The Real Dirt on Truffles with Rowan Jacobsen – Naturalist Journeys Online Presentation Series
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontTruffles are the world’s most mysterious and expensive food, but they are also an essential part of the forest ecosystem, linking trees and animals in a web of relationship that extends from the forest floor to the human communities around the world that depend on truffles for their livelihoods and celebrate them in their culinary traditions. Join award-winning writer Rowan Jacobsen on this deep dive into the world of truffles, from Italy and Istria to the wilds of the Northeast.
Winter Wildlife Tracking Institute with Dave Muska and Jonathan Shapiro
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontJoin naturalists/trackers Jonathan Shapiro of Fox Paw School and Dave Muska of North Branch Nature Center for a three-month wildlife tracking immersion! Participants will deepen their tracking and trailing skills through expert field instruction and independent study in a shared community of practice. Students will leave with richer skills in identifying and interpreting animal trails, and a deeper connection to our wild neighbors.
ECO Homeschool Program (Ages 6-12) – Winter Session
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontOur 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 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.
Life of a Conservation Photographer: Stories from the Field with Isabelle Groc – Naturalist Journeys Online Presentation Series
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontFrom photographing mountain caribou from a helicopter to working with scientists capturing narwhal in the freezing waters of the Arctic, Isabelle has many field stories and photographs to share. In this presentation she highlights her work with scientists in the field, how she develops trust, builds story angles, adapts to different working environments, and how her photography and stories can help build public exposure on important science and conservation work.
BIPOC Financial Literacy and Homeownership Workshop
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontCome and meet BIPOC Professionals from Keller Williams and Opportunities Credit Union, who are able to walk you through step by step to financial literacy, increasing your credit power to lead you to possible homeownership.
Atowi: Intersections of Culture, Language, Place, & Relationship with the Plant Nations from an Indigenous Perspective
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontRich Holschuh and Melody Mackin of the Atowi Project will discuss the intersections between culture, language, place, and relationship with the plant nations from an Indigenous perspective.
Lady Fern Evolution with Bertrand Black – Naturalist Journeys Online Presentation Series
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontFerns with Bertrand Black Part of the Naturalist Journeys 2021-22 Winter Presentation Series February 16 | 6 - 7 pm EST | Free | Live via ZOOM JOIN HERE: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89045735802 Lady ferns (Athyrium filix-femina) are one of the most common and widespread ferns in the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere, and are familiar to…
Winter Discovery Hike for Families
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontDecember 19, January 15, February 19 10:30 - noon | Free! - Registration required For families with children ages 6 and up Come 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…
Identifying Winter Trees with Alicia Daniel
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontJoin Vermont Master Naturalist Alicia Daniel on an outing to learn to identify winter trees as easily as you recognize the faces of your friends. With the hardwood leaves down, winter is a time to tune into more subtle tree characters like bud, bark, silhouette and even scent. On each field trip, we will also look at tree patterns on the landscape and explore what trees can tell us about site conditions like groundwater and soil quality.
Wildlife Tracking Wednesdays
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontWednesday Mornings in February 7:30 - 8:30 am | Free All experience levels welcomed Walk the property with NBNC naturalists in search of wildlife tracks and sign every Wednesday morning in February. This casual weekly outing is a great way to learn or brush up on track and trail identification in a community of curious…
Racing the Clock with Bernd Heinrich – Naturalist Journeys Online Presentation Series
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontAn award-winning, much-loved biologist turns his gaze on himself, using his long-distance running to illuminate the changes to a human body over a lifetime. Part memoir, part scientific investigation, Racing the Clock is the book biologist and natural historian Bernd Heinrich has been waiting his entire life to write. A dedicated and accomplished marathon (and ultra-marathon) runner who won his first marathon at age thirty-nine, Heinrich looks deeply at running, aging, and the body, exploring the unresolved relationship between metabolism, diet, exercise, and age.
New England’s Roadside Ecology with Tom Wessels – Naturalist Journeys Online Presentation Series
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontNew England’s Roadside Ecology guides you through 30 spectacular natural sites, all within an easy walk from the road. The sites include the forests, wetlands, alpines, dunes, and geologic ecosystems that make up New England. Author Tom Wessels is the perfect guide...
Art Gallery Reception – North Branch Nature Center Staff Exhibit
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontYou may know us as teachers, naturalists, trip leaders, newsletter writers, invasive plant removers, administrators, and more – but did you know that many of NBNC’s staff members also have an artistic side? This show explores how eight of us connect with nature through the arts, from photography and painting to woodcarving and wire sculpting. Meet flora and fauna ranging from tiny snails and lichens to enormous bison and towering trees as you tour this gallery of NBNC staff artwork and see what inspires each of us.
Wildlife Tracking 101
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontFrom bobcats to hawks, all animals leave sign of their activities. Join Dave Muska as he introduces you to the fundamentals of tracking and awareness to better understand the stories animals leave behind. In this class, you’ll be introduced to basic tracking skills and concepts such as clear print identification, track patterns, as well as techniques to develop your skill in tracking. This is a great class for photographers, hunters, or anyone who wishes to deepen their outdoor experience.
