GRASS RIVER NATURAL AREA AUGUST LINEUP OF EVENTS AND CLASSES
Weekly Wildflower Walk - Every Tuesday
10:30am -12:00pm, Free to attend, donations gratefully accepted
Take a leisurely stroll through the scenic trails of Grass River Nature Area alongside
knowledgeable docent Lyn Petty. Discover the stunning variety of wildflowers and learn to
identify their unique beauty. As we wander, keep an ear out for the delightful melodies of the
birds that call Grass River home. Join us every Tuesday at 10:30am to see new flowers in
bloom. Donations are gratefully accepted.
Family Playgroup
Thursday, August 6 and August 20, 2026
10:30am-12:00pm, Free
Families with children ages 0–5 are invited to join us at Grass River Natural Area for free,
nature-based playgroups on the 1st & 3rd Thursdays each month. Enjoy stories, playtime,
snacks, and connection with other families — all in the beauty of the outdoors. No
registration needed! Offered in partnership with NMCAA and the Great Start Collaborative &
Family Coalition of Traverse Bay. Learn more at Playgroups | Early Childhood
NMC Kayak Tour
Thursday, August 12, 2026
9:30am-12:00pm, Register through NMC Extended Education
There is no better way to experience a northern Michigan river than by paddling its calm
waters and enjoying its unique wildlife! On this guided tour, students will explore Grass River
by kayak and find out about Grass River Natural Area’s conservation efforts, wetland
ecology, and Michigan wildlife. Register through NMC Extended Education at: Kayak River
Tour (Option 1) - NMC Extended Education & Training
NMC Wild Michigan Orchids
Thursday, August 13, 2026 - 1:00pm (2 hrs), Register through NMC Extended Education
Orchids are fascinating, beautiful, and rare plants – and northern Michigan has some of
the best. Join James Dake of Grass River Natural Area as we learn about these important
environmental indicators in an exclusive off-trail expedition to see rare orchids and other
amazing plants that grow with them, like carnivorous pitcher plants and sundews, in some
of the lesser known areas of Grass River. Limited space. Must be able to walk on some
uneven and very wet terrain for the hike. Wearing muck boots is recommended. Register
through NMC Extended Ed at: Wild Michigan Orchids & Other Rare Plants - NMC
Extended Education & Training
Summer Silhouettes
Thursday, August 13, 2026 - 1:00-3:00pm, $10 per person
Use watercolors and other media to create glowing skies of summer as
a backdrop for interesting outlines. Register at GRNA Programs
The Writing Room - a creative writing workshop with author Dirk Ruff
Saturday, August 22, 2026
10:00 AM -3:00 PM at Grass River Natural Area
Join author Dirk Ruff for an immersive afternoon writing workshop. The focus will be on short
stories, flash fiction, non-fiction, essays, and other creative works. Bring something you've
been working on, be it an idea outline, a started piece, or a rough draft. Be ready to share and
collaborate on the creative process with others, and to receive feedback on your work. By the
end of the workshop, you should have direction, if not a completed piece.
Register through Crosshatch Here: https://www.crosshatch.org/events/writing-room
Writing Workshop with the Antrim Writers Series
Thursday August 27, 2026 - 1:00pm (2 hrs), $10 per person, Register through Crosshatch
Join us for a fiction writing workshop with Chad V. Broughman at Grass River Natural Area in Bellaire.
Chad V. Broughman is the author of The Fall of Bellwether, hailed by the American Writing Awards as “a triumph of literary
fiction, deserving of a place among the modern classics” and “First among Equals.” In addition to earning top ten status in
ScreenCraft’s Cinematic Novel Competition and being shortlisted by First Novel Prize, Bellwether was a finalist for the
Page Turner Award and the International Book Award, winner of the Hawthorne Prize, and declared Best Historical Fiction
Novel of 2024. Most recently, Bellwether was named the 2025 Silver Award Winner of Reader Views Classic-Historical
Fiction competition.
Broughman was awarded two chapbook contracts for his highly acclaimed short story collections––The Forsaken and
Slighted––both published by Etchings Press. His short fiction can be found in journals worldwide––Carrier Pigeon, East
Coast Literary Review, River Poets Journal, Burningword, Pulp Fiction, Sky Island Journal, and From Whispers to Roars,
to name a few––and in anthologies such as Write Michigan Short Story Anthology, On Loss, and Scribes Valley. Other
credits include the Rusty Scythe Prize Book Award and the Adobe Cottage Writers Retreat honor in New Mexico, in
addition to Best of the Net and Pushcart Prize nominations. He holds an MFA from Spalding University and served as
co-editor for the fiction/poetry blog "Cafe Aphra," based out of the United Kingdom.
Broughman teaches English and Creative Writing at the secondary and post-secondary levels but is most proud of his
roles as a husband and devoted father to two rambunctious young sons. When not crafting fiction, Broughman can be
found pulling up bass (or not) from one of northern Michigan’s inland lakes or being walked by their golden retriever,
Biscuit.
Register here: Fiction Writing Workshop with Chad V. Broughman — Crosshatch Center for Art and Ecology
August Fungus Foray
Saturday, August 29, 2026, 10:00am-12:00pm, $10 per person.
Late summer is a great time to look for mushrooms. Learn the steps to identify what we see,then go on a search to find them.
