December 2021
Christmas Bird Count – 61st Annual Plainfield Circle
Join the nation's largest and longest-running citizen science project. The Christmas Bird Count, organized by the National Audubon Society, has been getting birdwatchers outside recording species in their backyards and towns for over a century! This project has become a powerful tool for understanding the rise and fall of bird populations over time. NBNC organizes and compiles the Plainfield count, which encompasses a 7.5-mile radius around Plainfield, including the towns of Montpelier, East Montpelier, Calais, Orange, Barre, Plainfield, and Marshfield. One of the oldest circles in Vermont, this count has occurred annually since 1960! The Plainfield count occurs on Saturday, December 18.
Find out more »January 2022
Nature Book Club – Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Join us as we read Robin Wall Kimmerer's Braiding Sweetgrass, and discuss an indigenous perspective on connecting to the natural world, botany, and teaching. We will meet bi-weekly through January and February, and discuss different sections of the book at each meeting. Led by NBNC Teacher-Naturalist Fiona Modrak.
Find out more »“Spooning” with Nature – Woodcarving with Ken Benton
Learn the story behind the wood as we go from log to spoon. We’ll follow the process covering tree identification, natural history, ethical harvest and processing from the round into billets. Moving indoors, we’ll learn to read the grain while laying out patterns and carving away all wood that isn’t spoon. By the end of the day you’ll come away with a nearly finished spoon with a built in story to tell dinner guests while serving food. Bring your own fixed blade knife and come dressed for the weather. Led by NBNC Teacher-Naturalist Ken Benton
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