Hitchcock Center for the Environment, Amherst, MA

 

COMMUNITY PROGRAMS
SPRING / SUMMER 2008

The Hitchcock Center offers a variety of Community Programs for adults and children.  Community programs are designed to enhance environmental and scientific awareness through classes, lectures, field trips, camps, and community events.  Programs are open to the general public, and are discounted for members. PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED FOR ALL PROGRAMS UNLESS OTHERWISE INDICATED.   View Membership and Registration information

 

Download a PDF of the Spring/Summer 2008 Community Programs Guide

Please carpool to programs using Ridebuzz


ADULT PROGRAMS

CHILDREN AND FAMILY PROGRAMS



ADULT PROGRAMS

HOW TO ATTRACT BUTTERFLIES AND HUMMINGBIRDS TO YOUR GARDEN
Co-sponsored with the New England Wild Flower Society
Bill Benner, President, Massachusetts Butterfly Club
Ted Watt, Hitchcock Center Naturalist / Educator
Evening classes:  Tuesdays, April 8 and 15, 7 to 9 p.m. at the Hitchcock Center
Saturday Field Trips, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.:
  July 26, Nasami Farm, Whately
  August 9, Bill Benner's gardens, Whately
  August 23, Northampton Community & Smith College Gardens
Employing plants that attract butterflies and hummingbirds is an increasingly popular approach to home landscaping. Both are attracted to blossoms that produce nectar, but nectar accessible through slightly different means. Join us to learn about the life cycles of some of our local butterflies as well as the best nectar plants to grow in our area. In the first class, we will introduce the idea of using host plant gardens to attract butterfly larvae. The second class will provide consultation with class members on planning their individual home gardens to plant in the spring. Later in the season, field trips will allow participants to learn from gardens in bloom as means to further discuss gardening and propagation techniques. While we’re at it, we’ll identify various butterfly species that are supported by these gardens. At Nasami Farm, we will tour the greenhouses and learn about the New England Wildflower Society’s native plant propagation program. The August 9th field trip will feature a hummingbird banding demonstration. Fee includes some take-home nectar plants for home gardens. Limited to 25 participants.  Pre-registration is required.

Member: $85       Non-member: $100       Register

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BIRDING BY EAR
John Green, Naturalist
Saturdays, April 19, May 17, and June 14, 6:30 to 9:30 a.m.

This is the best season and time of day to be immersed in the dawn chorus of bird songs. John will lead you on a new experience in listening and hearing the diversity of bird songs in our area, pointing out the calls and offering different ways of remembering each call. This is an experience in ear training that will expand how you see and hear the world. Bring binoculars and a field guide. We will be visiting sites at the Quabbin, along the bike trail, and at the Notch. Sign up for one or all three programs -- each represent a different wave of migrating birds. Pre-registration is required and space is limited to 12 participants per trip. Meeting location provided upon registration.

Member:  $10 per trip       Non-member:  $15 per trip      Register

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EARLY SPRING WILDFLOWERS
Ted Watt, Hitchcock Center Naturalist / Educator
Saturday, April 19, 2008, 10 a.m. to noon
Held at Chapel Falls Preserve of the Trustees of Reservations, Ashfield

The snow should be mostly melted and the earliest of spring wildflowers will be greeting the spring sun. We will take a short hike to see bloodroot, adder’s tongue and spring beauties. Chapel Falls is a lovely mesic hardwood forest. We will hike to the top of the ledges for a view to the east. Wear comfortable walking shoes and be prepared for changing temperatures. Bring binoculars and a magnifier. Directions to the meeting site will be provided upon registration. Heavy rain cancels. Limited to 15 participants.  Pre-registration is required.

Member: $10         Non-member:  $15     Register

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RIDEBUZZ:  BUILDING A COMMUNITY-DRIVEN RIDESHARE NETWORK IN THE PIONEER VALLEY
Jeff Brown, RideBuzz.org Organizer
Wednesday, April 23, 2008, 7 to 8:30 p.m.
Please rideshare to this event:  www.RideBuzz.org

RideBuzz’s pilot rideshare (carpool) program is helping our local communities build an entirely new layer of transportation options. This Innovative Program will drastically reduce our carbon footprint and oil dependency, while systematically funneling resources to people who need them. There are roughly 1.4 million empty car-seats jostling around the Pioneer Valley, yet many of our community members don’t have access to transportation. Information technologies can connect passengers and drivers in real-time, as easily as calling for a taxi. In the Pioneer Valley alone, passenger transportation causes roughly 17 million pounds of carbon emissions annually (and climbing!!). If every other driver joined a carpool today, we could slice carbon emissions in half! For these technologies to work effectively, widespread community participation is needed. Please come to our presentation and forum to find out how you can be a part of this important community movement to create efficient transportation alternatives.

Fee:  Free, though donations are appreciated with proceeds to support RideBuzz.org

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NATURE DRAWING FOR THE COMPLETE NON-ARTIST
Elizabeth Farnsworth, Field Botanist and Naturalist
Sunday, April 27, 2008, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

This 3-hour session is an introduction to seeing and drawing nature, designed for people convinced that they cannot draw. We will begin with a review of concepts -- gesture, line, angle, proportion, and shading -- covered in our first class, featuring exercises that will loosen and warm us up. We will then proceed outdoors to explore light, shading, and color in more detail, taking inspiration from around the grounds of the Hitchcock Center. This class will be a fun follow-up to the first session of Nature Drawing for the Complete Non-Artist held in the winter, but does not require previous attendance. Materials will be provided. If it is a really sunny day, participants may want to bring dark glasses to avoid glare on their sketch paper.

Member: $20         Non-member:  $30     Register

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QIGONG (CHI KUNG) [Spring series]
Rema Boscov, Certified Qigong Instructor
Sundays, April 27 to June 1, 2008, 8:30 to 9:45 a.m.

Qigong is an ancient Chinese health maintenance practice, currently growing in popularity throughout the western world.   Qi (chi) is "life force" or energy and Gong means long time study or cultivation.   Qigong is the precursor to Tai Chi and all the martial arts and is a way to work with and move qi.  Acupuncturists work with qi to effect healing and promote well-being, but you can move this energy yourself, by learning simple movements, meditation, breathing practices and self-applied massage.  Qigong is easy, joyful, profound, and deeply satisfying.  It is a physically-felt connector with the natural world.   All are welcome.  Wear comfortable clothes and shoes.  As the world renews itself, so will we.  Come enjoy these graceful rejuvenating qigong sequences.  Weather permitting, we will practice outside, surrounded by bird and insect sound, taking in nature's fresh qi.  Pre-registration is required.

Series:   Member: $60       Non-member: $75                   Register

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AMHERST BREEDING BIRD STUDY PRESENTATION
Douglas Hutcheson
Thursday, March 27, 2008, 7 to 8:30 p.m.

The Amherst Conservation Department, largely through the assistance of a dedicated group of local volunteers, has collected breeding bird survey data on town conservation land from 1990-2007. Come hear Douglas Hutcheson, Amherst Conservation Land Manager, as he unveils the results of this effort, one of the longest-running municipal wildlife surveys in New England.  Pre-registration is required.

Member: free; donations appreciated       Non-member: free; donations appreciated      Register

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FROM LAND TO LANDSCAPE:  A WRITER LOOKS AT THE WORLD
Part of the Valley Environmental Education Collaborative (VEEC) Lecture Series
Jane Yolen
Wednesday, March 26, 2008, 7 p.m.
Held at the Quabbin Visitor Center, Belchertown, Massachusetts

Letting Swift River Go, a children’s picture book about the making of the Quabbin reservoir, is not Jane Yolen’s only book about the natural world. Her book of poems for children, Wild Wings, won the National Outdoor Book Award. She has written poetry and prose about birds, ice, winter, water, the Antarctic, desert, rain forests and other ecological matters with grace and beauty. She will speak about looking first and writing after. “Most people think of nature as something to step over, break off, or walk around. But the successful writer ignores landscape at her peril.” Yolen, who lives in Hatfield, has been a resident of the Connecticut River valley for more than 40 years.

Fee:  A $5 donation is appreciated.  To pre-register, call (413) 323-7221. 

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CONNECTING URBAN PEOPLE TO THE ENVIRONMENT
Nuestras Raices staff
Tuesday, April 8, 2008, 7 p.m.
Held at Holyoke Heritage State Park, Holyoke, Massachusetts

More than 40% of the residents of Holyoke are of Puerto Rican origin. Many grew up in rural Puerto Rico with mango, lemon and avocado trees and small livestock in their backyards. Nuestras Raices members will discuss and show photos of this heritage of agriculture and stewardship and their community gardening and farming initiatives in Holyoke today.

Fee:  A $5 donation is appreciated.  To pre-register, call (413) 534-1723.

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THE SINGING LIVES OF BIRDS
Don Kroodsma
Tuesday, April 22, 2008, 6:30 p.m.>
Held at Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary, Easthampton, Massachusetts

Join Don Kroodsma for an active indoor and outdoor program. The program begins outdoors, listening to the calls and songs of the birds around us. Next, Don will present and discuss his more then 30 years of work exploring the mysteries of bird sounds throughout the country; listen to sounds and look at sonograms of bird calls, and listen to local, more common bird sounds in ways that open your ears and eyes. Recognized as a leader and authority on bird vocalization, Don is a local resident with a passion.

Fee:  A $5 donation is appreciated.  To pre-register, call (413) 584-3009.

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SLIDE SHOW:  BIRDS OF THE AMERICAN WEST
John Van de Graaff, Photographer
Thursday, May 8, 2008, 7 to 8:30 p.m.

Join us in this special evening of digital slides, featuring birds of the American West as captured by the talented bird photographer John Van de Graaff. The show draws on John’s stays in Texas, Arizona, New Mexico (Bosque Del Apache National Wildlife Refuge), Utah, and California (the Salton Sea and many other spots). Bird species include: Green Jay, Painted Bunting, Sandhill Crane, Snow Geese, Clark’s and Western Grebes (with young), American Dipper, and the endangered California Clapper Rail, among many others.

Fee:  Free, though donations are appreciated      Register

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THIS IS ROTTEN!  COMPOSTING FOR THE HOME GARDEN
Hans Leo, Caretaker, Bramble Hill Farm
Saturday, May 10, 2008, 10 a.m. to noon

Join Hans in the big blue barn at Bramble Hill Farm as he introduces the theories behind that wonderful rotten stuff that brings us such prolific flowers and abundance in the vegetable beds. Hans will then lead us on a walking tour of the compost piles established at the farm where we can get our hands dirty, smell the soil, and discuss past problems and possible solutions in home garden composting. Bring your questions and apprehensions and you will walk away with everything you need to know to start your own home compost. Hans Leo, caretaker of Bramble Hill Farm, has accumulated over 30 years experience of transforming organic waste into fertilizer.

Member:  $10       Non-member:  $15       Register

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ALPINE WILDFLOWERS OF THE PRESIDENTIALS
Pete Westover, Conservation Works, LLP
Ted Watt, Hitchcock Center Naturalist / Educator

Wednesday, May 28, 2008, 7 to 8:30 p.m.

Ted and Pete will show images of their travels in the Presidential Range of the White Mountains. Alpine plants, scenery and the variety of natural habitats of the Whites will transport you to this unique area of New England. Come enjoy the beauty without the stress and strain of hiking! For those participating in the overnight hike to the Lakes of the Clouds Appalachian Mountain Club hut, please arrive at 6 p.m. for orientation and questions.

Member:  $5, Non-member:  $8 ; No charge for those attending the June 20-22 weekend trip      Register

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TOUR OF THE SMITH COLLEGE ROCK GARDEN
Pete Westover, Conservation Works, LLP
Lisa Rock, Naturalist

Thursday, May 29, 2008, 10 a.m. or 6 p.m.

Lisa and Pete will lead one-hour tours of the Rock Garden at Smith College for those interested in seeing alpine plants growing locally. Part of the Botanic Garden of Smith College, the Rock Garden includes alpine, dwarf, and woodland plants, making it an ideal preparation trip for our hike to the Alpine Garden of the Presidential Range. Limited to 10 participants each tour.

Fee:  Free, though donations are appreciated      Register

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CITIZEN SCIENCE:  MONARCH CATERPILLAR RESEARCH PROJECT
Ken Lindsay
Sunday, June 15, 2008, 1:30 to 3 p.m.

Volunteer citizen scientists are needed to help further international Monarch caterpillar research efforts. Volunteers will be trained in basic research protocols to collect data on adopted field research sites throughout the area. This program is geared for children ages 8 and up and adults of all ages.

Fee:  Free, though a $5 donation is appreciated      Register

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HIKING THE PRESIDENTIALS:  AN ALPINE WILDFLOWER & BIRDING TREK
Pete Westover, Conservation Works, LLP
Ted Watt, Hitchcock Center Naturalist / Educator

Friday through Sunday, June 20-22, 2008

This 3-day excursion to the Presidential Range of the White Mountains will introduce you to some of the most spectacular scenery in New England. Planned to coincide with peak bloom of the alpine wildflowers, we will visit Mount Washington’s Alpine Garden and other areas both above and below timber line. We will lodge at the 5,000-foot high Lakes of the Clouds Hut on Friday and Saturday nights where we will be treated to hearty food and good company. Participants should be in good physical condition -- hikes will be strenuous (2500' elevation gain on Friday) but we will spend time looking and learning along the way. Trip cost includes two nights’ bunk room accommodations and two hearty Appalachian Mountain Club breakfasts and dinners. Participants will carpool from the Hitchcock Center to the trailhead leaving at 7:00 a.m. on Friday morning, June 20, and returning by evening on Sunday, June 22. Pack lunches for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Carpoolers will share drivers’ expenses at $.40 per mile. Pre-registration is required with full payment by Wednesday, May 14. Limited to 9 participants.

Member:  $299      Non-member:  $310      Register

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PLANTS OF BARTON'S COVE
Co-sponsored by the New England Wildflower Society
Roland "Boot" Boutwell, Naturalist

Sunday, July 6, 2008, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The mile-long Barton Cove Nature Trail leads to the end of a peninsula that extends into a bend of the Connecticut River. The rich woodlands feature such plants as purple flowering raspberry (Rubus odoratus), spotted pipsissewa (Chimaphila maculata), swamp candles (Lysimachia terrestris), and Indian cucumber root (Madeola virginiana). The trail meanders through Dinosaur Track Quarry, which features tracks left by dinosaurs in a tropical Jurassic fern forest about 200 million years ago. At the end of this wooded peninsula the trail approaches the shore of Barton’s Cove, where there is an active Bald Eagle’s nest on an island just offshore. This field trip, covering about two miles, will focus on plant identification and natural history. The trail is steep in spots, so wear hiking boots or sturdy shoes. Bring a bag lunch, a hand lens if you have one, a favorite field guide or two, and perhaps a pair of binoculars in case we spot any eagles. Limited to 15 participants.

Member:  $32      Non-member:  $36      Register

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RESPONDING TO THE NATURAL LANDSCAPE
Co-sponsored by the New England Wildflower Society
Barbara Milot, Professor of Art, Framingham State College

Thursdays, July 10, 17, and 24, 2008, 9 to 11:30 a.m.

Capture the summer beauty of the New England Wildflower Society’s Nasami Farm by creating landscape paintings using oil pastels. A variety of landscape views -- fields, woods, water, distant hills, and the Nursery gardens -- are your subjects for this class, which focuses on rendering the colors of plants, trees, fields, and sky. With oil pastels, an inexpensive and versatile medium for both beginners and more experienced artists, you can mix colors, layer colors, and create textures similar to paint but with the convenience of pastel sticks. The class starts with exercises on color, examines shapes and lines in the landscape, and moves outdoors for creating individual responses. A list of required materials will be sent upon registration. Limited to 15 participants.

Member:  $88      Non-member:  $104      Register

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CONNECTICUT VALLEY WILD EDIBLES
Co-sponsored by the New England Wildflower Society
Russ Cohen, Expert Forager and Author
Held at the Nasami Farm, Whately

Sunday, July 13, 2008, 2 to 5 p.m.

The Connecticut River Valley is home to more than 150 species of edible wild plants, many of which are more nutritious and/or flavorful than their cultivated counterparts. Typical native edibles include: ostrich fern (Matteucia struthiopteris, the so-called “Fiddlehead” fern); cattails (Typha spp.), dubbed by wild foods guru Euell Gibbons as “the supermarket of the swamps” for its many edible parts; milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), pokeweed (Phytolacca americana) and shagbark hickory (Carya ovata). Invasive and/or otherwise weedy species include autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellata), purslane (Portulaca oleracea), black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) and redroot pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus). Join Russ Cohen, expert forager and author of Wild Plants I Have Known…and Eaten, on a three-hour ramble in and around Nasami Farm to learn about at least two dozen edible species. Keys to the identification of each species will be provided along with information on edible portion(s), season(s) of availability and preparation method(s), as well as general guidelines for safe and environmentally-responsible foraging. Participants should bring a pen and paper to take notes, several small bags to collect samples, and footwear for wet conditions. Limited to 15 participants.

Member:  $24      Non-member:  $27      Register

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QIGONG (CHI KUNG) [Summer series]
Rema Boscov, Certified Qigong Instructor
Sundays, July 13 to August 24, 2008, 8:30 to 9:45 a.m.

Qigong is an ancient Chinese health maintenance practice, currently growing in popularity throughout the western world.   Qi (chi) is "life force" or energy and Gong means long time study or cultivation.   Qigong is the precursor to Tai Chi and all the martial arts and is a way to work with and move qi.  Acupuncturists work with qi to effect healing and promote well-being, but you can move this energy yourself, by learning simple movements, meditation, breathing practices and self-applied massage.  Qigong is easy, joyful, profound, and deeply satisfying.  It is a physically-felt connector with the natural world.   All are welcome.  Wear comfortable clothes and shoes.  Summer is a time for rejoicing in the fullness of nature. Come practice "The Crane," an ancient Animal Frolic meant to cool the body. We will also learn a practice to quietly build and conserve qi under the shade of the center’s tall trees.  Pre-registration is required.

Series:   Member: $60       Non-member: $75                   Register

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CHILDREN AND FAMILY PROGRAMS

NATURE'S STORYTIME
Every Tuesday, 11 a.m.
Come listen while we read a story book from our collection of nature-based children's literature and follow up with a short nature walk or activity. Pre-registration is encouraged but not required.

Member: Free       Non-member: Free  

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NATURE DISCOVERY PRESCHOOL:  BEANSTALKS TO BUTTERFLIES
Colleen Kelley
Fridays, March 28, April 4, 11, 18, May 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, June 6
Session 1: 9:30 - 11:30 a.m.
Session 2:  1-3 p.m.
Metamorphosis and how things change in nature is the theme for this popular program. Children will compare their own lives, from newborn to preschooler, with the life cycles of other living things. Through live animal and plant observations, stories, songs, movement, imagery and crafts, children will learn about how and why changes happen. Start your metamorphosis now! An adult must attend with the child to develop a sense of wonder together. For children ages 3-5 years. Space is limited. Pre-registration is required.

Member: $155      Non-member: $175          Register

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HUG-A-BUG FAIR
Saturday, May 3, 2008, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Those amazing insects (and their relatives) will return for the Hitchcock Center’s 10th Hug-a-Bug Insect Fair. Come explore our hands-on, live Arthropod Zoo featuring a wide variety of tarantulas, including the Rosehair, Malaysian Earth Tiger, and Cameroon Red Baboon, along with Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches, Cave Roaches, Thai Walking Sticks, and Emperor Scorpions. Take a guided walk to find insects along the trails on Larch Hill and visit the crafts and games room. Plenty of discovery for the whole family.

Member: $5 per person or $20 for family up to 6
Non-member:  $8 per person or $30 for family up to 6         
Register

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REPTILE SURVIVAL!
Denise Passias & Jay Whitney, Reptile Enthusiasts
Saturday, June 7, 10 to 11:30 a.m.
Reptiles have roamed the earth for millions of years. How do different lizards survive in a wide range of habitats and climates? Why do sandfish skinks literally swim in sand? Why do fat tailed geckos walk backwards when threatened? How is it beneficial for some lizards to drop their tails? Find out the answers to these questions and more at Reptile Survival! at the Hitchcock Center. It will be a hands-on presentation that will be fun for all ages! Featuring more than ten different species of reptiles brought to you by Kiss-A-Lizard show by Jay and Denise.

Member: $5      Non-member: $8          Register

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Questions or comments?  E-mail us at hcenter@crocker.com