Events
Spring 2008 Calendar
Astronomy at Vermont Academy
Date: Saturday, April 5
Time: 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Place: Vermont Academy Observatory
Cost: A Free Public Program
- Meet at the Vermont Academy Observatory on Shepard Lane, off Pleasant Street. The Observatory is located in the field beyond the Chiver’s Center, Saxtons River, VT
Join the Nature Museum and Vermont Academy for a night of astronomy information and gazing at the wonders found in our sky. The evening will start with a 30 min talk on “Nature of Light and How Astronomers Use It” by Bob Anderson at the Chivers Center on Shepherd Lane, a two story building on the left. This will be followed by trip to Vermont Academy’s observatory, a few minutes up the road from the Chivers Center. There, with the help of Naturalist/Astronomer Bob Anderson and several other amateur astronomers with scopes, we will have the opportunity to view many celestial objects. If the weather is poor for telescope observing the talk will be accompanied by a discussion and/or indoor activity. We hope to see you for this exciting night of outer space exploration.
Mighty Acorns Explorers Club (Preschool Nature Day)
Signs of Spring
• Ages 3 - 5
Date: Wednesday, April 16
Time: Session 1: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Time: Session 2: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Place: The Nature Museum
Cost: Members - $5
Cost: Non-members - $7 (prices are for all participating children)
- Pre-registration preferred
Once a month, The Nature Museum will offer this fun-filled time for preschoolers and their caregivers. Participants will explore outside and visit different habitats. This hands-on time will foster observation skills and allow them to connect with the natural world.
Bears: Their Habitats and Habits
Date: Wednesday, April 16
Time: 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Place: Rockingham Public Library, Bellows Falls, VT
Cost: A Free Public Program
Forrest Hammond from the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Service will present this program about Black Bears in Vermont. Come learn about the secret life of this unique animal and the challenges it faces with future development of the state. Forrest will discuss the role that the public can play in protecting bear habitat and in determining how many bears we have in the future. This program is part of the “Exploring Rockingham: Nature Out Our Backdoor” series, which is made possible by a grant from TransCanada.
The Past & Future of Farming in Vermont
Date: Friday, April 18
Time: 6:30 PM
Place: The White Church, Grafton, VT
Cost: A Free Public Program
Roger Albee, Vermont's Secretary of Agriculture, Foods, and Markets, will be speaking about farming in Vermont . In providing leadership for one of Vermont's largest industry, Mr. Albee's appreciation and advocacy for alternative solutions has been well received by the full spectrum of Vermont's agricultural community. He also oversees numerous food safety and consumer protection programs. His visit to Grafton is the result of a joint effort of The Nature Museum, the Grafton Grange, and the Grafton Public Library.
Growing Shitake Mushrooms
Date: Saturday, April 19
Time: 9:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Place: 1998 Trebo Road, Chester, VT
Cost: Members - $20
Cost: Non-members - $25
• 12 people (an additional family member - must be over 14 - can attend at no additional charge)
Join Irwin and Melissa Post to inoculate logs with shiitake mushroom spawn. After drilling holes in the logs, stuffing them with spawn, and capping them with wax, you will take home two 3' logs, which should yield delicious mushrooms for a few years. This workshop will take place at the Posts' home in an unheated shed, so please dress accordingly!
Vacation Camp - Fairies: Making Magic in the Forest & Garden
• Ages 6-8
Date: Monday, April 21
Time: 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Place: The Nature Museum
Cost: Members - $15
Cost: Non-members - $20
- Pre-registration required
Join us for a delightful day of magic. Garden and forest fairies are fanciful and fun and we'll spend the day honoring their cheery personalities and their connections to the Earth. Throughout the day, we'll go on fairy hunts, build fairy houses, and design fairy boats.
Vacation Camp: Earth Day Exploration
• Ages 6-10
Date: Tuesday, April 22
Time: 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Place: The Nature Museum
Cost: Members - $15
Cost: Non-members - $20
- Pre-registration required
Discover the diversity of wild animals living throughout the earth as we celebrate Earth Day together. We'll play outdoor games, make crafts, go on a special tour of the museum's collections, explore our local habitats and compare them to habitats around the world.
Vacation Camp: Pioneer Skills
• Ages 8-12
Date: Wednesday, April 23
Time: 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Place: The Nature Museum
Cost: Members - $20
Cost: Non-members - $25 (lunch included)
- Pre-registration required
Step back in time and learn skills that could help you survive in the woods. Learn how to tie knots and build something useful or maybe win a race; build a campfire and cook your lunch on it; learn pocket knife safety and make a woodland character. You will want to wear long pants and boots and outerwear appropriate for the day’s weather. Also, bring a pocketknife with a sharp blade and a signed permission slip from your folks to use it. Camp limited to 10 participants.
Vacation Camp: Daring Camp Day for Girls
• Ages 6-10
Date: Thursday, April 24
Time: 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Place: The Nature Museum
Cost: Members - $20
Cost: Non-members - $25
- Pre-registration required
The Daring Camp for Girls is loosely based on the book “The Daring Book for Girls” by Andrea J. Buchanan and Miriam Peskowitz which has been described as “the can-do, how-to manual for enthusiastic, unfettered adventure”. We will have a full week of this camp in August for 9-12 year olds. Camp limited to 10.
Rock Gardens, Rocky Gardens, & Garden Rocks
Date: Thursday, April 24
Time: 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Place: The Nature Museum
Cost: Members - $4
Cost: Non-members - $6
In this class, participants will learn about integrating and placing stones in the garden, with an eye for how stones can work together as a group, and how they fit into their environment. Nature will be our inspiration, and design principles our guide. Leading the class will be Christopher Keefe, a landscape gardener with training at Radcliffe Seminars, in England. He currently lives in Windham, VT.
Tibetan Travelogue - (reschedule from March)
Date: Sunday, April 27
Time: 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Place:The Chapel, Grafton, VT
Cost: Donations Welcome
Join Sally Warren, a Grafton resident, for a program describing her trip to Tibet in September of 2007. She, along with five other Vermonters, joined a large group of Argentineans, Brits and Tibetans on a pilgrimage to the Sacred Mt. Kailas. This slide show of Tibet will include shots of Lhasa, the Western plateau, the path around Mt. Kailas and a group of joyful pilgrims. There will be time for lots of questions.
Astronomy at Vermont Academy
Date: Saturday, May 3
Time: 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Place: Vermont Academy Observatory
Cost: A Free Public Program
- Meet at the Vermont Academy Observatory on Shepard Lane, off Pleasant Street. The Observatory is located in the field beyond the Chiver’s Center, Saxtons River, VT
Join the Nature Museum and Vermont Academy for a night of astronomy information and gazing at the wonders found in our sky. The evening will start with a 30 min talk on “Mars” by Claudio Veliz. See April 5th description for general program information. This is the last astronomy night until September, when the monthly series will start again.
9th Annual Herricks Cove Wildlife Festival
Date: Sunday, May 4
Time: 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM; 7:30 AM bird walk
Place: Herricks Cove, Rockingham, VT
Cost: $2 per person; $5 per family
Celebrate Spring and wildlife at beautiful Herricks Cove on the Connecticut River. This festival includes nature presentations, activities and programs featuring live animals, guided nature walks, live music, tasty food, workshops, birding and much more. This event brings together wildlife, nature and outdoor enthusiasts for a fun and informative time for all ages. Come for an hour or stay all day. Feel free to call the museum for information. Special programs this year include: A John James Audubon impersonator, a Giant Moose display, Building bat boxes, Live amphibians, birds and insect presentations, and live music throughout the day. Sponsored by Ascutney Mountain Audubon Society, The Nature Museum, Vermont Fish and Wildlife, Central Vermont Public Service, and TransCanada Hydro Northeast Inc.
Pruning and Spring Maintenance Q & A
Date: Saturday, May 10
Time: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Place: The Nature Museum
Cost: A Free Public Program
Enjoy a workshop in the fundamentals of pruning taught by Will Danforth as we ready the Museum’s Wildlife Garden for the growing season.
Spring Wildflower Walk
Date: Saturday, May 10
Time: 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Place: Martin Sanctuary trail head on Bemis Hill Road, outside of Saxtons River off Westminster West Road
Cost: A Free Public Program
In this walk we will locate and identify six of the spring ephemeral wildflowers that are found in the Windmill Hill Pinnacle Association's Martin Sactuary on Bemis Hill Road. Factors such as forest community type, canopy cover, and microtopography which affect the presence of these species will also be discussed. The walk is led by Paul “Hop” Hopkins, who did his graduate school thesis field work about spring ephemerals in this same area and who currently teaches science at the Grammer School in Putney.
Under the Canopy: Shade Gardening with Native Plants
Date: Tuesday, May 20
Time: 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Place: The Homestead Room, The Old Tavern, Grafton, VT
Cost: Members - $4
Cost: Non-members - $6
Scott LaFleur, head horticulturalist for the New England Wildflower Society, will present this program about the vast array of native plant species that thrive in full and partial shade plus add beauty and interest to your understory.
Mighty Acorns Explorers Club (Preschool Nature Day)
Pond Creatures
• Ages 3-5
Date: Wednesday, May 21
Time: Session 1: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Time: Session 2: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Place: The Nature Museum
Cost: Members - $5
Cost: Non-members - $7 (prices are for all participating children)
- Pre-registration preferred; See April 16 description
Propagation & Maintenance in the Garden Q & A
Date: Sunday, June 8
Time: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Place: The Nature Museum
Cost: A Free Public Program
Learn to divide garden plants in a workshop taught by Will Danforth.
Mighty Acorns Explorers Club (Preschool Nature Day)
The Garden
• Ages 3 - 5
Date: Wednesday, June 18
Time: Session 1: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Time: Session 2: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Place: The Nature Museum
Cost: Members - $5
Cost: Non-members - $7 (prices are for all participating children)
- Pre-registration preferred; See April 16 description
The Fells Historic Gardens & Boat Trip on Lake Sunapee
Date: Saturday, June 21
Time: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Place: Meeting Place To Be Announced
Cost: Members - $55
Cost: Non-members - $60; includes transportation, boat trip & tours
- Pre-registration required
Enjoy a tour of the historic Fells Estate and gardens. The Fells has one of the best and largest rock gardens in New England, and in June their spectacular collection of lilacs, azaleas, and rhododendrons should be in bloom. After our visit, enjoy the beautiful scenery of Lake Sunapee from a boat while your Captain narrates the history, landmarks and lore of this crystal clear mountain lake. For more information about The Fells, go to www.thefells.org
Nature Writing Institute
Date: June 24 - June 26
A summer teacher training institute at Moose Mountain Lodge in Etna, NH. Margo Ghia, Betsy Bennett Stacey and Michael Caduto will be the instructors, check our website, or call for more information.
Nature at the Farm
Date: Saturday, June 28
Time: 10:00 AM
Place: Westminster, VT; call for more information
This program coincides with the Westminster Cares “Gardens of Westminster” Weekend. For more information about the whole event call (802) 722-3607.
For more information please contact:
Betsy Bennett Stacey
The Nature Museum at Grafton
186 Townshend Rd
Grafton, VT 05146
802-843-2111
Email: staff@nature-museum.org
Or check our website at http://www.nature-museum.org
