Restoring the Oak Savanna at Wittenbach Wege Center
Monday, July 20th, 2026
6:30 pm–8:00 pm (EDT)
Wittenbach Wege Agriscience & Environmental Education Center
11715 Vergennes St SE, Lowell, MI, 49331
Public Welcome • Free Event • Nature Walk
Public Restroom • Free Public Parking
Dress for the weather with sturdy shoes. Bring a water bottle and bug spray.
This program will be a walking tour will be led by Courtney Cheers, director of the Wittenbach Wege Center. She will guide us through the oak savanna restoration areas at the Wittenbach Center and the adjacent Wege Foundation Natural Area, where ongoing efforts are restoring native oak forest and savanna habitat. Along the way, Courtney will share the story behind the restoration process, including the challenges of converting former pine plantation and disturbed areas back to diverse native ecosystems. She will highlight the journey and process and the “village” that helped get this restoration where it is today. The preserve also includes trails through oak savanna, woodland, wetlands, and along Lee Creek, offering a chance to see restoration in action.
For more information about Oak Openings (Oak Savannas) visit: https://mnfi.anr.msu.edu/communities/description/10691/oak-openings
Courtney Cheers loves helping people explore, discover, preserve, and protect our natural world. And she has been educating students and the community about the natural world and agriculture for more than 20 years. Courtney has been involved in programming at the Wittenbach Wege Agriscience & Environmental Education Center since 2001 and has held the position of Director since 2014. She holds a degree in Public Administration and Ag Economics from Iowa State University and continued her studies in Environmental Education at the University of Montana and Michigan State University.
Courtney is also the owner of Artemis Growers, a licensed native plant nursery located in Saranac, MI which was founded in 2022. She is a member of the Native Plant Guild.
