What to bring for a day of exploration and discovery

Compiled by MFFC Educational Team

Packing your Merck Forest bag:

• Binoculars

• A field guide

• A friend to explore with!

• A blanket to spread out and sit on

• Bug spray

• Sunscreen

• Your phone- with downloaded apps like iNaturalist, Avenza, and Merlin

• A net or pillowcase- for shaking insects from branches and grasses into

• Notebook or nature journal and pencil for recording what you notice

• Shoes and layers that keep you prepared for the often-surprising weather patterns up here

What to do once you get here:

• Learn about the different types of clouds, and then lie back, watch the sky, and really take notice of them

• Explore under rocks and logs - carefully - for creatures living underneath

• Look for different types of mushrooms in the woods

• Check out Page Pond to see how the tadpoles are developing

• Sit quietly in the field or in the woods and observe what is happening around you

• Take up bird-watching

• Go wading in the stream on the Wildlife Trail, turn over some rocks, and see if you can catch a crayfish

• Collect tree leaves and make rubbings of them

• Learn to identify 3 new trees

• Sit on the Sap House deck and watch a storm roll in from the west. Make sure you take cover when the storm reaches you

After your Merck Forest visit:

• Plan your next stay at a cabin or lean-to

• Upload your iNaturalist finds to the “Merck Forest” project

• Tag Merck Forest in your pictures and posts on social media

• Write to us or share about your visit on social media

• Use our Northshire Grown: Direct local food directory to find a new farm or farmstand to visit

• Become a member

• Pack out your trash and gear

• Check our website for upcoming events and updates