Prairie Nature Walk at Jester Park

*“When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world”. —John Muir* Our theme for our July nature walk is “*interconnectedness*,” a reminder of how every prairie plant, insect, bird, human and other living being is bound together in both seen and unseen ways. The compass plants will be in bloom, along with so many others! Join us to see what’s blooming as we gather together in community with nature. We’ll meet at the Jester Park Nature Center parking lot. The Jester Park Nature Center is located at 12130 NW 128th St, Granger, IA 50109. From the parking lot, we’ll walk on the trail near the nature center for about a mile (trail marker #3). If there’s interest afterwards, we invite you to visit the Elk and Bison enclosures just down the road. During the walk, we will have time for conversation, reflection, and quiet. We’ll identify prairie plants and bird species and connect more fully to the native and ancient land in which we live. There will be plenty of opportunities to learn about plants and birds and to practice the spiritual aspects of nature, which is a wonderful mindfulness practice. This nature walk is co-led by the Centering Nature Leadership Team from First Unitarian Church of Des Moines and is funded by the REACH program (Radical Engagement And Creative Happenings) through the church. Please let us know if you plan to attend! RSVP here on MeetUp or email us at [centeringnature@ucdsm.org](centeringnature@ucdsm.org). Bring comfortable walking shoes, binoculars if you have them, and water and nourishment as needed. Please do not attend if you’re feeling unwell.