Acorns Gathered in Ferndale to Help Grow White Oaks in Northern Oakland County Nature Preserves
(Crystal A. Proxmire, Nov. 16, 2025)
Independence Township and Ferndale, MI – Thanks to nature-loving volunteers, Ferndale acorns are getting around. In October donations of acorns and walnuts were collected to help feed pigs on small local farms across SE Michigan.
Now a new round of acorn donations are being transported to northern Oakland County to be planted on nature preserves in the ongoing battle against the deadly Oak Wilt fungus.
Kari Kildow of Ferndale and Elena Mityaeva of Farmington Hills are part of Michigan State University Extension’s Conservation Stewards Program. The class includes lessons on ecosystem management and requires students to choose a capstone project. For Kildow and Mityaeva, the idea of planting acorns to help grow the next generation of White Oaks was a perfect hands-on way to make a difference.
They were able to get over 1,000 White Oak acorns from a yard in Ferndale and will soon be planting them at two locations in Independence Township – The Suzanne Knorr Preserve and the Bridge Valley Nature Reserve, which are both owned by their respective Home Owners Associations and managed by Blue Heron Headwaters Conservancy.
The Conservancy is entrusted with over 1500 acres in Oakland County and small parts of Genessee and Livingston County. They’ve been preserving natural spaces for over 50 years.
Kyle Clarke of the Blue Heron Headwaters Conservancy heads up efforts with students and volunteers.
“We’ve started working with students more frequently this past year,” Clarke said. “We’ve done a class field trip and a couple weekend workdays to get more students involved. I think these can be valuable experiences for the students to get out in nature and discover more about the natural world around them, something I don’t think they get to do too often.
“We did a scavenger hunt for plants at the last field trip and it was awesome to see so many students enthusiastic about nature. These experiences are valuable for Blue Heron for a multitude of reasons. We are all about protecting the land, nature and wildlife, and this educates some younger folks on that aspect. Hopefully they learn something that they will keep their entire lives. We are always looking for more volunteers to help on our properties!”
Kildow and Mityaeva’s project is particularly important because of the growing threat of Oak Wilt.
Clarke explained, “It is initially spread by beetles who carry the fungal spores on them and can smell wounds on an oak tree. When they move to the wound to feed on the sap they transfer the spores. It hasn’t been a problem on a lot of our properties yet, only one or two. However, just one instance of it is pretty bad.
“The fungus spreads underground through the roots of the oak tree as well. Oak tree roots tend to spread far and wide and thus are usually in contact with other oak tree roots. This leads to the fungus spreading underground pretty fast. So in order to remove a patch of infected oak trees, you need to dig a trench around all the affected trees and cut them all down. The estimated cost for this at our one preserve where we noticed an infection is in the tens of thousands of dollars. So prevention is really the best way to go.”
White Oaks are resistant to Oak Wilt, so planting White Oaks in areas that are heavy with Red Oaks means that if Oak Wilt strikes there can be young, resistant trees already established in the area.
For Mityaeva, the planting work is personal. “I have a childhood memory of my grandfather tending to two oak tree seedlings which he grew from acorns. From time to time he’d ask me to water them. I didn’t fully appreciate the importance of it back then but I often wonder how big those trees are now,” she said.
“I had an inkling that my 10 year old daughter would be interested in helping to plant the acorns too. Sharing a positive action for the environment with the next generation is beyond rewarding and creates long lasting effects as I experienced in my own childhood.”
Mityaeva has a garden at home, and has volunteered at Heritage Park in Farmington Hills, as well as planted trees with Greening of Detroit. “Trees are tremendously important. For example, they generate oxygen and purify the air we breathe, they mitigate storm water run off, prevent soil erosion and provide food and shelter to all animals, including humans. I personally appreciate trees for the shade they offer during sweltering summer heat.”
Kildow understands the connection between nature and mental health, being both a social worker and a parent. “I have been disheartened by the state of the world and doing even small things gives me a sense of hope and a sense of control in it.,” Kildow said. In addition to participating in the MSU Extension Program, Kildow took beekeeper classes through the SE Michigan Beekeeper Association, and does beekeeping in her yard. She also has a focus on native pollinator plants. “I say I have an insect farm at my home,” Kildow said.
Others who want to get involved with preserving nature can find information about the Blue Heron Headwaters Conservancy at https://www.blueheronheadwaters.org/.
They’re also having a Giving Tuesday Open House on Dec. 2, where every donation up to $10,000 will be matched dollar for dollar thanks to a generous donor. Learn more: https://donorbox.org/
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