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Northfield Mountain Recreation and Environmental Center's programs offer unique opportunities for hands-on environmental education and recreation. Our experienced educators allow learners the opportunity to explore subjects and habitats through focused, inquiry-based programs, taking advantage of the beautiful fall season. To register, please call (800) 859-2960. |
For more information, please see the Fall 2009 Newsletter for a full list of all school and public programs or visit the Newsletters page. Click here to get your own
free e-mail news letter e-mailed directly to you. Newsletter e-mail lists are not shared with others.
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Sat., Sept. 12; 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon
For ages 12 and older
Fee: Optional donation to Friends of GFDC
Pre-registration required
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Join Friends of the Great
Falls Discovery Center
(GFDC) naturalist Dawn
Marvin-Ward and geologist
Steve Winters for a leisurely
fall walk.
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Photo by Peter Szaban
http://www.peterszaban.com |
Dawn will share
her expertise on the flora
and wild flowers of the Barton
Cove peninsula. Steve
will explain the geology of
Barton Cove, the origin of
the Lily Pond plunge pool,
and will lead an exploration
of the world-famous dinosaur
track quarry.
“Of
Roots an’ Rocks” will be an
easy hike along a mostly
level trail, but the short descent
to the dinosaur quarry
may be slippery. Please
wear appropriate footwear,
bring lots of water and trail
snacks. Hikers should meet
in the paved parking lot,
near the kiosk, at 10:00 a.m.
We will return to the parking
lot around 12:00 noon.
Co-sponsored with the
Friends of the GFDC. |
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Sat., Sept. 12; 1:00– 4:00 p.m.
For ages 7 and older
Fee: FREE
Pre-register by calling 800-859-2960
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Go down into the bottom of
a working river and gain
unique insights into both the
structure of the river and the
animals that live there. The
annual dewatering of the
Turners Falls Canal allows
for maintenance on the
Cabot Power Station and the
two miles of canal walls.
Participants assemble with
buckets and boots to collect
mudpuppies, young sea lamprey (called amocetes), eels
and other fish, plus invertebrates
like endangered dragonfly
nymphs that live in
the canal. Creatures are
then released in the main
stem of the river with the
help of Fisheries Biologists
from the Silvio O. Conte
Fish Lab. This is an opportunity
to see and hold species
that you may have only
heard about or watched on television.
The program is strictly
limited to the first 24 participants,
so register early. Directions
to the meeting place will be
sent to confirmed participants.
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Sat., Oct. 3; 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon
For ages 7 and older
Fee: FREE!
Program meets at: Great Falls
Discovery Center, Turners
Falls, MA
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This is your chance to get
involved in the 13th year of
the Cleanup! Last year 275
volunteers in Eastern Franklin
County filled three 30-
yard dumpsters with trash
in addition to 512 tires,
4,000 pounds of scrap metal,
9 televisions and assorted
appliances which were collected
from the Montague
Plains and along rivers and
streams in Montague, Gill
and East Deerfield. |
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Montague Plains tire pile.
5.66 tons of tires were
collected in 2008!
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Sites
run the gamut from fishing
or partying trash , to household dumping. We try to
assign people sites close to
their home – so they can
enjoy the fruits of their labor
on future site visits. Individuals
and groups like
scouts, schools and businesses,
have all worked as
teams in past seasons.
School groups can schedule
cleanups in the week preceding
the 3rd.
Co-sponsored
with the Connecticut River
Watershed Council, Northfield
Mount Hermon School,
Silvio O. Conte National Wildlife Refuge, Franklin
County Solid Waste Management
District, MA Department
of Conservation &
Recreation; Friends of the
Great Falls Discovery Center,
and FirstLight Power.
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Sat., Oct. 10;
10:00 – 11:00 a.m.
For ages 4 and older
Fee: FREE
Pre-registration required |
| Credit: US EPA
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Join educator Rachel Roberts
for this exciting program
exploring the changes
leaves make in the fall. Together
we will read Lois
Ehlert’s Leaf Man and do a
variety of fun, hands-on science
and art projects connected
with the book.
Children's
understanding of seasonal
changes and plant
processes and parts will be
reinforced though a variety
of activities focusing on local
trees and leaves. Weather
permitting, there will be
time to investigate trees,
leaves, and other wildlife
outside around Northfield
Mountain (so dress appropriately).
Rachel Roberts is an
award winning science
teacher and mom who loves
to share her passion for nature
and art.
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Sat., Oct. 24;
6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
For all ages
Fee: FREE
This 25+ year-old celebration of Halloween through songs, stories and dance is led by internationally known and locally loved singer/songwriter Roger Tincknell.
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Some parents tell us this is
an event they put on their
calendar every year – and
they bring other families
along – because it is such
heartwarming fun. Imagine
a group of young witches, fairies and aliens in the glow
of the firelight spellbound by
a slightly spooky story – or
waltzing around in small
family groups to Roger’s
beautiful music and you can
get some sense of the delight
this evening brings.
Wholesome snacks also served. Dress WARMLY and bring
flashlights and blankets or
chairs for seating. Program
meets behind Visitor Center.
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Wed., Oct. 21; 7:30 – 8:30 p.m.
For ages 10 and older
Fee: FREE
Pre-registration required |
www.flickr.com/peopl |
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Otter and Mink share many
things – these rarely observed
fish eaters often
bound along waterways in
MA, where they can travel
and hunt on land or water.
Massachusetts Wildlife Furbearer
Biologist Laura Hajduk
will help participants
understand the behavior,
biology, tracks and sign of
these two semi-aquatic, carnivorous
mammals – how
they are alike and how they differ. Come learn about
animals with whom we share
the wetter parts of our communities.
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Wed., Nov. 4;
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
For ages 12 and older
Fee: FREE
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Join us for a fascinating evening
exploring moose in
Massachusetts. Dr. Stephen
DeStefano, one of the foremost
experts on moose in the
Northeast, will share highlights
from his current research
focusing on their
habitat use, distribution and
movements. |
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Mike Lockhart/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
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Steve will discuss
how he and his graduate
students tag area moose
and use high tech equipment
to monitor their movements
throughout central and
western Massachusetts. The
current population estimate is over 1,000 moose in Massachusetts!
This is a great
opportunity to learn more
about the largest mammal of
our Massachusetts’ forests
and how it uses the landscape.
This free program is
co-sponsored with the Athol
Bird and Nature Club.
Stephen DeStefano is Leader
of the Massachusetts Cooperative
Research Unit and a
research professor at the
University of Massachusetts
in Amherst. He directs a
program of research, education
and service focused on
fish and wildlife ecology, as
well as human-wildlife interactions
and the impact of
human activities on wildlife
populations. His work has
numerous implications for
wildlife management, conservation
biology, and recovery
of endangered species.
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Sat., Nov. 7; 1:00-4:30 p.m.
Sun., Dec. 6; 1:00-4:00 p.m.
For ages 12 and older
Fee: FREE
Pre-registration required |
Just when hibernating
sounds like a good idea, it’s
the perfect time to enjoy the
camaraderie and motivation
of a group to get ready for
winter outdoor fun.
The first
of this two part series begins
with an introduction to basic
training principles -- activities
that will improve core
body strength and balance
skills with Heidi Creamer.
Both programs include a
hike lead by Northfield
staffer Beth Bazler to learn
the trail system.
In November
the group will explore
the lower trails – by a fox and a porcupine den and in
December sample the upper
trails with three-state views
at the overlook. The December
program also offers the
opportunity to share training
success stories and use
hiking or ski poles to support
knees, and increase upper
body strength and calories
burned. Bring an exercise
mat, water, hearty trail
snacks and in December,
hiking or ski poles if you
have them. Attend both programs
and get a one day skipass
or snowshoe rental to
entice you to return when
the snow flies.
Heidi Creamer is an enthusiastic
cross country skier who
has taught individuals and
groups. Her recent graduate
studies in Ottawa focused on
putting exercise science into
recreational settings – and
she got to ski and ice skate
to school!
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Wed., Nov. 11; 1:00 – 3:30 p.m.
For ages 6 and older
Fee: $3 per child
Preregistration required
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The Halloween skeletons are
all put away; now it’s time
to check out the real thing.
What stories can bones and
skulls tell us about an animal’s
life? Families will compare
bones and skulls to see
how birds differ from mammals
and predators from prey. Much of the time will
be spent doing hands-on
activities indoors, with a
short field walk. Bone building
snacks will give us the
chance to figure out which
favorite foods have the most
calcium.
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