You Belong in Nature May 13-21, Join us for Blue Week!

Oak Openings Blue Week Honors the Crucial Connection of People and Nature

Celebrate the arrival of spring with Green Ribbon Initiative partners during Oak Openings Region Blue Week, May 13-21, 2023. Blue Week provides an opportunity to learn about the globally unique Oak Openings region, an area with a high concentration of rare and endangered plants and animals. The Blue Week name hails the region’s many blue plants and animals, including Karner blue butterflies, wild blue lupine, bluebirds, blue-spotted salamanders, blue herons, and blue racer snakes that are waking up in the spring.

It’s time to embrace your connection with nature! We’re excited to present over 30 events and activities during our Blue Week celebration. Explore the region’s hidden treasures on a self-guided tour, or join one of our naturalist-led hikes. Children can get closer to nature through our Connection with Nature through Observations and Technology for Families event or by creating Enrichment Crafts for recovering wildlife. Adults can network and connect with professionals during Stewardship: Behind the Scenes and a Fireside Chat. You can also participate in the Oak Openings Photo Contest and showcase your love for nature. Looking to make a difference? Volunteer with our partners during the Blazing Star Planting or Woody Plant Removal events. And don’t forget to check out our in-person Blue Week Native Plant Sale to learn more about incorporating native plants into your landscape. Join us in celebrating your connection to nature during Blue Week! For a complete list of events, dates, and locations, visit http://oakopenings.org/blue-week/.

“Did you know that there are many amazing plants and animals right in our backyard here in the Oak Openings Region? You don’t have to go far to see them!” says Brittani Furlong, The Nature Conservancy’s Green Ribbon Initiative Partner Specialist. “During Oak Openings Blue Week, we celebrate the wonders of our home and remind ourselves that we belong in nature. We should be proud to live in such a beautiful and natural place!”

The Green Ribbon Initiative, is a partnership of public and private organizations, landowners and individuals working to preserve, enhance, and restore critical natural areas in the Oak Openings Region.