MEEC’s July update

Sr. Leanne Jablonski, FMI, Director of MEEC Marianist Environmental Education Center in Dayton, OH, shared the following update about its 21st Native plant sale, which was hugely successful. This year, nearly 6,000 native plants, including prairie, wetland, and woodland plants, were raised at Mount Saint John. These plants are now part of the local landscape, where they will enrich the wildlife surroundings in the years to come.

First, I would like to share our staff's deepest thanks to everyone who helped make last month's plant sale a huge success. It was our 21st annual sale, and it continues to grow every year. Nearly 6,000 prairie, wetland, and woodland plants - raised right here at Mount Saint John - found their way into our local landscapes, where they will enhance wildlife habitat for years to come. We want to especially thank the many volunteers it takes to make the sale possible - 50 at the sale alone. More than 100 are involved in every step from seed collection and cleaning, planting, watering, weeding, organizing pre-orders, setup, customer service, and sales. On November 18, we'll host an appreciation evening at MEEC for everyone who helps us fulfill our mission throughout the year. If you're looking for a meaningful volunteer opportunity that comes with a healthy dose of nature education and deep ecological restoration knowledge, let us know. 

We're busy finalizing our fall cycle of programs, the first in our new learning center. We didn't go far - we're still in St. Joseph Hall - but we have a new library and meeting room, seed lab, and classroom. We'll continue to use the Madeleine room in the Chaminade Center for larger events. The website will always have the location specified. 

Of course, nature is still our primary classroom, and nearly every event will provide opportunities to explore the Marianist Nature Preserve and the other outdoor spaces we steward to become more rooted in gratitude and humility, engage with nature, and learn about the relationships that sustain us. The words from Isaiah, which mark the preserve trailhead, keep me rooted in gratitude for all of you: "For you shall go out in joy, and be led back in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall burst into song, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands."