Enjoy outdoor nature play in our Learnscape plus toddler and pre-school activities and stories. This month we’ll sniff, touch, and nibble our way through the garden as we use our five senses to learn about plant parts and sow our very own seeds to take home. Kids 5 and under only, with an adult. Rain or shine! Members FREE, non-members $7/family. Pre-registration required online or at 541-687-9699. (CANCELED)
Enjoy outdoor nature play in our Learnscape plus toddler and pre-school activities and stories — this month all about eggs! This month we’ll build bird nests, find out what’s going on inside an egg, and play a fun beak matching game. Kids 5 and under only, with an adult. Rain or shine! Members FREE, non-members $7/family. Pre-register online or call 541-687-9699.
Join us in Nearby Nature’s Learnscape this Saturday, November 23 from 10 am to 1 pm, as we prepare the gardens for a winter’s rest and work to free pollinator plantings from a grass invasion. Help weed and compost while enjoying bird watching and all the lovely hues of fall.
We’ll meet under the covered area next to the yurt. Nearby Nature will provide gloves, tools, and small snacks. We ask that you bring a water bottle, and dress for the weather in closed-toe shoes and clothes you don’t mind getting dirty. RSVP beforehand is encouraged. Contact Shaun Daniel at parkhost@nearbynature.org to let us know you’re coming.
Celebrate the fall harvest with celestial stories and garden discovery in the Learnscape. Preserve produce and dry herbs for winter. Carve pumpkins, cast spells, and mix potions in the garden!
$45 members/$50 non-members. Scholarships available. Ages 6-9, max 12 kids. After-care 3:00-4:00pm! Outdoors in Alton Baker Park. Register online or call 541-687-9699, ext. 2.
Sing songs about creepy crawlies, hunt for insects, and create bug art! Enjoy outdoor nature play in our Learnscape plus toddler and pre-school activities and stories. Rain or shine! Kids 5 and under only, with an adult. Members FREE, non-members $5/family. Pre-register online or call 541-687-9699, ext 2.
Nibble your way through the Edible Schoolyard as we sing garden songs, learn about the six plant parts and create some beautiful rainbow art! Enjoy outdoor nature play in our Learnscape plus toddler and pre-school activities and stories. Rain or shine! Kids 5 and under only, with an adult. Members FREE, non-members $5. Pre-register online or call 541-687-9699.
Join us for citizen science investigations, including data collection, observations, photography, and more. This month we will focus on garden pollinators, pests and pathogens. Event open to all but designed especially for adult participants. If you have a smartphone or a camera, please bring one to take pictures. Smartphone users please load the iNaturalist app (https://www.inaturalist.org/) onto your phone if possible. Meet outside the Nearby Nature Yurt.
Members FREE, non-members $5. Pre-register at 541-687-9699 or online.
The world around us is teeming with life! Come take a closer look at this web of life on Saturday, April 27, by participating in a bioblitz of Nearby Nature’s Learnscape and surrounding areas of Alton Baker Park. Volunteers of all ages will take photos of different plants, animals, insects, and fungi and upload them to iNaturalist for identification and a final species count.
A bioblitz is an event in which volunteers work together within a defined area to observe and identify as many different species as possible in a set amount of time. It’s a fun way to look at nature nearby while creating useful data for science and conservation. You don’t even need to be a skilled naturalist to do it. Can’t tell a maple from a cottonwood? No problem. It’s easy to take a photo with your phone, a camera, or another device. Then, upload the images to iNaturalist and let one of our expert naturalists add the species identification afterward.
Follow the Nearby Nature signs to our site in Alton Baker Park and look for the check-in table by the yurt. Drop-in any time between 9 am and 4 pm and participate for as long as you’d like – though, signing up in advance is still appreciated, since it always helps to know how many people to expect. For those interested in learning from and working alongside an expert, we will have skilled naturalists on hand throughout the day to lead small groups in more focused observation.
More detailed schedule coming soon!
What do you need to participate?
To help streamline check-in, it’s recommended that you download the iNaturalist app, register your profile, and join the “Nearby Nature Learnscape” and “Alton Baker Park Natural History” projects. During the event, we’ll provide a short training on the use of iNaturalist at the top of each hour as needed. (Or you can get a head-start in learning it yourself.)
Nearby Nature will provide:
Through the use of iNaturalist for observations, all of our efforts on April 27 will automatically contribute to the metro-wide Eugene-Springfield City Nature Challenge, which runs April 26-29 and is part of a friendly international citizen science competition to document wildlife in cities around the world. Observations of the Learnscape will also support Nearby Nature’s own efforts to foster biodiverse habitat within our gardens and outdoor classroom space.
Questions about the event and how to participate may be directed to Shaun Daniel at parkhost@nearbynature.org or by calling 541-687-9699.
Join us in the Learnscape to get your hands in the soil and prepare the gardens for another vibrant season. We’ll weed, compost, and plant while enjoying bird song and all the signs of spring’s returning.
We’ll meet in the middle of the Learnscape between the two sheds adjacent to the yurt. Look for the green Nearby Nature signs pointing the way. We will provide gloves, tools, and small snacks. We ask that you bring a water bottle, and dress for the weather in closed-toe shoes and clothes you don’t mind getting dirty. Please also RSVP beforehand to Shaun Daniel at parkhost@nearbynature.org to let us know you’re coming.