Curious about wildlife activity now that winter is upon us? Luckily, snow offers us a great canvas to see exactly who is here 🙂

Join Friends of the Mad River and Dave Muska, naturalist and educator, for a workshop on tracking and trailing wildlife.

We'll start at the shelter at Lareau Farm with a review of the signs, habitats, gaits, and tracks of species we might encounter in early winter. Next, we’ll head out on a walk in search of signs of animals. Along the way, we’ll learn about different tracking techniques and test out our newly acquired knowledge in the wild.

Since this activity is snow-dependent, we might have to reschedule to a more suitable date depending on the weather. Register below and email [email protected] with questions or if you need any accommodation.

While this event is free, you can support our work by donating here.

About Dave Muska:
Dave Muska is a naturalist and educator with the North Branch Nature Center and founder of Ondatra Adventures, a business devoted to providing meaningful connections to the natural world through Guided Excursions, Naturalist Study, and Wilderness Living Skills. Dave also serves on the leadership council of the State of Vermont Fungal Scientific Advisory Group
(FSAG).
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Dave offers instruction and apprenticeships in Fungal Ecology, Mushroom Identification, Wildlife Tracking, Wilderness Living Skills, and much more throughout the Northeastern US and beyond. He has studied with many talented professionals in the fields of his expertise and continues to learn, understanding that a true educator must also be a student. Dave believes that developing a personal relationship with the natural world is a fundamental component of a healthy life and a global community.

🌿We're excited to announce our partnership with the Mad River Valley Libraries on a monthly environmental-themed book club 🌿

Each month, we'll read a different book about the natural world and/or climate change and discuss its implications for our community and our planet. We'll cover a wide array of genres ranging from fiction to non-fiction and everything else in between.

In honor of winter, our December book selection is "Migrations" by Charlotte McConaghy. Set in a future where many animals have gone extinct, Migrations follows a young woman who talks her way onto a fishing boat and follows Arctic terns in their migration to the Antarctic. It’s a gripping story about the human condition set against the backdrop of a bird species that has one of the longest annual migrations of any animal on Earth. An arctic tern could cover anywhere from 30,000 km to 60,000 km every year in its search of an endless summer.

Copies are available for checkout at your local MRV library.

This discussion is co-hosted by the Joslin Memorial Library and snacks will be provided.

To learn more about Arctic terns, visit:
https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/ends-earth/
​https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/facts/arctic-tern

This fall, in collaboration with local experts, we organized a series of climate and ecology events to increase awareness of the importance of protecting our environment while exploring the outdoors and learning something new. This series has been well received and has reached over 30 people in 3 months.

We’ve featured a variety of professional and community experts, including Ned Swanberg, Floodplain Manager with the Department of Environmental Conservation; Dave Muska, Naturalist and Founder of Ondatra Adventures; and our very own Luke Foley. These speakers led workshops and outdoor adventures on floodplain protection, animal tracking, and changing foliage respectively.

In 2024, we'll have workshops on forest bathing, bear signs, sugar mapling and so much more. We’re thankful to our community partners for leaning in and helping us kick-start these community engagement opportunities. We plan to continue hosting these monthly events as they seem to effectively raise awareness about climate change and the world around us and inspire people to take action to protect our environment.
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