Salamanders are often found in dark, wet places such as under a rock or log in the soil, while their eggs can be found in vernal pools. We will go for a walk, looking under rocks and logs for salamanders, and visit a vernal pool to discover where they lay their eggs each spring. Each participant will create a clay salamander to take home.
Rita Gallant, Lead Field Teacher at IRWS will read Crickets and Grasshoppers by Theresa Greenaway. Using nets and hand lenses, come explore with us as we examine a field and learn why crickets and grasshoppers sing and jump, how they eat, and what their similarities are.
Eco-art programs programs combine nature exploration and a craft project. Come learn how different birds build their nests and what natural materials they use. We will take a hike to look for nests and collect materials to make our own birds' nests.
Join Mass Audubon's Joppa Flats Education Center for an exciting exploration of the lower Merrimack River ecosystem aboard Newburyport Harbor Tours Inc.'s Yankee Clipper! Teacher Naturalist, Lisa Hutchings will provide her expert pair of eyes to help your family find all the exciting sights and sounds of the marshes and varied habitats of the Merrimack estuary as you cruise along the Merrimack River.
Spring is a time of renewal and growth. After-school activities include lending a hand with conservation work, eco-splorations, journeying as a waterdrop from land to sea, uncovering secret tales, journaling, mapping/orienteering, and hiking our forest, wetlands, and mountainsides. For kids ages 9-11.
This is a new series of hands-on nature classes for 4 and 5-year-old children (and their caregivers). Sign up for individual sessions or the entire series! Some sessions will be held at the refuge visitor center, while others will be conducted on the refuge at the parking lot 1 visitor contact station.
The Trustees seek volunteers to help collect and remove marine debris and litter from the beachfront. Coffee, trash bags, gloves, instructions, and beautiful scenery will be provided. Friends and families are welcome, but please no dogs. Participants will meet in the main parking lot at the middle board walk.
On alternating Sunday afternoons through March, the refuge will be screening FREE, child-friendly films that feature a wildlife and/or environmental theme. All films will be projected on the big screen in the refuge visitor center’s awesome auditorium. No preregistration; simply show up! All movies begin at 1:30 pm.
On alternating Sunday afternoons through March, the refuge will be screening FREE, child-friendly films that feature a wildlife and/or environmental theme. All films will be projected on the big screen in the refuge visitor center’s awesome auditorium. No preregistration; simply show up! All movies begin at 1:30 pm.
As birders and nature photographers already know, snowy owls are often seen in this region during the winter months. But where do these magnificent animals come from? And why is their seasonal occurrence so variable from year to year? And what to do about the “snowies” that are attracted to the tundra-like landscape that surrounds the runways at Logan International Airport? These compelling questions, and many more, will be addressed by Massachusetts Audubon’s Norman Smith, who will present a narrated slide program at the refuge visitor center. Mr. Smith has been heading up the effort to trap and relocate snowy owls from Logan for many years.
