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Upcoming Events   ASK AND WOLF LAKE FISH HATCHERY OFFER SUMMER 2009 GARDEN TOURS Learn about native plants and how you can attract birds, butterflies, and more to your garden. Tour the recently created butterfly garden and certified Monarch Way Station with over 40 species of native flowers and grasses. Tours will be offered at 6:30 PM on June 25, July 7, and July 22, lasting approximately one hour. This program is offered free of charge. Reservations are required for groups of 10 or more. Call to register a special group at 269-668-2876. This event is a collaborative effort with ASK. ASK AT WOLF LAKE FISH FESTIVAL July 18 and 19, 2009 ASK will join other conservation organizations and exhibitors at the Wolf Lake Fish Hatchery’s Fish Festival 2009. In 2008 the attendance was down from the previous year’s record but still a very respectable 1,200+ given that it rained hard all day Saturday. Great exposure for ASK. We will have a bird table and a butterfly table, the latter with live critters that are a great hit with the many kids that attend. The festival is at the Wolf Lake Fish Hatchery Visitor Center and grounds the weekend of July 18 and 19, from 11:00 AM to 4 PM. The Center is just south of M-43 on Fish Hatchery Drive, about five miles west of US-131. HUMMINGBIRD FESTIVAL 2009 The 3rd Annual Michigan Hummingbird Festival will be held on Saturday, July 25, 2009, at the River Lake Inn Trails & Gardens, 767 Ralston Road, Colon, Michigan. There will be hummingbird banding taking place starting at 8:00 AM. A guided nature walk will be led by Russ Schipper at 11:00 AM. Allen Chartier will give a program on hummingbirds at 1:00 PM, and Ilse Gebhard will give her Monarch Butterfly program at 2:30 PM.  In addition, there will be several vendors selling nature-related items along with many non-profit exhibitors. Self-guided nature walks and golf cart tours will be available for the River Lake Inn Nature Trails, Freiburger Nature Trails, and the River Lake Inn Butterfly Gardens. Children's activities will be ongoing through the day plus much more.  All events except the afternoon presentations and lunch are free. Tickets, which include admission to both presentations and a box lunch, are $30 and will be sold in advance. Box lunches will also be available for purchase on site. For more information, see the River Lake Inn website at www.riverlakeinnrestaurant.com or contact Brenda Keith at birdsongbk@yahoo.com. Important Information on Field Trips Please note that our field trips now include the phone number of the leader. It is our policy that the leader will go to the meeting point even if the weather is poor. This does not mean the leader will go to the meeting point if it is dangerous to do so or if the roads are so bad, i.e. deep snow, that travel is not recommended. The phone numbers are provided for cases where the conditions are questionable, so that you can call the leader to see if the trip will be held. Please realize that we still hold our trips rain, snow, or shine, but we now leave it up to the leader to decide what is just plain unsuitable weather. Reminder: We still attempt to start trips at or very near the appointed time, so please don't be late. If you have any general questions about the policy, please call Russ Schipper at 375-7210.