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Songs and S’mores
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontCome join us for an evening of songs and s’mores as we gather around the campfire to share each other's company and revel in the joy of summer! This is a family friendly event and we welcome people of all ages!
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The Northern Forest Atlas Traveling School of Botany & Ecology
Paul Smith's VIC Paul Smith's, NY, United StatesThe school will be part course and part seminar: We will teach plant identification through classes and field work, and study ecology as a group by exercises and discussions. Our field sites will be about a dozen wild Northern Forest habitats: rich woods, ledges, fertile coves, rich and poor fens, cedar swamps, boreal forests, granite hills, a large acid bog and a giant raised one, a river delta and swamp forest, and a dry-rich ledgy hill. It will we staffed by Jerry Jenkins alongside a rotating pool of five instructors—the best botanists in the north woods.
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Monthly Birding Outing (NBNC)
A casual morning of birding for all interests and experience levels at various locations around the Montpelier area. Spend time enjoying our resident wild birds!
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Vermont Master Naturalist for Educators
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontThis 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 -
Art Gallery Reception: Katama Murray – Light & Shadow: Botanical Dualities
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontPlease join us for an evening celebrating our summer art exhibit, Light & Shadow: Botanical Dualities by Katama Murray. Browse the gallery, meet the artist, and enjoy some light refreshments. Katama will give a short artist talk at 5:30 pm.
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Capturing Shadows with Cyanotype Printing – Art Workshop with Katama Murray
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontExperiment with natural patterns and mindful making through this hands-on workshop focused on cyanotypes! This class will explore the basics of cyanotype printing techniques with fabric and paper to create a series of prints and fabric patches.
$50 -
Pride Hike: NBNC and Audubon Vermont
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontRegistration Required LGBTQIA2S+ hikers and allies are invited for a leisurely summer walk at NBNC! We will hike less than two miles, including NBNC’s Universally Accessible trail (0.3 miles). Throughout…
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The Northern Forest Atlas Traveling School of Botany & Ecology
Bonnyvale Environmental Education Center West Brattleboro, VT, United StatesThe school will be part course and part seminar: We will teach plant identification through classes and field work, and study ecology as a group by exercises and discussions. Our field sites will be about a dozen wild Northern Forest habitats: rich woods, ledges, fertile coves, rich and poor fens, cedar swamps, boreal forests, granite hills, a large acid bog and a giant raised one, a river delta and swamp forest, and a dry-rich ledgy hill. It will we staffed by Jerry Jenkins alongside a rotating pool of five instructors—the best botanists in the north woods.
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Gardening for Biodiversity – Biodiversity University
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontTraditional gardens are often pretty, but rarely beneficial to the plants, pollinators, birds, and other creatures in our landscape. Gardening for Biodiversity is about rethinking and revaluing these traditional landscape aesthetics, and designing ecologically functional gardens that contribute to local ecosystems.
$295 -
Songs and S’mores
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontCome join us for an evening of songs and s’mores as we gather around the campfire to share each other's company and revel in the joy of summer! This is a family friendly event and we welcome people of all ages!
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Friday Morning Birding at NBNC
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontFriday Mornings in September | 7:30 - 9:00 AM | FREE At North Branch Nature Center No Registration Required | Cancelled if steady rain is forecasted Casual morning of birding…
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Monthly Birding Outing (Berlin Pond)
A casual morning of birding for all interests and experience levels at various locations around the Montpelier area. Spend time enjoying our resident wild birds!
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Mushrooms: Field Identification and Fungal Ecology – Biodiversity University
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontMushrooms have fascinated and mystified humankind for ages. From ancient origin stories and shamanic practice to modern systematic analysis, fungi captivate us. In this course, participants will explore the diversity and ecological importance of the kingdom of fungi.
$295 -
Robin’s Nest Nature Playgroup
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontRobin’s Nest Nature Playgroup is a free activity for families to gather, learn, and play in nature.
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North Woods Natural History – Biodiversity University
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontA weekend of natural history investigation through the lens of the North Woods! Northern Vermont is situated in the overlap zone between the temperate deciduous forest to our south and the boreal forest to our north.
$295 -
ECO Homeschool (Ages 6 – 12) Early Fall Session
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont(six weeks) The woods and fields of North Branch Nature Center will be our classroom, where students will learn by doing, using all five senses to engage with the landscape through standards-based lessons while directly engaging with the natural world and the organisms that we share this land with.
$465 -
Trekkers & Explorers Afterschool Program (Fall 2025)
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontThrough cooperative games, exploration of various habitats, and team-building challenge projects, Trekkers and Explorers build a communal love for the outdoors, making NBNC the place to be after school!
$540 -
The Northern Forest Atlas Traveling School of Botany & Ecology
Ausable Point State Park NY, United StatesThe school will be part course and part seminar: We will teach plant identification through classes and field work, and study ecology as a group by exercises and discussions. Our field sites will be about a dozen wild Northern Forest habitats: rich woods, ledges, fertile coves, rich and poor fens, cedar swamps, boreal forests, granite hills, a large acid bog and a giant raised one, a river delta and swamp forest, and a dry-rich ledgy hill. It will we staffed by Jerry Jenkins alongside a rotating pool of five instructors—the best botanists in the north woods.
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RiverFest!
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontVisit stations along the river and around NBNC to explore, learn, and play! An afternoon festival celebrating our rivers and promoting healthy watersheds. For adults, kids, families—everyone!
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Water, Boulders, and Mud: The 2024 Flash Flood on Great Brook (Field Trip)
PlainfieldThis field trip explores several sites along Plainfield’s Great Brook, the site of major flash flooding and river channel transformation in 2024.
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How to Manage Invasive Species across a Watershed (Workshop)
WaitsfieldLearn from The Mad River Valley Knotweed Project about their watershed-wide efforts and experiments to manage riverside invasive species. See what techniques have—and haven’t—worked, and learn why managing invasives requires experience in community building and systems thinking.
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Northwoods Paddling in Maine
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontThe West Branch of the Penobscot River offers a wilderness paddling experience rich in wildlife, history, and nature immersion. Guided by NBNC Executive Director Naomi Heindel
$2775 -
How Rivers Work: River Science 101 (Workshop)
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontIn this hands-on workshop and field outing, we’ll use a stream table to model stream dynamics in the classroom, then walk to the North Branch to examine these processes in action. We’ll then apply these tools to understand why Central Vermont is so vulnerable to flooding.
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River Science for Town Planning and Flood Resilience (Workshop)
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontUsing a hands-on stream table demonstration, we’ll discuss topics relevant to municipal infrastructure and town planning, such as dam removal, channelization, culvert design, dredging, and floodplain development. We’ll then explain how the new Flood Safety Act addresses flooding, and how towns and organizations can be ready for its implementation.
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Naturalist-led Sunset Paddle on the North Branch of the Winooski
MontpelierA group kayak, canoe, or paddleboard sunset outing to explore and enjoy the wildlife, plants, and ecology of the North Branch of the Winooski River.
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Growing Your Own Trees and Shrubs for Riverside Restoration (Workshop)
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontThis workshop will teach techniques for plant propagation, and equip participants with the knowledge to begin growing their own trees in a low-budget and low-impact method. We’ll cover seed and cuttings collection, propagation, potting soil mixtures, how to overwinter young plants, and much more.
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Mammal Ecology, Taxonomy & Natural History – Biodiversity University
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontThis field-based course will cover the natural and cultural history of mammals in Vermont, with a focus on techniques to observe and identify species in the field. Topics will include mammal evolution, behavior, and topics in current and historical conservation, as well as techniques for observing reclusive mammal species using camera or audio recorders.
$295 -
Dam Removal in Montpelier (Field Trip)
MontpelierVisit the defunct and derelict dams of Montpelier’s industrial past, and learn why these small structures lead to big problems. Old dams collect sediment upstream, increase erosion downstream, and alter the river’s flow to increase the risk of flood damage over time.
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Monthly Birding Outing (Sodom Pond)
A casual morning of birding for all interests and experience levels at various locations around the Montpelier area. Spend time enjoying our resident wild birds!
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Streams Behaving Badly: When Small Streams Flood (Field Trip)
MontpelierA panel-led field tour and conversation around Montpelier tributaries that caused significant damage during the 2023 and 2024 flood events. We’ll explore water’s path through Montpelier’s Terrace Street neighborhoods, where very small drainages became very big problems as culverts and ditches failed to direct the huge volume of stormwater away from homes.
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Public Owl Banding Demonstration
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontJoin 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.
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Naturalist-led Morning Paddle at North Montpelier Pond
N Montpelier PondA group kayak, canoe, or paddleboard morning outing to explore and enjoy the wildlife, plants, and ecology of North Montpelier Pond and the Kingsbury Branch of the Winooski River.
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Streams Behaving Badly: When Large Streams Flood (Field Trip)
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontA panel-led field tour and conversation around Montpelier tributaries that caused significant damage during the 2023 and 2024 flood events. We’ll explore several large streams that flow through the foothills of the Worcester Range and down to Elm Street in Montpelier, damaging roadways and eroding hillsides along the way.
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Fall Mushroom Outing
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontJoin NBNC naturalist and educator Dave Muska for a morning mushroom outing to learn about local fungi and mushrooms, what they’re up to, and how you can contribute to the Fungi of Vermont Community Science program.
$20 -
Public Owl Banding Demonstration
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontJoin 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.
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Beaver Camp! A Two-day Retreat
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontA two-day immersion in beaver ecology and river science, with a focus on the relationship between beavers, watershed health, and flood resilience.
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Success Stories in Riparian Restoration Plantings (Field Trip)
NorthfieldA visit to successful riverside tree planting projects along the Dog River several years later. This outing will showcase good practices and effective strategies for tree planting.
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Public Owl Banding Demonstration
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontJoin 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.
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Public Owl Banding Demonstration
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontJoin 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.
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Beavers as Flood Resilience Allies (Field Trip) – now Oct 22
Barre/OrangeA field trip to a local beaver wetland system to learn the role beavers play as climate allies and flood resilience engineers.
