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COMMUNITY PROGRAMS |
ADULT PROGRAMS
- A Writer Looks at the World
- Amherst Breeding Bird Study
- Connecting Urban People to the Environment
- The Singing Lives of Birds
- How to Attract Butterflies and Hummingbirds to your Garden
- Birding by Ear
- Early Spring Wildflowers
- Trail Maintenance Day
- RideBuzz: Building a Community-Driven Rideshare Network in the Pioneer Valley
- Nature Drawing for the Complete Non-Artist
- Qigong (Chi Kung) [spring series]
- Qigong (Chi Kung) [summer series]
- Slide Show: Birds of the American West
- This is Rotten! Composting for the Home Garden
- Alpine Wildflowers of the Presidentials
- Tour of the Smith College Rock Garden
- Citizen Science: Monarch Caterpillar Research Project
- Hiking the Presidentials: An Alpine Wildflower & Birding Trek
- Plants of Barton's Cove
- Responding to the Natural Landscape
- Connecticut Valley Wild Edibles
CHILDREN AND FAMILY PROGRAMS
- Nature's Storytime
- Spring Vacation Camp
- Nature Discovery Preschool
- Hug-a-Bug Fair
- Reptile Survival!
- Citizen Science: Monarch Caterpillar Research Project
ADULT PROGRAMS
HOW TO ATTRACT BUTTERFLIES AND HUMMINGBIRDS TO YOUR
GARDEN
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BIRDING BY EAR
EARLY SPRING WILDFLOWERS
RIDEBUZZ: BUILDING A COMMUNITY-DRIVEN RIDESHARE
NETWORK IN THE PIONEER VALLEY
NATURE DRAWING FOR THE COMPLETE NON-ARTIST
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QIGONG (CHI KUNG)
[Spring series]
Series: Member: $60 Non-member: $75
Register
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.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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.
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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.
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FROM LAND TO LANDSCAPE: A WRITER LOOKS AT THE WORLD
CONNECTING URBAN PEOPLE TO THE ENVIRONMENT
THE SINGING LIVES OF BIRDS
SLIDE SHOW: BIRDS OF THE AMERICAN WEST
THIS IS ROTTEN! COMPOSTING FOR THE HOME GARDEN
ALPINE WILDFLOWERS OF THE PRESIDENTIALS
TOUR OF THE SMITH COLLEGE ROCK GARDEN
CITIZEN SCIENCE: MONARCH CATERPILLAR RESEARCH
PROJECT
HIKING THE PRESIDENTIALS: AN ALPINE
WILDFLOWER & BIRDING TREK
PLANTS OF BARTON'S COVE
RESPONDING TO THE NATURAL LANDSCAPE
CONNECTICUT VALLEY WILD EDIBLES
QIGONG (CHI KUNG)
[Summer series]
Series: Member: $60 Non-member: $75
Register
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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
Back to program listing******************
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 Back to program listing
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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 Back to program listing
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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 Back to program listing
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Questions
or comments? E-mail us at hcenter@crocker.com