At first no one was quite sure what to do next until Phil Huhn, another Colonial Square neighbor, stepped in. Phil, a participating member of our “Friends Of” group went about replacing the plexiglas before rain and mildew could do irreparable damage. I can’t tell you how grateful we are for Phil’s quiet and proficient intervention.
We were all saddened again when another incident of vandalism took place about two weeks ago – again damaging a plexiglass panel before a new display could be put up. This time only one side was damaged and once again Phil replaced it. This time he also filed a report with the Ann Arbor Police Department. Whether that will serve to deter the vandal(s) no one knows, but we refuse to stop our efforts to use the showcase to communicate with the people who love and enjoy the woods.
If you have an idea for a display or would like to try creating one yourself, please contact me. Happy to work with you!
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