Ox-Bow School of Art & Artists’ Residency will celebrate the induction of the Tallmadge Woods into the Old-Growth Forest Network on Saturday, April 27, 2024 at Tea & Trails, an event open to the public. The event will take place from 10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. on the Crow’s Nest Trail. Ticket sales launch on Tuesday, March 19, 2024 at www.ox-bow.org/tea-trails.

Tea & Trails will include an immersive walk along the Crow’s Nest Trail on which guests can interact with live music, an Ottawa County Historian, local government organizations, and non-profit partners. Tea will be provided by Zakti alongside trail snacks created by Ox-Bow’s culinary team. Campus tours will also be available for those looking to explore beyond the trails. An awards ceremony will take place during the event to honor the induction of the Tallmadge Wood’s as a Community Forest in the Old-Growth Forest Network.

“For generations, artists at Ox-Bow have valued the Tallmadge Woods, originally bequeathed to the school by Thomas Tallmadge one the school’s earliest patrons,” says Shannon Stratton, Ox-Bow’s Executive Director, “The woods continue to provide inspiration and respite to Ox-Bow artists, our neighbors, and visitors. Recognition of  the importance of these woods, their rarity and impact, helps to bring attention to the need to protect our forests for generations to come.”

Tallmadge Woods is a protected nature preserve co-owned by Ox-Bow and the City of Saugatuck. The preserve provides a natural buffer to coastal wetlands and the Kalamazoo River near the confluence with Lake Michigan and protects a high-quality forest with hemlocks over 170 years old. The forest’s Crow’s Nest Trail, which includes an incredible view of Lake Michigan’s shoreline, is open to the public year round.

“Old forests stoke our curiosity about the natural world and nourish our connection to the planet,” says Nick Sanchez, Network Manager of the Old-Growth Forest Network. “We can describe some of their known values and we know that they provide outsized benefits to the communities that surround them when compared to other land uses. Old forests like the Tallmadge Woods deserve extra credit for this work and we’re honored to help communicate its importance by recognizing it in the Old-Growth Forest Network.”

Tallmadge Woods will join 12 other Michigan forests that have been recognized in the Network, which include notable places such as Estivant Pines Nature Sanctuary and Hartwick Pines State Park, as well as the nearby Duncan Woods in Grand Haven. Working with volunteers across the country, the Old-Growth Forest Network’s goal is to identify and ensure the preservation and recognition of at least one forest in every county in the United States. Founded in 2012 by Dr. Joan Maloof, the Old-Growth Forest Network has recognized more than 230 forests in 36 states. A full list and map of the forests may be viewed at www.oldgrowthforest.net.