June News from the Montana Audubon Center

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Montana Audubon Center News

June 2021

Greetings!

The smell of blooming Chokecherries and Lilacs are in the air. The school season has come to an end. It is bittersweet - some students will be moving on, and we are saying goodbye to the friends we have shared the most fun memories with. Other students will be back after summer, and some will be visiting us in Summer Camps and Open House. Grown ups are still having fun in the Montana Master Naturalist Class. Among other things, this class has recently explored local mixed prairie grasslands, looked for black widows in prairie dog holes, and nerded out in nature. Aside from the guest speakers, each student has particular knowledge and experience to share with each other. This makes learning about our local ecology that much more fun! Moreover, the weather is allowing for more community volunteer days. We are looking forward to a summer of getting dirty, but hopefully not too sunburnt. They say the start of summer depends on when the sun light reaches the northernmost point from the equator (farmersalmanac). We say it starts with our summer camp kick off! Join us this summer to get outside and learn about nature.

Sincerely,

Miranda Hernandez

Conservation Steward

Big Sky Watershed Corps Member

Become a member of the Montana Audubon Center today!

The Fledglings have gotten their wings and taken flight from our nest. We are so happy to be a part of their growth. Often we find ourselves learning and being inspired from the kids we meet. Ms. Sarah says the great thing about wings is that they can always fly back to us.

Planting Pollinator Habitat

Pollinators are the creatures that facilitate pollination for flowers. Bees, butterflies, beetles, birds and other creatures carry pollen from one flower to another. Pollinators are lured in by smells, colors, or nectar. While pollinators visit flowers, pollen will be discretely rubbed or dropped on the pollinator to take to the next flower. These busy creatures are also credited with fertilizing over 1/3 of our food! While they provide us with pollination services and intrigue, their homes and food are constantly being destroyed. Human development replaces their natural habitat, while herbicides poison the food they rely on for energy. Invite pollinators home by planting their favorite plants for food and habitat. Plant these plants to support your local pollinators:

Arrowleaf Balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittata)
Colorado Columbine (Aquilegia coerulea)
Sulfur Buckwheat (Eriogonum umbellatum)
Firecracker Penstemon (Penstemon eatonii)
Silvery Lupine (Lupinus argenteus)

Learn more: Pollinator Partnership

Xerces Society

US Fish and Wildlife Service

Volunteer Updates

Community Volunteer Days

Drop in and join us for community volunteering. We will have an assortment of tasks for volunteers to help us with. Tasks are often oriented around enhancing, developing, or maintaining the landscape. A variety of tasks are available for all accommodations. Everyone welcome. RSVP encouraged, drop ins available first 10 minutes. Sign up here or contact Emily

Saturday Restoration Work Days, from 9-12pm

June: 5th & 19th

Tuesday Work Days, 4-6pm

June: 1st & 15th

Community Programs

We are pleased to be able to offer community programs that get you and your family outdoors, enjoying the Montana Audubon Center! Please join us!

Native Plant Symposium

Saturday, June 12

Soil Science with Rocky Mountain Compost and NRCS

10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Lets get dirty with soil! Join us for the final day of Native Plant Symposium workshops! During this session, staff from Rocky Mountain Compost and NRCS will talk about the basics of assessing soil health, and the best ways to help care for your own soil. Afterward, join our staff for a walk to some local soil pits to practice some basic soil health assessment.

Meet at the Montana Audubon Center Building

Plant ID- MAC Staff and RMC Botany Professor Megan Poulette

1:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Enjoy a summer saunter focusing on plant id, common plant families, the ecological roles of plants, human uses, and interesting history related to particular plants and families. Bring your field notebooks and water bottles!

Meet at the Montana Audubon Center Building

Open House

Every Saturday 9am - 1pm from June through August

We are excited to again offer our weekly Saturday Open Houses this summer! Come down to explore and enjoy the great outdoors. Ask a naturalist your essential questions about animals and plants. Borrow field guides, insect nets, and binoculars. Or get in a canoe and explore the ponds (suggested donation $10/canoe or free for members).

Nature Nuts Preschool Program

Every Tuesday 10 - 11am

Nature exploration comes naturally, especially for little kids! Children ages 1 to 4 (and an accompanying adult) join our teacher naturalists for guided outdoor play and learning about the local area. Advanced Registration Required

June Themes:

June 1st- Canoeing

June 8th- Insect Collection

June 16th- Macroinvertebrate Collection

June 22nd- River Walk

June 29th- Water

Suggested donation $5/child or free for members

Bird Stroll

Saturday June 12 from 8:30 - 10am

Enjoy a morning stroll by the river and learn a few birds along the way. Great for beginning birders. Binoculars and guidebooks available to check out.

Suggested donation $10/adults, $5/students, or FREE for members

Advance registration is required

Weekend Wonders Family Program

3rd Saturday of the month from 9:30 - 11am

These naturalist-led programs are designed for all ages of explorers. Every month features a different topic that will get you and your family outdoors, learning about the plants and animals in our big backyard.

June Theme: Here Fishy, Fishy (June 19th)

Join us this month to learn all about fish. What fish call our ponds home? Learn to identify common fish in our area. Create your own paper fish as we learn about fish anatomy. We will be setting fish traps the night before so come see what we catch!

Suggested donation $5/person or free for members

Advanced registration required, Registration Here

Walk with a Naturalist

Tuesday June 22nd from 6:30 - 8pm

Spring is in full swing! Join us to make observations, follow our curiosity, and share naturalist knowledge with each other. Each month we’ll explore a different natural area in and around Billings. This month we’ll meet at Four Dances Natural Area, a BLM property overlooking the Yellowstone River. The parade of wildflowers will continue with new species in bloom this month!

Please bring any naturalist tools you like to use (binoculars, field guides, magnifying glasses, journals, etc.). We’ll also have some equipment you can borrow.

Suggested donation $5-10/person.

Advance registration is required, Register here

Brushes with Nature

Saturday June 19th from 4 - 6pm

Lindi O'Brien will be our guide and mentor as we connect with nature through art. Lindi will demonstrate basic watercolor techniques and help participants paint flowers, birds or whatever natural subject sparks your creativity! Participants will receive a watercolor brush pen set to take home. Cost is $45/person or $75/couple sharing a brush set.

Advance registration is required, Register here

Billings Pollinator Week & Festival

Pollinator Week is an international annual event held for celebrating and supporting our pollinators. Billings businesses and organizations will be hosting pollinator related events all week. Montana Audubon Center will be hosting a plant walk Monday, June 21 (4:00 - 6:00 pm). Email Miranda to register, or just drop in. The week will culminate at St. Andrews Community Garden Pollinator Festival on Saturday, June 26 (10:00 am - 4:00 pm). There will be booths, lecture, activities, and fun! Drop in to learn about pollinators and celebrate with us.

Learn more about our COVID protocols for programs here.

We Need Your Help!

Every summer a tipi is assembled at the Center. A few of our tipi poles are broken, and we need replacement poles delivered from Chief Plenty Coups State Park to the Center - soon! There are about 4-6 poles and they are about 27 feet long. Let us know if you are able to help transport these poles. Give us a call or email Gabi

We are looking for a pickup truck in good condition that can be used for land restoration, grounds work, and maintenance projects on site at the Center. Our current truck is on its last legs and our busiest season is fast approaching! Do you have a pickup truck to donate? Let us know! More info & sign up on our website, click here.

Time to Renew or Join!

Become a member of Montana Audubon Center today!

Benefits include:

Free entry to recurring programs

Free canoe use at Saturday Open Houses

Discounts on classes and programs

Early registration for select programs

Montana Audubon printed newsletter (2x/year)

Not to mention the joy of supporting the high quality outdoor, nature-based programs that reach thousands of people yearly, in Billings, Montana.

Membership levels start at just $30/year

For more details and to sign up to be a member, visit our website.

Thank you!

Thanks so much to all those who share in our vision and our work - we truly

couldn't do it without you and your support. Thank you to the following individuals, organizations, and corporations that made contributions to our programs, including through membership, in the month of April.

Doug McClelland

Teresa and Brian Henderson

Nathan Hickle

Daysi Onstad

Breann Robbins

Dianne McDermand

Norm Schoenthal

GFWC Billings Junior Woman's Club

Kirsten Lynagh

Sunshine Nicholson

Douglas Ezell

Kristina Johnson

Flowers of Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana) and Bur Oak (Quercus macrocarpa) at the Center

Montana Audubon Center

406.294.5099