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Here you can find news, upcoming events, and volunteer opportunities. Thank you for keeping up with us! |
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8th Grade Wrap Up
The Nature Center has hosted hundreds of 8th graders this past month on all-day field trips. While students usually learn how to cross country ski on their 8th grade trip, we made the most of the warmer temperatures by enjoying rare February phenology as a result of our false spring. Students saw re-animated moss, birds that aren't often seen this time of year, and much more!
Students also worked together to complete a series of team building exercises (shown above), learned how to build winter shelters, and even took a tour of the stars in our planetarium. As we look forward to March, we are excited for 4th graders to visit and learn all about tree biology and maple syruping. Stay tuned for what they discover, and for when our maple syrup goes on sale!
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Unseasonably Warm February
This streak of unseasonably warm weather has not just melted all of our snow, but has started to wake up dormant plants and hibernating animals. This event is known as a "false spring." When plants start to put out leaves or sprout during a false spring, there is a chance that they'll die off if another deep freeze comes through, leaving them unable to flower again when real spring hits. If this does happen, animals that are reliant on these plants will have significantly less food available to them when real spring comes. This then triggers die offs in animal populations, as spring is when animals start to rebuild all the body weight they lost during hibernation. However, many animals, like raccoons and chipmunks, that are waking up are also at risk of starvation now as there isn't enough food resources to go around in winter. False springs can also create feasts for predators like coyotes as the lack of snow, and lack of greenery we'd see in real spring, gives their prey no real cover to hide behind.
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Solar Eclipse Upcoming
A big day is coming up! On April 8th, we will experience a solar eclipse; when the moon blocks the sun from us here on Earth. In some parts of the country, there will be a total solar eclipse; during which the entirety of the sun is blocked by the moon, and total darkness will occur for just a few minutes.
The sun is significantly larger than the moon, about 400x bigger in fact, so how can it be eclipsed by the moon? Well, lucky for us here on Earth, the sun is 400x farther away from Earth than the moon, so they appear to be nearly identical in size. However, there is more that goes into play to witness a solar eclipse; the moon's orbit is slightly tilted, and it rarely passes in front of the sun. Needless to say, this event is a big one, and we are celebrating! Join us for a pre-Eclipse bash on Saturday, April 6th, for a planetarium experience, and on Monday, April 8th, to view the Eclipse through our telescope and through sun-safe glasses provided by the Nature Center. More details to come!
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Mentorship Program Applications Open!
Do you know a teenager that is looking for a fun summer opportunity? Then you are in the right place! Our Summer Mentorship Program application is open; to apply, click the link below and you will be redirected to the site where an application can be downloaded, printed, and filled out. We will have printed copies at the Nature Center if you would like to swing in and pick one up!
This program is open to students 13 years of age and older. Mentees may help with and participate in a variety of activities, including classes, programs, canoe/kayak rental, etc. Mentees will be awarded a portion of the Kevin Dammen Mentorship fund as a stipend proportional to their number of hours worked against the total number of mentorship hours at the end of the program. Our goal for our mentees is to leave this position with a sense of community here at the Nature Center, and with transferable skills that they can take into the workforce.
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Did you know that the Nature Center hosts FREE friends member only classes? There are lots of opportunities to learn here at the Nature Center, and one of our favorites opportunities that we offer is our maple syruping class. If you are a friends member, you can join us on Saturday, March 16th at 1:30pm to learn all about maple syruping. This includes; discovering why trees produce sap, and why trees can only be tapped during this time of year, going inside of our sugar shack and watching sap boil down into syrup, learning how to tap a tree, and best of all, a taste test. RSVP is required; email info@hormelnaturecenter.org to secure your spot! | |
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NATURE CENTER CLOSINGS
Sunday, March 4th
Sunday, March 10th
Sunday, March 17th
Sunday, March 24th
Friday, March 29th
Sunday, March 31st
NATURE CENTER EVENTS
Friday, March 8th, 7:00 PM
Cedar River Astronomy Club Meeting
Saturday, March 9th, 1:30 PM
Family Maple Syruping Class Session 1 (RSVP REQUIRED)
Saturday, March 16th, 1:30 PM
Friends Maple Syruping Class (RSVP REQUIRED)
Saturday, March 23rd, 1:30 PM
Family Maple Syruping Class Session 2 (RSVP REQUIRED)
At the Austin Public Library
Saturday, March 23rd, 1:00 PM
Celebrate the Eclipse with Nature Center Staff at the Austin Library! More Eclipse events to to come in early April.
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- Staff the Interpretive Center — There are always days that we are looking for help, specifically on the weekends. Fill out our volunteer contact form and we will add you to our email list.
- Tours — Give tours driving one of our electric vehicles along the Nature Center trails.
- Combat Invasive Species — Learn to identify and remove buckthorn, honeysuckle, and other invasive species.
- Animal transport — Bring birds of prey to and from the Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota St. Paul campus.
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Mycelium Matrix
By Teacher/Naturalist Intern Ryen Nielsen
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"We’re all familiar with the many colorful, beautiful, and downright strange mushrooms that pop up during the summer and fall. Mushrooms can take on many different shapes and sizes, but the mushrooms that we see and love are only one small portion of the fungi we don’t see. The main body of a fungus is not the mushrooms we see above ground but rather millions of tiny white strands stretching out underground. These strands are known as mycelium. Mycelium is the main body of a fungus and they look and act like the roots and branches of trees. If you’ve ever seen mold on cheese or bread, then you know what mycelium looks like. Mold is just thousands of strands mycelium stacked on top of each other."
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2024 Membership Campaign
Why join the friends? Well, our Friends allow us to offer more high quality programming, conserve our natural spaces, and continue to grow! As a friends member, you will receive...
- Invitation to the Friends Annual Meeting
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$5.00 off all programs
- 15% off all Nature Center merchandise
- Chance to participate in members-only events and classes for youth and families at the Nature Center
- Discounted annual bus trip
Join the Friends here!
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