For Generations to Come Sanctuary Blog

Come Celebrate Earth Connections Day - June 13th

noreply@blogger.com (Tamara) — Thu, 28 May 2009 18:07:00 +0000

We are excited to announce our annual opening celebration and hope you will come and enjoy Earth Connections Day with us! Everyone is invited join in the games, all kinds of activities, food, beautiful walks and time together enjoying nature.

Join us for a day of fun and relaxation at the beautiful sanctuary.

Here are pictures from last year's opening event.

Click HERE for a google map to the sanctuary.

Flavors To Savor Kitchen begins a cooking class series with a gluten free dinner

noreply@blogger.com (Tamara) — Tue, 26 May 2009 19:32:00 +0000

Gluten Free Dinner Plus Dessert
Wed May 27th 6:30-8pm $25
at Big George's in Ann Arbor

Join our Flavors to Savor chefs as we create a delicious, nutritious meal. We will be making quinoa with roasted vegetables, yogurt dill sauce and spiced tofu. And, gluten free chocolate chip cookies for dessert! We will be talking about alternatives for grains, as well as the health benefits of several ingredients in our dinner - and you will be served dinner at the end of the class! All proceeds to benefit For Generations to Come Nature Sanctuary. Come join the fun! Please call 734-748-5538 or e-mail info@fgtcsanctuary.org for more information.

Yoga Dance Party to Benefit FGTC

noreply@blogger.com (Tamara) — Tue, 19 May 2009 03:17:00 +0000

We are very excited for the first ever Yoga Dance party in Dexter, Michigan. Patty Hart, a long time volunteer with FGTC, is a great yoga teacher in addition to having a deep life-long love of music. She came up with the idea for the Yoga Dance Party and descided she wanted to make it a benefit event for FGTC. The evening promises to be a lively and relaxing time. Families and friends younger and older are welcome. Here is the flier with more details (click for a larger view).

Two Teen Groups Join the Garlic Mustard Pull Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (Tamara) — Mon, 18 May 2009 03:25:00 +0000

We recently had the fortune of two great groups of teens coming to help in our Garlic Mustard Pull conservation project. The 8th grade class at the Rudolf Steiner School of Ann Arbor and the Green Group from the Neutral Zone. As you can see, the stands of garlic mustard have gotten very tall and are getting ready to go to seed. We are pulling an bagging as much of it as we can before the pulling window is closed until next year.

The weather was rainy or damp on the work days, but the kids did a fantastic job. Thanks for your help.

Here are some pictures from two days:

Learning from Irises

noreply@blogger.com (Tamara) — Fri, 15 May 2009 15:17:00 +0000

FGTC volunteer Andrea Hill sent this touching story of deepening her connection with the earth. Thank you for writing and sharing this Andrea.

I’m looking at these beautiful irises in a vase on my table. They feel like friends.

The other day, I was rushing around cleaning, getting ready to have clients in my house and as I was coming back from taking out the trash, this magnificent yellow iris caught my eye. It was in an untended part of the yard, behind my house. It was a complete surprise. It was in full relationship with the sun, ground and air. I could feel its vibrancy and it really got my attention. At the time, I was struggling with a disagreement I had with my landlord and decided to cut down this beautiful flower and bring it into my house – to “get” something in return for all the work I was doing that should have been done before I moved in. This felt terrible. As soon as I did it I knew it was wrong. I apologized and asked for forgiveness of this iris. I meditated with it while it sat in a vase on my table.

I’ve tended to that yellow iris as it continued to bloom new flowers. I’ve shown it love and appreciation. I’ve apologized a lot to it. I’ve been careful not to beat myself up about it, and also not to ignore that it was an abuse of a life.

Today, I was in the yard again. There is a huge bunch of magnificent purple irises behind my garage, where I won’t see them much. I stood in front of them and silently asked if there were any who would like to come in and live in my house in a vase so my clients and I could enjoy them. There were two. Plus another flower I don’t know the name of. It has a long straight stem with a globe of little purple flowers at the top. They look magnificent together. The shapes of the stems and blossoms come together to make an incredible display. As I cut them, I felt permission, my own full appreciation and love for this expression of Earth, relationship. I love them. I feel supported and blessed by them. It brings tears to my eyes to let myself feel this.

The other day, I went to the lake with my four year old daughter. She is ecstatic there. When we got to the water, she announced, “I am here to give a drink to the sand!” and proceeded to fill bucket after bucket with lake water. She ran back and forth for over an hour, shining happiness, engrossed in tenderly giving water to the sand, watching the shapes and colors that it made, making little rivers. It was pure and loving.

I remember feeling like that when I was little. I remember feeling connected to plants, animals, sky and earth much more vulnerably. I used to make little cheese balls for mice. I took care of baby birds and moles. I got sidetracked growing up, trying to live with respect for life. It got twisted into a fight (about whether or not to eat meat, how to be a good environmentalist, etc.) I felt like somehow I should not receive from the earth – not cause death - which is impossible, I found. To really feel all that I receive from the Earth takes a tremendous amount of self-love. Otherwise, I just feel ashamed of causing the death and displacement of people, animals and plants. I am overwhelmed by the feeling that I can receive without taking. Those irises said yes. There is so much yes in the world for me.

Stories from Earth Day

noreply@blogger.com (Tamara) — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 01:01:00 +0000

It was a beautiful windy day at the Leslie Science Center Earth Day Celebration in Ann Arbor. For Generations To Come was happy to participate by providing families with the Earth Creations activity. A sweet community of mud creations began to form and in the afternoon spontaneous stories we shared by Antoinette Thoin about the forms that had been made.

Listen to the story of the day (above) and watch a slideshow of all the great creative fun.

Thank you to all the volunteers who came to help make this such a success.

The Power of Relationship: A Quiet Revolution

noreply@blogger.com (Tamara) — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 21:10:00 +0000

For Generations To Come Sanctuary (FGTC) is happy to announce the beginning of its 2009 event series with “The Power of Relationship: The Quiet Revolution,” a 3-day retreat focusing on the depth of connection between you and the world, exploring/unearthing how to be truly authentic in a busy western culture. It is hosted by Brenda Morgan, PhD, and five advanced workshop facilitators who have developed this retreat to help balance, strengthen and bring alive the depth of who you are in everyday life.

With all the activity of daily life, winter lends itself as a beautiful time for self-reflection and opportunities to take stock of what is important. FGTC Sanctuary was established to explore ways of learning to deeply feel the interdependence of life with all its variety of people and creatures. Presenters weave together dynamic and self-reflective activities, encouraging the deepening awareness between Earth, humanity and the cosmos.

<-- Click on the flier for more information.

Steping Up Conservation Through Invasive "Pushy" Species Removal

noreply@blogger.com (Tamara) — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 17:39:00 +0000

Lana Jerome, one of the leaders of the FGTC Land Stewardship Team, sent this update on the conservation plans for this year:

As stewards and volunteers, we move about the sanctuary with a deep sense of Love and respect for all who share the space with us. The land itself feels joyous with our presence.

Since we have only known this land for a little over a year, we have much to understand. We have learned from the experts that the first thing we need to do is an inventory of who and what lives where. This includes both native and non-native. Again, we have been blessed with experts from several organizations to assist us.

We are happy to say the Natural Resource Conservation Service is one of our restoration and conservation partners. They have outlined the sanctuary's different natural feature areas and will fund some of our removal efforts. This spring, Dan Kennedy of the Mi Dept. of Natural Resources and Ryan O’Connor of the Michigan Natural features Inventory will help inventory several areas. Jim Hazelman of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife is helping with plans to restore the natural hydrology and create more homes for friends such as salamanders and frogs. Bill Schneider of Wildtype Native Plant Nursery has been serving as an adviser right from the beginning. There are many others who are helping at each step of the way which feels miraculous.

A continuing project is the removal of the ‘pushy’ species. Our intent is not just to get rid of the invasives but it is to restore balance to the land. There are two links below that provide very helpful information on the impact of two invasives. Garlic mustard is going to be our spring and summer project for years to come. So, all hands welcome and garlic mustard recipes too. The other pushy species is autumn olive. We started working with this last fall and found it takes many helpers and lots of work.

Here are two videos to learn more about about the importance Garlic Mustard Removal, and Invasive Phragmites Removal for the health of Michigan's eco-systems.

If you would like to join in with the Land Stewardship Team's conservation efforts at the sanctuary, please call (734) 418-9861 to learn more about our up-coming volunteer days on February 28th, March 28th & April 19th.

Ann Arbor Neutral Zone Throws a Benefit Concert for FGTC

noreply@blogger.com (Tamara) — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 00:31:00 +0000

In a great surprise phone call a few months ago, we learned that FGTC Sanctuary had been selected to be benefited by a concert at the Neutral Zone, Ann Arbor's Youth Center. A Neutral Zone club, the Green Group, co-sponsored the event with students from the University of Michigan School of Art & Design in an effort to help support an environmental organization in the area. We were elated to have been chosen.

Four local bands played to a crowd of over 130 people. We had some great conversations as well as receiving funds for the Sanctuary.

Here are a few images from the night as well as the fliers created to promote the event:

Thank you to the Green Group, Elly Schmidt and Alyssa Chambo of the UofM Art and Design School, the Neutral Zone, and a special thanks to the fantastic bands:

Beyond Identity
Red Leader
Medic
Bury the Witness

Winter Wonderland Volunteer Day

noreply@blogger.com (Tamara) — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 20:29:00 +0000

A sunny and chilly winter day saw beautiful pictures of the new flower design for the organic garden, tons of animal tracks in the snow, and fun tree trimming by hardy volunteers. I heard over and over how happy people were to be outside in the sunny cold as they said "I've got to do this more often!"

Another crew worked to remove carpeting and paneling in the future meeting space in the lower level of the care-taker's house.

Fresh homemade soup was served and the catering team met in preparation for the 3-day March Retreat.

Our next volunteer day is scheduled for February 28th (weather permitting).

Nature Circles, Sound Circles at FGTC

noreply@blogger.com (Tamara) — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 22:27:00 +0000

For four weeks this fall, people are gathering at the Sanctuary to listen to the sounds around them on different parts of the land and talk about their experiences.

Sound Circles are a spin off of Nature Circles, an idea you can learn more about on their website. The idea is that simply sharing your experiences in nature with others can help you feel more connected to the earth and the other participants. This is the second Nature Circle series I've attended and I always find I want to stay longer. It helps me get outside and gives me new perspectives on the natural world from my own experiences and from listening to what others have to share.

FGTC volunteer Tom Mansell came up with the Sound Circles focus, and has created a blog to share some of the audio recordings from the meetings:
http://soundcircles.blogspot.com/

All are welcome to attend this last of the series of four meet ups is this Sunday, October 12th at 10:00AM-11:30AM.

What are the sounds surrounding you?

Rethinking Recess: Where Did It Go?! - October 25, 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Tamara) — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 05:22:00 +0000

The new Rethinking Recess conference website is up! Visit www.rethinkingrecess.com to learn more about this upcoming event.

I asked Sarah Nuxoll, an FGTC volunteer living in Portland, Oregon why nature, play, and the ideas behind this conference were important to her. She wrote:

I am a parent of two young children. Last year my son, then 5 years old, entered kindergarten. My son loves to learn, and I was looking forward to hearing his excitement about new discoveries, and anticipating the delight of each new creative project he brought home to share with me. Instead, I was deeply disappointed to find that the curriculum consisted very heavily of rote exercises to promote reading and math skills, almost to the exclusion of anything else. To top it off, he only had recess twice a week.

Soon our morning routine included a new refrain: “I don’t want to go to school, Mom.” It seems that our educational system has lost sight of the bigger picture of childhood. As I see it, it is a time for recognizing our children’s innate curiosity and sense of exploration, and for encouraging imaginative play as an intrinsic component of learning that helps them integrate all other experiences. Children will only begin to thrive in our schools when we acknowledge this, and adopt a new top priority in education: embracing our children as whole people.

Join us on October 25th at the Rudolf Steiner School of Ann Arbor High School Campus for this enlivening day of creative ideas to bring nature and play into all kinds of spaces in schools and beyond.

The Missing Link: Igniting Our Lovebond with the Earth Retreat

noreply@blogger.com (Tamara) — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 21:18:00 +0000

The first retreat event held at the sanctuary was a beautiful three days of being lavished with sunshine, cool weather, enlivening food, and amazing presentations that brought relationship with the Earth to a deeper level.

Eighty people from around the United States attended and I was struck by the great learning and variety of experiences I had over the course of the event. The sanctuary itself was a major catalyst to relaxing and integrating the workshops focus: encouraging a deeper feeling sense of the interdependence of our lives with the Earth, and looking at what holds us back from feeling the profound gifts and friendship and love the Earth is constantly showering us with. It was an outstanding transformative time for me, and I am so thankful for the presenters and all the volunteers who made this possible.

Here are images from the retreat:

You can see the fantastic organic catering spreads, spa services and the variety of presentations which included movement, theater, camping, clay oven cooking, and so many ways to relax between presentations.

Campsite and Retreat Preparations Go Wonderfully Thanks To Our Fantastic Volunteers!

noreply@blogger.com (Tamara) — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 18:53:00 +0000

Over twenty-five volunteers arrived yesterday for the next round of preparations for the new campsite and the first retreat event at the sanctuary.

The elegant three-peak tent was put up in a new place closer to the pond and shaded by large trees, a new dock was put in (quite an aquatic challenge), and a lot of weeding, string trimming and mowing was done.

Here are photos from the day:

(Photos by Tamara Wendt)

Thank you to everyone who came out to help with these projects. Our next volunteer day is August 23rd when we'll be harvesting and curing winter squash, beginning a long-term photo survey of the land, holding a tractor maintenance clinic, and other conservation work.

July Volunteer Day - Gardening, Rocket Stoves, Campsite Shower Construction and FUN!

noreply@blogger.com (Tamara) — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 02:41:00 +0000

Saturday, July 26th was an incredibly beautiful day at the Sanctuary. Twenty-five volunteers worked and rested under the bluest sky. Projects were planned in preparation for the Sanctuary's first retreat event coming up in August.

So much was accomplished and I personally enjoyed the great energy and friendliness everyone brought to the day.

We attended to the organic garden (which really needed some TLC and weeding) and it looked transformed by the end of the day.
A lot of mowing made the trails and land look so fresh.
Some dead trees were cut to keep the campsite safe.
Plans were made for the August 2 volunteer day (our last big day to prepare for the retreat!).
A huge tarp was put up over the new campsite kitchen and hosted one of the first outdoor classes as volunteers learned about how the rocket stove and fire heated oven would be built.
A spiral entrance solar shower had its posts put in.

Wonderful organic snacks (some from the garden) were served by the pond for an afternoon break. After all the work there was time for a refreshing swim in the warm lake, a little paddling around in the kayak... and a golden sunset to end the day.

It was a full day of learning new skills and having lots of fun. Thank you to everyone who came out to help. :) If you would like to learn more about volunteering at the FGTC Sanctuary you can e-mail me at tamarawendt@yahoo.com

Our next volunteer dates are August 2, August 23, and September 27.

Here are some pictures from the day:

FGTC at the 2008 Ann Arbor Art Fair :)

noreply@blogger.com (Tamara) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 04:10:00 +0000

We had a wonderful 4 days at the Ann Arbor Art Fair this last week.

Thank you to everyone who helped to staff the booth, build, design, transport, assemble and clean up. Whew! It was a good bit of volunteering and creativity and a lot of people stoped by and talked with volunteers through hot sunshine and wet rain. Many were happy to hear about FGTC, or had read about the sanctuary and wanted to learn more.

We hoped to offer a beautiful space for people to get a feel for the sanctuary at the fair. Hand fans with our information helped cool hundreds of people on the VERY hot days, temporary tattoos made kids and adults smile, lavender water spray bottles helped to refresh visitors, and an amazing group of volunteers took turns staffing the booth for the four 14-hour days.

Sara T (saratea.com) volunteered her amazing design work with the fans, temporary tattoos and the booth concept itself! Thanks Sara. :)

Here are some pictures from the fair and set up:

We had fans, updated newsletters, temporary tattoos, native plants, log seats and boulders from the land, mobiles with laminated birds, clouds, and rain drops, t-shirts for sale, lavender spray bottles, stickers, and other brochures and information.
It is really amazing to feel everything that has come together so quickly and at such a high level of quality. I really appreciate the care and time and work Brenda and the whole team has put into laying the groundwork for this project to take FGTC another step into the world.

Waldorf School To Co-Sponsor Re-Thinking Recess Conference

noreply@blogger.com (Tamara) — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 05:10:00 +0000

Great news! The Rudolf Steiner School of Ann Arbor will be co-sponsoring the upcoming For Generations To Come Re-Thinking Recess Conference.

Their inspiring high school building will be the location for the event on October 25th.

It has been so energizing to talk with them about partnering possibilities for the conference and beyond. I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship.

For Generations To Come Sanctuary Opens With A Grand Celebration!

noreply@blogger.com (Tamara) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 23:56:00 +0000

Visitors interacted with the stunning land as well as over 70 volunteers from around the country who came to help staff the many activities for the day. These activities were designed to allow guests to experience the wonderland-like quality of the acreage as well as learn about the philosophy of the sanctuary: how to take care of ourselves and others in deeper ways while simultaneously taking care of the Earth.

People and pets had a choice of hay rides, puppet shows, live music, kite flying, mini-mud house building, delicious organic sandwich wraps and fruit, nature walks, tree house storytelling by the Heart of the Tree, a Nature Treasure Trek for kids or simply relaxing by the pond and enjoying the natural world with friends and family. The sanctuary's next event is a three-day retreat in August entitled "The Missing Link: Igniting Our Lovebond with the Earth."

____________________________________________

The sun shone beautifully on a pristine Saturday when over 325 people joined in the celebration and opening events for the new For Generations To Come Sanctuary. The pond, cabin, and tent pictured here are part of a 145-acre nature and retreat sanctuary cared for by volunteers.

FGTC Founder, Brenda Morgan, lead a commemorative ceremony entitled "Changing of the Guardians" honoring Clark and Avis Spike for the care and relationship they have had with this acreage for the last 36 years. As they pass the land on to the next generation, the Spikes are very happy knowing this space on the earth will be cared for as a learning, environmental and retreat nature sanctuary for generations to come.

Young ones and their parents have a natural adventure during the Treasure Trek spending time with each of the four elements writing or drawing postcards to earth, air, fire and water. Games and activities were designed to help children deepen their relationship to the elements by spending time with them playing with mud, flying kites, looking and reflecting on water and remembering fire by a fire ring.

An Interview with Tom Egan

noreply@blogger.com (Tamara) — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 01:15:00 +0000

Tom Egan, a program account manager in the auto industry, is also a volunteer and the chairperson of the board for the FGTC Sanctuary.

I thought this would be a great time to talk with Tom about the opening event and upcoming programs. You can listen in bellow as you watch a slide show of images from the opening day.In the following posts we'll hear from three other FGTC volunteers:

Molly Jarin and the Nature Treasure Trek
Antoinette Thoin and the Heart of the Tree story
Millie Morgan, an elder volunteer sharing her insight through a poem.

Photos of the Opening Day Event:

(photos by Amy Smalley, Alice Wendt & Tamara Wendt)

Treasure Trek: An Interview with FGTC Volunteer Molly Jarin

noreply@blogger.com (Tamara) — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 02:03:00 +0000

I heard a lot of positive things from kids and parents about the Treasure Trek activity at the For Generations To Come opening celebration. I asked Molly Jarin if she would talk about how the idea for the trek was developed and how the idea of giving kids an experience of relationship with the natural world and the four elements was woven into the day.

Here are some of the postcards kids wrote to the elements:

(click on image for a closer view)

Molly shared, "I had always liked rainbows and the idea of the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. The pot of gold was at the For Generations To Come Sanctuary... it is a land of treasures, but really a model for the world of treasures... You can't find the end of a rainbow so the pot of gold is everywhere. The treasures are everywhere." The Earth must have agreed as the day after the event a large rainbow appeared over the sanctuary.

Molly Jarin is a Physical Therapist in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
She brings her great love for the Earth and her experience growing up on a nature center to the creation of these new activities.

The Heart of the Tree: An Interview with Antoinette Thoin

noreply@blogger.com (Tamara) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 02:12:00 +0000

During the For Generations To Come Sanctuary opening celebration Antoinette Thoin spontaneously created a beautiful experience for people visiting the tree house by interacting with people and telling stories as the Heart of the Tree. I heard about the effect this had on a few of the visitors and wanted to follow up with her to learn more about her experience of the day.
I had the pleasure of sitting at a local park with Antoinette on her 68th birthday and here is what she shared:

Antoinette can be contacted at 734-369-4400 or at yinspaceexpressions@yahoo.com

A Poem by Elder and For Generations To Come Volunteer Millie Morgan

noreply@blogger.com (Tamara) — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 14:22:00 +0000

My calendar of life
I've stood in many winds that blew my way
And stillness that held me in sway

Some roads I merrily strolled
No thoughts of 'morrow
Happily flitting as a "bee"
I, too began to flower -
The intensities of life endured

I twirled about in ups and downs
I began to unfold
Forever more

Mille Morgan is 91 years of age and volunteers with writing, insight and flower arranging at FGTC programs. She is pictured to the right with Clark and Avis Spike at the Elderberry Corner of the FGTC Sanctuary opening celebration.

An Article in the Ann Arbor News About The FGTC Sanctuary Opening

noreply@blogger.com (Tamara) — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 01:28:00 +0000

Here is a great article by the Ann Arbor News on the opening event. :)

This is a picture with caption that appeared in the newspaper that isn't in the online post:

For Generations To Come member Tamara Wendt of Ann Arbor takes time to taste the grass after marking trails with stakes at the nonprofit's new 145-acre farm in Sharon Township on Saturday.

Voluteers Embrace The New FGTC Sanctuary With Amazing Results!

noreply@blogger.com (Tamara) — Wed, 28 May 2008 05:07:00 +0000

In incredible amount of work and donated money, materials, and equipment streamed onto the new For Generations To Come Sanctuary almost as soon as the papers for the land and house were signed.

The list of what got done is very, very long. It was almost unbelievable how much was accomplished in so short a period of time. Over 80 people have come and given time in the last 5 months. Many came repeatedly. Thank you so much for helping to make the dream of the sanctuary come true.

This is a sampling of the work that was done:

The entire house interior and exterior was painted, some plumbing and appliances were replaced, the drain along the garage door was installed, the cabin was painted and safety rails and new steps put in, all the trails were cleared, defined, and signs put up, the 100 Acre Woods received a lot of TLC and mulch, the gardens were cleared and replanted, fences were painted, lots of invasive grape vines were pulled out of trees, huge bags of garlic mustard were removed, potentially hazardous trees were cut near the trails and other frequently visited places, poison ivy was sprayed, lots of mowing, weeding, and mulching, the front address stone was put in which is it's own story, an attempt to tarp the barn roof which needs to be replaced was made, garden beds around the house were put in or cleaned up, the pond beach entrance was cleared, lots of electrical work was done, and many more details than I can list here.

Along with the accomplishment of seeing the transformation of the land with the work and change of seasons, I felt so happy every time I came home from a day out on the land with this great group of friends. I feel very thankful to be part of all of this, and I am so excited for the Grand Opening Celebration coming up in June!

Mud Huts for Earth Day at the Leslie Science Center

noreply@blogger.com (Tamara) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 04:45:00 +0000

It was a crisp spring day at the Leslie Science Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan for this year's Earth Day Celebration.

All kinds of groups had informational tables and activities for kids and families. For Generations To Come volunteers came up with the idea to have cobb, a natural building material, available for people to create houses or whatever they'd like. Kids and adults got their hands good and muddy as they shaped their cobb into all kinds of designs and decorated them with shells, rocks, sticks and other bits. We had over 200 cobb creations made that day.

In addition to the mud fun, storyteller and FGTC volunteer Antoinette Thoin attended the event in full character as Mother Earth and walked the grounds telling spontaneous tales.

Thank you to everyone who helped set up the information table, hauled in clay and straw, cut planks, stomped the mix into cobb, and attended to the many, many visitors so sweetly.

Here are photos of the day:

(photos by Joanna Mills)