June 21-22 | Sedge Identification Class

Join the W.K. Kellogg Bird Sanctuary to learn more about the wonderful, subtle beauty of sedges in a two-day, in-person, hands-on class, slated for 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday, June 21-22.

The basics

• Time and dates: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday, June 21, 2023, and Saturday, June 22, 2024
• Location: W.K. Kellogg Bird Sanctuary, 12685 East C Ave., Augusta MI and assorted nearby field sites
• Audience: Adults
• Fee: $200 (Bird Sanctuary members),$250 (non-members)
• Register by June 17

About

The class will be taught by Tyler Bassett, a botanist with the Michigan Natural Features Inventory, and Bradford Slaughter, a botanist with Orbis Environmental Consulting.

Sedges are found in a wide variety of habitats on all continents except Antarctica, but even experienced field biologists can struggle with identification. The course covers genera and species in the plant family Cyperaceae, including species found in both upland and wetland habitats.

Participants will explore field sites within Kalamazoo and Barry Counties for an up-close look at species while learning how to distinguish among similar families and the identification of “hard-to-identify” species found in southwest Michigan. There also will be opportunities to examine specimens in a laboratory setting.

After this two-day course, participants will gain an understanding the fundamental morphological traits used to differentiate grasses, sedges, and rushes, while developing the skills to identify many common species of sedges in our region

Registration

The Sedge ID class is open to plant enthusiasts looking to deepen their knowledge of sedges; cost is $200 for Sanctuary members and $250 for non-members.

Register at bit.ly/kbs-sedge-ID-2024 by 11:59 p.m. Monday, June 17; space is limited.

For more information about the Sanctuary, visit birdsanctuary.kbs.msu.edu. Direct questions to birdsanctuary@kbs.msu.edu or (269) 671-2510.