New Day Nature Trails
Land Restoration Project

Welcome!

We’re Bill & Marilee, the lead pastors at your neighborhood church, New Day. God has blessed our church and we want to share it with you! We are partnering with the Department of Natural Resources to restore the 19 acres behind our church, and we will be posting updates about the project here.

We had a small trail on our land for a long time. We have been delighted to share it with our neighbors over the years. It has been home to the Candy Trail event in October, and home to the prayer & biblical meditation guides (signposts) throughout the year. Now, we are thrilled to expand from one small trail to over a mile of trails! It’s called New Day Nature Trails.

Feel free to walk the land—maybe you or your friends already have! We are in year three of a multi-year restoration that will result in about 5 acres of prairie grasses and wildflowers, about an acre with a mix of deciduous and evergreen trees, and a couple of wooded “openings” that will be so beautiful. Right now it’s a work in progress (though still beautiful). Every time we walk the land we see it with eyes of faith for the increasing beauty that will be revealed as the restoration continues.

In 2022, we completed Phase 1 of the restoration, including:

Invasive species clearing and treatments
Clearing the prairie opening for restoration & planting

In 2023, we completed Phase 2 of the restoration, including:

Creation of the bird sanctuary with feeders, birdbath, and seating for bird watchers
Establishing the new walking trails
Invasive species clearing and treatments
Planting of a cover crop (temporary grasses to compete with the invasives)
Sapling plantings (over 40 flowering trees planted in May of 2023)
Tree plantings (10 white pine and 10 oak trees planted in October of 2023)
Tree removals (mostly diseased trees, fallen trees, and those outside the scope of the prairie management program)

We are delighted to share the joy of God’s creation with you! You are welcome here—on our land, on our trails, and in our church.

Bill & Marilee Menser, Lead Pastors

P.S. We will regularly post news and notes about the project in the News Feed below… stay tuned!