KIDS

ADULTS & FAMILY

ADULT & FAMILY PROGRAMS

Celebrate the season as we look for signs of the coming Spring! Keep your eyes peeled for salamanders, skunk cabbage, and other new growth popping out of the trails!

Concert Poster

A native of Stonington, Hilary has performed in the United States, Europe and Australia with the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra and the Hartt School of Music Youth Orchestra. She earned a Bachelor of Music in violin performance at Boston University where she studied with Peter Zazofsky, and spent a semester in London at the Royal College of Music, performing in its symphony orchestra with guest conductors Bernard Haitink and John Wilson. In 1998, she shared first prize in the Eastern Connecticut Symphony Youth Orchestra’s Victor Norman Concerto Competition. She has performed in orchestras and chamber ensembles at national and international music festivals, including the Texas Music Festival in Houston, the Bowdoin International Music Festival in Bowdoin, Maine and in Casalmaggiore, Italy, where she appeared as soloist in a performance of ‘Spring’ from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. Ms. Castle currently is a Master of Music candidate at Mannes College in New York City, studying with violinist Lucie Robert.

Learn about the beauty, variety and lore of wildflowers that find their niche in the diverse habitats in this part of CT. The focus is on appreciation & conservation of the native plants that are perfectly adapted to our local conditions and also on the threat posed by introduced and invasive species. Some easier to cultivate native wildflowers are highlighted for anyone who is seeking to plant their own "wild garden" areas. All wildflower photographs are originals, taken in Mystic and the Stonington'.

Explore coastal areas and take a walk down the beach to look for early spring arrivals and migrants, including Piping Plover, American Oystercatcher, Osprey, herons and sandpipers. Van leaves DPNC at 1PM. Call or e-mail mjones @ dpnc.org to arrange a meeting spot in RI.

Compost is a remarkable biological recycling process. It demonstrates that there is no such thing as waste in nature. Please join us on a trip to Earth Care Farm in Charlestown, RI. Earth Care Farm has been producing high quality, certified organic compst for 28 years. Owner Mike Merner will lead us through his farm and this fascinating process. Van leaves DPNC promptly at 3:30 pm.

Learn to recognize some of the individual voices among the avian choir on spring mornings. This basic birding program will focus on visual and aural identification of some of our more common birds, and will serve as a primer or refresher to help locate and identify birds on upcoming field trips.

By late April, some resident songbirds have started to nest. Migrants continue to arrive from their winter homes, or pass through en route to northern New England and Canada. Coastal preserves such as Barn Island, offer a diversity of habitats and opportunities to find a variety of different species.

This preserve, owned by the Westerly Land Trust, lies along the Pawcatuck River. White Pine, Pitch Pine, deciduous woodland and shrubby openings provide habitat for many beautiful plants and birds. Cost: $5 members (DPNC and WLT), $8 non-members Meet at the entrance to the Grill's preserve, at the end of Bowling Lane (first right past Tim Horton's, off route 91 in Bradford).

Explore the borderlands as we hike a short part of the Narragansett Trail leading to Long and Ell ponds. Enjoy beautiful scenic trails and keep your eyes peeled for interesting flora and fauna along the way.

Enjoy a cup of freshly brewed, sustainably-grown coffee and learn to recognize, by sight and sound, some of the birds that migrate between the Eastern US and the Caribbean, Mexico, Central and South America, including swallows, warblers, orioles, and tanagers. Learn about the importance of traditional shade-grown coffee plantations in providing critical quality habitat for migrating birds.

Co-sponsored by The Nature Conservancy The extensive tract of undeveloped land that includes Arcadia WMA in RI and Pachaug State Forest in CT is known as 'the borderlands,' and supports a diversity of birds and animals that require large unbroken forest. Many of these species are birds: warblers, hawks, thrushes and others whose numbers have declined in recent years. During the past decade, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), in concert with other conservation organizations, private land-owners and municipalities, has worked diligently to raise awareness and further land preservation efforts throughout the borderlands region. In celebration of Endangered Species Day, take a guided 2.5 mile walk in search of some of our forest interior birds. Leader: Maggie Jones Cost: $5 DPNC and TNC members, $8 non-members Directions to trailhead: Meet at the Beach Pond boat launch on the north end of the pond. From Route 165, turn north onto Forge Hill Road and follow signs for boat landing.

Meet at the entrance to the Peace Sanctuary on River Road in Mystic (parking along the road) for a guided hike through the preserve to look for Pink Lady's Slippers and other late blooming wildflowers, followed by hors d'ouevres, wine and cheese.

Participate in an informal group of creative writers, learning new skills in all genres through the use of prompts and positive feedback. Beginners are welcome. No fee required; donations for the Nature Center are gratefully accepted. For more information, contact Bev Herstein at 401-364-9287 or Marge Kimball at 860-536-8963.

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EARTH WEEK

Come enjoy the largest urban zoo in the U.S! Travel from Africa to Asia in a single day. See the rhinos, giraffes and hippos up close. Watch bats hang out and reptiles crawl through the jungle. You’ll see animals you didn’t know existed. The trip Includes Skyfari Cable Car one-way, Children's Zoo, Congo Gorilla Forest, Butterfly Garden, Bug Carousel, and Zoo Shuttle Unlimited. The bus leaves the Nature Center at 8 am; please plan to arrive by 7:50 am. Bus will leave the zoo at 4:00PM. Bring your own snacks for the bus ride, both to the zoo and back, as we will not stop. For more sneak peaks at what you'll see on this trip, visit the Bronx Zoo website: www.bronxzoo.com

We recognize different birds by their unique songs and calls many of which can be translated into words. A Barred Owl's hoot sounds like, "Who cooks for you" and a Goldfinch flight song sounds like "potato chip." We will learn how to identify some of the common songs and calls of local birds, and spend time outside listening for them.

Many birds are cavity nesters and benefit from people putting up bird boxes. During this fun evening you will learn about the different species of cavity nesters that live in this area and will be building your own bird box to put up near your house. Please bring your own hammer.

Water is home to an incredible variety of insect life. We will venture down to our pond with dips nets in hand and catch as many of these insects as we can. Then we will bring them back inside and look at the different adaptations they have from under a microscope.

You can celebrate the spring by coming to one or all three Nature Days. Each morning we will start at the Nature Center then travel to different distinations to make amazing natural discoveries. Tuesday's trip will take us to Glacier Park in Ledyard, Wednesday we will travel to Manatuck Preserve in Stonington and then on Thursday we will go to the mysterious Teftweald at Birchenturn - an Avalonia property in North Stonington. Please bring a lunch, waterbottle and snack packed in a backpack and be prepared to spend the day outside hiking, pond diping, and climbing rocks and much more!

Spring has arrived and along with come all the baby animals. We will learn which babies are being born when and what their names are - like baby foxes are called kits, and a baby deer is called a fawn. We'll even have a cake to celebrate!

Ever wonder what's behind the fences at the Groton Reservoir? This is your chance to find out as we walk the trails and learn about the reservoir's history and keep our eyes peeled for wildlife that lives close by.

Nature is full of slimy things like slugs and snails and algae - we will be exploring it all and making some of our own slime to bring home!

Learn how a Healthy Planet and Healthy people go hand in hand through fun, food, educational exhibits and engaging presentations.

Come participate in a wild scavenger hunt, get your face painted and listen to the natural melodies of birds and frogs in the spring woodland. The year's event will feature some of the best local green companies and earth-friendly initiatives.  Eat delicious locally grown food and enjoy live music, puppets and more. Meet Live animals, including DPNC's resident snakes and birds, and some special barnyard guests. Buy local foods, heritage seeds, plants and produce in a special Earth Day market. Learn what area conservation organizations are doing in your neighborhood. This is a great chance to mingle with like-minded folk and enjoy a spring day in Connecticut. Held rain or shine.

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FULL MOON WALKS

The days are getting longer so come out and see what's happening on this early spring night after equinox as we walk through the quiet trails of the Nature Center.

Get out and stretch your legs for an hour and enjoy the moonlight on a spring night at Salem Land Trust's Walden Preserve. Call for directions.

Celebrate the coming of the warm summer months with an evening walk at Manatuck. Meet behind Pine Point School.

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CHILDREN'S PROGRAMS

What's that racket coming from the woods? Learn who is making all that noise in the ponds and wetlands then meet some of the cacophonous critters up close and personal.

Rainy days might seem a bit dreary, but they play an essential role in our ecosystem and our world. We'll learn about the water cycle, why it rains, how the rain chnages our land and where all the water eventually goes.

Let's get muddy! This time of year mud is everywhere, learn how animlas use it to their advantage. Since there will be plenty of muddy fun to be had make sure to wear your play clothes and expect to get muddy!

Are you a Girl Scout who loves nature? Come to the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center’s Girl Scout Day for a fun filled day of nature activities just for Girl Scouts! Come with your troop or with a friend. Earn a variety of badges while having a blast with new friends! Activities include guided hikes on the trails, crafts, visits with live animals, pond dipping and much more! Participate in a badge program or just explore the Nature Center. Pre-registration is required.

Badge Programs:

Try-Its:

Eco-Explorer- Investigate our woods on a scavenger hunt, learn about different habitats and meet an endangered animal. 9:30 am- 11:30am

Water Water Everywhere- Get wet at our pond! Build your own water snooper, go pond dipping and learn about water conservation. 12:30pm-2:30pm

Jr. Girl Scouts:

Earth Connections- Learn how everything on earth is connected. Explore plants and trees, go pond dipping, visit an endangered animal, learn about adaptations and find out how humans impact our environment. 9:30am-11:30am

Wildlife- Go for a hike in our woods and see how many different species of wildlife we can identify. Visit with our resident birds of prey and learn about their special adaptations and make a craft to take home. 12:30pm-2:30pm

Prepare to explore our pond for these elusive flying daredevils! We will find out what they eat, how they catch it and then we will make one to take home!

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Home School

A tried and true method of finding out what lives in a pond is called Pond-Dipping - we will venture out to our pond here at the Nature Center with dip nets in hand and go pond-dipping for all variety of little creatures. We'll examine the creatures and learn what part they play in a living pond.

Have you ever wondered how biologists collect live animals for study? We will set out and test a variety of different collecting methods including bucket traps, coffee can traps, have-a-heart traps, minnow traps, turtle traps and even using our own hands!

Ever wonder how birds fly? We will explore this amazing phenomenon and see what aerodynamic adaptations birds have to enable them to soar in the winds. We will also make paper fliers to test what we have learned!

Spring is the time to see the most beautiful forest flowers in bloom. We will explore the trails in search of flowers, see what animals depend on the flowers and even create a simple flower press to bring home!

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After School

Fake eyes, playing dead, changing colors and throwing their voices are just a few of the amazing adaptations animals have to fool predators and prey. Have fun meeting and learning about all the creatures who will try to fool you!

Nothing has carved and shaped our land as much as the glaciers have. We'll experiment with mini glaciers to learn how they scrape and carve the land and then we will hike the trails looking for different land forms and signs that glaciers were once here.

Do you know the difference between a pond and a vernal pool? By exploring both and meeting the creatures that live in them for survival you'll learn where to look for wood frogs, salamanders, bull frogs, and fairy shrimp.

Bees come in a host of different shapes and sizes and have incredible lifecycles. We will learn the essential role bees play in our ecosystem and in our life, from the sweet honey the produce to the pollinating of our plant life - we will look into all aspects of a bees life. Additionally we will walk through our meadow looking for bees to observe them in their natural setting.

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EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAMS

Exploration and discovery for young children

Winter animals and hibernation, snow, and evergreens are just some of the fun topics we will explore in this class. Enjoy circle time, stories, crafts, snacks, and - of course - lots of outside in the crisp winter air! Pre-registration required.

Let your child explore nature in this specially designed class exclusively for three-year-olds. We will learn about and experience the outside world as we make all kinds of fun winter discoveries. Each class includes circle time, crafts, a snack, and - of course - lots of time on the Nature Center trails! Pre-registration required.

Enjoy the special magic of the woods in winter. You and your child will have fun listening for winter birds, searching for animal tracks in the snow, and exploring new trails. We will visit a new natural area each week; the first class meets at DPNC. Pre-registration required.

Exploring the outdoors is what this class does best! Learn about a new nature topic every week, from how squirrels and other animals survive the winter to which kinds of birds like the cold best. We'll use activities like circle time, crafts, and stories to understand animal habitats, bird migration, snow, and other fun winter subjects. Each class includes a snack. Pre-registration required.

Exploring the outdoors is what this class does best! Learn about a new nature topic every week, from how squirrels and other animals survive the winter to which kinds of birds like the cold best. We'll use activities like circle time, crafts, and stories to understand animal habitats, bird migration, snow, and other fun winter subjects. Each class includes a snack. Pre-registration required.