Upcoming events
Gather at the Garden 2024
The River Raisin Institute's "Gather at the Garden" is an annual fundraiser to support the organization's environmental education programs. This year we are hosting this amazing fundraiser at our community garden with a garden tour and tasting, music, $20 mystery boxes, a native plants presentation, and food from The Big Jerrowski. Join us for a fun night to support this organization and meet others!
Reserve tickets in advance for $45; $50 at event.
*** Ticket price includes a meal from the Big Jerrowski.
Budding Naturalists
We invite you to register your little ones for our annual Budding Naturalists program - happening July 22nd- 25th from 10am - 12:30pm at the IHM campus. We welcome little ones from ages 5-10, ages outside that range can be accepted with special permission.
The theme this year is “Our Home” - Home in the water, Home in the garden, Home in the prairie, Home in the woods.
Participants can expect to learn about the natural world around us through games, activities, crafts, and lots of fun! We anticipate exploring the IHM garden, ponds, prairies, and woods while learning about many of the plant and animal creatures that call this beautiful space home. There is a big world to explore right outside our doors and we look forward to experiencing it.
We welcome volunteers that love to work with little ones and love to be outside, knowledge about the outdoors is not necessary. To volunteer, contact Julie Conley, Program Coordinator at RRI at RRIPrograms@gmail.com or 734-240-9682.
To register, visit https://forms.gle/Uyptx3oc1sNBHigv7
We are grateful to our volunteers and the Monroe County Environmental Fund for making this possible.
BATS! With Ian
Join us at the IHM campus to learn more about Michigan’s native bats and who may be calling around our campus
Please register here: https://givebutter.com/batsmichigan
2024 Organic Seedling Sale
2024 Organic Seedling Sale
For those of us who are enthusiastic about organic gardening or folks who just prefer to go organic we have good news! The River Raisin Institute will be selling organic seedlings this spring. We will have numerous options for tomatoes and peppers and at least one for egg plants. One interesting seedling is the Early Detroit tomato. Early Detroit was released by D.M. Ferry Seed Company of Detroit in 1909 and is a medium sized, round, pink slicing tomato with excellent flavor.
All the seeds will be USDA organic. Many are old, favorite heirloom varieties.
All the seeds will be started in soil blocks using Dairy Doo’s 101 Seed Starter, (USDA organic certified) and up potted using 301 Veggie Doo (also USDA certified organic). Dairy Doo is a great company located in Sears, Michigan. Many, but not all, of the seeds will be purchased from Michigan suppliers as well.
The sale will be Saturday, May 4 th from 10 am – 3 pm at the garden gazebo on the IHM Campus.
Seedlings can be preordered with the link below or by calling Marion Martyres at 734-240-9754. Preordered seedlings will be available for pick up Friday May 3rd from 5 pm to 8 pm at the garden gazebo on the IHM Campus.
Cash or credit cards are acceptable. The price is $5.50 / seedling. The seedling catalog is available from the RRI office.
Link to Google Sheet with more info! (Separate tabs for catalog and ordering)
Earth Day Expo 2024
Announcing Monroe County, “Earth Day Expo 2024 – Healthy Planet, Healthy You.” Please mark your calendar for Saturday, April 27, 2024, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Monroe County Community College, in the Gerald Welch Health Education Building, the same location as previous years. A flyer for the event is attached. Please feel free to share far and wide.
This free event is family-friendly with activities for everyone and includes prize drawings, entertainment, live music, and educational exhibits focused on protecting our planet. Also featured at the event will be environmental education efforts in our schools including the Michigan Green Schools Program and the Climate Literacy Project exploring North American amphibians.
The Monroe County Recycling and Green Community Program, River Raisin Institute, Monroe County Library System, The Monroe Family YMCA, and the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary are coordinating this event and would like to thank our generous sponsors for their support: FEDCO, DTE, DTE Foundation, and Monroe Community Credit Union.