Walks & Talks

In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks. — John Muir
BEEC sends out a monthly e-newsletter with program reminders. Don’t miss your favorite event—sign up to receive program alerts.

Find recordings of recent webinars here.

Personalized Programs: A program of your choice with a naturalist, just for your family group.

Ideas for nature watching in your neighborhood: Nature from Home
Hot tips for nature-watching you can do on your own or with your family.

At BEEC we believe that everyone deserves to be able to access, enjoy, and engage with nature and the natural world. If you would like to participate in a program, but costs are are prohibitive, please contact us to discuss options.

Questions about programs? Call 257-5785 or email

Public Programs

Make a Wildflower Nursery Kit!

Saturday, November 23rd from 1-3:30pm at BEEC

$35 for members, $45 for non-members, per pollinator kit. Admission includes all materials.

Note that tickets for this event are sold per pollinator kit. You’re welcome to sign up for just one kit and bring a few family members along to enjoy the program with you.

Pollinator evangelist Jane Collister has been spreading the gospel of gardening. She makes kits that can be used to launch a diverse native plant plot that bees and butterflies will flock to. Kits include 12 pots, quality soil, wildflower seeds (bee balm, echinacea, lavender hyssop, black-eyed Susan and others) and a wooden frame covered on one side with garden mesh. The frame protects the seeds from birds and mice when they are put outside to harden off.

At the workshop, we will learn from Jane, construct the frames, fill pots with soil, and make seed packets. Kits include step-by-step instructions on how to start and maintain your nursery through the seasons. The kits require little effort and supply everything needed to produce a bounty of seedlings—enough to plant an 8′ x12′ plot.

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Grateful Forest

Friday, November 29th (day after Thanksgiving) from 10am-12pm at BEEC

$5 -$45 suggested contribution

“We are not grateful because we are happy. We are happy because we are grateful.”

Nature offers us infinite opportunities to be grateful. The day after Thanksgiving, join this mindful experience to slow down and connect with nature in a meaningful and memorable way. With a unique and relaxing approach rooted in shinrin-yoku (translated literally as “forest bathing”), this immersive practice taps into all your senses—your 5 senses as well as your intuition, imagination, and more. You will be offered prompts, or “invitations,” to guide your experience and can expect a combination of sitting, walking, and meandering over short distances on hilly terrain.

Grateful Forest is offered in partnership with Amanda Kenyon, Nature Therapy & Meditation Guide. Past participants of Amanda’s immersions have called the experience “peaceful, gentle, and joyful”, “magical and transformative”, and “profoundly rejuvenating.” Join us for a special opportunity this holiday season to fully explore all that we have to be thankful for!

Suitable for adults and youth able to participate in seated meditation.

Suggested contribution is $5 to $45. Please contribute within your means. Advance registration is required and space is limited. Please register early to ensure your spot.  

What to bring: water, sturdy shoes, warm layers (for the seated portions please bring one more layer than you think you’ll need), and a pack to carry your items.

Cancellation policy: The event may be canceled or rescheduled due to unsafe weather or road conditions, or due to low enrollment. You will be contacted in advance if there are any special weather considerations. A full refund will be issued in the event of a cancellation.

Please contact Amanda at Landkind Guide with any questions: or text/call (802) 289-0108. 

Instructor bio:
Amanda Kenyon is a nature therapy and meditation guide, woman, voice for the land, dancer, accountant, cook, sister, volunteer, student of plant and spirit communication, teacher of mindfulness, hiker of high peaks and a humble human learning every day from all the beings of this shared planet Earth. Amanda guides mindfulness and sensory-based nature experiences that promote holistic well-being and strengthen our relationship with nature, ourselves, and other humans. Her forest immersion experiences and nature therapy sessions are rooted in the Japanese tradition of shinrin-yoku–forest bathing, and are powerful tools for finding presence, connection and wellness in one’s life. Amanda is certified by The Forest Therapy School and is also Wilderness First Aid trained. Her business is called Landkind Guide in recognition of our kinship with all beings—mankind as well as the more-than-human beings who we share this land with.

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Deck the Halls: Wreaths from Nature

Saturday, December 7 at BEEC from 1-3:30 pm

$15 for members, $25 for non-members. Admission includes wreath-making materials.

The December woods and fields are filled with botanical beauty that is often overlooked—lichens, vines, dried weeds, berries, seedpods. We will take a short walk to seek inspiration and to gather materials to supplement those on hand, and then enjoy hot chocolate and popcorn in the farmhouse while we weave it all together. Please bring pruning shears, work gloves, and wire cutters if you have them. Feel free to bring treasures you have gathered yourself, but try to avoid bringing invasives 😉

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Personalized Programs

Are you looking for a unique gift for a nature-lover? Would you like some inspiration to deepen your connection with the natural world? BEEC naturalist Patti Smith will take you to her favorite places or join you in yours. Because these programs are just for YOU, they can be adapted to your level of fitness, adventurousness, and particular interests.
The per hour rate is $75 for BEEC members / $95 for non-members.
Gift certificates are available and can be redeemed even post-pandemic.
with questions or to arrange a program.

Purchase a gift certificate here

Know the Night

Would you like to feel more comfortable in the night forest? There is much to enjoy! Patti has spent countless hours in the woods after dark and looks forward to sharing these pleasures with you. Learn some navigation tricks and find out what to bring to feel safe and comfortable. We will take a hike, tell tales of nocturnal creatures around a campfire, and finish up with some star-gazing from the summit of Heifer Hill. E-mail to schedule.

 

By the Shores of Moose Meadow Pond

Evenings

Fans of large, damp rodents, or those who think they’d like to be, are invited to spend an evening on the shores of a beaver pond. Dew is as busy as, well, a beaver, sprucing the place up. Pack yourself a picnic and Patti will take you out to see what she is working on. Along the way, stop to see beaver works in a variety of stages of succession and look for evidence of the many beneficiaries of the beavers’ wetland creation. Patti has been studying beavers in this watershed for a baker’s dozen years so can promise you a rich experience.
The walk to the pond is about a mile each way and involves some bushwhacking and wet areas. Enjoy the arrival of dusk and watch the activity of the beaver pond.  Stroll back in the twilight. E-mail to schedule.

Night-singing insects

Evenings, August-September, 1-2 hrs

Beginning in August, the songs of birds give way to the songs of insects. Meet Patti at Heifer Hill at dusk to listen to some of the many singers. We will work our way to the summit of Heifer Hill listening to and looking for katydids, tree crickets, ground crickets, and more. Using insect nets and magnifying boxes, we will get a close-up look at these musical insects. We’ll tell the temperature from the rich chirps of a snowy tree cricket and admire the antennae of a sword-bearing conehead. Which one is the “Nixon bug?” Learn to recognize the songs of some of the most recognizable species and you will hear them in your own backyards. If you choose the right date, you might also watch the moon rise from the summit of Heifer Hill.

What’s in YOUR Woods

Anytime

Naturalist Patti Smith will join you for an amble in your woods (or another favorite place). Arrange a trip during snow season to find tracks and other wildlife sign. Which birds  are there and what are they up to? What trees and plants grow there and why? Patti has spent a lot of time in a lot of different woods in our regions and would love to find out what’s unique about yours. We can tag plant species you’d like to remember. You will receive a digital map showing the walking route and what was found where. E-mail to schedule.

Porcupines in Winter

Evenings, January through mid-April

Visit porcupine den sites and feeding areas to learn about these charming creatures and how they manage in the season of ice and snow. Meet one of Patti’s study porcupines? Possibly.

Your Requests

Would you like private (or family) excursions to:
Recognize trees from up close or afar?
Follow tracks in the snow?
Visit the habitat of a favorite animal and look for signs?
We will entertain all requests. Email  with ideas.