This course of study is designed to acquaint the student with historic and contemporary herbal medicines, industrial materials, and foods of the Vermont/New Hampshire Abenakis and their Wabanaki neighbors.  Using the academic discipline of Ethnobotany, counterbalanced with a Native American perspective, we will explore many facets of the relations of our region's Indigenous and plant communities.

An introduction to the mosses of cold-temperate and boreal forests, emphasizing growth form, field characters, ecological patterns, and geography. Indoor sessions to learn the common species, field trips to locate them in the woods; lots of looking, comparing, drawing, discussing; an hour or two of stories about mosses and forests and the planet; a little microscopy to show you what the next steps look like.

Wasps; misunderstood, often maligned, and commonly underestimated. These amazing insects are vastly diverse, complex in their life cycles, and vital to our ecosystems. As pollinators, predators, and parasitoids, they fill many vital –and often overlooked– roles in the biosphere. In this course we will learn how vital these insects are, and gain a greater appreciation for them through lecture and outdoor exploration at North Branch Nature Center.

When it comes to pollination, honeybees get all the attention, but the vast majority of the work is credited to a diverse group of organisms that call New England home. There are over 300 species of native bees in Vermont alone, and they are responsible for pollinating ~80% of flowering plants and ~66% of our food crops. Not to mention dozens of species of butterflies, thousands of species of moths, myriad wasps, beetles, flies, birds, and microorganisms that all take part in the complex ecology of plant reproduction.

The grasses are our most diverse plant family in settled areas, and our second most diverse, after sedges, in forests, glades, and wetlands. They are interesting and rewarding: graceful, intricate, ecologically sensitive. If you don’t know them, you are missing a lot. If you are meeting them for the first time, you are in for a treat.

Ferns are our constant companions in the North Woods, yet many naturalists never get to know them due to their cryptic characteristics. In this course, we'll become familiar with ferns and their allies through an exploration of their natural history, evolution, and identification.

This class uses multiple field sites to demonstrate how we understand key aspects of northern Vermont’s glacial geologic history. In particular, we will observe a variety of landforms and sediments created by glaciers and focus on the different geologic processes that were active when the landforms and sediments formed. We will then use our understanding of how these landforms and sediments formed to interpret the changing environments existing in northern Vermont during the last 25,000 years.

Mushrooms have fascinated and mystified humankind for ages. From ancient origin stories and shamanic practice to modern systematic analysis, fungi intrigue us culturally, medicinally, and scientifically. In this course, participants will explore the diversity and ecological importance of the kingdom of fungi. Over this two-day course, participants will learn the fundamentals of mushroom identification through a combination of classroom and field experience. Topics include fungi ecology, taxonomy, field identification, morphology, edibility, toxicity, fungi as medicine, bioremediation, utilitarian function, as well as ‘best’ harvesting practices.

The grasses are our most diverse plant family in settled areas, and our second most diverse, after sedges, in forests, glades, and wetlands. They are interesting and rewarding: graceful, intricate, ecologically sensitive. If you don’t know them, you are missing a lot. If you are meeting them for the first time, you are in for a treat.

This course will teach participants how to craft and use pegged mortise and tenon joinery to build timber frame structures. We will focus on traditional hand-cut joinery and the art of the square rule system. The course is led by master artisans Seth Kelley and Skip Dewhirst, who have been teaching timber framing together for over 20 years.

Experience nature with the art and practice of Forest Bathing.  Give yourself this time to unplug, slow down and (re)connect as we begin to transition from summer to autumn in Vermont. Follow your certified Nature & Forest Therapy Guide Duncan Murdoch through a series of sensory connection invitations designed to facilitate your immersion that includes time in solitude and in group.  A locally foraged tea will be served to complete your experience.

October 1, 15, and 29 ($40 for all three sessions) | Explore the art and practice of nature journaling with NBNC Teacher-Naturalist Fiona Modrak. Using the practice of nature journaling, we will sharpen our observational skills, practice being curious, and learn new ways to explore nature. Using activities and prompts from John Muir Laws, we will come together in nature to share and learn from one another about different styles and approaches to nature journaling. Welcome to nature journalers new and old. No experience necessary. This club will meet three times in October. We ask that participants interested in registering attend at least two of the dates.

Drawing helps us to slow down and see the life around us. At the end of the growing season, what’s here to draw are some very interesting plant shapes and structures — twined tendrils, spent and eaten leaves, pods ripe or empty. Working both inside and out, using artist’s graphite pencils, the class will work on drawing skills including gesture, line, value, and composition, observing and learning about patterns, form and function in the nature center’s diverse plant life (and whatever invertebrates we happen on). A bonus will be the addition of touches of color to a graphite drawing. Some drawing experience is helpful but not required. All materials except your sketchbook will be provided.

As winter comes nearer and leaves fall, we get to see the bones of things — in the case of trees, trunks, branches, and twigs According to their species and their circumstances, trees grow variously with each other, with the hills and along the river; we meet them at different life stages and observe their habits and adaptations. This will be a day of drawing to learn, in and near the woods, observing individual trees and their parts, up close and at a distance. We’ll be using artist’s graphite pencils and drawing pens. Some drawing experience is helpful but not required. All materials except your sketchbook will be provided.

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 Naturalist and Director of Education, Ken Benton.

In-person sessions: Jan 21, Feb 18, Mar 25 | 9 am  - 4 pm (in-person sessions may be rescheduled to the following day in the event of poor weather) Virtual sessions (Zoom): Feb 1, March 8 | 6 - 7:30 pm $315 | Financial support available (email us to inquire) Group Size: 14 max |…

From bobcats to hawks, all animals leave sign of their activities.  Join NBNC Teacher-Naturalist Dave Muska as he introduces you to the fundamentals of tracking and awareness to better understand the stories animals leave behind.

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 Naturalist and Director of Education, Ken Benton.