Virtual Program Recordings

02/16/2022

Ask An Expert Video Series

We get questions all the time about wildlife, water quality, conservation, and so much more. In this series, we invite our friends and supporters to submit their questions about specific topics and experts on our staff answer those questions in a video. We have covered questions about water quality and conservation.

Recorded Virtual Programs 2024

Recorded Virtual Programs 2022

Recorded Virtual Programs 2021

Recorded Virtual Programs 2020

Virtual Content Hub

Weekly Virtual Nature Journal Club

Sponsored by Merck 

Week 1 - April 8, 2020

Introduction

Just because we are stuck at home, it doesn't mean we can't get out in nature! Join Senior Naturalist, Kristy Morley in nature journaling from your backyard. Watch the introducation video below to get started and then share your photos with us via email at kristy@wissahickontrails.org or post them on social media and tag us.

Watch Video

Week 2 - April 15, 2020

Details of Leaves

This week, your challenge is to:

  • Find 3-5 leaves of any kind from outside
  • Draw your leaves, with special attention to detail and include any descriptive notes
  • If you're participating in a group, see if everyone can correctly match each leaf to the correct journal entry
Watch Video

Week 3 - April 22, 2020

Make a sound map

  • The idea this week is to help us train our sense of hearing. We focus a lot on looking and seeing when in nature, but now we are going to focus on listening.
  • Find a spot in your yard that you can sit comfortably for about 10 minutes.
  • Spread out from other family members as much as possible.
  • Sketch something to represent yourself in the center of a blank sheet of paper.
  • Close your eyes, take a few deep breaths and listen.
  • Mark the sounds you hear on the paper in relation to their location to you (close to you or further away).
  • You can use symbols to represent sounds (musical notes for birdsong), small sketches to represent other sounds (dog head, wavy lines for wind) and fill in with written notes.
  • Spend 5-10 minutes creating your map. Compare your map with other family members. Did they hear something different that you did?

Week 4 - May 7, 2020

Compare two similar subjects

Find two similar species or objects (two trees, two flowers, or two mushrooms for example). Use the image below as an example of how to set up your nature journal page, and compare the two subjects using words, pictures, and numbers. Also record any questions that come up while you are comparing them.

 

Try to pick subjects that are relatively similar, think lemon and orange versus apple and orange, otherwise the differences may be overwhelming. You can also compare species or areas that are the same, but subject to different conditions. A puddle in the shade versus one in the sun, or the same plant growing in wet area versus a dry one.

iJohn Muir Laws

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