[Note that this event is occurring in lieu of our usual monthly workday!]

The Stewards of Kleinstuck will host three events to celebrate and learn about one of our most important community members: the essential oak tree! Kalamazoo artist Lad Hanka is featured in our second event, in conversation about his work and relationship with oak trees. Lad will have some samples of his work with him.

These “community read” events are inspired by the book, The Nature of Oaks, by Douglas Tallamy. This is a delightful read - please come learn and share your thoughts whether you've read the book or not!

As stewards of both our preserve and its surrounding community, we are proud to partner with this is a bookstore, which will be stocking copies of  The Nature of Oaks plentifully this spring. To reserve your copy for pick-up at the bookstore please consider pre-purchasing it online here: The Nature of Oaks and inserting discount code: STEWARDS at check out to have a discounted copy promptly held for you. 

Kalamazoo artist Lad Hanka holds a bachelor’s degree of arts from Kalamazoo College, an MFA in printmaking from Western Michigan University and a master’s in zoology from Colorado State University. “My subject matter will tell you where I find evidence of the divine. I love to fish and gather mushrooms. I cannot get enough of ancient trees and the way their asymmetries and gravity bring me back to a place of profound stillness. The very idea that trees alive today were seeded at the birth of the old kingdom of Egypt and are thus as old as the written word itself, sets me free. I kneel at their roots and feel blessed.”

Thank you to the Third Christian Reformed Church for their support of these events through the Winchell Neighborhood Grant!