This page lists upcoming events for Friends of the Sands and our many partners in Newton County, Indiana and counties nearby. If you’d like information specific to volunteering with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) in Indiana, visit the page Volunteer with The Nature Conservancy in Indiana or visit TNC’s Kankakee Sands webpage.
To receive a weekly email about upcoming events and volunteer workdays for TNC, Friends of the Sands, and other partners, send a message to Alyssa Nyberg (anyberg@TNC.org) and let her know you would like to be added to her email list.
All times are Central Time. Stay in touch with us on our Facebook page, too!
APRIL 2026
Thursday, April 2, 2026, 8 am to 11 am, central time – Give a Hand to the Land, part 1
This event is hosted by Friends of the Sands in partnership with DNR. Garlic mustard and young honeysuckle are up and easy to pull in the sandy soils of Beaver Lake Prairie. We will be wandering over the land and pulling the invasives and appreciating the start of spring for native plants and animals. Gloves and light snacks will be provided. This is one of four Give a Hand Land workdays: April 2, 16, 23, and April 30. For more information, including meeting location, and to RSVP, contact Gus Nyberg at nyberggus@gmail.com or 765-427-4345.
Saturday, April 4, 2026, 11 am to 1 pm, central time – Kankakee Sands Greenhouse Workday and Snack Party
This event is hosted by Friends of the Sands in partnership with TNC. Join us for another morning of transplanting little green native plant seedlings into individual pots! We’ll also have a snack party, so if you’d like to bring a snack, please do! The greenhouse is warm, conversations are enjoyable, and working with the little plants is a springtime joy. This workday is appropriate for all ages and abilities. We will be meeting and working at the Kankakee Sands Greenhouse, located at 1492 W CR 250 N, Morocco, IN. Please RSVP. For more information and to RSVP, contact Alyssa Nyberg at anyberg@tnc.org.
Saturday, April 11, 2026, 8 am to 11 am, central time – Friends of the Kankakee Brush Cutting and Piling Workday, Iroquois County, IL
This event is hosted by Friends of the Kankakee in partnership with Friends of the Sands. Rejuvenate the oak savanna complex in Willow Estates through cutting and treating brush. This important work will help to build a stronger natural connection from Willow Slough to Iroquois County Conservation Area. Gloves and light snacks will be provided. For more information, including meeting location, and to RSVP, contact Gus Nyberg at nyberggus@gmail.com or 765-427-4345.
Saturday, April 11, 2026, form 7 PM to 8:15 PM, central time – Woodcock Walk, Beaver Lake Nature Preserve
This event is hosted by Friends of the Sands in partnership with DNR. Come experience a harbinger of spring, the call of our paradoxical upland shorebird, the American woodcock. We will discuss a little of the biology of this unusual bird while we quietly and respectfully stalk a calling male in the prairie. Stalking will be off trail and in a recently burned area of Beaver Lake Nature Preserve, so please bring appropriate footwear. Meet at the Beaver Lake Nature Preserve parking lot at the intersection of County Road 600 N and CR 200 W, south of Lake Village, IN. For more information, including meeting location, and to RSVP, contact Gus Nyberg at nyberggus@gmail.com or 765-427-4345.
Thursday, April 16, 2026, 8 am to 11 am, central time – Give a Hand to the Land, part 2
This event is hosted by Friends of the Sands in partnership with DNR. Garlic mustard, young honeysuckle are up and easy to pull in the sandy soils of Beaver Lake Prairie. We will be wandering over the land and pulling the invasives and appreciating the start of spring for native plants and animals. Gloves and light snacks will be provided. This is one of four Give a Hand Land workdays: April 2, 16, 23, and April 30. For more information, including meeting location, and to RSVP, contact Gus Nyberg at nyberggus@gmail.com or 765-427-4345.
Thursday, April 23, 2026, 8 am to 11 am, central time – Give a Hand to the Land, part 3
This event is hosted by Friends of the Sands in partnership with DNR. Garlic mustard, young honeysuckle are up and easy to pull in the sandy soils of Beaver Lake Prairie. We will be wandering over the land and pulling the invasives and appreciating the start of spring for native plants and animals. Gloves and light snacks will be provided. This is one of four Give a Hand Land workdays: April 2, 16, 23, and April 30. For more information, including meeting location, and to RSVP, contact Gus Nyberg at nyberggus@gmail.com or 765-427-4345.
Friday, April 24, 2026, 9 am to noon, central time – Conrad Station Savanna Weed Wrangle© Series
This event is hosted by Newton County Nature Partnership in partnership with Friends of the Sands and TNC. Join us every fourth Friday of the month to focus our attention on 15 acres at Conrad Station Savanna. The goal of these monthly workdays is to transform the overgrown woodland by removing invasive plants to create a flower filled savanna. We can’t wait to see the progress this year! The April workday will focus on removing invasive honeysuckle shrubs. Meet at the Conrad Station Savanna Parking lot, located along the gravel road 725 N through Conrad Station Savanna. The parking area is at the bend in the road. Gloves, eye protection, tools and snacks will be provided. Please RSVP. For more information and to RSVP, contact Alyssa Nyberg at anyberg@tnc.org or 219-866-1706.
Thursday, April 30, 2026, 8 am to 11 am, central time – Give a Hand to the Land, part 4
This event is hosted by Friends of the Sands in partnership with DNR. Garlic mustard, young honeysuckle are up and easy to pull in the sandy soils of Beaver Lake Prairie. We will be wandering over the land and pulling the invasives and appreciating the start of spring for native plants and animals. Gloves and light snacks will be provided. This is one of four Give a Hand Land workdays: April 2, 16, 23, and April 30. For more information, including meeting location, and to RSVP, contact Gus Nyberg at nyberggus@gmail.com or 765-427-4345.
MAY 2026
Thursday, May 7, 8 am to 11 am – Hand Weeding the Prairie
The battle against sweet clover begins anew at Beaver Lake Nature Preserve. This workday will commence a couple months of working to lessen the negative impact of invasives species on native prairie flora. We will hand-pull the sweet clover from the prairie. Gloves provided. For more information, including meeting location, and to RSVP, contact Gus Nyberg at nyberggus@gmail.com or 765-427-4345.
Saturday, May 9, 2026, 10 am to 2 pm, central time – Friends of the Sands Native Plant Sale
We’ll have over 35 species of native plants available for browsing at the Kankakee Sands greenhouse, located at 1492 W 250 N, Morocco, IN. More details to come.
Saturday, May 9, 2026, 8 pm to 11 pm, central time – Mothing on the Prairie
This event is hosted by Friends of the Sands in partnership with TNC. Join us for an evening of discovering moths at Kankakee Sands. We’ll have a light set up with a white sheet to attract moths. Children and families are welcome! Don’t forget to bring a flashlight. Meet at The Nature Conservancy’s Seed Barn at 419 W CR 600 N, Lake Village, IN. Please RSVP! Contact Jeanette Jaskula (jmjaskula@yahoo.com, 219-869-1004).
Thursday, May 14, 8 am to 11 am – Hand Weeding the Prairie
The battle against sweet clover begins anew at Beaver Lake Nature Preserve. This workday will commence a couple months of working to lessen the negative impact of invasives species on native prairie flora. We will hand-pull the sweet clover from the prairie. Gloves provided. For more information, including meeting location, and to RSVP, contact Gus Nyberg at nyberggus@gmail.com or 765-427-4345.
Thursday, May 21, 8 am to 11 am – Hand Weeding the Prairie
The battle against sweet clover begins anew at Beaver Lake Nature Preserve. This workday will commence a couple months of working to lessen the negative impact of invasives species on native prairie flora. We will hand-pull the sweet clover from the prairie. Gloves provided. For more information, including meeting location, and to RSVP, contact Gus Nyberg at nyberggus@gmail.com or 765-427-4345.
Friday, May 22, 9 am to noon, central time – Conrad Station Savanna Weed Wrangle© Series
Join us every fourth Friday of the month to focus our attention on 15 acres at Conrad Station Savanna. Over the course of a year of workdays and Weed Wrangles, we will be improving this overgrown woodland and creating a flower filled Savanna. We can’t wait to see it in 2027! This month’s workday will focus on removing non-native bittersweet. Meet at the Conrad Station Savanna Parking lot, located along the gravel road 725 N through Conrad Station Savanna. The parking area is at the bend in the road. Gloves, eye protection, tools and snacks will be provided. Please RSVP. For more information and to RSVP, contact Alyssa Nyberg at anyberg@tnc.org or 219-866-1706.
Thursday, May 28, 8 am to 11 am – Hand Weeding the Prairie
Happy Birthday Beaver Lake Prairie, purchased by the DNR on May 28, 1955. Celebrate the day and make life easier for our native prairie flora when we work to remove sweet clover from the prairie. Gloves will be provided. For more information, including meeting location, and to RSVP, contact Gus Nyberg at nyberggus@gmail.com or 765-427-4345.
Saturday, May 30, 8 am to 9 am – Yoga on the Prairie
Join Friends of the Sands and The Nature Conservancy for an all-levels Yoga on the Prairie series focused on the foundations of body alignment and awareness. No experience needed. Children welcome with adult caregiver. Dates for the series are all Saturdays: May 30, June 20, July 18, and August 22. Come for one session or for all! Please bring your yoga mat and be ready to stretch. Your instructor, Colleen Edmonson has taught yoga since 2019. She earned a yoga certificate from PureLightYoga Academy and then completed her 200-hour training with Crystal Gray Yoga. She is passionate about sharing the practice in a way that is accessible to all. Meet at the Nature Conservancy’s Native Plant Nursery at Kankakee Sands (1492 W 250 N, Morocco, IN). In the event of inclement weather, Colleen will notify attendees of cancellation. Please RSVP to her at colleen.m.edmonson@gmail.com.
JUNE 2026
Friday, June 5, 4 pm to 6 pm – Sand Coreopsis on the Grace Teninga Trail
Sand coreopsis blankets a lot of the Grace Teninga trail turning the dune yellow in early June. We will hike the 2-mile trail and enjoy the transition season from spring to summer while enjoying the natural world. Meet at the Grace Teninga Trail parking lot located on County Road 600 N, half mile east of County Road 200 W in Lake Village. For more information and to RSVP, contact Gus Nyberg nyberggus@gmail.com or 765-427-4345.
Saturday, June 20, 8 am to 9 am – Yoga on the Prairie
Join Friends of the Sands and The Nature Conservancy for an all-levels Yoga on the Prairie series focused on the foundations of body alignment and awareness. No experience needed. Children welcome with adult caregiver. Dates for the series are all Saturdays: May 30, June 20, July 18, and August 22. Come for one session or for all! Please bring your yoga mat and be ready to stretch. Your instructor, Colleen Edmonson has taught yoga since 2019. She earned a yoga certificate from PureLightYoga Academy and then completed her 200-hour training with Crystal Gray Yoga. She is passionate about sharing the practice in a way that is accessible to all. Meet at the Nature Conservancy’s Native Plant Nursery at Kankakee Sands (1492 W 250 N, Morocco, IN). In the event of inclement weather, Colleen will notify attendees of cancellation. Please RSVP to her at colleen.m.edmonson@gmail.com.
Friday, June 26, 9 am to noon, central time – Conrad Station Savanna Weed Wrangle© Series
Join us every fourth Friday of the month to focus our attention on 15 acres at Conrad Station Savanna. Over the course of a year of workdays and Weed Wrangles, we will be improving this overgrown woodland and creating a flower filled Savanna. We can’t wait to see it in 2027! This month’s workday will focus on removing non-native bittersweet. Meet at the Conrad Station Savanna Parking lot, located along the gravel road 725 N through Conrad Station Savanna. The parking area is at the bend in the road. Gloves, eye protection, tools and snacks will be provided. Please RSVP. For more information and to RSVP, contact Alyssa Nyberg at anyberg@tnc.org or 219-866-1706.
JULY 2026
Saturday, July 18, 8 am to 9 am – Yoga on the Prairie
Join Friends of the Sands and The Nature Conservancy for an all-levels Yoga on the Prairie series focused on the foundations of body alignment and awareness. No experience needed. Children welcome with adult caregiver. Dates for the series are all Saturdays: May 30, June 20, July 18, and August 22. Come for one session or for all! Please bring your yoga mat and be ready to stretch. Your instructor, Colleen Edmonson has taught yoga since 2019. She earned a yoga certificate from PureLightYoga Academy and then completed her 200-hour training with Crystal Gray Yoga. She is passionate about sharing the practice in a way that is accessible to all. Meet at the Nature Conservancy’s Native Plant Nursery at Kankakee Sands (1492 W 250 N, Morocco, IN). In the event of inclement weather, Colleen will notify attendees of cancellation. Please RSVP to her at colleen.m.edmonson@gmail.com.
AUGUST 2026
Saturday, August 22, 8 am to 9 am – Yoga on the Prairie
Join Friends of the Sands and The Nature Conservancy for an all-levels Yoga on the Prairie series focused on the foundations of body alignment and awareness. No experience needed. Children welcome with adult caregiver. Dates for the series are all Saturdays: May 30, June 20, July 18, and August 22. Come for one session or for all! Please bring your yoga mat and be ready to stretch. Your instructor, Colleen Edmonson has taught yoga since 2019. She earned a yoga certificate from PureLightYoga Academy and then completed her 200-hour training with Crystal Gray Yoga. She is passionate about sharing the practice in a way that is accessible to all. Meet at the Nature Conservancy’s Native Plant Nursery at Kankakee Sands (1492 W 250 N, Morocco, IN). In the event of inclement weather, Colleen will notify attendees of cancellation. Please RSVP to her at colleen.m.edmonson@gmail.com.
Friends of the Sands 