Nature Center Program Brochure

MAPLEWOOD NATURE CENTER ADULT & FAMILY NATURE PROGRAMS June-September 2019 2659 East Seventh Street Maplewood, MN 55119

CALENDAR AT-A-GLANCE: Click on activity number to register

651.249.2170 JUNE 18- Plant Pressing—For Science, Activity #16455 19- Junior Volunteers, Activity #16458 21- Plant Biolblitz—Expert, Activity #16456 22- Plant Bioblitz—Family, Activity #16457 25- Celebrate Edgerton Community Gardens, Activity #16459 27- Frog Chorus Hike, Activity #16445

www.maplewoodmn.gov We are also on Facebook & Twitter.

COME AND EXPLORE!

Grounds and trails: Open daily, dawn to dusk.

Visitor Center: Open Tuesday-Saturday, 8:30-4:30

JULY 6- Tasty Treats from the Bees, Activity #16446 9- Firefly Magic Hike, Activity #16447 13- Wilderness Wisdom, Activity #16448 19- Priory Bat Survey, Activity #16449 19- Summer Nature Walk in Somali & English, Activity #16450 20- American Indian Traditional Games, Activity #16451 27- Meet the Animals, Activity #16452 AUGUST 13 - Dazzling Dragonflies, Activity #16453 9 - Summer Nature Walks—Spanish, Activity# 16454 17 - Super Spiders, Activity# 16463 24- Monarchs/Manarcas Activity #16529 27- PrairieWalk at Gladstone Preserve, Activity #16530 SEPTEMBER 7- Buckthorn Removal Demonstration, Activity #16531 10- New Volunteer Orientation, Activity #16532 12- Stories from the Past: Nature Center Conversation, Activity #16533 14 – ECFE - Acorns and Animals, Activity #16526 21- Nature Center Turns 40! Activity #16534

About Maplewood Nature Center Maplewood Nature Center is a 40-acre preserve operated by the City of Maplewood.   

The Nature Play Yard adjoins the Visitor Center.

Trails wind through oak woods and marsh and are open every day from dawn to dusk.

Use of facilities is free of charge. Many of the Naturalist led programs are free or come with a minimal charge.

Our mission is to enhance awareness and understanding of land, water and wildlife resources; to empower the community to become stewards of the environment

HOW TO REGISTER FOR A NATURE CENTER PROGRAM:    

Register online for paid or free programs www.maplewoodnaturecenter.com then click on the Register Online-Go! button.

You can also register in person, phone, 651-249-2170, or mail with credit card, cash or check by the date indicated. Program sizes are limited, register early.

No need to register for Drop-in programs.

Most programs are held at the Maplewood Nature Center unless otherwise noted in program description.

SPECIAL EVENTS CELEBRATE! EDGERTON COMMUNITY GARDEN AT EDGERTON COMMUNITY GARDENS TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 6:00-7:30PM Celebrate the10 year anniversary of this garden, and the new improvements installed this past year including ADA accessible beds and water spigots. Ribbon cutting 6:30pm, Garden Tour of plots, edible fence-line, and pollinator planting starts at 7:00pm. Fun for adults and families: Cookies, Scavenger Hunt, and a Seed Art Craft station.

Free! Drop-In Event

SUMMER NATURE WALKS (All Ages) 9:00AM–10:30AM Hike with a Naturalist to study and record wildlife observations during the current season.

Meet a live native animal! Indoor activities if rainy. This entire program will be translated into Hmong, Somali & Spanish. Learn new nature words in multiple languages. All language speakers welcome.

Translated into Hmong & English Friday, June 7. Free! Register online by June 6.

Translated into Somali & English Friday, July 19. Free! Register online by July 18.

Translated into Spanish & English Friday, August 9. Free! Register online by August 6.

JUNE PLANT PRESSING - FOR SCIENCE! (For Adults and youth 14+) AT MAPLEWOOD NATURE CENTER TUESDAY, JUNE 18, 3:30PM–4:30PM Learn how to collect and preserve botanical specimens for herbarium records and identification purposes. What collection equipment will I need?

What plant parts are needed?

How do I press to prevent damage and color loss?

What other information should I record?

How do I submit a specimen to a herbarium?

Bring your own plant press if you’d like to press a sample to take home. Highly recommended for plant blitz participants. Free! Register online by Sunday, June 16.

JUNIOR VOLUNTEERS! FOR AGES 10 – 14 (AGES 14-16 MAY APPLY TO BE ASSISTANT LEADERS) AT MAPLEWOOD NATURE CENTER DATES: WEDNESDAYS, JUNE 19, 26, JULY 10, 17, 24, 31, Aug 7.

TIME: 9:30AM–11:15AM Discover nature, seek new discoveries, and take some action! Make new friends and learn outdoor skills - cook with a solar oven, identify poisonous and edible plants, care for live animals. Use hand tools to clear trails, plant and maintain wildflowers. Projects take place at the nature center and nearby nature preserves. Long pants and closed toed shoes required. Celebrate with a popcorn party on the last day. Co-sponsored by Friends of Maplewood Nature. Fill out waiver and return to nature center by Tuesday, June 18, in order to participate. Fee: $25 (5 scholarships available please call 651-249-2170 to inquire). Register online by June 18.

PLANT BIOBLITZ (ADULTS) AT MAPLEWOOD NATURE CENTER FRIDAY, JUNE 21; 9:30AM–12:30PM Are you an experienced field botanist? Then we want YOU! Work with other experts, to help identify, record and generate a species list. Download the iNaturalist smart phone app or hand-record observations. Most work will be off trail.

Long pants, closed-toe footwear and tall socks are highly recommended.

Light refreshments.

Prerequisites: Can identify both Minnesota native and non-native plants; can crouch, bend, and maneuver on uneven terrain; experience using a dichotomous key; Free!

Register online by Friday, June 14.

PLANT BIOBLITZ FAMILY (FOR ADULTS AND CHILDREN AGES 6+ WITH ADULT) AT MAPLEWOOD NATURE CENTER SATURDAY, JUNE 22, 10:00AM - Noon Become scientist for a day! Join experts, for hands-on learning in the field. Learn about the importance of species diversity and how you can help protect nature. Meet a carnivorous plant and a potato that grows in the water! Use field guides, nets, binoculars, and a plant press to help generate a species list. Surveys will be off trail. Long pants and sleeves, water-proof footwear, hats and eye protection are highly recommended.

Free! Register online by Thursday, June 20.

FROG CHORUS HIKE (ADULTS & CHILDREN AGES 7+ W/ADULT) AT MAPLEWOOD NATURE CENTER THURSDAY, JUNE 27, 8:00PM–9:30PM Join us for an evening hike to listen to frogs and other night noises! Learn about local frog species, their calls; then hike to try our new identification skills.

Fee: $5 per person. Register online by Tuesday, June 25.

JULY TASTY TREATS FROM THE BEES (FOR CHILDREN AGES 4-10, WITH ADULT) AT MAPLEWOOD NATURE CENTER SATURDAY, JULY 6, 10:00AM-11:30AM Taste different kinds of honey, and sample food pollinated by bees such as blueberries and raspberries! Learn about different kinds of bees and why they are important. We’ll do a fun and easy bee-count, Minnesota Bee Atlas project at iNaturalist.org, that you can also do in your own backyard or nearby park.

Fee: $5/person. Register online by Friday, July 5.

FIREFLY MAGIC NIGHT HIKE (FOR CHILDREN AGES 4-10 WITH ADULT) AT MAPLEWOOD NATURE CENTER TUESDAY JULY 9 8:30PM–10:00PM Early registration recommended. Fireflies are magical bugs with a built-in night light.

Learn how and why they light up, and take a hike in search of them. Listen to a firefly story and make your own glow-in-the-dark firefly to take home.

Fee: $5/child. Register online by Sunday, July 7.

WILDERNESS WISDOM (FOR ADULTS & CHILDREN AGES 7+, WITH ADULT) AT MAPLEWOOD NATURE CENTER SATURDAY, JULY 13, 10:00AM-11:30AM Discover how to have FUN AND be safe outside! Discover which wild berries are safe to eat, find Jewelweed-the antidote to stinging nettle; Make a poison ivy rubbing; learn how

to identify wild parsnip. Get tips and tricks for preventing ticks and mosquito bites; your own “ticker” tape and tick remover.

Fee: $5/family. Register online by Wednesday, July 10.

PRIORY BAT SURVEY (FOR ADULTS, SINGLES, & CHILDREN AGES 7+ WITH ADULT) AT PRIORY PRESERVE, MAPLEWOOD FRIDAY, JULY 19, 8:30PM–10:15PM Hike the trails at twilight to listen for bat clicks and chirps with our electronic echolocator. Help identify and record species flying over the preserve.

Fee: $4/person. Register online by Wednesday, July 17.

AMERICAN INDIAN TRADITIONAL GAMES (ADULTS, OR AGES 5+ WITH ADULT) AT MAPLEWOOD NATURE CENTER SATURDAY, JULY 20 10:00AM-11:30AM Learn about and play games of skill and chance from Ojibwe, Dakota, and other American Indian Traditions. What a fun way to learn about cultures! Games may include the Cherokee Bean Dice Game, Deer Toe Bone Game, Double Ball, Lacrosse, and more. This program is great for families, individuals, or for teachers that want to incorporate these games into their classrooms. Presented by the American Indian Department, ISD 622.

Fee: $5/person. Register online by Thursday, July 18.

MEET THE ANIMALS (FOR ALL AGES) AT MAPLEWOOD NATURE CENTER SATURDAY, JULY 27, 2:00PM-3:00PM Meet a snake, salamander, and toad, to learn more about Minnesota’s wild animals and where they live in the summer. Share your stories about real wild animal encounters; make a slithering craft, have a hoppy time!

Free. Register online by Friday, July 26.

AUGUST DAZZLING DRAGONFLIES AND DAMSELFLIES! (FOR CHILDREN AGES 3-8, WITH ADULT) AT MAPLEWOOD NATURE CENTER SATURDAY, AUGUST 3, 10:00AM-11:00AM Dazzling colors and zippy flights – Do YOU have what it takes? Catch and release dragonflies and damselflies in the gardens and prairie. Use nets and magnifying lenses to help you catch and observe these amazing creatures.

FREE! Register online www.maplewoodnaturecenter.com by Thursday, August 1, and click on the RegisterOnline-Go button, or call 651-249-2170. Activity #16453

SUMMER NATURE WALKS (All Ages) AT MAPLEWOOD NATURE CENTER 9:00AM–10:30AM Hike with a Naturalist to study and record wildlife observations during the current season.

Meet a live native animal! Indoor activities if rainy. This entire program will be translated into Spanish. Learn new nature words in multiple languages. All language speakers welcome.  Translated into Spanish & English Friday, August 9 Free! Register online by August 6. #16454 Free! Pre-register at www.maplewoodnaturecenter.com and click on the RegisterOnline-Go button, or call 651-249-2170.

SUPER SPIDERS (AGES 4-10, WITH ADULT, 11+) AT MAPLEWOOD NATURE CENTER SATURDAY, AUGUST 17, 9:30AM – 11:00AM Spiders are nature’s bug zappers! Meet live spiders and learn about webs and spider silk.

Make a spider craft to take home. Hike to look for orb, funnel, jumping and crab spiders.

Wear shoes suitable for hiking.

FEE: $5/CHILD; Register by Thursday, August 15th at online by www.maplewoodnaturecenter.com and click on the RegisterOnline-Go button, or call 651249-2170. Activity #16463

MONARCHS / MONARCAS (FOR ALL AGES) AT MAPLEWOOD NATURE CENTER SATURDAY, AUGUST 24, 1:00PM-2:30PM For those who speak Spanish or English or both! Learn more about how the monarch butterfly makes an amazing connection between Minnesota and Mexico, and learn about other incredible butterflies, too. Learn how scientists can tag a butterfly by putting a tiny sticker on their wing. Sip lemonade just like a butterfly, do a monarch craft, and explore the wildflower gardens to learn more about how we can help butterflies by creating habitat. All presentations will be given in both English and Spanish together.

Fee: $5/family. Register by August 22.

PRAIRIE WALK AT GLADSTONE PRESERVE (ALL AGES) AT GLADSTONE PRESERVE, SOUTHWEST CORNER OF FROST AND ENGLISH TUESDAY, AUGUST 27 6-7:30 PM

Explore the colorful grasses and wildflowers; catch and release lively crickets and grasshoppers in the newly restored prairie at the historical Gladstone preserve. Learn how the prairie was restored; Go on a self guided scavenger hunt and return to the tent for your prairie prize.

If rainy event will be cancelled. Free! Register by August 25.

SEPTEMBER BUCKTHORN REMOVAL DEMONSTRATION AND REMOVAL AT APPLEWOOD PARK (For Adults) SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 10:00AM–12:00PM At Applewood Park; 822 Sterling St S, Maplewood, MN 55119 Learn to identify common and glossy buckthorn and beneficial look-alikes you should protect. We’ll discuss updated best management practices, weed establishment vs native regrowth after removal. Which herbicides work and how can they be used safely? Earn a Buckthorn Blaster to take home, by cutting and treating buckthorn on site! Participants must wear personal protection equipment: safety glasses, long pants, long sleeved shirt, shoes plus long socks; and chemical resistant gloves.

Free! Register online by Wednesday, September 4.

NEW VOLUNTEER ORIENTATION AT MAPLEWOOD NATURE CENTER TUESDAY, SEPT 10, 2:30PM-3:30PM It’s FUN to be a regular volunteer that gets more involved at the Nature Center and Neighborhood Preserves! Come to this orientation find out about all the cool opportunities available, and learn what it takes to be a regular volunteer such as…  Trail guide, Program Aide, Receptionist, Gardener  Youth & family opportunities  Citizen Science: open space monitor, frog monitor, big tree registry Free! Pre-register by Monday, September 9. Adult regular volunteers must pass a background check. Call (651) 249-2173 to get more information about volunteering.

NATURE FAMILY FUN WITH ECFE 2019-2020 Acorns and Animals- Nature Family Fun with ECFE (Birth to 5years old with parent) September 14, 2019, 10-11:30am At Maplewood Nature Center, 2659 E 7th St., Maplewood, MN 55119 Make Nature Discoveries and get resources to explore and protect your world together.

During class, adults will learn about nature and conservation too: learn to identify five native trees in this session! Parents stay with their children during the entire class.

Classes are taught in collaboration with a Naturalist and School district 622 Early Childhood Education staff.

Fee, $5/child. Preregister by Sept 12, 2019

STORIES FROM THE PAST: NATURE CENTER HISTORY CONVERSATION (ADULTS) AT MAPLEWOOD NATURE CENTER THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 10:30AM – 11:30AM Gather with long-time residents, staff and volunteers for stories and memories of Maplewood Nature Center’s 40 year old history. Share stories of growing up in the area which would become Maplewood Nature Center, saved by neighbors who lobbied to preserve the Swamp from being filled in for ball fields. Enjoy Anniversary sweet rolls as we reminisce about bygone days when parents never worried and neighborhood kids roamed freely in the ‘swamp’.

Free program. Call 651-249-2170 to register or register online by Wednesday, September 11.

NATURE CENTER TURNS 40! (FOR ALL AGES) AT MAPLEWOOD NATURE CENTER SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 1:00PM-3:30PM Help us Celebrate FORTY years on Green Heron Pond! Bring the whole family to enjoy all the festivities including folk music, crafts, games, face-painting and tastes of freshly pressed apple juice all while enjoying a shadow puppet show “Waterways and Otterways “ by artist Kat Corrigan and her puppeteer family. Walk the history trail to discover 40 fascinating facts from the nature center’s history. View historic photos thru retro viewers- fun for all- add your reminisces to the history storyboard!

Free! Drop-in

NATURE CENTER WILD BIRTHDAY PARTIES! Live Animal Birthday parties are available for kids ages 4 & up.

Reserve the party room for treats. Possible animal themes may include a visit with a snake, toad, or salamander!  Outdoor hikes & party favors included!

Fee: $80.00 (up to 12 children)  

Call 651.249.2170 for additional information or go to: www.maplewoodmn.gov/nc & click on Programs & Events/Birthdays

FRIENDS OF MAPLEWOOD NATURE The Friends is a non-profit organization supporting the mission of Maplewood Nature Center & Neighborhood Preserves.

Check out the Friends on the web: http://www.maplewoodmn.gov/981/Friends-Group or https://friendsofmaplewoodnature.wordpress.com/

Did You Know-- that you can directly support Maplewood Nature Center and Neighborhood Preserve special programs and projects by donating online? The Friends of Maplewood Nature is a 501 C3 non-profit group that promotes awareness of and fundraises for the nature center and preserves.  It’s simple and easy- simply go to the Friends website https://friendsofmaplewoodnature.wordpress.com and click on “donate”. This will take you to the GIVEMN.org website where you will have several options for amounts.  You may also mail in a donation by sending a check written out to the Friends to the Maplewood Nature Center, 2659 E 7th St., Maplewood, MN 55119. If you are interested in becoming a Friends of Maplewood Nature board member call 651-249-2170.

Friends have supported the nature center by co-sponsoring speakers for programs, such as live raptors for the Outstanding Owls event; special events such as the Outdoor Expo; exhibits such as the Solar Display and the Energy Bike; the new entrance sign; items for the play yard, and much more.

Come Join Us!

Maplewood Nature Photo Club Friends of Maplewood Nature is sponsoring a photo club to promote exploring & photographing the plants, animals & the natural wonders of the 15 Maplewood nature preserves and natural areas. Come join us to learn, experiment and share.

Membership is free and open to all who want to learn and improve their photographic skills.

The next meeting of the MNPC will be May 11, 2019, 1 - 3 PM @ the Maplewood Nature Center.

Follow us on FacebookHTTPS://WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/GROUPS/MAPLEWOODNATUREPHOTOCLUB Or contact us to learn moreMAPLEWOODNATURE@GMAIL.COM

FAMILY NATURE PACKS Check out a nature backpack at the front desk.

These packs include: *Trail map & Bingo Hike sheet. *Binoculars & Hand lenses *Containers for pond study *Trail/wildlife guides Have Fun Exploring Nature!