OKEMOS - Before they camped out in a tent in the living room for the night, six-year-olds Renee Bieler and Marissa Cash came to Harris Nature Center to see the moon and maybe some deer.
But what they really wanted Friday were moon deer.
The best friends agreed the fictional creature they imagined is all white with a “moon nose” - certainly a different breed than the white-tailed deer normally found snacking around the nature center.
The two girls and other nature enthusiasts gathered at Harris Nature Center, 3998 Van Atta Road, for the first Moonlight Stroll of the season.
With a theme of “Spring Awakes,” the hikers took a guided tour of the nature center’s 200 acres, while learning about the transition to spring with the moon to light their way.
“I can’t believe we really went in there,” said Renee, as she peered into the woods with her child-sized binoculars. “Me and Marissa are scared of the dark.”
Assistant Naturalist Coryn Saltsman led the tour, providing information to children and adults alike by demonstrating how humans can use their senses, just like animals, to appreciate nature.
The strollers had a chance to guess which types of frogs were mating based on the calls they heard, which types of trees they were near based on touch and even what animals had crossed the trails earlier based on smell.
“Does everybody smell what I smell?” Saltsman asked the hikers. “That could be either skunk cabbage or it could really be our friend - if he is our friend - the skunk.”
Saltsman, a second-year MSU parks and recreation graduate student, has been teaching people about plants, animals and seasons in Michigan at the nature center for nearly two years.
Although the nature center employs four assistant naturalists and one naturalist to deal with snow, ice, heat and humidity, Saltsman says there are certain things she likes about warmer months.
“It would be hard if I moved away from Michigan,” she said. “I would miss the four seasons. It allows me to be outside and take others outside and plant the seed in their mind to help understand nature.
“Spring is a wonderful time of year. It’s a time of change, of birth and of more sun, which we all love. You couldn’t ask for a better April.”
The trail travelers agreed activities like the Moonlight Stroll are a way of welcoming the season, which began March 20.
“We never knew this was here,” said Tom Bieler, an East Lansing resident and Renee’s father. “Renee’s had cabin fever. We thought it would be a nice activity for kids. They just like being together and being outdoors.”
Pat Smith of Williamston was taking her first stroll in moonlight, although she often comes to the nature center to bike or walk.
“It’s nice to have this close,” she said. “Nature is a fun kind of thing to see and do and participate in.”
Those interested in the Moonlight Strolls - “Calling All Frogs,” May 11 at 9 p.m. and “Cricket Song,” June 8 at 9:30 p.m. - can call Harris Nature Center at 349-3866 for more information.
