Nature Education Series

Spring 2010 Wildlife and Nature Education Series

Come join us this spring for an unforgettable nature outing. Experience our naturalist-led weekend workshops and classes. The programs are adult oriented but we welcome nature enthusiasts of all ages to join us in studying and celebrating the natural wonders of our area.

Registration and Program Details are listed at the bottom of the page.

Spring 2010 Class Descriptions

Owl Prowl
A Nocturnal Experience
Friday, January 29th
7:00pm - 9:00pm
At Mason Farm Biological Preserve in Chapel Hill (see note at bottom)

Local owls are putting the finishing touches on their nests to get ready for their new family. Come to the Mason Farm Biological Preserve to listen and look for signs of screech, barred, and great horned owls. You will have the chance to see live Owls up close! You'll also learn why owls are so important to the environment and what you can do to help protect them. We’ll try several owl calls to see if we can get any wild owls to come check us out and call back. This program is co-sponsored by the NC Botanical Garden. (The Mason Farm Preserve is normally only open from dawn to dusk so this is a special opportunity for you to visit the preserve at night!)

Art of Tracking
Special Workshop
Sunday, March 14th
10:00am - 12:00pm 

A special workshop brings you beyond the basics so that you can learn to see the landscape with new eyes. Can you tell a dog track from a coyote track? Do you know how to find and identify a squirrel hair on the forest floor? Join this weekend workshop to explore the art and science of interpreting animal signs. You will learn how to find clues in the forest that most people miss. Bring your family for an outdoor tracking adventure. Gain new skills and knowledge of animal behavior as you explore the terrain of Leigh Farm Park. Come equipped with curiosity! We'll learn to identify and read the clues that birds and mammals leave behind. We will find out how to answer the six questions of tracking: Who lives here? What were they doing? When did they come by? Where did they go and why were they here? How does it feel to be this animal? Get into the “mind” of the animals and learn how they feel and what their tracks can tell you about their experience. Join our team of detectives as we solve these mysteries and follow wherever our questions lead us... This is an adult themed workshop but people of all ages are welcome. We especially encourage people with an interest in tracking and wildlife to join us. Both beginners and advanced trackers will come away from this workshop with new skills and experiences! This is the field experience after our February classroom tracking class but you can come to this class even if you missed the classroom instruction! The cost for this field experience is the same as our other nature education classes: PWC member is $10 (first family member)/$5 (additional family members) and the cost for non members is $15/$10.

Owl Prowl
A Nocturnal Experience
Friday, February 12th
7:00pm - 9:00pm
At Mason Farm Biological Preserve in Chapel Hill (see note at bottom)

Local owls are putting the finishing touches on their nests to get ready for their new family. Come to the Mason Farm Biological Preserve to listen and look for signs of screech, barred, and great horned owls. You will have the chance to see live Owls up close! You'll also learn why owls are so important to the environment and what you can do to help protect them. We’ll try several owl calls to see if we can get any wild owls to come check us out and call back. This program is co-sponsored by the NC Botanical Garden. (The Mason Farm Preserve is normally open from dawn to dusk so this is a special opportunity for you to visit the preserve at night!)

LOST!
An Orienteering Adventure
Sunday, February 14th
1:00pm - 3:00pm

Why do some people have a better "sense of direction" than others? They pick up subtle clues from the sky and the landscape to help guide them, sometimes so naturally that they're not even aware of it! This program will teach you how to use some basic orienteering tools like map and compass as well as some of the ancient techniques of reading the land and developing an amazing sense of direction without any tools. You'll also learn what to do if you do become lost and how to "lost-proof" your children. The next time you get lost in the woods, make sure it's because you choose to be!

Woodcock Walk and Night Hike Canceled
A Search for the Elusive Woodcock
Friday, February 19th
7:00pm - 9:00pm

Join us for an evening woodland adventure. We will listen for the songs of spring peepers, and southern chorus frogs, American Toads and Leopard Frogs. We will watch for the activity of raccoons mucking through the wetlands. We will walk in the woods and listen for the calls of katydids and nighthawks. For a special treat, as we walk through the meadows and woods, we may be lucky enough to hear a low “peent” followed by the uncanny spiraling song of the American Woodcock. The Woodcock (or “timberdoodle”, as it is affectionately called) is an elusive and very camouflaged bird that we are lucky enough to have living wild in the woodlands of Leigh Farm Park. Hearing its mating call and seeing its courtship flight is an incredible, unforgettable experience which only happens this time of year! Bring your flashlight (with a red filter if you have one) and friends. All ages are welcome.

Survival Skills
Learn the Ancient Ways
Saturday, March 13th
10:00am - 12:00pm

Would you like to learn a few survival secrets passed down from our human ancestors? In this class, we will experience some of the most basic ancient skills that our ancestors once used to survive (and actually thrive) in the woodlands. We will practice some of the arts of survival such as building shelter, finding water, making fire by friction, and finding food in the wild. The skills that we will share can help you develop a greater comfort in the forest and stronger sense of connection to the animals living in the wild that have to survive by using their wits and instincts every day!

Art of Tracking
Special Workshop
Saturday, March 14 Reschedule
10:00am - 12:00pm 

A special field workshop brings you beyond the basics so that you can learn to see the landscape with new eyes. Can you tell a dog track from a coyote track? Do you know how to find and identify a squirrel hair on the forest floor? Join this weekend workshop to explore the art and science of interpreting animal signs. You will learn how to find clues in the forest that most people miss. Bring your family for an outdoor tracking adventure. Gain new skills and knowledge of animal behavior as you explore the terrain of Leigh Farm Park. Come equipped with curiosity! We'll learn to identify and read the clues that birds and mammals leave behind. We will find out how to answer the six questions of tracking: Who lives here? What were they doing? When did they come by? Where did they go and why were they here? How does it feel to be this animal? Get into the “mind” of the animals and learn how they feel and what their tracks can tell you about their experience. Join our team of detectives as we solve these mysteries and follow wherever our questions lead us... This is an adult themed workshop but people of all ages are welcome. We especially encourage people with an interest in tracking and wildlife to join us. Both beginners and advanced trackers will come away from this workshop with new skills and experiences!

Red in Tooth and Claw
Explore the Wild Hazards of Our Area
Saturday, March 20th Reschedule!
10:00am - 12:00pm

Mother Nature has been described as ferocious and most people think that there is much to be feared in the natural world, but actually the hazards out there are surprisingly few. Do you know the one venomous mammal in our area? Can you spot a tick bed before you're in it? Join us as we separate fact from fiction, learn to identify some of the real hazards out there, and meet some of the poisonous look-alikes to useful edible and medicinal plants. We may even get to sample some safe wild edibles!

Weird Wild World of Fungi
Exploring the Wild Mushrooms of Our Area
Saturday, March 27th
10:00am - 12:00pm

Are you, like most Americans, afraid of wild fungi? Come face your fungi phobia as we investigate these beautiful, unique, sometimes delectable life-forms! Learn the ecological roles of mushrooms, the fearful myths, and the true dangers. Learn how to collect and identify mushrooms, including the 1 family responsible for 90% of all mushroom poisonings and all that bad publicity. If we're lucky, we may find one of the many safe, tasty species. Bring a basket and wax paper. Happy hunting!

Wildflower Walk
Take Time to Smell the Wildflowers
Saturday, April 3rd
10:00am - 12:00pm

Come explore the world of spring wildflowers at Leigh Farm Park. Stroll through the forests and fields, and follow the boardwalk through the wetlands to experience the amazing diversity of early spring blossoms. Look for spring beauties, green and gold, and spicebush. Hunt for trout lilies, yellow cress and Star of Bethlehem. Learn about the lore and legends surrounding these flowers that herald the arrival of spring. Find out which of these are delicious treats that you can eat, which ones are used for medicine and which is a deadly poison. All ages are welcome.

Spring Ecology Canceled
Experience the Vernal Woods
Saturday, April 10th
10:00am - 12:00pm

Join us for a walk in the vernal woods as Mother Nature reawakens. This is one of the most abundant seasons of the year for wildlife. Everything is transforming! The spring ephemeral wildflowers are returning. Some migratory birds are departing for the north while others are just coming home. This is the most active time of year for amphibians such as salamanders and tree frogs; they are singing and dancing late into the night! Insects and mushrooms are thriving again with the warm spring weather. The behaviors and track patterns of birds and mammals are changing with the seasons as well. This weekend adventure will give you front row seats for observing and understanding the many lesser known mysteries of nature that occur during the transformation from winter to spring!

Language of the Birds
A Celebration of Bird Behaviors & Songs
Saturday, April 17th
10:00am - 12:00pm

At Mason Farm Biological Preserve in Chapel Hill (see note at bottom)

Bring your friends and come join us at Leigh Farm Park for a celebration of springtime bird behaviors and songs. Listen for the territorial drumming calls of the woodpeckers, the sweet songs of the cardinals, and the companion calls of the towhees. Learn the five voices of the birds and what they can tell you about what is happening in the landscape at large. You may be surprised to learn about how much the songbirds have to say! We will explore some of the most common birdsongs and calls so that you can go birding by ear in your own backyard and we will interpret the calls that we hear. Come join us for an adventure in sound. This program is co-sponsored by the NC Botanical Garden.

Pre-registration is highly recommended for all weekend programs. Please register by the Wednesday prior to the weekend. To register, call (919) 489-0900. Make sure to check on this web page before coming on the day of the program in case of class updates or cancellations. Updates will be posted alongside the course descriptions for each course. Drop-ins are also welcome if the program is not already full.