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LCWM Holiday Hike Challenge

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LCWM Holiday Hike Challenge

November 18 - December 31

Find a bow, snap a photo, win prizes!

This holiday season, busy elves from the Land Conservancy of West Michigan have hung a big red bow on one tree at a number of our nature preserves. If you find them, you have the chance to win some cool prizes!

How to Enter

Hike Explore select LCWM nature preserves (listed below) any time between November 18 and December 31, 2024 and look for trees decorated with holiday bows! There is only one bow per nature preserve. 

Snap Take a photo with the decorated tree! 

Share Post the photograph to Instagram and tag @naturenearby*, or email the photo to kendra@naturenearby.org for a chance to win prizes! Correctly identify the tree species the bow is affixed to for an additional prize entry.

*Note: Your Instagram profile must be public for us to see and count your entries!

How to Win

Each holiday bow found enters you into a raffle to win prizes! This year, we have 3 grand prizes: one for the first person to visit all of our preserves, one for the first person to correctly identify the most trees, and one ‘bonus’ grand prize that will be raffled from Instagram entries (meaning that each time you find a bow & share it on Instagram, your name will be entered for this prize)!

If you don’t win one of these grand prizes, you will still be entered into our prize raffle! We have an incredible assortment of prizes this year, and every bow found and every correct tree ID counts as a submission.

Rules & Guidelines

One photo submission per family per preserve

Photo should clearly show the bow and the tag indicating the preserve name

Submissions will be accepted starting at 12:00 am on November 18 through 11:59 pm on December 31

Group Hikes

This year, we are partnering with Joyful Wildcrafting to bring you group hikes at each of the preserves! These hikes are free of charge, and are an opportunity to search for bows and identify trees in community. Come by yourself, or bring a friend or your family on these excursions! See more info below!

Where to Look

There are bows on trees at each of the following preserves. Happy hunting!

Allegan County 

Kent County 

Muskegon County 

Newaygo County 

  • Richmond Woods Nature Preserve
      • Group hike with Joyful Wildcrafting: Friday, November 29, 2024 at 1:30pm. Register here!
      • Archery hunting is allowed at this preserve. Please dress in bright clothes, take note of whether a hunter is present on the preserve when you are there, make your presence known, and take the necessary precautions to remain safe! 
  • Upriver Nature Preserve
      • Group hike with Joyful Wildcrafting: Saturday, December 21, 2024 at 9:00am. Register here!
  • McDuffee Creek Nature Preserve
      • Group hike with Joyful Wildcrafting: Saturday, December 21, 2024 at 10:30am. Register here!
      • Archery hunting is allowed at this preserve. Please dress in bright clothes, take note of whether a hunter is present on the preserve when you are there, make your presence known, and take the necessary precautions to remain safe! 

Oceana County 

Ottawa County 

What can you win?

This year, we have 3 grand prizes, plus an amazing assortment of raffle prizes!

Grand Prizes

Framed original painting “Abandoned Autumn Trail” by Jerry Gates, donated by the Conservation Resource Alliance. *Valued at $2,300, this painting will be awarded to the first person to find and submit photos of all 17 bows!

Prize bag, donated by Brewery Vivant. *Valued at $180, this prize will be awarded to the first person to correctly identify the most species of trees with holiday bows! Prizes include $75 gift card, 5 panel hat, custom pint glasses, and a bottle of spirits.

Framed original painting “Red Trees” by Jerry Gates, donated by the Conservation Resource Alliance. *Valued at $1,100, this painting will be awarded via drawing from those who post the bows they’ve found on Instagram and tag @naturenearby. Each bow posted counts as an entry. Please note that your Instagram must be public in order to win this prize!

Raffle Prizes

All submissions will be entered into a drawing for additional prizes. You do not need to visit all the preserves to be eligible for the drawing – each entry counts as a submission! Please note that if you win a grand prize, you will no longer be eligible for a raffle prize. You could win any of the following:

 

 

Thank you to our prize donors!

 

Details

Start:
November 18
End:
December 31
Event Tags:

Organizer

Land Conservancy of West Michigan
Phone
616-451-9476
View Organizer Website