To really appreciate moss, lichens and liverworts you need good moss habitat, magnification and a robust selection of mosses – and we have all three! Join us for an interactive learning experience that will sharpen your observation skills and teach you how to step through identification of our most common species of bryophytes (non-vascular plants like mosses), lichens and even a liverwort or two! Don’t know the difference between a liverwort and a lichen? We’ve got you covered! Participants will learn the basics of lichen and moss biology and how to recognize common species in the Pacific Northwest. One of our sharpest ‘tools of the naturalist’ is honing your pattern-recognition skills, and these small, green and fluffy species will help us do just that. Plus, they never run (or fly, or jump) away!
Your instructor for this session will be IslandWood staff naturalist, Christina Conklin. Christina is a 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. Christina has been studying under her bryologist mentor, Phoebe Goit, for over five years. Phoebe is one of western Washington’s most knowledgeable scientists in macrolichens of the PNW. The mentoring and sharing continues in this fun class!
THINGS TO KNOW
- This class is rain or shine, so please dress in layers and always bring a rain layer, gloves and hat at this time of year.
- If you have a jeweler’s loupe, or magnifying hand lens please bring it with you. We have them to lend too, so no worries.
- Due to the content and pace of this program, we are listing this as an adults only class. We look forward to building community with all of you in this class. We will offer a family-friendly and kids program like this in the future too, so no worries!
- We always cap off our hikes with a sweet treat of our homemade cookies too!
Health & Safety
Your health and safety, as well as that of our staff, is our first priority. We’ll be limiting the number of guests walking the trails and will be acting in accordance with current health and safety guidelines. We ask that you bring a mask to wear to keep you, and those around you, safe.
Service animals only, please.
Accessibility
We work to ensure that all reasonable accommodations are in place so that everyone can fully participate and learn during their time on our campus. All indoor spaces and many of our outdoor spaces and field structures were built and are continually maintained to meet ADA code, adhering to WAC 51-50. Learn more about the physical accessibility of our campus here.
IslandWood is grateful for the support from the Fletcher Bay Foundation.
