Naturalist summer school is in session. What are the skills and tools of a professional or amateur naturalist? How do we ask what we educators call “the big questions” about our world and how it works? Let’s level up on things we already know as we explore the biodiversity of IslandWood’s forest and wetlands.
Naturalists follow the seasonal changes in the environment and study phenology. We will use this lens together to dig deeper on natural phenomena, and learn how neighborhood naturalists are contributing to the scientific body of data about global warming, bird migration, and more.
Join us for an incredible day of learning and sharing on the trails followed by an afternoon Mediterranean inspired lunch in the garden featuring the freshest foods of the season. Here is our sample menu to give you a sense of what chef is planning for you!
- Local Greens & Summer Vegetables
- Garden Oven Wood Fired flat breads
- *Lamb or *Chicken Kebabs
- Summer Fruit Dessert
*plant-based alternative available for those who do not eat animal protein
After lunch we’ll finish out the day on the trails again with more outdoor exploration, investigation and skill-building on the trails. Our adventure together will include an ecologically-respectful walk in famous “Charlie’s Bog” – a peatland on IslandWood’s property. Here we will investigate a plant profile associated with sphagnum moss, including carnivorous plants. Our bog in the late summer affords us dry passage into this unique ecosystem – no waders required!
Your instructors for this session will be IslandWood naturalists, Christina & Tom Woolf.
Christina Woolf, Sr. Naturalist & Community Education Manager
Christina is a Washington State Master Naturalist (2023), Master Birder (Seattle Audubon, 2011), WDFW Wetland Monitor (2014), Certified Beach Naturalist (2014), and Certified Interpretive Guide (National Association of Interpretation (2015), and has been joyfully teaching environmental education for over 20 years. Here she is, delighted by a monkeyflower, Erythranthe decora, growing along the Gray Wolf River.
Tom Woolf, Washington State Master Naturalist
Tom Woolf has more than 20 years experience as a classroom science teacher, environmental educator, and backpacking and kayak guide. He has taught and led trips in the Everglades, the Appalachians, the Canyonlands of the Southwest, and the rainforests of the Pacific Northwest, among other places. He is a certified Washington State Master Naturalist (2023). Here he is, holding a wolf lichen, Letharia vulpina.
THINGS TO KNOW
- This class is rain or shine!
- Due to the content and pace of this program, we have designed this program for adult participants. We look forward to building community with all of you in this class.
- Participants will be engaging in field-study, which will include walking on some uneven terrain, getting hands wet, touching safe plants, animals and fungi, and body motions such as bending, kneeling and squatting on the ground. We will cover less than two miles of terrain during the program, but we want to be clear on the physical requirements for participation. If you have questions about this, please reach out to [email protected]
- Please remember our campus policy is ‘no dogs unless they are a service animal.’
