Public Programs Summer and Fall 2010
Pre-registration is either requested or required for all programs by calling 802-843-2111. Unless stated otherwise, programs meet at the Museum and are open to the public. Most programs are free to our members.Topography and Destiny: How Natural History Effects Cultural History in the Connecticut River Valley
Date: Friday, July 16Time: 6:30-8:00 PM
Place: Meet at the Bellows Falls Waypoint Center (next to the train station parking lot).
Donation: Free
Join Richard Ewald, local author and historian, for a walking tour of Bellows Falls. We'll explore how the Connecticut River has influenced the history, culture, and character of Bellows Falls, VT. Drawing from his work with the Connecticut River Watershed Council and his extensive research for his book Proud to Live Here, Ewald will highlight the events and places that illustrate how the natural environment influenced development and how development influenced the river. Make an evening of it and visit the Bellows Falls Farmer's Market before the program. The Farmer's Market opens at 4:00 PM. This program is made possible in part by a grant from TransCanada Corporation.
Hike in Charlestown, NH
Date: Sunday, July 25Time: 1:30-3:30 PM
Place: Meet at the old Town Hall, Main Street in Charlestown, to carpool about 1.5 miles from the village to the trailhead.
Donation: Free and partially funded by the Wellborn Ecology Fund of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation
Join educator and outdoor enthusiast Jay Fisher for a moderately strenuous 1.5-mile hike along the Ceda-T trail off of North Hemlock Road. The trail features streams, forests, and fields (with other possible side-excursions), as well as several fire-prevention dams and other historical attractions.
Fish Ladder Tour
Date: Monday, July 26Time: 5:00-6:00 PM
Place: Meet at the Fish Ladder and Watershed Visitor Center in Bellows Falls on Bridge Street, next to the Post Office
Donation: Free and open to the public.
The Fish Ladder and Watershed Visitor Center are opening up especially for this tour of the facility. Learn how fish use the ladder and how the dam helps to create hydropower. A guided tour of the exhibits will feature the new six-foot globe of the Earth, hands-on activities about wetlands, and displays about waterfowl, fish, native mammals, and dragonflies. Ken Alton, Head of External Affairs Connecticut River for TransCanada, will be on hand to discuss the specifics of how moving water is turned into energy. This program is co-sponsored by the Museum and Rockingham Public Library, and partially funded by TransCanada Corporation.
Rockingham Old Home Days Fish Ladder Open House
Date: Saturday, July 31*Note date has changed from that listed in the nerwsletter
Time: 10:00 AM-4:00 PM
Place: Meet at the Fish Ladder and Watershed Visitor Center in Bellows Falls on Bridge Street, next to the Post Office.
Donation: Free and open to the public.
Celebrate the Connecticut River! This program, offering special exhibits and hands-on activities for all ages, is made possible by a grant from TransCanada Corporation.
Grafton Farm Tour Day
Date: Saturday, August 14Time: 10:00 AM-2:00 PM
Place: Meet at the Museum at 10:00 AM for registration and directions to the farms and tour times.
Donation: Members free; non-members $7
Three Grafton farms are opening their doors for a special behind-the-scenes tour for Nature Museum members and the community.
- 10:15-11:15, Rushton Farm. The farmers milk 60 cows and have 200 chickens and 15-20 pigs. They sell raw milk, eggs, and ice cream.
- 11:30-12:30, Green Meadows Farm. On its 7 acres, there are well over 100 animals. Many of the breeds of goats, sheep, cows, chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, and rabbits have unique characteristics and are heritage breeds. Get up-close and personal with a wide range of fascinating farm animals. The farm store sells vegetables, eggs, and goat, lamb, and rabbit meat.
- 12:30-1, lunch break (bring along your own picnic).
- 1:00-2:00 PM, Hidden Farm Alpacas. Just a few minutes spent in the company of these gentle creatures will make your trip memorable. Learn about them and touch their amazingly soft fleece. Shop for related items in the on-site store featuring yarns, hand-knit sweaters, scarves, hats, socks, and more.
Hawks Overhead
Date: Thursday, August 19Time: 6:30-7:30 PM
Place: Meet at Springfield Public Library, 43 Main Street, Springfield, VT
Donation: Free and open to the public.
Refreshments served. Join Alma Beals, Phil Morgan, and Marshall Wheelock as they tell how the Putney Mountain Hawk Watchers got started. The presenters will use slides and stories to explain seasonal migrations and demonstrate how to identify hawks with life-size silhouette cutouts. These dedicated birders will provide you with a wealth of information so you can be ready to identify raptors overhead during the fall migration. Co-sponsored by The Nature Museum, Springfield Library, Ascutney Mountain Audubon Society, and partially funded by the Wellborn Ecology Fund of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation.
Woodland Fairy Village Day
Date: Saturday, August 21Time: 10:00 AM-12:00 PM
Place: Get directions to the site in Andover, VT, when you register. Rain location in Grafton.
Donation: Members $7; non-members $12. Materials included.
Ages: 5-9
• Pre-registration required
Come celebrate the magic of fairies. Explore the deep forest and sun-lit meadows as we search for signs of the wee folk and their animal friends. We will sing, play, dance, create a woodland fairy village, and do a special fairy craft. Please pack a healthy snack and a water bottle.
Forts and Fires
Date: Wednesday, August 25Time: 10:00 AM-3:00 PM
Place: Meet at the Museum
Donation: Members $25; non-members $35
Ages: 6-12
Try your hand at campfire building and shelter building. We'll have a day of adventure while we work on our woodland survival skills. Enjoy a last Blast of Summer Camp!
Pond and Stream Safari
Date: Thursday, August 26Time: 10:00 AM-3:00 PM
Place: Meet at the Museum
Donation: Members $25; non-members $35
Ages: 6-12
From ponds to streams to puddles, we'll wade waters and sleuth wetlands searching for creatures and learning about the aquatic habitats of our area. Enjoy a last Blast of Summer Camp!
Mushroom Walk and Workshop
Date: Saturday, August 28Time: 1:00-3:00 PM
Place: Meet at Grafton Ponds, 783 Townshend Road
Donation: Members free; non-members $7
Join Dick McCarrick, one of three generations of family members who hunt and eat woodland mushrooms. Along the way, McCarrick will introduce safe mushroom-hunting techniques; show specimens of poisonous and non-poisonous mushrooms; and reveal other helpful information about this popular foraging activity that is so weather and habitat dependent.
Hike in Mollie Beattie State Forest
Date: Sunday, September 5Time: 1:00-3:00 PM
Place: Meet at the end of Hinkley Brook Road in Grafton, about 1.9 miles from the center of town.
Donation: Members free; non-members $5
Join Michelle Dufort in an exploration of this varied forest ecosystem. This moderately strenuous hike will chart past a stone caretaker's building, constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps, and up and down logging roads and trails throughout some of the forest's 203 acres of woodlands and wetlands. The life and legacy of Mollie Beattie, a former Grafton resident who became the first woman and first Vermonter to become the Director of the US Fish and Wildlife in 1989, will also be celebrated and discussed.
Chemicals in the River
Date: Wednesday, September 15Time: 7:00-8:00 PM
Place: Meet at Rockingham Free Public Library, 65 Westminster Street, Bellows Falls, VT
Donation: Free
Antibiotics and other pharmaceuticals given to humans, pets, and livestock are increasingly contaminating rivers, groundwater, and soils. We now face new types of pollutants known as endocrine disrupters and nano-particles, which have been found in profusion in certain watersheds in the US. David Deen, River Steward for the Connecticut River Watershed Council for Vermont and New Hampshire, will speak to this serious, complex, and fascinating topic. David views his river steward work as "resisting the bad things that could happen to the Connecticut River and celebrating the good things about the river." He's spent 20 years as a Vermont legislator, focusing on public policy and advocating for river protections. Refreshments served. Co-sponsored by the Museum, Rockingham Library, Ascutney Mountain Audubon Society, and partially funded by the TransCanada Corporation.
Mighty Acorns Preschool Explorers Club
Date: Thursday, September 16Time: 10:00-11:30 AM
Place: The Nature Museum
Donation: Members free; non-members $7 (prices are for all participating children)
Ages: 3-5
• Pre-registration requested
This monthly fun-filled program for preschoolers and their caregivers begins again after a summer hiatus and offers hands-on activities that foster creativity and connect children more closely to the natural world. Participants will explore the outdoors, visit different habitats, and enjoy museum resources through exhibits, puppet shows, and dramatic play. This month's focus will be on creatures that live in the meadow.
Home School Museum Open House
Date: Friday, September 17Time: 10:00 AM-2:00 PM
Place: Meet at The Nature Museum
Donation: Free and open to all
Join the Nature Museum staff for this special science open house for homeschoolers and their families. We will start out in the Museum with activity stations for the scientist in all of us. We will have microscope labs, owl-pellet-dissection stations, rocks and fossils, and skulls and fur pelts to explore. Explore the Museum and activity stations from 10-12, enjoy the picnic lunch you brought, then join a naturalist for a walk in the woods or a visit to the pond.
Astronomy Night
Date: Friday, September 17Time: 7:00 PM
Place: Meet at Grafton Ponds, 783 Townshend Road
Donation: Museum and SoVerA members free; non-member adults $10, children 18 and under $5, family maximum $25
A 45-minute SoVerA (Southern Vermont Astronomy Group) talk will be followed by a star party, if the sky is clear enough. Local amateur astronomers will share their telescopes to help us look deep into space.
WaterWorx Bug Hunt
Date: Saturday, September 18Time: 10:00-11:00 AM
Place: Meet at the Springfield Public Library, 43 Main Street, Springfield, VT
Donation: Free and open to all ages
Grab your sense of adventure and your kids and get ready to dip below the surface. You're going on a Bug Hunt! Discover who lives under the rocks and in the current of our local streams and the Black River with Kelly Stettner, Director of the Black River Action Team. The BRAT's WaterWorx river education program introduces you to the fascinating world beneath the waves. Learn how some bugs can tell us about the health of the water they live in; explore first hand the life cycles of dragonflies, mayflies, and more; you'll even meet critters who build their own "houses" under water! Refreshments served. Co-sponsored by the Museum, Springfield Library, Ascutney Mountain Audubon Society, and partially funded by the Wellborn Ecology Fund of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation.
Forest Forensics with Tom Wessels
Date: Monday, September 20Time: 7:00 PM
Place: Meet at Rockingham Free Public Library, 65 Westminster Street, Bellows Falls, VT
Donation: Free
This well-known professor at Antioch New England Graduate School and author of Reading the Forested Landscape will read from and discuss his newest book and field guide for people who want to be a forest detective. Refreshments. Co-sponsored by the Museum, Rockingham Library, Ascutney Mountain Audubon Society, and partially funded by TransCanada Corporation.
Fairy House Tour
Date: Saturday and Sunday, September 25 and 26Time: 11:00-4:00 PM
Place: Meet at the Museum
Donation: Advance tickets in each category feature a discount: children ages 3-18, $4/$5; adults $10/$12; Seniors age 62+ $8/$10. Tickets are good for both tour days
Funds earned will help support the Museum's programming and exhibits. Bring the whole family for a woodland tour of amazing fairy houses made by a host of professional experts and ardent enthusiasts. Meet author Tracy Kane, who will have books to autograph, and enjoy her readings, pictures, and discussions of nifty previous houses. Make a fairy house out of provided natural materials to leave for others' admiration and inspiration. Bring natural materials you want to use and to share with others. Last year's entries were amazing! You won't want to miss this wonderful experience.
