Learn Our Land: UUAA Plant Walk
Monday May 4, 2026, 6-8 pm – Click here to register!
Explore the “back 40 acres” at the First Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Ann Arbor, 4001 Ann Arbor Saline Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48103.
Walk the UUAA land with an expert instructor who will teach us how to identify, use and encourage some of the edible and medicinal plants that grow here. The nearly 47 acre UUAA property at the corner of Ellsworth and Ann Arbor Saline Roads was wild, untamed and undeveloped until the congregation purchased it nearly 30 years ago. The building and parking now occupy the northwest corner, while the remainder of the property is kept natural and untreated. Trails, meadows, a stream, a pond and outdoor use features dot the property and native plants and trees have been encouraged to reclaim the land. Bring your questions and be ready to learn how to find a variety of “groceries” in the woods, meadows and trees.
This event is co-sponsored by UUAA’s Land Management Team, WomUUn’s Council, Outdoors WomUUn, Climate Action/Climate Justice Team and the Garden Stewards Team.
| All genders and ages are welcome. Children must be closely supervised. Cost: $25 per person. Pay online or by check when you register. Registration is not guaranteed without payment. Register here: https://forms.gle/PjTiYLJ7EKwwSB7N9 Where to meet: Park in the lower parking lot at UUAA (4001 Ann Arbor Saline Rd, Ann Arbor, MI 48103). Please be cautious of parents picking up daycare children. Gather in the far left corner of the lot near the gravel road leading out onto the property. What to wear and bring: Wear solid shoes that can get muddy. Wear long pants and be prepared to repel ticks and possible wet weather (whatever that means to you). A water bottle and light snack are encouraged. Bring a journal and pen to take notes, and a camera/ phone to record what you learn. Questions: Please email WomUUnsCouncil@uuaa.org | About Our Instructor . . . Rachel Mifsud is founder (and everything else) of Will Forage For Food, arguably one of the Midwest’s best resources for learning about edible and medicinal plants, local ecology and wild habitats. Will Forage For Food has organized and hosted the Great Lakes Foragers Gathering every June for more than a decade, and offers a variety of classes, instructional weekends and services to teach folks about the bounties of the Earth. As a child, Rachel often camped, hunted, trapped, and harvested and preserved foods with her family. Through years of practice, she learned to gather, process, produce, and preserve a large proportion of the foods, medicines, and household products that she needs. Rachel is a lifelong student of the environment and primitive skills, with a special interest in understanding why nature creates those characteristics that give plants and animals their unique and useful qualities. Rachel has a BS in Environmental Biology and MS in Ecology. She has worked as a field biologist and ecologist throughout the Eastern U.S., and is a Biology lecturer at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. She has been teaching for over 25 years and has spent considerable time working with students in the classroom, in the woods, and online. You can learn more about Rachel and Will Forage for Food at www.willforageforfood.com |