Though summer has not officially begun, the summer season at the ELC is in full swing. Andy is busy in the garden, Max is attacking invasive weeds on a daily basis and Gem and Nigel led the way through our first summer day camp. In addition, we’ve had several groups of daycare kids and even some traveling middle-schoolers out to enjoy programming on birds, insects, and macroinvertebrates. As a staff, we are pleased at the success of our endeavors so far and look forward to the rest of the summer.
In nature news, the summer campers spotted a fawn last week – a very special sighting indeed. The goslings are in their “teenage” stage – looking almost like adults, just very gangly. We continue to spot snakes on an almost daily basis, a fact that Andy is not too happy about (it seems snakes are one part of nature he is less than psyched about). And, I am happy to report that I have seen at least one GBH (that would be Great Blue Heron, our unofficial mascot) every time I have been onsite.
Next week is our naturalist camp. Participants will learn basic naturalist skills including how to identify native plants and animals. They’ll work with a representative from the U.S. Forest Service and core trees and will take a field trip to Bobcat Ridge Natural Area to do some ecosystem comparisons. Should be a very fun week!
