ECO Homeschool Program (Ages 6-12) – Spring Session

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

Ages 6-8 and 9-12 | Our ECO (Educating Children Outdoors) Homeschool program provides a meaningful and fun learning environment in which participants are mentored in social and environmental stewardship. Each Monday, the woods and fields of North Branch Nature Center will be our classroom, where students will engage with the landscape through standards-based lessons led by our talented ECO education staff. Each session will include games, songs, stories, and activities designed to help students engage with our land and the organisms who share it.

$945

Trekkers & Explorers After-School Program (Spring 2023)

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

Let your kids be kids at NBNC. Our Explorers and Trekkers programs offer kids time to explore the woods and fields, play stealth and awareness games, and learn outdoor skills with their peers.
Explorers (6-8 years old) are playful adventurers. One week your child might forage for wild edibles and cook over an open fire, while the next week might find them deep in the woods, building shelters.
Trekkers (9-13 years old) adopt an off-trail mentality, using the local landscape to push their limits while practicing outdoor living skills such as tracking and fire-starting.

$535

North Branch Nature Center’s History on the Land with Samantha Ford (IN-PERSON)

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

(IN PERSON) | Uncover the history of the historic farmhouse and farm that North Branch Nature Center calls home. Learn how to read the landscape to reveal history hidden in plain sight. Peel back the layers of time with landscape historian Samantha Ford of Turn Stone Research to learn how past generations have shaped the land at the NBNC property.

Amphibian Road Crossing Program – Ecology & Training Night (ZOOM)

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

Find out how you can help Vermont’s frogs and salamanders safely cross the road during their annual spring movements. Did you know that Wood Frogs freeze solid all winter long? Did you know that Eastern Red-backed Salamanders are the most common vertebrate in the whole forest? Tonight will also feature a dive into the amazing ecology and life history of these semi-aquatic critters.

The Great Texas Birding Adventure

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

The Lower Rio Grande Valley in southern Texas is home to a breathtaking diversity of birds, with the breeding ranges of many just barely extending their range into the United States. From Aplomado Falcon and Buff-bellied Hummingbird to Vermillion Flycatcher and Green Jay, we’ll see resident species as well as plentiful spring migrants.

$2850

Amphibians of Vernal Pools – Biodiversity University

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

This course is an introduction to vernal pools, with a particular focus on identification and natural history of the frogs and salamanders that breed in them.

$285

Earth Day Tree Planting at NBNC

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

Join us for a fun morning of giving back to the land to celebrate Earth Day! We will be transplanting small trees and shrubs from our tree nursery to an area along the North Branch river in need of habitat restoration.

April Break Camp 2023 (K-3rd grade)

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

Spring is a great time to explore the Nature Center. Children ages 5-8 are invited to join us for a week of spring nature adventures and explorations. We’ll make art using natural materials, explore the fields and forest for signs of wildlife, try our hands at wild edible cooking and give back to the land in celebration of spring.

$65

Ethical Foraging Workshop

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

In this workshop we'll employ a framework that encompasses not just a plant's identity, but its life history, conservation status, location, and culinary uses to determine which plants we'll harvest, which we'll transplant, which we'll garden, which we'll remove, and which we'll leave.

$45

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).

Cape May Spring Migration- Northeast Birdwatcher’s Paradise

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

Birding in Cape May and southern New Jersey during spring migration is legendary! With over 430 total species observed, and over 330 species seen this time of year, Cape May is home to some of the greatest avian biodiversity in the northeast. May in southern New Jersey offers an abundance of everything: migratory warblers in the shrubs and forests, birds of prey cruising overhead, and shorebirds along the beaches and backwaters.

$1675

Green Up Day at NBNC

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

Join us on Saturday, May 6, 10am to noon, for Green Up Day! NBNC has adopted part of Elm Street, all of Finch Road (aka Stump Dump Road), and our own parking lot, farm road, and trails.

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).

Art Gallery Reception – Hilary Ann Love Glass

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

Please join us at North Branch Nature Center for an evening celebrating Hilary Ann Love Glass's artwork. Tour the gallery, meet the artist, and enjoy some refreshments.

Community Happy Hour at Lawson’s Finest Liquids

Lawson's Finest Liquids 155 Carroll Road, Waitsfield, VT, United States

Join us on Tuesday, May 16 at 5pm for a community happy hour at Lawson's Finest Liquids to benefit NBNC’s ECO programs. In lieu of tips, Lawson’s pays their staff a living wage and invites taproom customers to donate to the Sunshine Fund to benefit local nonprofits. We are pleased to announce that NBNC will be the Sunshine Fund recipient from May 16 - 31 and will receive 100% of donations made during that time period!

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).

Birding at the Barre City Cow Pasture

A casual, morning birding outing at a local hidden-gem natural area, facilitated by NBNC staff. For all interests and experience levels. This outing is about enjoying, learning from, and spending time with wild birds.

Woody Plants – Biodiversity University & Northern Forest Atlas

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

Woody plants—trees, shrubs, vines, creepers—are, to us, the key to understanding habitats, ecological patterns, and plant geography. This is an introductory course covering about 40 common species: how they grow, leaf, flower, and fruit; how to distinguish them and their habitats in the field; and how to use the Northern Forest Atlas photoguide and digital Atlas to confirm them.

$285

Queer Birding at NBNC

Join us on a spring bird outing at NBNC! This outing, led by Bex Waterman (she/her) and Catherine Griset (she/her), is reserved for folks who identify as Queer and who are interested in birding with a welcoming community. We’ll spend about 2 hours in the fields and forests along the North Branch River. We’ll bird our way along the generally-flat perimeter of NBNC’s trails before crossing the bridge and exploring the habitats of North Branch River Park. 

Community Happy Hour at Lawson’s Finest Liquids

Lawson's Finest Liquids 155 Carroll Road, Waitsfield, VT, United States

Join us on Wednesday, May 24 at 5pm for a community happy hour at Lawson's Finest Liquids to benefit NBNC’s ECO programs. In lieu of tips, Lawson’s pays their staff a living wage and invites taproom customers to donate to the Sunshine Fund to benefit local nonprofits. We are pleased to announce that NBNC will be the Sunshine Fund recipient from May 16 - 31 and will receive 100% of donations made during that time period!

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).

Glacial Geology of the Champlain Valley – Biodiversity University

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

This class visits multiple field sites to explore key aspects of Vermont’s glacial geologic history. In particular, we will observe a variety of landforms and sediments in the Burlington and Richmond area, focusing on the different geologic processes that yielded these formations. 

$285

Botany Boot Camp – Biodiversity University

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

This class visits multiple field sites to explore key aspects of Vermont’s glacial geologic history. In particular, we will observe a variety of landforms and sediments in the Burlington and Richmond area, focusing on the different geologic processes that yielded these formations. 

$285

Nature Paddle at Wrightsville Reservoir

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

A casual, slow, naturalist-led evening paddle along the northern reaches of the Wrightsville Reservoir. Once on the water, we'll head slowly north across the quiet, shallow reaches of the reservoir where it meets the North Branch of the Winooski River. If time and water level allows, we will paddle up the meandering river towards a beautiful waterfall, and returning before sunset. Along the way, we will enjoy watching beavers, fish, botany, birdlife, and whatever other flora and fauna we come across.

$20

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).

Travelers Circle Storytelling & Potluck

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

Join us for a casual evening of stories and a shared community meal. We encourage everyone to contribute a short story of their travels (though there is no pressure to speak), and "travel" may entail a trip to the store or a trip across the world! The experience is a bit like jamming on musical instruments: what you hear inspires what you share. The evening will start with a potluck at 5:30, and storytelling will begin around 6. Please bring your own dishes and silverware.

Plant Geography of a Granite Hill – A Northern Forest Atlas Day Course

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

Drew Mountain is the Granite Hills of Groton State Park, which are an igneous pluton intruded into the Devonian Waits-River sediments. The granite is hard and acid, the Waits softer and limy. The plants are an unusual combination, reflecting both influences. We will focus on the woody plants as a key to understanding the habitat, and add some interesting grasses, sedges, and herbs as details. A Northern Forest Atlas course hosted by NBNC's Biodiversity University.

$110

Reading the Landscape – Biodiversity University

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

Reading the Landscape & Telling the Story is designed to acquaint you with Vermont landscapes in the Champlain Valley and to provide you with an integrative framework for reading the land here and around the world. This framework explores an understanding of the pieces, patterns, and processes that shape the natural world.

$285

Biodiversity Jamboree!

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

Celebrate birds, bugs, plants, pollinators, and all the other creatures that call Vermont "home" in this summer festival. North Branch Nature Center and the Vermont Center for Ecostudies will be co-presenting this day full of field outings, nature exhibits, kids activities, live birds, music, food, and more!

Summer Tree Identification with Jonathan Shapiro

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

Learning to identify trees can be a powerful way to connect to your local landscape. They are big, charismatic, and always around us, and knowing who they are provides a baseline of ecological understanding for the rest of our surroundings. Join Jonathan Shapiro of Fox Paw School for a dive into tree ID, focusing on a pattern-based approach that we are hardwired to understand. We'll talk about tree silhouettes, branching patterns, leaf shapes, bark, and more, and you'll leave with the observational skills to learn not only trees, but the rest of your landscape as well. By meeting in three different seasons, we'll have the opportunity to see how trees' lives change throughout the cycle of the year, and how they fit into the broader ecological context of our North Woods home.

$50

Botanical Illustration – Biodiversity University

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

This class will focus on botanical illustrations at all scales, from the whole plant down to its smallest parts. At times we’ll practice with magnification, measurements, maps, and diagrams to expand our techniques. We’ll work primarily with graphite pencils and technical pens, and move into watercolor and colored pencils on our final day together.

$385

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

Songs and S’mores

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

Come 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!

Slow Birding – Biodiversity University

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

Sounds a bit strange, “slow birding.” Watching birds isn’t really fast in the first place and the pace of a birder in the field is already slow and methodical. But, it is possible to change how we approach traditional birding and what we get out of it. Slow Birding is a practice that builds a deeper observation of birds while at the same time creating a deeper connection to yourself and the place you live.

$285

POSTPONED – Habitat Restoration Volunteer Day at NBNC

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

This summer we are continuing to restore habitat by removing invasive plant populations, caring for newly planted trees, and maintaining beaver deterrents. Look forward to meeting and learning about plants native to our riparian habitats and enjoy caring for the land in the company of fellow nature lovers.  We will need plenty of volunteers to help get this work done!

ECO Institute: Nature-Based Routines for Outdoor Classrooms

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

For elementary and middle school educators. 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. The course provides inquiry-based learning through intensive experiential lessons, activities, and discussions held entirely outdoors.

$1300

Backpacking in the Green Mountains (Grades 7-9)

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

On this 5 day backpacking trip, our team of participants will learn the basics of wilderness safety, backpacking/camping techniques, and navigation along with camp craft such as cooking, site selection, Leave-No-Trace ethics, and Team & Leadership skills.

$475

NBNC Member Night

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

Please join us for our first ever NBNC Member Night! This free event will be a casual, fun evening for members to get to know each other and NBNC staff and board members.

Mosses and the Dry-rich Community – A Northern Forest Atlas Day Course

North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont

Quarry Hill is a dry low-elevation marble hill with an exceptionally diverse flora. Marble hills rare in the Northern Forest Region. Some of the best are in western New England. This one, which has been famous botanically since the early 1900s, is one of the best of the best. We will focus on limestone mosses and also look at some distinctive woody plants, herbs, and indicators. A Northern Forest Atlas day course hosted by NBNC's Biodiversity University.

$110