History on the Land – Biodiversity University

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

Discover how to “read” old forested farmscapes and agricultural architecture to trace 300 years of land use history in Vermont. Stone walls, cellar holes, old roads, and other mysteries “lost” in the woods reveal stories of the families who shaped the landscape as we see it today.

$285

Spring Birding at North Branch Nature Center

A casual morning of birding for all interests and experience levels facilitated by NBNC staff and guest leaders. These outings are about enjoying, learning about, and spending time with wild birds. No binoculars? No ID guide? No problem! The only requirement is an appreciation of birds (though we do have binoculars for those who would like them).

Spring Birding at Sodom Pond

A casual morning of birding for all interests and experience levels facilitated by NBNC staff and guest leaders. These outings are about enjoying, learning about, and spending time with wild birds. No binoculars? No ID guide? No problem! The only requirement is an appreciation of birds (though we do have binoculars for those who would like them).

Mother’s Day Wildflower Walk

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

A casual search for spring wildflowers along the NBNC trails in celebration of Mother's Day.

Spring Birding at Catamount Outdoor Family Center

A casual morning of birding for all interests and experience levels facilitated by NBNC staff and guest leaders. These outings are about enjoying, learning about, and spending time with wild birds. No binoculars? No ID guide? No problem! The only requirement is an appreciation of birds (though we do have binoculars for those who would like them).

Spring Family Nature Discovery Hike

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

Come explore all the activity happening around NBNC on a Spring Discovery Hike. We'll listen to birdsong at a Sit Spot, see if we can find tadpoles or frogs in vernal pools, and look for flowers in the field as we take in all that spring has to offer.

Spring Birding at Berlin Pond (South Side)

A casual morning of birding for all interests and experience levels facilitated by NBNC staff and guest leaders. These outings are about enjoying, learning about, and spending time with wild birds. No binoculars? No ID guide? No problem! The only requirement is an appreciation of birds (though we do have binoculars for those who would like them).

Spring Birding at North Branch Nature Center

A casual morning of birding for all interests and experience levels facilitated by NBNC staff and guest leaders. These outings are about enjoying, learning about, and spending time with wild birds. No binoculars? No ID guide? No problem! The only requirement is an appreciation of birds (though we do have binoculars for those who would like them).

Wildlife Tracking: Summer Tracks & Signs – Biodiversity University

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

You might associate wildlife tracking with winter snow, but paying attention to wildlife activity is a year-round practice, and one that invites us into closer connection with our wild neighbors. With a bit of instruction and attunement to subtle signs, the trained tracker finds the summer landscape rich with stories of territorial marking, feeding, denning, and more.

$285

Tree ID & Natural History – Biodiversity University

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

Learning about trees can be a powerful way to connect to your local landscape. They are big, charismatic, and always around us. Knowing who they are provides a baseline ecological understanding for the rest of our surroundings.

$285

Vermont Master Naturalist for Educators

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

This course for middle and high school educators is a unique collaboration between North Branch Nature Center and Vermont Master Naturalist. It is a place-based, integrated training in interpreting the local landscape and applying that training to 5th-12th grade classrooms and curricula. Each day immerses in a different ecosystem, exploring the pieces, patterns, and processes driving local ecology. We’ll practice field-based activities and classroom-based extensions aligned with Next Generation Science Standards and Proficiency-Based Learning frameworks.

$1300

Moth Lighting With The Caterpillar Lab

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

The Caterpillar Lab will guide us on an investigation of our awe-inspiring nocturnal neighbors: the huge, tiny, regal, absurd, furry, shiny, gorgeous, perplexing, audacious and outrageous moths that Vermont has to offer!

ECO Institute: Nature-Based Routines for Outdoor Classrooms

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

For elementary and middle school teachers. The purpose of this ECO introductory course for elementary and middle school educators is to apply integrated academic curricula beyond the classroom, while immersing in and participating with nature as a learning partner.

$1300

Nature’s Rainbow Family Art Workshop

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

Many mushrooms and lichens can be used to make paints! Learn a few paint-making processes for both plants and fungi, then make your own artwork with the colors. For ages 6 and up with a caregiver.

$20

Nature’s Rainbow Natural Paint Workshop

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

Many mushrooms and lichens can be used to make paints in a spectrum of earthy reds, oranges, and browns, while plants round out the spectrum with blues and purples. Learn a few paint-making processes for both plants and fungi, then make your own artwork with the colors!

$20

Peatlands Rich and Poor – Biodiversity University

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

Instructors: Brett Engstrom & Jerry Jenkins July 20-21, 2024 | $285 Course size: 12 students Financial support available (contact us) Part of NBNC's Biodiversity University series. More Information & Registration

$285

ECO Institute for Early Childhood Educators

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

For preschool and kindergarten educators. This course applies early childhood learning curricula beyond the classroom, while immersing in and participating with nature as a learning partner. The course provides inquiry-based learning through intensive experiential lessons, provocations and discussions held entirely outdoors.

$1300

Nature Night Hike

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

Discover nature in the dark! Come catch moths, uncover caterpillars under UV light, and learn all about what local critters are up to at night. We'll let our eyes naturally adjust to the moonlight as we hike, play games, and explore the nature center after dark.

Monitoring and Managing Ash Trees Workshop

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

Learn how to participate in the Monitoring and Managing Ash (MaMA) program to enable detection of "lingering ash" that can be used to breed trees resistant to the emerald ash borer, providing hope for ash conservation.

But Why?: Signs of Summer

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

Podcast host and author Jane Lindholm and our naturalist special guest will be front and center to discuss woodland creatures - big and small, and summer time ecology.

The Pantanal – Birds and Wildlife of Brazil

The huge lowland plains of the Mato Grosso in Brazil, seasonally inundated during the rainy season, is known as the "Pantanal." It is the shrinking of the wetlands during the dry season that creates the spectacular concentrations of wildlife for which the area has become world famous.

Mushroom Identification & Ecology – Biodiversity University

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

Designed for naturalists and scientists of varied abilities and interests, this seminar covers butterfly taxonomy, biology, behavior, and identification.

$285

Native Pollinators – Biodiversity University

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

When it comes to pollination, honeybees get all the attention, but most of the credit belongs to a diverse group of organisms that call New England home. There have been over 350 species of wild bees identified in Vermont to date, and they – along with myriad moths, butterflies, wasps, beetles, flies, and birds – are responsible for pollinating ~80% of flowering plants and ~66% of food crops.

$285

Champlain Beach & Delta Botany by Boat – Biodiversity University

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

Instructors: Grace Glynn & Jerry Jenkins August 30-31, 2024 | $285 Course size: 12 students Financial support available (contact us) Part of NBNC's Biodiversity University series. More Information & Registration

$285

Old Forest Ecology- Biodiversity University

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

Old forests capture a special place in our imagination, and they provide important ecological functions, especially in a changing climate. In this course, we will visit some of the few remaining patches of old forest in Vermont.

$285

All We Can Save: book club & discussion seminar (virtual)

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

Join us for a virtual, afternoon, climate change themed fall book club to read All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis, a 2020 anthology of climate change essays edited by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Katharine K. Wilkinson. Described as “provocative and illuminating writings from women at the forefront of the climate movement who are harnessing truth, courage, and solutions to lead humanity forward,” this book offers a very human look into climate change, how it impacts us, and why it really matters to us.

$40

Public Owl Banding Demonstration

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

Join NBNC biologists as they capture, tag, and release these pint-sized predators. NBNC naturalists and educators will also discuss the highlights of recent research here and across the country, then share what’s been discovered about this mysterious little owl.

Public Owl Banding Demonstration

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

Join NBNC biologists as they capture, tag, and release these pint-sized predators. NBNC naturalists and educators will also discuss the highlights of recent research here and across the country, then share what’s been discovered about this mysterious little owl.

Public Owl Banding Demonstration

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

Join NBNC biologists as they capture, tag, and release these pint-sized predators. NBNC naturalists and educators will also discuss the highlights of recent research here and across the country, then share what’s been discovered about this mysterious little owl.

Public Owl Banding Demonstration

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

Join NBNC biologists as they capture, tag, and release these pint-sized predators. NBNC naturalists and educators will also discuss the highlights of recent research here and across the country, then share what’s been discovered about this mysterious little owl.

Data Art for Yarn Lovers

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

Join Michale Glennon, organizer of the Wool and Water Project currently on view in the NBNC gallery, to learn how to create knitting and crochet projects that represent scientific data in beautiful and approachable ways.

Lake Champlain Data Art – Hands-On Workshop

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

Join Michale Glennon, organizer of the Wool and Water Project, for a fun, hands-on workshop on translating watershed data into art. Participants will use felt balls to visually represent data from the lake while learning about the Lake Champlain watershed.

Japan’s Winter Birds & Culture

Winter in Japan is a fairytale of stunning birdlife, fascinating wildlife, dramatic landscapes, and magnificent culture.

Hide Tanning Demonstration

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

Learn about the art, science, history, and practice of hide tanning.

$20

Red Tent: Healing in Nature with Visiting Teacher-Naturalist Dr. Opeyemi Parham

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

Women in the United States have a love-hate relationship with their bodies — consequently it is vital to create safe, sacred spaces to discuss the things we don't normally talk about. Join Visiting Teacher-Naturalist Dr. Opeyemi Parham for this day focused on women's reproductive health and healing.