Exploring & Preserving Maryland's Natural Treasures
Field Experiences For the Family Open to the Public Tours Tours
Digging holes seems like child’s play. But not when you’re the crew at Martin Marietta’s Texas Quarry. Their hole isn’t measured in feet, but rather miles: a mile long and a half mile wide, to be exact. This massive pit was the source of marble that built the walkway to the Capitol in Annapolis and […]
Cost: $0-10
Ethan Bean of the US Army Corps of Engineers will discuss a shipwreck found in the Virginia waters of the Chesapeake Bay. The legislative framework of Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, within which federal agencies operate, will also be explained. In 2019, as part of the Wolf Trap Alternate Placement Site Northern […]
Cost: $0-5
Freshwater crayfishes play important roles in Maryland’s freshwater aquatic ecosystems. As keystone species, crayfishes affect physical habitat and substrate composition, breaking down leaves, woody debris, and aquatic vegetation, and they serve as an important food source to dozens of animals. Maryland is home to 14 species including 9 natives and 5 introduced species. This presentation […]
Cost: $0-5
So you’ve found a moth or a butterfly and were able to identify it to species. Congratulations! Could you go one step further and determine its sex? For many species of Lepidoptera, the males and females look alike, and the sex can only be determined via genitalic dissection or examination of the hindwing/forewing coupling. For […]
Cost: $0-5
The University of Arkansas is home to the Tree-Ring Laboratory (TRL). Established in 1979, the TRL concentrates on the development of exactly-dated annual ring-width chronologies from ancient forests worldwide, a unique archive of environmental history that has many interdisciplinary applications. Dr. David Stahle, Distinguished Professor and head of the TRL, will present on dendrochronology (tree-ring dating), […]
Cost: $0-5
Springtime warmth means more birds overhead, on the move to their summer homes. Join ecologist John Canoles for a birding hike at Swan Harbor Farm, a popular bird spot with diverse habitats, including wetlands, forest, waterfront, and a dredge spoil area. Swan Harbor Farm has a total species list of over 277 types of birds, […]
Cost: $20-23
If truffles are out of your price range, morels are the next best thing. Prized for taste and versatility by chefs worldwide, morels emerge for only a short time in spring. Knowing where to look for morels is one important factor in the hunt. Lucky for us, Nick Spero knows all the clues. He knows […]
Cost: $35-48
Explore the combination of printmaking and watercolor! Use sumi or Akua black ink to hand print leaves, flowers, or vegetables, then learn how to paint these prints with watercolor. By the end of the workshop, you will have several colorful prints in the takuga style on a variety of printmaking papers. The supply fee includes a shikishi board for framing […]
Cost: $60-70
Time to rotate our buffet menu to the late spring category of tasty nibbles. Join master forager Nick Spero to discover locally found plants that can add flavor to your cooking and apply that know-how to your own backyard. We’ll be on the lookout for late-spring plants such as wild ginger, ramp, and spicebush. We […]
Cost: $35-48
Join us for an evening sail on the Lady Maryland. Here is your chance to learn a bit about sailing as well as engage in hands-on marine science from our friends at the Living Classroom Foundation. Activities will include water quality testing, plankton trawling with microscope exploration, trawl fishing for marine life, oyster dissection, birding, setting […]
Cost: $30-40