New Rain Garden beautifies and manages water runoff

The Harwood Learning Landscape Arboretum and Wildflower Trail at Kettunen Center has a new theme garden to manage rain water runoff.

The Harwood Learning Landscape Arboretum and Wildflower Trail at Kettunen Center has a new theme garden to manage rain water runoff.

MSU Extension master gardener volunteers, Maggie Swiriduk, Pat Marlow, Andrea Grix, and Mike Stifler, a retired Department of Environmental Quality Water Division engineer, wanted to change the ditch at the trail entrance to a rain garden that would not only manage water runoff, but also showcases native Michigan wildflower species.

The rain garden, made possible with a gift from Dr. and Mrs. Russ Mawby and the work of volunteers, manages the rain runoff from the impervious surfaces like the road, parking lot and compacted lawn areas at Kettunen Center by collecting and absorbing the rain water preventing soil erosion, water pollution and flooding. Native plants are used because they do not require fertilizer, are more tolerant of local weather conditions and also attract local pollinators such as birds, butterflies and bees. The plants absorb excess water and rocks placed at the entrance of the garden slow and direct water flow.   

In addition, the gift supported the work of a professional landscape designer from Manning Designs of Big Rapids to create a new plan for the pollinator garden areas, and to purchase informational signage for the garden. The signage explains the importance of gardening for native bees using native wildflowers, shrubs and trees. The sign is a replica of the signage placed in the MSU Horticulture Gardens at the native bee educational display garden.

2nd Annual Green 5K Run/Walk Results

The 2nd Annual Green 5K Trail Run/Walk at Kettunen Center was held Sat., Aug. 11.

The 2nd Annual Green 5K Trail Run at Kettunen Center, held Sat., Aug. 11 saw a marked increase in participation and competition with over 70 registrants.

The overall winner was Ken Zylicki of Traverse City with a time of 19:42. The women’s winner was Grace Hamilton of Evart with a time of 25:21. See the full results below.

The Green 5K Trail Run/Walk course is advertised as “not your typical 5K” and started with a short spurt on asphalt, which quickly led to Kettunen Center’s extensive trail system. Racers went up and down hilly paths through hardwoods and meadows, and those taking a more leisurely pace, had the chance to enjoy beautiful vistas overlooking Center Lake and several wetland areas. Remarks from participants after the race included “I loved the run! I can see why this is such a good place for teaching outdoor and environmental education,” and “Whew! That was an excellent training run for hill work. Really nice!”

The event would not have been possible without the help of many local community volunteers. Laura Jacobson, Kettunen Center program staff and race organizer praises the efforts of Kettunen Center staff for getting the course marked and cleared for the race and credits the many volunteers who came and helped make the race a success.

Proceeds from the Green 5K Trail Run/Walk will be used to support youth and family programs at Kettunen Center making it more affordable for schools, camps and other youth organizations to attend. Annually, over 2000 youth and adults participate in outdoor and environmental education activities at Kettunen Center that include team building and leadership development.

Plans are to hold the race again next August.

Women’s Run Results

9 and Under:  Katharine Vann (37.18)
10 – 12:  Christina Vann (35.43)  Madeline McLutyre (1.04:42)
13 – 15:  Kinzie Sikkema (27.08)     Cheyana Rizor (28:09)    Robin Peppy (48:58:
16-19:  Grace Hamilton (25:21)    Jamie Bogart (34:49)
20 – 29:  Lindsey Akom (30:55)   Leah Sefton (33:56)   Holly Barber (35:14)   Wendy Paterson (43:02)   Stephanie Ellison (49:54)
30 – 39:  Nicole Edstrom (28:49)  Tonia Hartline (34:38)  Brandy Loveless (35:45)  Teresa Grover (38:46)  Michelle Bartman (39:40)  Sara Keinath (40:46)  Christina Dodde (41:58)
40 – 49:   Ann Bush (30:56)   Sheri Montoye (32:22)   Lauren Heilman (33.26)  Ellen Vann (35:43)  Louanne McLutyre (1.04:46)
50 – 59:  Becky Doll (34:54)   Darcy Vandawater (49:58)  Lisa Fragomeli (55:26)  Deb Nemish (56:11)
60 – 69:  Karen Yorks (37:18)  Joanne Iler (41:29)  Betsy Erickson (41:29)  Barbara Vandenberg (51:26)

Men’s Run Results

10 – 12:  Timmy Rizor (35:28)   Caleb Dodde (36:20)
13 – 15:  Ben Rigling (22:52)  Derek Hartline (25:12)   Joe Rigling (31:34)
16 – 19:  PJ Nemish (56:11)
30 – 39: Jed Avery (27:32)  Scott Akom (31:07)  Kirk Edstrom (34:58)
40 – 49: Mike Battle (25:06)  Tim Rigling (28:59)  Walt Hartline (31:44)  Tom Vann (39:17)
50 – 59:  Ben Zywicki (19:42)  Dale Moody (22:44)  Greg Mills (24:13)  Keith Stutzman (27:32)  Gary Sielski (33:23)
60 – 69:  David Stroud (30:43)  John Iler (50:38)  Ketih Yorks (52:49)
70 + :  Ken Vandenberg (37:40)

Walker Results

Men – 50 and Over:  Mike Tylman (47:18)
Women 40 – 49:   Renee Bisel (52:49)
Women 50 and Over:  Kris Bullock (53:41)

Traditional Irish Dinner and Ceiliah

Join us for a Traditional Irish Dinner and Ceiliah at Kettunen Center, Sunday, March 18, at 5:30 p.m.

Ceiliah is an informal social gathering with folk music, singing, dancing and storytelling. Celtic music will be provided by Mulligan Stew, a 7-member band accompanied by the Pine River Irish Dancers.

Cost: Adults $25.00 in advance, $30.00 at the door
Youth, 12 and under $15.00, $20.00 at the door

Winter Family Fun Day

Saturday, February 18, 2012
10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Kettunen Center
Join families from across Michigan for a day of winter fun. Try cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, ice fishing, sledding, learn about winter survival skills, snow science, bird study and tracking winter wildlife. The day is designed for school-age children and their parents.

Call the Kettunen Center at (231) 829-3421 or email kross@kettunencenter.org. Pre-registration is required by Feb. 17, 2012.

Cost: $7/person (includes use of all equipment, a hot buffet lunch and snacks)

4-H Teen Leadership & Community Change Conference

January 21-22, 2012

By Betsy Knox

Over 140 participants from 32 Michigan counties gathered at Kettunen Center to learn teen leadership skills and how to be agents of change in their home communities. A sampling of sessions offered include: Get Involved in a 2012 Political Campaign; Service Activities that Build Career Skills; Communicating through Conflict, Generating Ideas & Moving to Action; The Photovoice Project: Recording Your Life & Community and Seven Billion People: Global Sustainability & Limited Resources. We also offered a session called Outdoor Winter Club Activities, taking advantage of the beautiful surroundings and natural teaching lab that Kettunen Center provides.

As a result of participating in the program, 95% of the participants think that they can make a difference in their communities; 90% feel a sense of responsibility to their communities; and 94% will teach others what they learned at the conference. This conference was supported by the Rollin M. Gerstacker Foundation, the Sandra Clarkson Stuckman Endowment and the Turner-Ousterhout Endowment.

Tree Donation to the City of Detroit

On Nov. 2, the nonprofit agency that manages Detroit’s Campus Martius Park accepted a delivery of a statuesque, 60-foot Norway Spruce tree that crowned the 2011 Detroit Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony and related Winter Magic-Detroit festivities. The 50-year-old evergreen was a gift from Kettunen Center.


The Detroit 300 Conservancy had launched a statewide search for a Michigan tree in August without success. The Michigan Christmas Tree Association pledged support, and through its vast grower’s network ultimately located the tree with help from Michigan State University Extension. The tree was planted a half-century ago to celebrate the opening of the Kettunen Center. It has become a fixture at the Center, where it dominates the arboretum, said John Grix, director of the Kettunen Center. “It’s like a page out of the children’s book The Giving Tree,” Grix said. “It’s a magnificent tree and has given us so much over the years, helping create a beautiful sanctuary for our staff and guests. It’s a fixture here and will be missed, but unfortunately has long out-grown the arboretum. When we learned of the Detroit Christmas Tree search, we couldn’t think of a better use for it.”

The tree was harvested on Oct. 31 and arrived at Campus Martius Park Nov. 2 where it was transformed from wild, forest beauty to glittering, holiday royalty. It took more than a week to ready the tree for the Nov. 18, 2011 Detroit Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony and Winter Magic-Detroit festivities, presented by DTE Energy Foundation.

Read more about the tree and lighting ceremony in the press:

• Cadillac News 9&10 video of tree cutting (John Grix interviewed)


• My Fox Detroit news video of tree arriving in Detroit


• Detroit Free Press story


• Detroit News story


• WXYZ ABC 7 Detroit

Fall Family Festivities in November

Join us for the Fall Family Fest Nov. 12, 2011 from 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. at Kettunen Center. Highlights of the day include a Live Birds of Prey presentation by Joe Rogers of Wildlife Recovery Association, apple tasting and cider making, interpretive fall hikes, canoeing and kayaking on Center Lake, disc golf in the forest, and discovering and tasting wild edibles. Cost per person is $7/person (includes lunch).

2011 4-H National Youth Science Day Celebrated

Forty-five 4th graders from Mesick Elementary School celebrated 4-H National Youth Science Day by participating in the Wired for Wind Experiment during a three-day camp program at Kettunen Center, Oct. 26-28, 2011. In the experiment, students designed and tested their own renewable energy wind turbines and determined the best location for a wind farm in their local community.

The students started the experiment by talking about electricity and all the energy sources used to generate electricity. Teams of two students built and tested a wind turbine design using poster board, plastic cups, blade protractor, dowels, hot glue, scissors, pencil, a hub, PVC tee and handle, a small generator and a multi-meter. The students learned that the amount of power their turbine would produce was based on how well they designed their blades. After testing their prototype and measuring the voltage, the students were able to experiment by changing the pitch of the blades and compare results.

The students complete the Wired for Wind Experiment in school by determining a good location in their local community for a wind farm by using a Michigan wind map, transmission map, information about endangered plant and animal species and a human population density map.

Kettunen Center received a 4-H National Youth Science Day Grant from Michigan 4-H Youth Development to offer the Wired for Wind Experiment to Mesick Elementary and to continue to offer the project to other local schools, summer camp and family fun day youth groups. The grant funding provide a program discount to Mesick Elementary and purchase supplies to continue to provide the Wired for Wind Experiment for other youth groups.

Volunteering in the Firewise Garden

Fourteen students from the MSU Horticulture Club donated their time Oct. 1 to maintain the garden areas at Kettunen Center. The Saturday clean-up project included weeding, raking, pruning and transplanting to improve the gardens at Kettunen Center. Elaine Bush, Firewise Project Director for Greening Michigan Institute, Manistee County MSU Extension, worked right along with the students that day and will continue to manage the Firewise Garden, an educational garden demonstrating fire-resistant gardening and structure materials at Kettunen Center. Kettunen Center really appreciates the work done by the students and their future plans to help next spring.

Kettunen Center's Road Scholar - Stalking the Elusive Morel

Kettunen Center’s Road Scholar program, Stalking the Elusive Morel and Other Natural Encounters, was held last week (May 1-4, 2011) with twenty-two participants from the Midwest states. The most successful morel mushroom foragers of the group were both from Michigan, Christal L. and Jim Marcoux took the prize! It was a great time for all to learn from experts and to get outside to enjoy spring wildflowers, nesting and migrating birds and finding the elusive morel. For information about Road Scholar visit www.roadscholar.org

Spring Family Fun Day

On Saturday, April 9, 2011, Kettunen Center will host the annual Spring Family Fun Day. This year’s event will include sessions on geocaching and how to use a handheld GPS unit, how to use a compass, ski walking (Nordic Walking), spring discovery hike, spring craft, turkey ecology from a local expert, and maple syrup making.

Since their inception several years ago, Family Fun Days have gained in popularity, and now are offered four times a year – two in the winter, one in early spring and one in fall. The objective of these programs is to take families outside and experience the seasons. Past fall programs have offered kayaking, canoeing, interpretative hikes and Monarch Butterfly migration. Winter programs largely center on winter recreational activities including ice fishing, cross country skiing, snow shoeing, and winter survival. One returning participant wrote that after attending a winter session in which she and family cross country skied, she bought skis for her daughter on the way home and they have been skiing together regularly since.

These programs are made possible through the generous support of donors, the Michigan 4-H Foundation, General Mills/Yoplait Company of Reed City, Pine River Audubon Chapter, the Pere Marquette Chapter of the Michigan Wild Turkey Hunters Association, and a National Parks and Recreation Take Me Fishing Grant. Please join us for the Spring Family Day, Sat., April 9! For registration information visit the Kettunen Center website events calendar.

Prime Rib Now Featured at Kettunen Center

The kitchen staff at Kettunen Center are excited to offer a new menu item to all adult groups that stay at Kettunen Center for two or more nights. Prime rib will now be part of the routine dinner menu. Our culinary experts will be carving the meat on the food line for you to enjoy!

New in 2011: Feed the Need Project

Kettunen Center is teaming up with Cadillac Area OASIS/Family Resource Center in 2011 to help feed the need.

OASIS/Family Resource Center is a private, non-profit community-based agency serving Wexford and Missaukee counties that exists to strengthen and safeguard the families of our area.

Founded in 1984, OASIS is a comprehensive domestic violence services program providing residential shelter and advocacy as well as non-residential counseling, advocacy and support services to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and homelessness.

We are asking all Kettunen Center guests to donate one non-perishable food item or paper product. All items may be dropped off at the main entrance in the totes provided. Kettunen Center staff will deliver all donated items to the Cadillac Area OASIS/Family Resource Center.

Items could include, but are not limited to:
• Canned fruit or canned vegetables
• Canned Meats (tuna, chicken, salmon)
• Canned & Boxed Meals (soup, chili, stew, macaroni & cheese)
• Cereal (low sugar, high fiber)
• Peanut Butter
• Pasta & Rice
• Paper products (Kleenex, toilet paper, paper towels)

If you will be making a donation by check, please make checks payable to Cadillac Area OASIS/Family Resource Center.

We would like to have 1,500 items donated in 2011, please help us reach that goal!

Connecting Preschool and Head Start Children to the Outdoors

Kettunen Center received a Great Parents Great Start grant in 2009 and again in 2010 that launched a series of innovative and exciting workshops, programs and partnerships for getting local kids ages 3-5 and their parents outdoors learning about nature. Project WILD’s Growing Up WILD and Project Learning Tree’s Early Learner educator workshops were held this fall and winter. Kettunen Center staff along with local preschool and Head Start teachers from Tustin, Leroy, Luther, Marion and Mesick attended the workshops and received two activity guides filled with age-appropriate, researched based lessons for use in the classroom and Kettunen Center outdoor programs.

In December, the Kettunen Center staff visited all the schools to set up bird feeding stations and involve the children in hands-on activities such as Habitat Hunt and Who Am I? This year, multiple one-day field trips are scheduled at Kettunen Center for the children to experience the outdoors all four seasons.

The workshops and field trips were funded by the Early Read First Program of Wexford Missaukee Intermediate School District and the Osceola County Community Foundation. The Pine River Chapter of Audubon also had an interest in early learners, and donated the book, Wild About Michigan Birds by Adele Porter, for each classroom and Wild Birds Unlimited of Traverse City provided discounts for bird feeders & seed. Andrea Grix, Kettunen Center Education Program Coordinator, is hopeful the success of these programs will lead to additional grants to expand the program.

Kettunen Center appreciates all the funding and donations in support of 171 local preschool children and their parents for the purpose of learning and connecting with the outdoors!

December is a Time to Give

This past year, Kettunen Center has been fortunate to have Bob Patterson, from Patterson's Flowers volunteer as a decorations consultant. Bob has worked with the 4-H Foundation and Kettunen Center staff to plan and refine our seasonal decorations with a theme of "natural yet elegant". He has volunteered at Breakfast with Santa since it began 29 years ago. Bob has served as a Michigan 4-H Foundation trustee and as a 4-H Great Lakes and Natural Resources Camp co-director.

Bob's parents started Patterson's Flowers in 1952 and he has been working full time at the shops since 1979. They have stores in Reed City, Big Rapids and Cadillac. These photos show some of the arrangements Bob has donated to Kettunen Center.

Bob was born and raised in Reed City and has lived in the Osceola/Mecosta county area his entire life. The flower business has many "peaks and valleys" – the holiday seasons are very busy. The months of February, April, May and December are peak months in the floral industry.

Bob's favorite decorating tip? "Don't under estimate the amount of lights it takes to decorate your Christmas tree. Plan on at least 100 lights per foot of your tree height," he says.
Thank you Bob for all your dedication and support of Kettunen Center.

If you are interested in volunteering your talents at Kettunen Center, please contact Andrea Grix. For information about donating to Kettunen Center, visit http://www.mi4hfdtn.org/givetokett.html.

Santa Claus is Coming to Town
Kettunen Center had its 29th annual Breakfast with Santa Sat., Dec. 11, 2010. It is a one of a kind community-oriented event. We had over 750 people in just a little over 3 hours; 393 of them being children ranging from newborn to 14 years. The children were able eat breakfast, listen to storytelling, make a postcard stamp, do a craft, get their face painted, and most importantly talk with Santa and Mrs. Claus. Children also learned – thanks to Ms. Claus – Santa’s favorite cookie. Each child received a gift bag with age-appropriate books and toys.

Breakfast with Santa is not just about the toy, it is about memories. Some families have been coming since the beginning, and some bring new additions – infants only a week or a couple months old – to share in the memories and traditions they create at Kettunen Center. It is a day filled with fun, excitement, joy, and sometimes even a little shyness.

Kettunen Center’s Breakfast with Santa could not be possible if it wasn’t for our many generous donors from local businesses and all of our adult and teen volunteers. Another successful “BWS” in the books! Kettunen Center’s 30th annual Breakfast with Santa is scheduled for Saturday, December 10, 2011. See you then!

New Kettunen Center outdoor features include disc golf

Michigan’s 4-H volunteer training and conference facility, Kettunen Center, now offers disc golf as a new outdoor recreational activity for guests.

Disc golf is played like traditional golf but instead of using a golf ball and golf clubs, players use a flying disc and try to toss it into a basket. As in traditional golf, there is a par for each hole.

Kettunen Center’s disc golf course is in a forested area along the Red Fox Trails. The course – complete with disc golf baskets, cement tee pads and tee signs – is an environmentally friendly course built around existing trees and trails. The course was designed by Seth Hopkins, Lake County MSU Extension 4-H educator, and installed by Kettunen Center staff members.

“It is a nine-hole beginner course to be used for educational purposes and as a pasttime at workshops and other conferences,” Hopkins said. “I helped set up the par and design the actual course. We limited cutting to anything 3 inches and under, and most of the course is on trails that were already there.”

Hopkins also is involved with a disc golf 4-H club in Lake County. The club has eight members and meets two days per week for skill drills and has a league night.

“We have club trips planned to Kettunen Center,” Hopkins said. “The goal is to get the kids out to different courses. We also hope to have youth participate in the [disc golf] state finals.”

Kettunen Center’s disc golf course was supported by an MSU Extension 4-H Participation Fee Grant. The grant also provided funding for a disc golf course at Baldwin schools, new 4-H club development in Lake County, the use of the Educational Disc Golf Experience (EDGE) curriculum, the purchase of a variety of official disc golf discs, and future train-the-trainer workshops at Kettunen Center.

Additional outdoor enhancements at Kettunen Center include:

• The Butterfly Garden, located in the Kettunen Center arboretum, with a new solar-powered bird bath fountain. The garden, created last summer by the Tustin Explorers 4-H Club and several Cadillac-area home-school families, models native plants that attract pollinators such as bees, butterflies, moths and hummingbirds. The fountain serves as both a bird bath and as a water source for pollinators.
• The MAX (Mobile Adventure Experience), a 32-foot-tall climbing wall, which arrived last spring at Kettunen Center. The wall provides both physical and mental challenges and serves as a team-building activity that can be built into both youth and adult conferences at the center.
• New landscaping. Four MSU Extension Master Gardener students spruced up the outdoor garden landscapes at Kettunen Center. The students, along with Jenny Gray, Wexford County Master Gardener and Susan Alexander, Master Gardener and owner of In Harmony of Gardening by Design, volunteered their time and resources providing new garden design ideas, selecting plants and supplying mulch and other materials at a discounted rate.
• A quilt trail block. Kettunen Center is now a part of the Osceola County Quilt Trail. A quilt trail is a route containing a number of wooden blocks that are painted to resemble quilt squares and then mounted to host structures. Together they form a self-guided tour. The exterior of Red Oak Hall boasts a Rising Star 4-H quilt pattern, which honors all the 4-H rising talents. The quilt was designed in collaboration with the Osceola County Quilt Trail. The block was funded by a grant from the West Michigan Quilters’ Guild. Currently there are 13 quilt blocks in Osceola County, including the one at Kettunen Center.
• Two new kiosk panels featuring Kettunen Center Nature Trails and Living Green on the outdoor kiosk located beside the sidewalk between the White Pine Lodge and the Mawby Learning Center. The kiosk was sponsored by gifts in memory of Margaret and Francis Grix in 2003. The Nature Trails panel features the 3½ miles of marked nature trails and includes professional photographs of wildlife species donated by local artist Charles St. Charles, of Hoxeyville, Mich. The Living Green kiosk panel outlines Kettunen Center’s commitment to “green” practices, programs and environmental monitoring, and offers guests tips for conserving natural resources. It also recognizes Kettunen Center’s steward level of certification from the Green Lodging Michigan Program, sponsored by the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth.

To receive Kettunen Center updates like these, sign up for the Kett Monthly e-newsletter at www.kettunencenter.org!

Originally published in the Fall 2010 issue of Vantage.