Nature Illustration with Susan Sawyer: Seeds, Stems, & Leaves
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontDrawing 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.
Public Owl Banding Demonstration
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontNBNC is part of a national network of scientists working to better understand the migration of the Northern Saw-whet Owl, a common yet elusive member of our Vermont forests. Join NBNC biologists as they capture, tag, and release these pint-sized owls. 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 predator. Open to all ages.
LGBTQ+ Owl Banding Night
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontLGBTQ+ Owl Banding Night October 21 | 8 – 9:30 pm Registration required | Free SIGN UP HERE September is Pride Month in Vermont, but nobody told the owls! Every October NBNC biologists capture, tag, and release Northern Saw-whet Owls as part of a national network of scientists working to better understand their migration. Join…
Montpelier PLACE – History on the Land: Hubbard Park
Hubbard Park Parkway Street, Montpelier, VT, United StatesPeel back the layers of Hubbard Park with landscape historian Samantha Ford. Discover Montpelier's history and the origin of the conservation movement using hidden clues in the form of stone walls, witness trees, barbed wire, and more. This event is part of the Montpelier PLACE program, a series of community events celebrating the sites and stories in Montpelier’s unique heritage and ecology.
Public Owl Banding Demonstration
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontNBNC is part of a national network of scientists working to better understand the migration of the Northern Saw-whet Owl, a common yet elusive member of our Vermont forests. Join NBNC biologists as they capture, tag, and release these pint-sized owls. 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 predator. Open to all ages.
“This Land Was Saved for You and Me” with Author Jeffrey Ryan (Vermont)
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontNortheast Wilderness Trust, in partnership with North Branch Nature Center and Bear Pond Books, welcomes author Jeffrey Ryan to share his new book about the creation of public lands in America: This Land Was Saved for You and Me. Jeffrey will read highlights from “This Land,” which traces the protection of America’s public lands by identifying a series of critical generational handoffs — from Frederick Law Olmsted to Gifford Pinchot to the generation of foresters that would lead the movement to preserve some lands as forever wild. Ryan’s book features many notable names, but importantly many lesser-known people whose efforts broke new ground by recognizing that America’s resources were not inexhaustible, calling for a means of protecting and managing them before it became too late.
(Cancelled) Travelers Circle Storytelling Night & Potluck
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontJoin 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.
Montpelier PLACE – Ecology of Hubbard Park
Hubbard Park Parkway Street, Montpelier, VT, United StatesJoin field naturalist Erica Hample for a guided group exploration of the most special places in Hubbard Park. Erica’s work creating a new ecological assessment of the park has uncovered a complicated land use history, a strong conservation ethic, and exciting geological formations. Come learn about ecological resilience and the future of this forest! This event is part of the Montpelier PLACE program, a series of community events celebrating the sites and stories in Montpelier’s unique heritage and ecology.
Art Gallery Reception – Robin Crofut-Brittingham
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontPlease join us at North Branch Nature Center to celebrate Robin Crofut-Brittingham’s watercolor paintings. Tour the gallery, meet the artist, and enjoy some refreshments on the porch. A portion of artwork sales will support NBNC in our mission of Connecting People with the Natural World.
Nature Illustration with Susan Sawyer: Tree Characters
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontAs 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.
ECO Homeschool (Aged 6 – 12) Late Fall Session
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontInspired by ECO, our full-day ECO Homeschool program provides a meaningful and fun learning environment based in environmental education and a mentorship model.
Each Monday, 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 led by our talented ECO Education staff. ECO Homeschool Sessions will consist of age appropriate games, songs, stories, and activities that are designed to help students directly engage with the natural world and the organisms that we share this land with.
Montpelier PLACE – Montpelier’s Built Environment
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontDiscover the history of downtown Montpelier with Paul Carnahan, author of Montpelier: Images of Vermont’s Capital City. We will examine how the city’s buildings and bridges have responded to the natural environment and defined our community.
Montpelier PLACE – Montpelier Underfoot (Presentation)
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontDiscover how Montpelier’s local geologic and geographic setting has shaped the city’s modern infrastructure, architecture and personality. Led by Sean Beckett of North Branch Nature Center. This two part event includes a Friday evening presentation followed by a field outing on Saturday morning. Attendance at one day of the event is not mandatory for participation in the other. The field outing will include less than ½ mile of walking on mostly flat, wide trails.
This event is part of the Montpelier PLACE program, a series of community events celebrating the sites and stories in Montpelier’s unique heritage and ecology. Join us this fall on a citywide exploration to discover what makes our Capital City so special! All events are free with no registration required.
Montpelier PLACE – Montpelier Underfoot (Field Walk)
Discover how Montpelier’s local geologic and geographic setting has shaped the city’s modern infrastructure, architecture and personality. Led by Sean Beckett of North Branch Nature Center. This two part event includes a Friday evening presentation followed by a field outing on Saturday morning. Attendance at one day of the event is not mandatory for participation in the other. The field outing will include less than ½ mile of walking on mostly flat, wide trails.
Travelers Circle Storytelling & Potluck
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontJoin 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.
Stick Season “Spooning” – Woodcarving with Ken Benton
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontLearn 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.
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. Guided by the idea that children need to spend ample time outdoors, we offer a community experience in the world of nature and will model ways the natural environment can be used as a tool for learning and play.
Bird Brother: An Evening with Master Falconer Rodney Stotts (Virtual Presentation)
Online(Live via ZOOM) | Rodney Stotts is a master falconer from Southeast Washington D.C. One of the nation's few Black falconers, Rodney creates interactive and educational programming, to share the healing power of nature for anyone in need through his organization, Rodney's Raptors.
Art Gallery Reception – Phillip Robertson & Ed Epstein
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontPlease join us at North Branch Nature Center for an afternoon celebrating Phillip Robertson’s relief prints and Ed Epstein’s charcoal drawings. Tour the gallery, meet the artists, and enjoy some refreshments. A portion of artwork sales will support NBNC in our mission of Connecting People with the Natural World.
Upstream–Downstream: A River Resilience Film Festival & Panel Discussion (Montpelier PLACE)
Pavilion Building Auditorium 109 State Street, Montpelier, Vermont, United StatesA community celebration of Montpelier’s watershed and our place within it. From the Winooski headwaters to Lake Champlain, we’ll travel upstream and downstream showcasing endeavors in conservation, education, and recreation along our local waterways. We’ll begin the evening with a series of 5- to 40-minute films, then transition into a discussion about the health of our local rivers with panelists who bring different perspectives about our waterways.
Winter Wildlife Tracking Institute
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontIn-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 |…
Winter Discovery Hike for Families
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontCome explore nature in a new way! Imagine yourself as an ant and take a "microscopic" hike into the leaf litter. Explore your sense of touch by "meeting a tree." Expand your sense of hearing by adopting "deer ears" in the forest. Test your hiding skills with the game of camouflage. Families will connect with one another and with the natural world in these fun and engaging programs led by NBNC Teacher-Naturalist Fiona Modrak.
ECO Homeschool (Aged 6 – 12) Winter Session
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontInspired by ECO, our full-day ECO Homeschool program provides a meaningful and fun learning environment based in environmental education and a mentorship model.
Each Monday, 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 led by our talented ECO Education staff. ECO Homeschool Sessions will consist of age appropriate games, songs, stories, and activities that are designed to help students directly engage with the natural world and the organisms that we share this land with.
Science Communication Through Art with Jill Pelto (Virtual Presentation)
Online(Live via Zoom) | Jill Pelto is an artist and scientist whose work focuses on communicating human-environment connections. She incorporates scientific data directly into her paintings — from local trends to global changes. Jill creates artwork that engages broad audiences with climate change data in ways that are emotionally relevant.
Winter Wildlife Tracking 101
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontFrom 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.
Snow Day “Spooning” – Woodcarving with Ken Benton
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontLearn 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.
Indigenous Plant Uses in Southern Greenland with Dr. Simone Whitecloud (Virtual Presentation)
Online(Live via Zoom) | Dr. Whitecloud will discuss the role of plant knowledge among the Inuit of Southern Greenland. She and her collaborator, Dr. Lenore Grenoble, documented more than 50 taxa and 205 plant uses in seven broad categories: medicine, beverages, food, herbs and spices, fuel, ritual, and material culture, the last category consisting primarily of decorative uses.
Patterns Across Nature – Drawing Class with Rachel Mirus
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontA four-part drawing class | Thursday evenings in February at NBNC | This course mixes observational and creative drawing to explore common natural patterns, starting with sketching exercises to build the observation skills that are foundational for both artists and naturalists, then moving into playful and imaginative art making.
Winter Discovery Hike for Families
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontCome explore nature in a new way! Imagine yourself as an ant and take a "microscopic" hike into the leaf litter. Explore your sense of touch by "meeting a tree." Expand your sense of hearing by adopting "deer ears" in the forest. Test your hiding skills with the game of camouflage. Families will connect with one another and with the natural world in these fun and engaging programs led by NBNC Teacher-Naturalist Fiona Modrak.
On Safari: Wildlife Adventures Around the World with Sean Beckett (IN-PERSON)
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont(IN PERSON) | In the true tradition of Naturalist Journeys, join Sean Beckett on a photographic odyssey around the globe, from the rainforests of Panama to the Savannas of Africa to the mountains of Yellowstone.
Upstream–Downstream: A River Resilience Panel Discussion (Online)
Online(Note: This panel discussion, originally scheduled to follow January 19th's film festival, was postponed due to severe weather). A community celebration of the Winooski watershed and our place within it. This discussion about the health of our local rivers features panelists who bring different perspectives about our waterways. The panelists will be addressing river-related questions and concerns submitted by over 100 community members during our January film festival.
The Spread of Deer Ticks in North America with Lucas Price (IN-PERSON)
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont(IN PERSON) | Black-legged ticks are the primary tick species responsible for spreading Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium that causes Lyme disease, in the northeastern United States. This talk will provide an overview of the tick life cycle, how ticks obtain and spread pathogens, and what habitats they live in.
The Wolves and Moose of Isle Royale with Ky and Lisa Koitzsch (IN-PERSON)
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont(IN PERSON) | Join wildlife biologists Ky and Lisa Koitzsch as they share their experiences studying wolves and moose in Isle Royale National Park. Isle Royale is a remote island wilderness located 15 miles from the shores of Ontario and Minnesota in the frigid waters of Lake Superior.
Intermediate Winter Wildlife Tracking
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontJoin NBNC naturalist and wildlife tracker Dave Muska for a full day of tracking and trailing wildlife, aimed at participants already holding some basic knowledge of track and sign identification. We'll start in the classroom to review the tracks, gaits, habitats, and signs of species we might encounter on the late winter landscape. We'll then head out on the land to search for sign and explore the who, what, where, when, why and how of animal tracks.
Wildlife Tracking Club
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontExplore with NBNC naturalists and fellow nature lovers in a casual search of wildlife tracks and sign every Saturday morning in February.
Winter Willows – Nature Retreat in the Northeast Kingdom
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont**For children in 6th through 8th grade who identify as girls, nonbinary, genderqueer, and/or trans.** Explore what it means to live on and with the land in the winter wonderland of the Nulhegan Basin! Our experience will be tailored to the interests of participants. Activities could include: tool crafting, weaving, dream pillow making, animal tracking, fire by friction, snowshoeing or skiing in the woods, cooking on the wood stove or fire, and star gazing. This two-night retreat will have us exploring the snowy wonderland by day, and relaxing fireside in a warm and cozy winter cabin by night.
Learn to XC Ski at NBNC
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontSpend the morning outside exploring the beautiful cross country ski trails at NBNC! Together we will learn the basics of cross country skiing, then set out on the trails to adventure along the river and through the woods on skis. No experience necessary and all equipment will be provided! registration required.
Winter Tree Identification with Jonathan Shapiro
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontLearning 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.
Vermont’s Wild Bees: past, present, and future with Spencer Hardy (IN-PERSON)
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, Vermont(IN PERSON) | The new State of Vermont's Bees provides the first detailed look at the conservation status and needs of these important pollinators. Included in this presentation will be advice and suggestions for improving the habitat in your community, through both consumer decisions and land management.
Art Gallery Reception – Beyond the Plovers, Flat Clouds by Gabrielle Dietzel & Howard Norman
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontPlease join us at North Branch Nature Center to celebrate Gabrielle Dietzel and Howard Norman's collaborative exhibit Beyond the Plovers, Flat Clouds. This exhibit presents three-dimensional collages and shadow boxes created by collagist Gabrielle Dietzel as a visual response to literature about birds collected by writer Howard Norman.
