Natural History Society of Maryland
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Natural History Society of Maryland

Events

Upcoming events

    • 03 Mar 2024
    • 01 Dec 2024
    • 10 sessions
    • 6908 Belair Rd, Natural History Society of MD
    Register

    By popular demand, NHSM is expanding our public exhibit hours. Come for the Ice Age in Maryland exhibit featuring our wooly mammoth, and linger for more fossils, seashells, gemstones, archaeological artifacts, and other treasures.

    Admission is always free! Join us between 10 AM and 2 PM on the following First Sundays:

    • March 3
    • April 7
    • May 5
    • June 2
    • July 7
    • August 4
    • September 8
    • October 6
    • November 3
    • December 1
    • 08 Mar 2024
    • 29 Mar 2024
    • 5:00 PM
    • Online

    Forget basketball games. Cheer for your favorite shark in our March Madness version, shark style. Which shark will win a featured spot at SharkFest on July 21? Round 1 voting starts Friday, March 8. VOTE HERE: https://forms.gle/PUL5s5MxJhzzAc7s9  A new set of contenders will be ready for voting each week until one winner in two categories, prehistoric and modern, is announced on April 1.

    • 20 Mar 2024
    • 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
    • Online via Zoom
    Register

    At this month’s meeting of the NHSM Arch Club, Daniel Dean, Research Chair of the Marshy Point Nature Center Council, will share a call to action. Dan says:

    “We all love history and archaeology. Sadly, our county parks are not equipped to handle making informative judgements except through volunteers. We do what we can at Marshy Point but it is not sustainable long term nor implemented across all parks. We need the support of the Department of Rec and Parks. It is the duty of our municipal leaders to allow and continue Baltimore County’s expanding knowledge of who lived and died on what is now county property. This is the first step of many towards learning what wasn’t known of our past while continuing the exciting discoveries we love without fear of our work becoming stagnant or the items found to decay.”

    Join us on Zoom to find out how to get involved and what you can do to help ensure the future of archaeology at Marshy Point and other sites. To receive the Zoom link and passcode, register for the event. Email the club coordinator (mfalk@marylandnature.org) with any questions.

    Natural History Society of Maryland’s Archaeology Club promotes the value of archaeology in Baltimore City, Baltimore County, and surrounding areas. The goal of the Archaeology Club is to educate citizenry in the ethics, methods, and artifact preservation methods of archaeology and how archaeology can be used to document, discover, and promote local history. The Archaeology Club is inclusive to all persons who have an interest in archaeology.

    If you are an archaeology enthusiast, please consider joining us. You must be a member of NHSM to join any of its clubs. Follow this link to learn more: https://www.marylandnature.org/club-membership/

    The Natural History Society of Maryland is a volunteer-led non-profit organization, so the fee you pay will go directly to support the programs, the nature collections, and the building that make this kind of nature education possible.

    • 22 Mar 2024
    • 10:00 AM - 3:30 PM
    • Green Mount Cemetery, Westminister Hall and Burying Ground
    • 3
    Register

    Bury yourself into Baltimore’s history with walking tours of two unique cemeteries, Westminster Hall and Burying Ground and the Green Mount Cemetery.

    As a restored Gothic church, Westminister Hall boasts stained glass windows, oak woodwork, and an 1882 Johnson pipe organ that adds beauty to the building. However, the most fascinating detail is that the church was built on top of the original Westminster Presbyterian Cemetery in 1852. Elevated on brick piers above the graves, the church’s foundation created catacombs containing the graves underneath. The church remained in use until 1977, when the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law took over its operation. We’ll take a look above and below at the Burying Ground while we look for the final resting place of many famous individuals including Edgar Allan Poe. Tombs can be found of prominent political, military, and business leaders, four of the city’s earliest mayors, and several generals from the American Revolution and War of 1812. The Burying Ground also features Maximilian Godefroy’s Egyptian Revival Gates located at the Greene Street side of the cemetery, also.

    After finishing our time at Westminister, we will walk to Lexington Market for a quick lunch. Lunch choices are endless and can be found here: https://lexingtonmarket.com/merchants?category=restaurants. After eating, we will drive to our next stop, Green Mount Cemetery, about ten minutes away with easy parking at the cemetery. If you prefer to bring lunch or to eat elsewhere, you are welcome to meet us at 1:30 pm at Green Mount.
    Green Mount Cemetery is one of the earliest rural or garden cemeteries in the United States. Samuel Walker, a Baltimore tobacco merchant, visited the garden-like Mount Auburn Cemetery in 1834 and came home with a mission to fund a similarly styled cemetery here. The land was purchased four years later and the cemetery was officially dedicated on July 13, 1839.
    These garden cemeteries were unique, and not laid out in the normal grid pattern. Rather, they were designed in the “picturesque” style found on English country estates with winding paths and streets, vistas and scenic overlooks, various water features, and a landscape enhanced by the planting of thousands of trees and ornamental shrubs. The gardens were so beautiful that thousands of city dwellers spent Sunday afternoons picnicking and strolling in their new “park.”
    Nearly 65,000 people are buried here, including John Wilkes Booth and two other conspirators in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, the poet Sydney Lanier, philanthropists Johns Hopkins and Enoch Pratt, and numerous military, political, and business leaders.
    NEW – Payment and Cancellation Policy: Payment is due online at the time of registration. Cancellations made seven or more days in advance of the event will receive a refund minus a 5% processing fee. Cancellations made within seven days of the event will not receive a refund. NHSM retains the right to update or change these requirements at any time.

    For questions, please email Jayne at JAsh@marylandnature.org.

     

    • 22 Mar 2024
    • 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM
    • Gunpowder Falls State Park
    • 0
    Join waitlist

    Vernal pools are shallow depressions in the ground that usually fill with water for only part of the year. Melting snow and spring rains fill the holes with water, creating essential breeding habitat for specific species of frogs and salamanders. These amphibians leave their winter hibernation in the woodlands, find a vernal pool, mate, and lay their eggs in the water, leaving their young to hatch and grow in the pool. As the seasonal rains dry up, so do the vernal pools, sending the new generation of amphibians into the forest until their next breeding cycle.

    Amphibians such as wood frogs, spring peepers, toads, spotted salamanders, and other woodland salamanders are popular residents in our local vernal pools. Their egg masses suspended in the water may be visible, too, with the baby salamander efts or tiniest tadpoles writhing inside. With 700 species in the Northeast relying on vernal pools, the loss of pools due to development is of major concern, and preserving the few that remain is critical. With fewer pools, we see a decrease in biodiversity, and a decline in the amount of food available for other animals that live in these areas, such as small carnivores.

    To predict the best date to visit vernal pools, we need to consider two important factors, rainfall amounts and air temperature. These two must align for success: the amount of rainfall has to be significant enough to create the pool and the air temperature warm enough to tempt the amphibians out of hibernation. Two dates are listed for this event, but only one will be chosen, based on these conditions.

    To protect this unique environment, strict guidelines must be followed by all in attendance. Our presence cannot disturb or harm the wildlife or the vernal pool. Participants will not be allowed to enter the water at any time. Our team of volunteers will be gathering specimens gently and placing them in aquariums for us to observe. Your ability to listen and follow directions from the team is mandatory.

    Difficulty: Easy walk as the vernal pool is close to the road.

    Remember to

    • Dress according to the weather. Layers of clothing work best.
    • Wear sturdy closed-toe hiking or athletic shoes with non-slip soles that can safely handle slippery surfaces and can get muddy. No open-toed shoes.
    • Bring a headlamp or flashlight.
    • Bring a hand lens or loupe. Both are available to borrow.
    • No pets, please.
    • Our meeting location can be found in your registration confirmation email when payment is complete.

    NEW – Payment and Cancellation Policy: Payment is due online at the time of registration. Cancellations made seven or more days in advance of the event will receive a refund minus a 5% processing fee. Cancellations made within seven days of the event will not receive a refund. NHSM retains the right to update or change these requirements at any time.

    For questions, please email Jayne at JAsh@marylandnature.org.

    • 23 Mar 2024
    • 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
    • Havre de Grace, Swan Harbor Farm
    • 2
    Register

    Birds are tricky. Most swoop and soar and are never still, making bird identification a challenge. To successfully identify a bird, one must learn to quickly spot what makes each bird different from the others. Maybe their size or shape, color or behavior helps, but field marks, those distinctive stripes, spots, patterns, and colors that birds have in such variety, are what avid birders recognize to help tag a “face” with a name.

    Ecologist John Canoles is here to teach us how to see those sometimes subtle differences between bird species. We will practice in a variety of habitats including emergent wetlands, upland forests, and adjacent crop fields.  We are likely to encounter song sparrow, white-throated sparrow, swamp sparrow, Carolina wren, mourning dove, eastern bluebird, bald eagle, phoebe, ruby-crowned kinglet, Carolina chickadee, tufted titmouse, and dark-eyed junco.

    Trail difficulty is easy to moderate. Most of the trail is level and grass-covered but does contain some uneven terrain. Mud is likely.

    John Canoles is an ecologist focusing on the identification and assessment of natural resources and the creation of natural upland and wetland habitats. He is also involved in nature education, having helped design the nature walk and Butterfly House at Ladew Gardens and the Accessible Trail at Cromwell Valley Park, and has taught “Introduction of Birdwatching” classes for Johns Hopkins Odyssey Program, Community College of Baltimore County, and Cromwell Valley Park. John also writes a monthly Nature Notes column for the Baltimore County Country Chronicle newspaper. He is a member of the Harford Bird Club and the Harford County Land Trust and is on the board of Trustees for Ladew Topiary Gardens.

    John, like most of the other people who lead NHSM field trips, is a volunteer, so your money will go directly to support the programs, the nature collections, and the building that make this kind of nature education possible. Donate or become a member of the Natural History Society of Maryland by visiting https://marylandnature.org/support-maryland-nature/.

    Remember to

    • Dress according to the weather. Layers of clothing work best.
    • Wear sturdy closed-toe hiking boots or sneakers with non-slip soles that can safely handle slippery surfaces.
    • Bring water, snacks, sunblock, bug spray, and for your camera, an extra battery, memory card, and lens-cleaning cloth.
    • Bring binoculars, a few will be available to borrow.
    • Bring your guidebooks.
    • No pets, please.

    The exact meeting location will be listed on your confirmation email after payment has been received.

    NEW – Payment and Cancellation Policy: Payment is due online at the time of registration. Cancellations made seven or more days in advance of the event will receive a refund minus a 5% processing fee. Cancellations made within seven days of the event will not receive a refund. NHSM retains the right to update or change these requirements at any time.

    For questions, please email Jayne at JAsh@marylandnature.org.

    • 24 Mar 2024
    • 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
    • Baltimore, Herring Run Park
    • 0
    Join waitlist

    Join the buffet line for newly sprouted delicacies with master forager Nick Spero. Discover locally found plants that can add flavor to your cooking and apply that know-how to your own backyard. We’ll be on the lookout for early springtime plants such as garlic mustard, poke, wild garlic, and perilla. We will discuss collection methods and how to prepare our findings for optimal taste and nutrition. To limit our impact on the park, let’s concentrate on learning to identify and sample taste rather than foraging, which may damage an area when too much is taken.

    Our field trip leader Nick Spero spends his retirement outdoors as an avid hunter and fisherman. Primitive technology has piqued his interest since childhood. Here is a

    video produced by NPR about Nick.

    Nick, like most of the people who lead NHSM field trips, is a volunteer. Your money directly supports the programs, the nature collections, and the building that make this kind of nature education possible. Donate or become a member of the Natural History Society of Maryland by visiting https://marylandnature.org/support-maryland-nature/.

    Difficulty: Easy to moderate (low-intensity hiking)

    Remember to

    • Dress according to the weather. Layers of clothing work best.
    • Wear sturdy closed-toe hiking boots or sneakers with non-slip soles that can safely handle slippery surfaces.
    • Bring water, snacks, sunblock, bug spray, and a camera with an extra battery, memory card, and lens-cleaning cloth.
    • Bring your guidebooks.
    • No pets, please.

    The exact meeting location will be listed on your confirmation email after payment has been received.

    NEW – Payment and Cancellation Policy: Payment is due online at the time of registration. Cancellations made seven or more days in advance of the event will receive a refund minus a 5% processing fee. Cancellations made within seven days of the event will not receive a refund. Events with fees of $10 or less are not refundable unless canceled by NHSM. NHSM retains the right to update or change these requirements at any time.

    For questions, please email Jayne at JAsh@marylandnature.org.

    • 24 Mar 2024
    • 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
    • 6908 Bel Air Rd, Natural History Society of MD
    • 4
    Register

    Before cameras, Japanese fishermen applied ink to fish and pressing it to paper to document a big catch when they were out at sea, and then rinsed the fish in the water so it could be eaten. The result is a gyotaku, a term derived from the Japanese words for fish (gyo) and print (taku).

    Sue Fierston will lead a workshop for families in this ancient artform. We will be using real and plastic fish. People will leave the workshop with 4-6 fish prints on a variety of paper sizes.  Participants should wear old clothes or bring an apron and an old bath towel.  NOTE: The room will smell of fish by the end of the class.

    TERMS and CONDITIONS: Payment is due at the time of registration. For purposes of this class, a family ticket includes one adult and one child aged 8 and up. One additional child may be added as a guest for an additional charge. Because materials are prepared for each participant, cancellations with refund minus the cost of the materials ($15) will be applied if cancelled within 7 days of the course. Cancellations not accepted within a week of the course date.   Masks are required for this class as a courtesy for instructor. 

    INSTRUCTOR: Sue Fierston is a printmaker and current president of the international Nature Printing Society,  a worldwide group of artists who are dedicated to nature printing in all forms. NPS members print real fish and leaves as well as tree bark and spiderwebs.  Sue holds nature printmaking workshops in the spring and fall at the Smithsonian Associates and now for the Natural History Society of Maryland. When she’s not teaching, she’s painting a series of antique microscopes for a show in October 2023 at the National Institutes of Health. Her prints and paintings can be seen at: suefierston.com and on Instagram at: @suefierston_leaves_three_ways.

    In June 2020, Swinging Bridge Press published Sue Firestone’s book Into the Woods: Families Making Art With Nature. 

    • 27 Mar 2024
    • 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
    • 6908 Belair Rd, Natural History Society of MD
    Register

    Lep Club members may already know about NHSM’s stunning and varied collection of lepidoptera specimens from Maryland and beyond. But when’s the last time you really looked closely at them — closely enough to draw them?

    This month’s club meeting is all about sketching leps! Bring any art supplies you have and hang out with us. If you don’t have any art supplies or any previous experience with drawing, don’t worry about it, we’ll have some to share and no one will judge you.

    Since it’s spring, this meeting will also include time to swap seeds and seedlings for food and host plants. Please contact the club coordinator (mfalk@marylandnature.org) with any questions.

    If you love butterflies and moths, consider joining the NHSM Lep Club. Made up of novice and expert lepidopterists who meet to exchange knowledge and support concerning habitat, threats, food sources, identification, and life cycle of butterflies and moths, the Lep Club encourages the sharing of knowledge for the raising and breeding of moths and butterflies through hands-on lessons and guest speakers. Club members are also involved in outreach in the greater Baltimore community through educational programs and service projects. Club meetings often feature a guest speaker who shares their knowledge on a topic related to moths and butterflies. Meetings also include time to distribute caterpillars, eggs, and host plants.

    To become a member, go here: https://www.marylandnature.org/get-involved/club-membership/?fbclid=IwAR3Km8ShcrUxZO-cfxRJZYDaeBVRm9PmRIsDwUfNsI3eUiGYTItgIjNA5xs

    To learn more about all NHSM Clubs, check us out on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIA7naRjXws&feature=youtu.be

    • 28 Mar 2024
    • 9:30 AM - 12:30 PM
    • Central Acceptance Facility, Cockeysville
    • 0
    Join waitlist

    There’s recycling that we all know: cans, glass, and paper. But how do you recycle the uncommon, like a tree?  When your recycling can sits on the curb, those empty pop cans and frozen dinner trays inside disappear.  But is it that easy with a tree? Here’s your chance to see the technology that goes into recycling at the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) in Cockeysville and the Camp Small wood lot and sawmill in Baltimore.

    Located at the Central Acceptance Facility, the MRF receives, sorts, and prepares recyclables such as paper, plastic, and metal items for marketing. In this single-stream program, residents do not sort materials before collection. Instead, sorting happens at the facility with its 86 conveyor belts, six sorting screens, three optical sorters, two balers, plus scores of workers along conveyor belts screening out material left behind by the equipment. After processing, the recyclables are sold, and the County earns the value of these materials, maximizing the financial benefits of the recycling program. Watch a video here to learn more about the facility.

    Now that we’ve watched the usual recycling routine, what’s a more uncommon item to recycle? How about recycling a damaged tree or a dead bush? Is recycling even an option?

    Let’s hang out at Camp Small to learn how all those woody leftovers from Baltimore City projects find a new purpose, whether as mulch, a new fencepost, or a garden bench. Camp Small is a wood-waste collection yard managed by the Baltimore City Department of Recreation and Parks and acts as a sorting facility for all removed or downed City-managed trees. We’ll watch the sawmill in action and learn from manager Shaun Preston how Camp Small has transformed from a stump dump to an urban wood utilization program that repurposes over 1,000 tons of material yearly. The program offers green and kiln-dried lumber to local craftsmen, produces benches and outdoor furniture, and works with City schools on implementing outdoor classrooms and natural playscapes. We will see examples of products made there and have the opportunity to purchase some (credit cards only. Camp Small’s efforts have gained national attention and have become a model program for municipalities looking to start wood utilization programs. Learn more about Camp Small here: https://youtu.be/uU_oASoGWiw .

    Children are welcome on this trip with children’s pricing available. The date offered is during Spring Break week for both Harford and Baltimore Counties.

    Please remember

    • Wear weather-appropriate clothing. There is no heating in the MRF facility.
    • Be prepared for dirt and dust.
    • Be able to climb stairs to reach viewing areas.
    • Flat, closed-toed shoes are mandatory. Heels are not allowed.
    • In MRF, photography is not allowed. Photos and videos are available at the facility.
    • Use extra caution while driving due to large trucks in the area.

    NEW – Payment and Cancellation Policy: Payment is due online at the time of registration. Cancellations made seven or more days in advance of the event will receive a refund minus a 5% processing fee. Cancellations made within seven days of the event will not receive a refund but may be transferred to a friend. NHSM retains the right to update or change these requirements at any time.

    For questions, please email Jayne at JAsh@marylandnature.org.

    • 28 Mar 2024
    • 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
    • Online via Zoom
    Register

    Did you know that Maryland’s smallest owl, the northern saw-whet owl, weighs less than a bar of soap, yet travels thousands of miles over its lifetime? Each fall, these tiny travelers pass through Maryland during their annual migrations. Scientists are now learning much more about the northern saw-whet owl as part of Project Owlnet. Once thought to be a rare species in Maryland, we now know more about these tiny owls and their populations through years of bird banding data.

    Since 2017, Melissa Boyle Acuti has run a Project Owlnet station as a volunteer at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Anne Arundel County, MD, to further the research in Maryland during the fall migration season. Melissa is a naturalist with a passion for owls and is sometimes referred to as “the Owl Lady” when people can’t remember her name!
    Melissa has a B.A. in Biology from St. Mary’s College of Maryland and a M.S. in Environmental Biology from Hood College. Her research with owls began in college, where she conducted an owl pellet “diet analysis” project in her ornithology class, which led to her undergraduate degree capstone project researching the Barn Owl population in St. Mary’s County in the late 1990’s. After meeting Dave Brinker at an Audubon Meeting, Melissa began her work with saw-whet owls and completed her masters thesis conducting a trend analysis on the population in Maryland. Since that time, Melissa has banded saw-whet owls almost every fall! As a visiting scientist and volunteer with the Citizen Science program, she currently oversees the Project Owlnet Saw-whet Owl Station at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Edgewater, Maryland. When not studying owls, Melissa works for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources as the Chief of Interpretation for the Maryland Park Service.
    • 29 Mar 2024
    • 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM
    • Gunpowder Falls State Park
    • 9
    Register

    Vernal pools are shallow depressions in the ground that usually fill with water for only part of the year. Melting snow and spring rains fill the holes with water, creating essential breeding habitat for specific species of frogs and salamanders. These amphibians leave their winter hibernation in the woodlands, find a vernal pool, mate, and lay their eggs in the water, leaving their young to hatch and grow in the pool. As the seasonal rains dry up, so do the vernal pools, sending the new generation of amphibians into the forest until their next breeding cycle.

    Amphibians such as wood frogs, spring peepers, toads, spotted salamanders, and other woodland salamanders are popular residents in our local vernal pools. Their egg masses suspended in the water may be visible, too, with the baby salamander efts or tiniest tadpoles writhing inside. With 700 species in the Northeast relying on vernal pools, the loss of pools due to development is of major concern, and preserving the few that remain is critical. With fewer pools, we see a decrease in biodiversity, and a decline in the amount of food available for other animals that live in these areas, such as small carnivores.

    To predict the best date to visit vernal pools, we need to consider two important factors, rainfall amounts and air temperature. These two must align for success: the amount of rainfall has to be significant enough to create the pool and the air temperature warm enough to tempt the amphibians out of hibernation.

    To protect this unique environment, strict guidelines must be followed by all in attendance. Our presence cannot disturb or harm the wildlife or the vernal pool. Participants will not be allowed to enter the water at any time. Our team of volunteers will be gathering specimens gently and placing them in aquariums for us to observe. Your ability to listen and follow directions from the team is mandatory.

    Difficulty: Easy walk as the vernal pool is close to the road.

    Remember to

    • Dress according to the weather. Layers of clothing work best.
    • Wear sturdy closed-toe hiking or athletic shoes with non-slip soles that can safely handle slippery surfaces and can get muddy. No open-toed shoes.
    • Bring a headlamp or flashlight.
    • Bring a hand lens or loupe. Both are available to borrow.
    • No pets, please.
    • Our meeting location can be found in your registration confirmation email when payment is complete.

    NEW – Payment and Cancellation Policy: Payment is due online at the time of registration. Cancellations made seven or more days in advance of the event will receive a refund minus a 5% processing fee. Cancellations made within seven days of the event will not receive a refund. NHSM retains the right to update or change these requirements at any time.

    For questions, please email Jayne at JAsh@marylandnature.org.

    • 04 Apr 2024
    • 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
    • Online via Zoom
    Register

    In 1991, 1268 pairs of Common Tern bred in Maryland’s coastal bays; by 2020, this population segment had declined to less than 35 pairs and is now a state-listed endangered species. The decline is the result of habitat deterioration as sea-level rise accelerates island erosion and loss. In 2021, a 1024-square-foot floating-island raft was constructed and deployed to provide critically needed breeding habitat for the terns. The raft was enlarged to its permanent size (2304 square feet) in 2022. Please join Kim Abplanalp as she shares the scientific process to restore this important species back to its historical levels by creating and monitoring innovative breeding habitat.

    Kim is the Bird Habitat Coordinator for Maryland Coastal Bays Program and lead researcher on the Common Tern Raft project, an artificial breeding island in the middle of the Chincoteague Bay in Maryland waters. A cooperative effort of the Maryland Coastal Bays Program, The Department of Natural Resources,  and Audubon Mid-Atlantic, her duties in part are helping to monitor, maintain, and respond to the growth of the raft and make adaptations, as well as banding both adults and chicks for tracking the colony. The raft’s success has drawn requests for her to speak at scientific meetings on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, as sea level rise and other impacts are destroying habitat, demanding more adaptations by scientists to help birds all over the world.

    Kim is the project photographer for Audubon and recently published in Chesapeake Bay Magazine. Saving Island Birds won first place in Boating Writers International’s annual writing contest in the Environmental Awareness category. She has a B.S. from the University of Delaware, and a background in the behavioral study of horseshoe crabs in Lewes, DE, where she began to focus on the growing needs of colonial nesting birds, seabirds, bird migration, and the need to restore and maintain breeding habitats. An avid birder, she resides in West Ocean City, MD. In her spare time, she devotes herself to her recently rescued, 5-year-old golden retriever named Zoe.

    • 05 Apr 2024
    • 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
    • 6908 Belair Rd, Natural History Society of MD
    Register

    This Founders’ Day, on the occasion of the 95 th anniversary of its founding, NHSM is honoring one of Maryland’s great naturalists, NHSM member and supporter, Miss Jean Worthley. Some people are so iconic, they need only one name. Oprah, Tiger, Elvis, Cher. Miss Jean is no exception, as evidenced in the lyrics of the opening song (see below) for the MPT program Hodgepodge Lodge, whose over 700 episodes in the early 1970s inspired a whole generation of young naturalists.

    Hodgepodge Lodge was but one vehicle for Miss Jean’s naturalist nature. She co-hosted On Nature’s Trail, also on MPT, with her husband, Elmer, wrote the Complete Family Nature Guide, was instrumental in the establishment of Soldiers Delight Natural Environment Area, ran a local botany club, and was active in many organizations, the list of which reads like a who’s who of environmental organizations, NHSM among them. Jean served on the NHSM board and was editor of the NHSM newsletter.

    Great naturalists don’t just explore and enjoy on their own. No. Great naturalists share their knowledge and passion with others. So many people working in nature centers, scientific organizations, state parks, government agencies, research institutes, colleges and other schools, museums, and, yes, the Natural History Society of Maryland can trace their path back to Miss Jean.

    We can think of no better way to honor Miss Jean than to spend the evening sharing stories. All whose lives have been touched by Miss Jean are invited to contribute a story to the video archive. Stories must be no longer than 5 minutes in length. Click here to share your stories via the Flip platform. If you would rather send the video or story a different way, email nhsm@marylandnature.org. A select few will be invited to share these stories in person the night of the Founders’ Day Reception, our birthday party; there will be cake. Join us to pay homage to integral contributions from our past while celebrating our present and looking forward to our future.

    For planning purposes, please RSVP. Please share with others.

    “We’re off to the forest to see Miss Jean. She lives in a house that is freshly green. Except for the chimney and windows and walls, and one or two places just down the halls, it’s filled with rabbits and snakes and snails, and fat little puppies keep wagging their tails. There’s deer and tigers and elephants too. (Spoken:) Well, maybe not elephants.” – Theme song to Hodgepodge Lodge.

    • 05 Apr 2024
    • 12 Apr 2024
    • 2 sessions
    • Gunpowder Falls State Park
    • 0
    Registration is closed

    Vernal pools are shallow depressions in the ground that usually fill with water for only part of the year. Melting snow and spring rains fill the holes with water, creating essential breeding habitat for specific species of frogs and salamanders. These amphibians leave their winter hibernation in the woodlands, find a vernal pool, mate, and lay their eggs in the water, leaving their young to hatch and grow in the pool. As the seasonal rains dry up, so do the vernal pools, sending the new generation of amphibians into the forest until their next breeding cycle.

    Amphibians such as wood frogs, spring peepers, toads, spotted salamanders, and other woodland salamanders are popular residents in our local vernal pools. Their egg masses suspended in the water may be visible, too, with the baby salamander efts or tiniest tadpoles writhing inside. With 700 species in the Northeast relying on vernal pools, the loss of pools due to development is of major concern, and preserving the few that remain is critical. With fewer pools, we see a decrease in biodiversity, and a decline in the amount of food available for other animals that live in these areas, such as small carnivores.

    To predict the best date to visit vernal pools, we need to consider two important factors, rainfall amounts and air temperature. These two must align for success: the amount of rainfall has to be significant enough to create the pool and the air temperature warm enough to tempt the amphibians out of hibernation. Two dates are listed for this event, but only one will be chosen, based on these conditions. If you reserve a spot on this trip, please make sure both dates are open for you to attend. THE DATES FOR THIS TRIP ARE APRIL 5 OR APRIL 12.  You will be notified by email or phone of the date chosen for optimum conditions. All is weather dependent. 

    To protect this unique environment, strict guidelines must be followed by all in attendance. Our presence cannot disturb or harm the wildlife or the vernal pool. Participants will not be allowed to enter the water at any time. Our team of volunteers will be gathering specimens gently and placing them in aquariums for us to observe. Your ability to listen and follow directions from the team is mandatory.

    We are offering this trip twice, either March 22 or 15, and a second time, either April 5 or 12. Please only register for one field trip, either in March or April.  With the limited time available for vernal pools to be viable and the small number of participants that the site can hold, let’s give everyone an opportunity to learn.

    Difficulty: Easy walk as the vernal pool is close to the road.

    Remember to

    • Dress according to the weather. Layers of clothing work best.
    • Wear sturdy closed-toe hiking or athletic shoes with non-slip soles that can safely handle slippery surfaces and can get muddy. No open-toed shoes.
    • Bring a headlamp or flashlight.
    • Bring a hand lens or loupe. Both are available to borrow.
    • No pets, please.
    • Our meeting location can be found in your registration confirmation email when payment is complete.

    NEW – Payment and Cancellation Policy: Payment is due online at the time of registration. Cancellations made seven or more days in advance of the event will receive a refund minus a 5% processing fee. Cancellations made within seven days of the event will not receive a refund. NHSM retains the right to update or change these requirements at any time.

    For questions, please email Jayne at JAsh@marylandnature.org.

    • 07 Apr 2024
    • 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
    • Loch Raven Trap & Skeet Center
    • 2
    Register

    Making cordage is a fundamental survival skill that is important for outdoor adventurists to master. The process uses our hands to convert plant fiber into usable natural rope and string. Cordage has many practical applications as an essential component in making bow-and-drill friction fires, snare or fishing lines, lashing in shelter construction, and repairing or creating clothing.
    Several local plant species can be used to make cordage, such as milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), dogbane (Apocynum cannabinum),  stinging nettle (Uritica dioica), and yucca (Yucca sp.). In this class, you will learn where to source fiber from cordage plants, prepare it for twining, and practice knotting techniques to create a stronghold.
    Nick, like most of the people who lead NHSM field trips, is a volunteer. Your money directly supports the programs, the nature collections, and the building that make this kind of nature education possible. Donate or become a member of the Natural History Society of Maryland by visiting https://marylandnature.org/support-maryland-nature/.

    Difficulty: Easy to moderate (low-intensity hiking)

    Remember to

    • Dress according to the weather. Layers of clothing work best.
    • Wear sturdy closed-toe hiking boots or sneakers with non-slip soles that can safely handle slippery surfaces.
    • Bring water, snacks, sunblock, bug spray, and for your camera, an extra battery, memory card, and lens-cleaning cloth.
    • No pets, please.

    NEW – Payment and Cancellation Policy: Payment is due online at the time of registration. Cancellations made seven or more days in advance of the event will receive a refund minus a 5% processing fee. Cancellations made within seven days of the event will not receive a refund. Events with fees of $10 or less are not refundable at any time unless canceled by NHSM. NHSM retains the right to update or change these requirements at any time.

    For questions, please email Jayne at JAsh@marylandnature.org.

    • 08 Apr 2024
    • 15 Apr 2024
    • 2 sessions
    • Online via Zoom
    • 2
    Register

    Many people can identify trees by their leaves, but what about when those leaves have fallen or are out of reach? Tree bark is available year-round.

    Michael Wojtech, author of Bark, will deepen your ability to notice details and your perception of trees. The class will teach a system for noticing the beautiful variety of bark characteristics and for using these traits to identify tree species in any season. You will also discover the function and ecological role of bark. Why do some species have smooth bark, while on others it is thick and broken? Why does bark peel?

    Between sessions, participants will be assigned to read a few sections and asked to choose a tree near their home to study and photograph. We will share our observations with the group during session 2.

    • Two-part workshop, via Zoom, with individual study
    • April 8, 7 to 9:00 pm
    • April 15, 7 to 9:00 pm

    Required text: Bark: A Field Guide to Trees of the Northeast can be ordered from Michael (a signed copy) at: https://knowyourtrees.com or from your local bookstore.

    About Michael Wojtech: As a freelance naturalist, writer, photographer, illustrator, and educator, Michael strives to share the science and beauty of natural history in an accessible and compelling fashion through presentations, participatory activities, and outdoor exploration. He writes and teaches about the structure, growth processes, and ecology of trees—including their bark, buds, leaves, roots, and wood—for audiences at all levels of experience, and explores how knowing the natural history of the places we live and love fosters connection and the feeling of home.

    Michael earned his master’s degree in Conservation Biology from Antioch University New England in Keene, NH. He is the author of Bark: A Field Guide to Trees of the Northeast and co-author of Drawing Leaves and Trees: Observing and Sketching the Natural World.

    NEW – Payment and Cancellation Policy: Payment is due online at the time of registration. Cancellations made seven or more days in advance of the event will receive a refund minus a 5% processing fee. Cancellations made within seven days of the event will not receive a refund. NHSM retains the right to update or change these requirements at any time.

    For questions, please email Jayne at JAsh@marylandnature.org.

    • 10 Apr 2024
    • 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
    • 6908 Belair Rd, Natural History Society of MD
    Register

    Join Jennifer Lyons of Heart Reptile Rescue and Sanctuary to learn about running a reptile rescue and meet some of the animals she has rescued. We will have lizards, snakes, and turtles for you to get to know. All are welcome — you do not have to be a member to attend. For planning purposes, please RSVP to let us know you’re coming.

    About Jennifer: “I am an avid animal lover no matter what kind of animal. I have volunteered with all types of animals from cats to guinea pigs to reptiles. I also train dogs on the side. I work full time in military sales to feed and vet all the animals in my house. I have four dogs and a cat of my own and countless reptiles. I also have a husband and teenager who does not help talk me out of new pets.”

    This meeting of the NHSM Herp Club will take place in person at 6908 Belair Rd. Due to its interactive nature and the presence of live animals, it will not be broadcast on Zoom; NHSM regrets any inconvenience. Please contact the club coordinator (mfalk@marylandnature.org) with questions.

    Are you fascinated by reptiles and amphibians? The Natural History Society of Maryland’s Herp Club promotes the proper husbandry, conservation, study, and appreciation of reptiles and amphibians. Amateurs, professionals, and kids of all ages are welcome. Meetings are held the second Wednesday of every month and are open to the public.

    Membership to NHSM is required to join any of our clubs. NHSM membership is $35 for individuals, $50 for families; Herp Club membership is an additional $5 for individuals and $10 for families annually.https://www.marylandnature.org/club-membership/

    Learn more about NHSM Clubs: https://youtu.be/pIA7naRjXws

    • 11 Apr 2024
    • 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
    • Online via Zoom
    Register

    Second in grandeur only to the skeleton itself is the large, hand-painted mural, featuring a Pleistocene Maryland scene with woolly mammoths in the foreground and, in the background, shades of the Laurentide Ice Sheets that stopped in Northern Pennsylvania. This beautiful, original artwork was crafted and brought to life by Brittany Roger, graduate of MICA, teacher, naturalist, and friend to all animals, who generously donated her time and talents.
    In this presentation, Brittany will reveal the strategic choices that went into planning and executing the Pleistocene mural for Maryland’s first woolly mammoth exhibit, a dream come true. “Since visiting the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in 2007, I’ve dreamed of making a mural for an exhibit like this! I’ve always been fascinated with the Ice Age, recently extinct fauna, and of course — the mammoth!”

     

    • 12 Apr 2024
    • 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
    • Dinosaur Park
    • 0
    Join waitlist

    Join the dino hunt! It’s a morning of fossil hunting right here in Maryland where dinosaurs roamed 115 million years ago. This period in the Early Cretaceous is so long ago, that it was approximately 50 million years before Tyrannosaurus rex evolved. Dinosaur Park is also home to Astrodon Johnstoni, the Maryland State dinosaur, and the largest species found east of the Mississippi River. The area represents what remains of a river and wetlands, similar in environment to the Patuxent River Park in Upper Marlboro, Maryland today. The site has been described as one of the most prolific sites for dinosaur and plant fossils east of the Mississippi River.
    Our day will start with a show-and-tell presentation about Dinosaur Park then you’ll be able to look for fossils in the fossil site area. We will have access to a back portion not open to the general public.  All fossils found are retained by the park.

    Remember

    • Digging is prohibited by visitors. Instead, you will learn surface collection techniques used by paleontologists in the field. No personal tools allowed.
    • Your fossil discoveries help park paleontologists better understand the ancient world of Prince George’s County. All fossils are stored and preserved in our Dinosaur Park lab.
    • If you find a significant fossil, your name is recorded and displayed in our museum collection.
    • Dinosaur Park is entirely outdoors, and the fossil site can get dusty or muddy. Please dress appropriately in closed-toed shoes and dress for the weather.
    • Restrooms are available. A water fountain is available seasonally. Picnic tables are available year-round.
    • Wear sturdy closed-toe hiking boots or sneakers with non-slip soles that can safely handle slippery surfaces.
    • Bring water, snacks, sunblock, bug spray, and for your camera, an extra battery, memory card, and lens-cleaning cloth.

    The exact meeting location will be listed on your confirmation email after payment has been received.

    NEW – Payment and Cancellation Policy: Payment is due online at the time of registration. Cancellations made seven or more days in advance of the event will receive a refund minus a 5% processing fee. Cancellations made within seven days of the event will not receive a refund. Events with fees of $10 or less are not refundable at any time unless canceled by NHSM. NHSM retains the right to update or change these requirements at any time.

    For questions, please email Jayne at JAsh@marylandnature.org.

     

     

    • 13 Apr 2024
    • 9:00 AM - 3:30 PM
    • Stratford Cliffs / Stratford Hall Plantation 483 Great House Road, Montross, VA 22520 · Montross, VA
    • 0
    Join waitlist

    Stratford Cliffs are a part of the Calvert Formation, a rare geological phenomenon along the Chesapeake Bay and Potomac River. Among the most important fossil research sites in the Mid-Atlantic region, the cliffs were formed when land replaced an ancient sea.

    Fossils found here are composed of compacted marine plant and animal matter dating from the Miocene Epoch, approximately 17 to 10 million years ago. Fossilized remains found at this site indicate a sea filled with primitive shark-toothed porpoises, salt-water crocodiles, sea cows, gopher turtles, rays, whales, and sharks. Thousands of shark teeth found along this area attest to the frequency of the sharks, the largest among them being Carcharodon megalodon, or Giant White Shark, with teeth measuring 7 inches or more.

    Most of the land along the shoreline is privately owned, and public access is severely limited, so we are fortunate to have this opportunity. Our site is part of the Stratford Hall plantation owned by four generations of the Lee family, and now cared for by the Robert E. Lee Memorial Foundation. The estate encompasses 1900 acres of farmlands and forests on a high bluff overlooking the Potomac River.

    Travel time: Located in Montross, VA (on the south side of the Potomac River, adjacent to Westmoreland State Park), The site is an estimated 3-hour drive from Baltimore. Carpooling is encouraged, but guests are responsible for their own transportation; NHSM cannot provide rides. A link to a carpool app will be shared for participants looking to join up for the drive.

    Difficulty: This field trip is moderately strenuous, involving hiking, cold water, and uncertain weather. Depending on what storms may have impacted the river, there could be washed-up trees and debris on the beach, as well as broken glass. There could be a few scramble spots. However, if you do not want to climb over obstacles, you can remain on the beach that is accessible to you. This is a rain-or-shine event.

    What to wear/bring:

    • Please wear closed-toe shoes with sturdy soles. We strongly encourage you to bring waders, as the water may be high and it is often cold.
    • Pack snacks, water, and a brown bag lunch, if you get hungry.
    • Do you have a scoop, a screen, small shovels, sieves, etc.?  Bring them!
    • Metal detectors are not allowed.
    • You may want to bring a set of dry clothes, in case you get wet.

    Age Restriction: This event is not for young children. Stratford has a minimum age requirement of 8 years old.

    Cancellation Policy: Cancellations made more than one week before the date of the event will result in a refund, minus a 5% processing fee. No refunds can be issued within a week of the event, but the registration can be transferred to a friend.

    If NHSM cancels this event, all registration fees will be refunded in full.

    For questions, please email Jayne at JAsh@marylandnature.org.

    • 13 Apr 2024
    • 9:30 AM - 2:30 PM
    • 6908 Belair Rd, Natural History Society of MD
    • 6
    Register

    Have you ever wondered about how the pyramids were built?
    Have you thought about hunting with stone arrowheads?
    Have you wondered what people in the past thought about, how they lived, what they ate?

    All these and many more questions are what archaeologists work on answering. In this class, scouts will work towards completing the Archaeology Merit Badge. Become an archaeologist for a day as you explore ancient peoples, find and study artifacts from the past, and learn how artifacts change over time, all in a Natural History Museum with a professional archaeologist and certified merit badge counselor.

    The following Badge Requirements will be reviewed and can be satisfied in class discussions and presentations. Any questions regarding the content and structure of the class should be directed to the instructor, David Thulman (dthulman@gmail.com):

    • 1-6, 10, and 11. Some of these require independent work before class.
    • Scouts should be ready to present to the class on requirement 7.
    • We can approve the report for requirement 9(b).
    • We will notify participating scouts as soon as we know of field opportunities that meet the requirements of 8(a). We will not be doing a simulated excavation.

    Things to remember to bring for this Merit Badge Class:

    1. Merit Badge Blue Card properly filled out and signed by your Scoutmaster;
    2. Archaeology Merit Badge Pamphlet and Workbook;
    3. Other supporting documentation or project work pertinent to this merit badge;
    4. Scout Uniform;
    5. A positive Scouting focus and attitude;
    6. Lunch (will be eaten out of doors, weather permitting).

    Most Merit Badges are not designed to be completed in a single session with an instructor, so it is not always possible to walk away with a completed and signed blue card at the end of a program. Every badge requires some independent work by the scout. We call this “pre-work” because, if these requirements are performed prior to our program, we can complete and sign the merit badge card. Otherwise we will sign partial cards at the completion of our program and will have qualified counselors review assignments on an individual basis at a later date.

    Meet Your instructor: A professorial Lecturer of Anthropology at GW University in D.C., Dr. Thulman is an archaeologist and former environmental lawyer who participates in prehistoric underwater and terrestrial excavations in Florida, including the pre-Clovis site of Page-Ladson in the Aucilla River. He is president of the Archaeological Research Cooperative, Inc. (ARCO-OP), a 501(c)(3) charitable corporation dedicated to archaeological research and public education.

    Terms and Conditions: Due to the level of content and instruction associated with this class, participants must be 8th grade or older. Pre-registration and prepayment are required to attend. Spaces are limited. Check in is at 9:00 AM.

    Payment and Cancellation Policy: Payment is due online at the time of registration. Cancellations made seven or more days in advance of the event will receive a refund minus a 5% processing fee. Cancellations made within seven days of the event will not receive a refund. NHSM retains the right to update or change these requirements at any time.

    • 14 Apr 2024
    • 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
    • Baltimore, Inner Harbor
    • 10
    Register

    A large iron ring hung from a post many decades ago. And just below, a big stone step. Look closely to see the peephole near the top. Who was looking at what at this red sandstone building in downtown Baltimore? Join geologist Sam Glasscock to find out the answer on this walk near the Inner Harbor. Sam will share the stories of rocks from many of our largest buildings and monuments, and you’ll discover how far away these beautiful slabs of stone traveled to find a home here in Baltimore.

    On this 1.25-mile walk, view structures built with igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rock formed roughly 3.8 billion years ago in Earth’s history and erected during the last 200 years of American history. Who knew you could see ancient fossils, touch a stone almost as old as the earth, and get a feel for Italy all in downtown Baltimore?

    Our trip leader Sam Glasscock holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Geological Science and a Master’s in Marine Science. He currently works as an environmental scientist.

    The tour should take approximately 1.5 hours to complete. Bring a loupe or hand lens. Some will be available for sharing.

    NEW - Payment and Cancellation Policy: Payment is due online at the time of registration. Cancellations made seven or more days in advance of the event will receive a refund minus a 5% processing fee. Cancellations made within seven days of the event will not receive a refund but may be transferred to a friend.

    For questions, please email Jayne at JAsh@marylandnature.org.

    Read more about Baltimore Rocks here: https://www.microexcursions.com/baltimore-rocks/.

    • 14 Apr 2024
    • 1:00 PM - 3:30 PM
    • Havre de Grace, Susquehanna State Park
    • 2
    Register

    Virginia bluebells sweep the award for most prolific spring wildflower at Susquehanna State Park during April. With our cameras ready, we’ll wander the trail that flanks the Susquehanna River to admire the blue spectacle of both the bluebells and the river as it races by. Other spring wildflowers, such as Dutchman’s breeches, trillium, and violets, may be found along the trail, too, with easy access for photography. Birds, including fishing ospreys, bald eagles, and colorful warblers, may be seen along the river or in the tree canopy, making our outing a well-rounded spring trip.

    We will likely find the trail at peak bloom or close to it, depending on the changeable spring weather.

    Barbara Saffir, our trip leader, is a certified master naturalist, seasoned hike leader, and award-winning photographer, as well as the author of Walking Washington, DC. See her blog here: https://www.barbarajoansaffir.com And see her photostream here: https://www.flickr.com/gp/olympusbjs/K8U8LL9K5K.

    Barbara, like most of the people who lead NHSM field trips, is a volunteer. Your money directly supports the programs, the nature collections, and the building that make this kind of nature education possible. Donate or become a member of the Natural History Society of Maryland by visiting https://marylandnature.org/support-maryland-nature/.

    Difficulty: Moderate, approximately 3 flat miles in and out. One may turn around to return without the group at any point during the hike.

    Remember to

    • Be prepared for mud and roots.
    • Dress according to the weather. Layers of clothing work best.
    • Wear sturdy closed-toe hiking boots or sneakers with non-slip soles that can safely handle slippery surfaces.
    • Bring water, snacks, sunblock, bug spray, and for your camera, an extra battery, memory card, and lens-cleaning cloth. Consider wearing bug spray in case the ticks are already out.
    • Bring binoculars, a few will be available to borrow.
    • Bring your guidebooks.
    • No pets, please.

    The exact meeting location will be listed in your confirmation email after payment has been received. Rain cancels. If the trip is canceled, you will be notified by email the day before. The trip will not be rescheduled. Refunds will be available or please consider your registration fee a donation to NHSM.

    NEW – Payment and Cancellation Policy: Payment is due online at the time of registration. Cancellations made seven or more days in advance of the event will receive a refund minus a 5% processing fee. Cancellations made within seven days of the event will not receive a refund. Events with fees of $10 or less are not refundable at any time unless canceled by NHSM. NHSM retains the right to update or change these requirements at any time.

    For questions, please email Jayne at JAsh@marylandnature.org.

    • 19 Apr 2024
    • 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
    • Havre de Grace, Susquehanna State Park
    • 6
    Register

    Hike along the Susquehanna River and Deer Creek in search of wildflowers and early spring migrating birds with John Canoles. With an April timeframe, we should see the end of the early spring wildflowers such as Virginia bluebells, Dutchman’s breeches, drooping trillium, Virginia spring beauty, and cut-leaved toothwort. Migrating birds may include the blue-gray gnatcatcher, parula warbler, yellow-rumped warbler, Louisiana waterthrush, palm warbler, prothonotary warbler, bald eagle, and osprey.
     
    The trail may be muddy and the terrain can be uneven in some places.
    John Canoles is an ecologist focusing on the identification and assessment of natural resources and the creation of natural upland and wetland habitats. He is also involved in nature education, having helped design the nature walk and Butterfly House at Ladew Gardens and the Accessible Trail at Cromwell Valley Park, and has taught “Introduction of Birdwatching” classes for Johns Hopkins Odyssey Program, Community College of Baltimore County, and Cromwell Valley Park. John also writes a monthly Nature Notes column for the Baltimore County Country Chronicle newspaper. He is a member of the Harford Bird Club and the Harford County Land Trust and is on the board of Trustees for Ladew Topiary Gardens.

    John, like most of the other people who lead NHSM field trips, is a volunteer, so your money will go directly to support the programs, the nature collections, and the building that make this kind of nature education possible. Donate or become a member of the Natural History Society of Maryland by visiting https://marylandnature.org/support-maryland-nature/.

    Remember to

    • Dress according to the weather. Layers of clothing work best.
    • Wear sturdy closed-toe hiking boots or sneakers with non-slip soles that can safely handle slippery surfaces.
    • Bring water, snacks, sunblock, bug spray, and for your camera, an extra battery, memory card, and lens-cleaning cloth.
    • Bring binoculars, a few will be available to borrow.
    • Bring your guidebooks.
    • No pets, please.

    The exact meeting location will be listed on your confirmation email after payment has been received.

    NEW – Payment and Cancellation Policy: Payment is due online at the time of registration. Cancellations made seven or more days in advance of the event will receive a refund minus a 5% processing fee. Cancellations made within seven days of the event will not receive a refund. NHSM retains the right to update or change these requirements at any time.

    For questions, please email Jayne at JAsh@marylandnature.org.

    • 20 Apr 2024
    • 7:30 AM - 10:30 AM
    • Joppatown, Mariner Point Park
    • 14
    Register

    Challenge yourself to see, really see. How many organisms can we find in one hike across various habitats? With the editor at the Maryland Biodiversity Project, Dave Webb, to guide us, we may be surprised with our findings.
    For the very small,  we’ll sift soil and leaf litter and use magnifiers to search for little detritivores in the dirt, such as millipedes, centipedes, springtails, and terrestrial isopods. The black squirrels may be easy to spot with just our eyes, flitting between branches. But for those spring migrant birds, let’s don our binoculars to spot Rusty Blackbirds, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Orchard Orioles, and Yellow-throated Warblers.

    A quick fact about those black squirrels: they are not a different species but a melanistic Eastern gray squirrel. Their origin in Maryland goes back to the presidency of Teddy Roosevelt when eighteen melanistic gray squirrels were introduced into the forest at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. The squirrels spread from there, establishing these genetics in the region, and are still spreading.

    We will be learning from Dave Webb, an editor with Maryland Biodiversity Project which a non-profit organization dedicated to cataloging the flora and fauna of Maryland. The project promotes conservation, science, and education by building a nature study community. Dave also edits BugGuide.net, vetting the identifications of arthropods photographed by other outdoor enthusiasts, including his own photos. Check out the project here: https://www.marylandbiodiversity.com/

    Dave, like most of the people who lead NHSM field trips, is a volunteer. Your money directly supports the programs, the nature collections, and the building that make this kind of nature education possible. Donate or become a member of the Natural History Society of Maryland by visiting https://marylandnature.org/support-maryland-nature/.

    Difficulty: Easy to moderate (low-intensity hiking)

    Remember to

    • Dress according to the weather. Layers of clothing work best.
    • Wear sturdy closed-toe hiking boots or sneakers with non-slip soles that can safely handle slippery surfaces.
    • Bring water, snacks, sunblock, bug spray, and for your camera, an extra battery, memory card, and lens-cleaning cloth.
    • Bring binoculars. Two will be available to borrow.
    • Bring a loupe, hand lens, or magnifying glass. Some will be available to borrow.
    • Bring your guidebooks.
    • No pets, please.

    The exact meeting location will be listed in your confirmation email after payment has been received.

    NEW – Payment and Cancellation Policy: Payment is due online at the time of registration. Cancellations made seven or more days in advance of the event will receive a refund minus a 5% processing fee. Cancellations made within seven days of the event will not receive a refund. Events with fees of $10 or less are not refundable at any time unless canceled by NHSM. NHSM retains the right to update or change these requirements at any time.

    For questions, please email Jayne at JAsh@marylandnature.org.

    • 20 Apr 2024
    • 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
    • 6908 Belair Rd, Natural History Society of MD
    • 12
    Register

    Cyanotype is a photographic printing process invented in 1842 by the astronomer John Herschel. It produces prints in a distinctive dark greenish-blue, hence the name, from the Greek word cyan for “dark blue.”
    The simplest type of cyanotypes are made by arranging objects on a treated surface and exposing them to UV light. This action creates a chemical change resulting in an image of silhouettes of the arranged objects. In this class, Jamie Gerhold will guide you step by step through the cyanotype process, so you can learn to make prints of your own. No experience is necessary and you will leave the class with two unique cyanotypes that you made yourself.

    You will be working primarily with pressed flowers. All supplies and materials will be provided. If you have pressed flowers, leaves, and other objects of your own, you are welcome to bring them, but it is not necessary.

    Payment and Cancellation Policy: Payment is due online at the time of registration. Cancellations made seven or more days in advance of the event will receive a refund minus a 5% processing fee. Cancellations made within seven days of the event will not receive a refund but may be transferred to a friend.
    • 20 Apr 2024
    • 12:30 PM - 2:00 PM
    • 6908 Belair Rd, Natural History Society of MD
    • 12
    Register

    Cyanotype is a photographic printing process invented in 1842 by the astronomer John Herschel. It produces prints in a distinctive dark greenish-blue, hence the name, from the Greek word cyan for “dark blue.”
    The simplest type of cyanotypes are made by arranging objects on a treated surface and exposing them to UV light. This action creates a chemical change resulting in an image of silhouettes of the arranged objects. In this class, Jamie Gerhold will guide you step by step through the cyanotype process, so you can learn to make prints of your own. No experience is necessary and you will leave the class with two unique cyanotypes that you made yourself.

    You will be working primarily with pressed flowers. All supplies and materials will be provided. If you have pressed flowers, leaves, and other objects of your own, you are welcome to bring them, but it is not necessary.

    Payment and Cancellation Policy: Payment is due online at the time of registration. Cancellations made seven or more days in advance of the event will receive a refund minus a 5% processing fee. Cancellations made within seven days of the event will not receive a refund but may be transferred to a friend.
    • 21 Apr 2024
    • 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
    • 6908 Belair Rd, Natural History Society of MD
    Register

    April is Maryland Archaeology Month, and we are pleased to bring you our annual Archaeo Expo. Archaeology has played an integral role in NHSM’s 95-year history. We are home to many artifacts that help trace the cultural story of the land we now call Maryland.

    Join us for a day of learning with exhibits, activities, crafts and presentations. Be sure to check out our developing Ice Age exhibit featuring the woolly mammoth!

    At 3:00, Dr. Zachary Singer will deliver the keynote speech on Paleoindians in Maryland.

    For more information on exciting Archaeology Events happening throughout Maryland in April: https://www.marylandarcheologymonth.org/about

    The program is free, but to help us plan, we ask that you RSVP.

    ABOUT NATURE CONNECTIONS: Nature Connections is a signature program offered to you by the Natural History Society of Maryland with financial support from Constellation Energy. Held on select Sundays, the programs are free* and open to the public. Each Nature Connection focuses on a different natural history topic.

    • Learn from presentations and displays from local experts and organizations • Explore specimens and artifacts from natural history collections • Hear about related citizen science projects • Talk to scientists who can answer your questions and guide your discoveries of the natural world • Enjoy games, art, crafts, stories, music, and drama for all ages

    • 24 Apr 2024
    • 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
    • 6908 Belair Rd, Natural History Society of MD
    Register

    City Nature Challenge (CNC), the Super Bowl of bioblitzes, is just around the corner. CNC is an annual friendly competition between cities across the globe to find and document plants and wildlife over a four-day period (April 26-29 this year) using the iNaturalist app.

    The Natural History Society of Maryland would like to make sure you are ready for this bioblitz! You don’t need to be a wildlife expert—all skill levels are welcome to participate. Download iNaturalist and join us for an evening presentation on the CNC and learn how to use the app with National Park Ranger, Bill Curtis.

    Why participate? There is nature all around us, even in our cities! Knowing what species are in our metro area and where they are helps us study and protect them, but the ONLY way to do that is by all of us working together to find and document the nature in our area. By participating in the CNC, not only do you learn more about your local nature, but you can also make your city a better place—for you and other species!

    Who is Bill? Bill Curtis is a National Park Ranger currently stationed at Hampton National Historic Site and Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine. While a history major at Gettysburg College, he began his career as a Licensed Battlefield Guide. His NPS career has included full-time duties as an interpreter and a law enforcement officer, and he now works in the Resource Management Division, splitting his time between museum work and helping to care for the historic landscape. He is a Maryland Master Naturalist, and he is happily married and the proud father of two.

    NOTE: While this public event is being held as part of the NHSM Lep Club’s monthly meeting, this is a special event open to the public. ALL are welcome.

    If you love butterflies and moths, consider joining the NHSM Lep Club. Made up of novice and expert lepidopterists who meet to exchange knowledge and support concerning habitat, threats, food sources, identification, and life cycle of butterflies and moths, the Lep Club encourages the sharing of knowledge for the raising and breeding of moths and butterflies through hands-on lessons and guest speakers. Club members are also involved in outreach in the greater Baltimore community through educational programs and service projects. Club meetings often feature a guest speaker who shares their knowledge on a topic related to moths and butterflies. Meetings also include time to distribute caterpillars, eggs, and host plants.

    To become a member, go here: https://www.marylandnature.org/get-involved/club-membership/?fbclid=IwAR3Km8ShcrUxZO-cfxRJZYDaeBVRm9PmRIsDwUfNsI3eUiGYTItgIjNA5xs

    Bill, like most of the other people who provide educational programs at NHSM, is a volunteer. Your registration fees directly support the programs, the nature collections, and the building that make this kind of nature education possible. Donate or become a member of the Natural History Society of Maryland by visiting https://marylandnature.org/support-maryland-nature/.

    • 25 Apr 2024
    • 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
    • Patapsco Valley State Park
    • 3
    Register

    Learn about Patapsco Valley State Park’s unique cultural history with Edward Johnson, volunteer ranger and coauthor of the book,  Images of America: Patapsco Valley State Park. Now known as Maryland’s first and largest state park, the Patapsco area has changed dramatically from the wildlands hunted by the Native Americans to the arrival of the Europeans who brought industry to now, the park we enjoy today.

    Of those industries that left their mark on the area, the first commercial venture was an iron forge that helped to sustain the grain, paper, and textile industries that followed. We’ll visit ruins of those ventures along our hiking trail as we listen to the stories about the area’s deforestation and recovery and how the Thomas Viaduct was built in 1835 as the country’s first multi-span masonry railroad bridge built on a curve. We’ll learn how those original 43 acres became a popular camping destination in the 1920s, how the Civilian Conservation Corps stepped up to help in the 1930s, and about the major damage suffered during the floods of Hurricane Agnes in 1972 and the most recent Ellicott City flood in 2018. The park now encompasses eight recreational areas and has grown to 14,000 acres, including 32 miles along the Patapsco River.

    We will also check out the Orange Grove area, about two miles down the road, to see the Swinging Bridge and the remains of the Orange Grove Flour Mill. This suspension footbridge spans the Patapsco River. Previous footbridges at this location enabled the residents of the Orange Grove mill town to cross the river to Baltimore County.

    Edward Johnson has volunteered as a ranger for the park for over 20 years. He is a retired principal and teacher and can be found sharing his knowledge with park visitors using story-telling with historic photographs and nature painting classes. Copies of his book will be available for the discounted price of $23, including tax.

    Ed, like most of the people who lead NHSM field trips, is a volunteer. Your money directly supports the programs, the nature collections, and the building that make this kind of nature education possible. Donate or become a member of the Natural History Society of Maryland by visiting https://marylandnature.org/support-maryland-nature/.


    Difficulty: Easy, flat terrain

    Remember to

    • Dress according to the weather. Layers of clothing work best. For sunny days, a hat with a brim may be needed.
    • Wear sturdy closed-toe hiking boots or sneakers with non-slip soles that can safely handle slippery surfaces.
    • Bring water, snacks, sunblock, bug spray, and for your camera, an extra battery, extra memory card, and lens-cleaning cloth.
    • No pets, please.
    • The exact meeting location will be found in your registration confirmation email.

    NEW - Payment and Cancellation Policy: Payment is due online at the time of registration. Cancellations made seven or more days in advance of the event will receive a refund minus a 5% processing fee. Cancellations made within seven days of the event will not receive a refund but may be transferred to a friend.

    For questions, please email Jayne at JAsh@marylandnature.org.

    • 25 Apr 2024
    • 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
    • Online via Zoom
    Register

    “Everybody needs a rock. I’m sorry for kids who don’t have a rock for a friend. I’m sorry for kids who only have TRICYCLES, BICYCLES, HORSES, ELEPHANTS, GOLDFISH, THREE-ROOM PLAYHOUSES, FIRE ENGINES, WIND UP DRAGONS, AND THINGS LIKE THAT—if they don’t have a rock for a friend.” —B. Baylor (1974)

    Collecting is a very common activity amongst humans. But why? Some say it is instinct; others, play, passion, a challenge, a thrill, or even an addiction or obsession. In the 2013 study, “Everyone Needs a Rock: Collecting Items from Nature in Childhood,” Dr. Kristi Lekies and her colleagues began to look at the nature collection habits of youth. Of the undergraduates interviewed, over 80% admitted to collecting items from nature as children, and collectors were more likely to score a higher connection to nature as adults than non-collectors.

    Dr. Lekies’s research focuses on experiences of place, with a special emphasis on children and youth from early childhood through young adulthood. She examines early life experiences in natural settings, geographical communities, and community-based educational and recreational programs. In this presentation, she will share the results of her studies on the importance of nature collections during people’s formative years.

    About the Presenter: Kristi Lekies is Associate Professor in the School of Environment and Natural Resources at The Ohio State University. Her research explores human experiences of the natural world in the early part of the life span and the role of outdoor and community environments in positive youth and young adult development. She is also a program evaluation specialist and has evaluated programs related to foster care, early childhood education, 4-H, and climate change education over the past 25 years.

    She is a transdisciplinary social scientist with a background in social work, rural sociology, and human development who earned her bachelor’s degree in social work from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, her master’s degree in home economics from the University of Wisconsin-Stout, and a Ph.D. in human development and family studies from Iowa State University. She was also a Fulbright Scholar to the University of Potsdam in Germany in the 1990s.

    Dr. Lekies’ current projects include a study of nature photography for youth in residential care, a study of the long-term impacts of outdoor adventure recreation in young adulthood, and an edited book called The Transformative Power of Parks. She teaches courses in Natural Resources Program Planning and Citizenship Across the Rural-Urban Divide.

    • 27 Apr 2024
    • 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
    • Black Hills Discovery Center, Boyds
    • 12
    Register

    Join us for the naturalist version of seek and find: flip a log, find a salamander. We will walk the trails, looking for potential hiding spots under logs and debris. Being gentle with the forest floor, we will return any salamanders we find safe and unharmed to their hiding spots. More amphibians may be found in the nearby pond where we’ll watch for tadpoles and other life there.

    After checking this area out, we will drive to a lower area with a smaller lake where turtles bask on sunny days.

    While at the Discovery Center, we will take a look inside at the Bald Eagle exhibit and hang out on the balcony area to spot the nesting pair in the area.

    Our field trip leader Tori Schneider is an Associate Professor of Biology at Montgomery College, Rockville Campus. Her interests are ecology and evolutionary biology.  She is a herpetologist by trade and studied the phylogenetic relationships of a group of lizards endemic to southern Africa. Tori also studied the effects of ecological disturbances on amphibian populations in Michigan.
    • 28 Apr 2024
    • 8:00 AM - 11:00 AM
    • Patapsco Valley State Park
    • 0
    Registration is closed

    If truffles are out of your price range, morels are the next best thing. Prized for taste and versatility by chefs worldwide, morels emerge for only a short time in spring. Knowing where to look for morels is one important factor in the hunt. Lucky for us, Nick Spero knows all the clues. He knows the rich forests where morels grow and how they are intertwined in a symbiotic relationship with certain trees. And how indicator plants can tell us when the morel growing season will start and end. And how the right combination of warmth and rain brings morels popping their heads out of the soil.

    We will discuss collection methods and how to prepare our findings for optimal taste and nutrition. To limit our impact on the park, let’s concentrate on learning to identify and sample taste rather than foraging, which may damage an area when too much is taken.

    Please note that morels are very temperature and moisture-dependent. We will do our best to find them, but like all natural things, we make no guarantees.

    Our field trip leader Nick Spero spends his retirement outdoors as an avid hunter and fisherman. Primitive technology has piqued his interest since childhood. Here is a video produced by NPR about Nick.
    Nick, like most of the people who lead NHSM field trips, is a volunteer. Your money directly supports the programs, the nature collections, and the building that make this kind of nature education possible. Donate or become a member of the Natural History Society of Maryland by visiting https://marylandnature.org/support-maryland-nature/.

    Difficulty: Easy to moderate (low-intensity hiking)

     Remember to

    • Dress according to the weather. Layers of clothing work best.
    • Wear sturdy closed-toe hiking boots or sneakers with non-slip soles that can safely handle slippery surfaces.
    • Bring water, snacks, sunblock, bug spray, and for your camera, an extra battery, memory card, and lens-cleaning cloth.
    • Bring binoculars, if you would like to bird along the way.
    • Bring your guidebooks.
    • No pets, please.

    The exact meeting location will be listed in your confirmation email after payment has been received.

    NEW – Payment and Cancellation Policy: Payment is due online at the time of registration. Cancellations made seven or more days in advance of the event will receive a refund minus a 5% processing fee. Cancellations made within seven days of the event will not receive a refund. Events with fees of $10 or less are not refundable at any time unless canceled by NHSM. NHSM retains the right to update or change these requirements at any time.

    For questions, please email Jayne at JAsh@marylandnature.org.

    • 02 May 2024
    • 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
    • Online via Zoom
    Register

    In this presentation, Gene Scarpulla will review the different groups and species of shorebirds found in Maryland, with tips on their identification. It’s appropriate for new birders, experienced birders who have never gotten around to figuring out shorebirds, and for birders of all levels who need a brush-up in preparation for the upcoming shorebird migration season.

    Gene may be known primarily as a gull guru but his expertise on shorebirds is just as deep, having been honed through weekly trips to the Delaware Bayshore and Hart-Miller Island over many years’ time.

    MEET YOUR INSTRUCTOR: Gene Scarpulla is retired after working 30 years at the City of Baltimore’s Reservoir Natural Resources Section, his last eight years serving as the City’s Watershed Manager, in charge of Loch Raven, Prettyboy, and Liberty Watersheds. He earned a B.S. and an M.S. in biology with a concentration in ecology at Towson State College and Towson State University, respectively. Gene serves as editor of both Maryland Birdlife and The Maryland Entomologist and lives in Phoenix (MD) with his wife, Marcia Watson, and Rudy, the cat that adopted them.

    • 04 May 2024
    • 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
    • Holt Park and Center for the Arts
    • 7
    Register

    Let’s look for the little. We’ll explore the tops and bottoms of logs, branches, and debris, grubbing for early spiders, such as lace weavers, smaller wolf spiders, and some early orb weavers and their webs. There should be a variety of other arthropods, including various beetles, centipedes, millipedes, and isopods. We will also probably encounter larger critters such as red-backed salamanders and if we’re lucky, small snakes like garter, brown, and possibly worm or even ring-necked. Holt Park offers a good woodland spider-hunting habitat, plus plenty of stream-side and pond-side habitats for more moisture-loving organisms.

    As is always the case outdoors, the unexpected is usually likely, so who knows what we’ll find. It will be the peak of warbler migration, too, so we’ll be looking up as well as down.

    Our trip leader, John Robinson, is a volunteer like most of the people who lead NHSM field trips. Your money directly supports the programs, the nature collections, and the building that make this kind of nature education possible. Donate or become a member of the Natural History Society of Maryland by visiting https://marylandnature.org/support-maryland-nature/.

    Difficulty: Easy to moderate (low-intensity hiking)

    Remember to

    • Dress according to the weather. Layers of clothing work best.
    • Wear sturdy closed-toe hiking boots or sneakers with non-slip soles that can safely handle slippery surfaces.
    • Bring water, snacks, sunblock, bug spray, and for your camera, an extra battery, memory card, and lens-cleaning cloth.
    • Small glass or plastic containers for temporary specimen holding
    • Bring binoculars, a few will be available to borrow.
    • Bring your guidebooks.
    • No pets, please.

    The exact meeting location will be listed in your confirmation email after payment has been received.

    NEW – Payment and Cancellation Policy: Payment is due online at the time of registration. Cancellations made seven or more days in advance of the event will receive a refund minus a 5% processing fee. Cancellations made within seven days of the event will not receive a refund. Events with fees of $10 or less are not refundable at any time unless canceled by NHSM. NHSM retains the right to update or change these requirements at any time.

    For questions, please email Jayne at JAsh@marylandnature.org.

    • 05 May 2024
    • 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
    • Gunpowder Falls State Park Central Area: Big Gunpowder Trail 11203 Belair Rd., Kingsville, MD
    • 12
    Register

    Time to rotate our buffet menu to the late spring category of tasty nibbles. Join master forager Nick Spero to discover locally found plants that can add flavor to your cooking and apply that know-how to your own backyard. We’ll be on the lookout for late-spring plants such as wild ginger, ramp, and spicebush. We will discuss collection methods and how to prepare our findings for optimal taste and nutrition. To limit our impact on the park, let’s concentrate on learning to identify and sample taste rather than foraging, which may damage an area when too much is taken.

    Our field trip leader Nick Spero spends his retirement outdoors as an avid hunter and fisherman. Primitive technology has piqued his interest since childhood. Here is a 

    video produced by NPR about Nick.

    Nick, like most of the people who lead NHSM field trips, is a volunteer. Your money directly supports the programs, the nature collections, and the building that make this kind of nature education possible. Donate or become a member of the Natural History Society of Maryland by visiting https://marylandnature.org/support-maryland-nature/.

    Difficulty: Easy to moderate (low-intensity hiking)

    Remember to

    • Dress according to the weather. Layers of clothing work best.
    • Wear sturdy closed-toe hiking boots or sneakers with non-slip soles that can safely handle slippery surfaces.
    • Bring water, snacks, sunblock, bug spray, and a camera with an extra battery, memory card, and lens-cleaning cloth.
    • Bring your guidebook and a loupe or hand lens.
    • No pets, please.

    The exact meeting location will be listed on your confirmation email after payment has been received.

    NEW – Payment and Cancellation Policy: Payment is due online at the time of registration. Cancellations made seven or more days in advance of the event will receive a refund minus a 5% processing fee. Cancellations made within seven days of the event will not receive a refund. Events with fees of $10 or less are not refundable unless canceled by NHSM. NHSM retains the right to update or change these requirements at any time.

    For questions, please email Jayne at JAsh@marylandnature.org.

    • 05 May 2024
    • 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
    • 6908 Bel Air Rd, Natural History Society of MD
    • 0
    Join waitlist

    Foraging may be an emerging trend, but NHSM has been leading foraging trips for years. You will be the most fashionable forager around in your homemade backpack designed by master weaver and Friend of NHSM Joan Betzold, who gave in to the persistent pleas of a forager. The webbing is adjustable and comes completely off if desired. Students will have their choice of black or green. Beautiful hand made oak handle. NOTE: This is a beginner-level basket. No prior experience is necessary.

    “I was asked to design a backpack by a young woman,” Joan says. “I told her, ‘I don’t do backpacks.Go to Ebay and find an antique Adirondack backpack.’ She told me they were too heavy and too big. She just knew I would make her one. And I did.”

    Joan Betzold, a basket weaver and weaving teacher for over 30 years, attends 40+ art, folk art, colonial, fiber and gardening shows a year. She has been honored as the Featured Artist at several nationally recognized shows. Joan designs, dyes the fibers, and weaves her original baskets using centuries-old techniques without nails, glue, staples or molds. She is well known for her award winning custom designs as well as unusual baskets incorporating vintage tools, kitchen items, antlers, or a treasured piece from a loved one. She teaches weaving at many local museums as well as privately. For several years she has been asked to serve as the basket weaving judge at the Maryland State Fair. Learn more: http://www.partnershipcrafts.com/

    TERMS and CONDITIONS: Payment is due at the time of registration. Open to adults and older teens. Because individual material kits are purchased and prepared for each student, cancellations will incur a $40 processing fee. Cancellations not accepted within a week of the course date. Every student will need to bring a basin or bucket that will hold 2 gallons, a spray bottle for water, an old towel, 12 large clip-type clothes pins, regular screw driver, a sharpened pencil, a measuring tape, a brick or something heavy wrapped in plastic wrap, and a pocket knife and/or sharp scissors. Wear comfortable clothes and shoes.

    • 05 May 2024
    • 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
    • Airville, Indian Steps Museum, PA
    • 10
    Register

    Spend the day along the Susquehanna River exploring three historical sites. Our first stop, the Indian Steps Museum, occupies land where over 10,000 years ago early people carved steps in the river bank to fish for shad. The area was a popular destination for early settlers to collect items such as arrows and spearheads made by those original inhabitants, the Algonquians, and later by the Susquehannocks, and the last tribe there, the Shawnee, who were forced to leave by white colonists in 1765.

    Indian Steps Cabin was built in 1912 by John Edward Vandersloot, a York, PA, attorney, with a passion for Native American culture. The Indian Steps Museum has operated as a public museum since the 1940s. Indian Steps is currently owned by the Conservation Society of York County. The Indian Steps Cabin was entered into the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. The Conservation Society of York County does not receive state or federal funding to operate the Museum. It continues to accept donations and fees for tours, programs, and educational opportunities. Every year in June, the Museum hosts a pow-wow with Native vendors, dancers, and musicians. The research curator, Debbie Saylor focuses her efforts on teaching artifact collectors how to properly identify, document, and share information; inspiring appreciation and proper preservation of the material possessions of past peoples; and encouraging education about and advocacy for Native people today.

    After we tour the Indian Steps Museum, we’ll enjoy the day with a picnic lunch under the pavilion on site. Moving onto the afternoon portion of our trip, we’ll drive ourselves to The Zimmerman Center for Heritage, managed by the National Park Service. Our tour will focus on the Susquehannock Gallery and include the history of the home, originally named Pleasant Garden by Thomas Cresap, who was sent there in 1730 to collect taxes for Maryland. The actual construction date of the house is unknown but is thought to be around 1740. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

    This is also the beginning of the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail, America’s first water-based National Historic Trail.  The 3,000-mile-long trail highlights the natural history and 17th-century American Indian societies, along with Captain Smith’s voyages here from 1607-09. The Susquehannock who lived here at the time of Smith’s explorations of the Chesapeake Bay traveled to meet with him near the mouth of the Susquehanna in Maryland in 1608.

    A one-mile, one-hour guided hike into Native Lands County Park will finish up our day. The 160-acre park preserves the site of a Susquehannock settlement, occupied from 1676 to 1680. The town was home to 3,000 people. Long after the Susquehannock departed the site, between 1824 and 1879, the Dritt family were buried here in a family plot. Wide, grass walking trails with a scenic overlook of the Susquehannock River will lead us to the archeological site and cemetery. Native Lands Park is also listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

    • 11 May 2024
    • 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM
    • Natural History Society of MD
    • 8
    Register

    Insect Study merit badge provides Scouts with a glance into the strange and fascinating world of insects and their relatives. At any given time there are approximately 10 quintillion (that is 1 with 18 zeros) insects living on the planet. Scouts will learn about some of these tiny creatures with strange and amazing abilities, see insects that undergo startling changes in habits and form as they grow, and learn how insects see, hear, taste, smell, and feel the world around them. If you are prepared, and have read the pamphlet, this class will help you fulfill most of the requirements for this badge.

    Pre Work: Requirements 5, 6 (create a scrapbook of insects you have personally observed in the wild), and 9 (rear an insect) cannot be entirely completed on the day of this course. If possible, try to complete these requirements prior to the class. For requirement 9, rearing mealworms or super worms from the pet store is probably the easiest option (https://www.wikihow.com/Raise-Mealworms). Take a few pictures along the way to show completion.

    The course is being taught by a professional entomologist who is also a Merit Badge Counselor and Scout Master.

    Requirements:

    • Registered Scout with a Troop
    • Permission of a Parent or Guardian
    • (Preferred) Approval from Scoutmaster or Assistant Scoutmaster on BSA Blue Card

    Things to remember to bring for this Merit Badge Class:

    1. Merit Badge Blue Card properly filled out and preferably signed by your Scoutmaster
    2. Insect Study Merit Badge Pamphlet (available from the Scout shop or online)
    3.  Class A Scout Uniform
    4. Weather appropriate clothing for the time of year and location of the class for outdoor participation
    5. Supporting documentation or project work pertinent to this merit badge which may also include a Merit Badge Workbook for reference with notes (http://usscouts.org/mb/worksheets/Insect-study.pdf)
    6. A positive Scouting focus and attitude
    7. Packed lunch that will be eaten outside (weather dependent)

    Most merit badges are not designed to be completed in a single session with an instructor, so it is not always possible to walk away with a completed and signed blue card at the end of a program.

    Almost every badge requires some independent work by your scout. We call this “pre-work” because, if these requirements are performed prior to our program, we can complete and sign the merit badge card. Otherwise, those requirements that were completed will be signed off on the blue card and the partial card can be completed by any qualified counselor at a later date.

    Payment and Cancellation Policy: Payment is due online at the time of registration. Cancellations made seven or more days in advance of the event will receive a refund minus a 5% processing fee. Cancellations made within seven days of the event will not receive a refund.

     

    The Natural History Society of Maryland is a volunteer-led non-profit organization, so the fee you pay will go directly to support the programs, the nature collections, and the building that make this kind of nature education possible.

    Thank you for your support!

    • 11 May 2024
    • 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
    • Etters
    • 11
    Register

    Come celebrate World Turtle Day with us on the Lower Susquehanna River in York County, PA. With the help of expert guide Howdy Knipp, we will be on the lookout for map turtles that inhabit the river, with a chance to catch hatchlings and some adults to get a closer look at the turtles.

    Howdy Knipp is a retired middle-school science teacher who has been involved with the Lake Roland Nature Council since its inception in 2010 and has helped with canoe programs, hikes, and many park projects over the past 15 years.

    Our canoes seat 2 adults, so individuals will be paired up with another paddler; if you are not comfortable paddling with a stranger, sign up with a buddy! This paddle is on open water and requires some up-river paddling. This is an intermediate level paddle — some paddling experience is required. Feel free to bring your own binoculars to help sight the turtles and other wildlife.

    Payment and Cancellation Policy: Payment is due online at the time of registration. Cancellations made seven or more days in advance of the event will receive a refund minus a 5% processing fee. Cancellations made within seven days of the event will not receive a refund. Events with fees of $10 or less are not refundable unless canceled by NHSM. NHSM retains the right to update or change these requirements at any time.

    • 16 May 2024
    • 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM
    • Baltimore National Aquarium Dock
    • 19
    Register

    Cruise the Chesapeake Bay aboard the workboat Snow Goose and study the dynamic relationship between the Port of Baltimore and the Patapsco River. Let’s work alongside the crew from Chesapeake Bay Foundation to test water quality by sampling benthic, planktonic, and other aquatic communities. We’ll access areas near superfund sites, brownfields, waste-water treatment plants, power plants, and various local industries to learn about environmental issues and trends in urban ecology.

    The Baltimore Harbor is an excellent venue to learn about the fragility and resiliency of ecosystems under the pressure of a modern working river. For those wishing to participate, there will be opportunities to work with water testing kits and dredge nets used to catch fish and other organisms for identification.

    Children in the 4th grade and above are welcome to attend. One chaperone for every four children is required. Each child will need a health form signed by their parent.

    Remember to

    • Health forms are required from all participants and will be emailed one week before to all participants.
    • Dress according to the weather. Layers of clothing work best.
    • Wear sturdy closed-toe hiking boots or sneakers with non-slip soles that can safely handle slippery surfaces.
    • Bring water, snacks or lunch, sunblock, and for your camera, an extra battery, a memory card, and lens-cleaning cloth.
    • Bring binoculars, a few will be available to borrow.
    • This trip may be canceled due to weather. Refunds will be available.

    The exact meeting location will be listed in your confirmation email after payment has been received.

    NEW – Payment and Cancellation Policy: Payment is due online at the time of registration. Cancellations made seven or more days in advance of the event will receive a refund minus a 5% processing fee. Cancellations made within seven days of the event will not receive a refund. Events with fees of $10 or less are not refundable at any time unless canceled by NHSM. NHSM retains the right to update or change these requirements at any time.

    For questions, please email Jayne at JAsh@marylandnature.org.

    • 18 May 2024
    • 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
    • Herring Run Park, Natural History Society of MD
    • 13
    Register

    slime mold

    Experience the forest floor as you have never seen it before! Join mycologist Serenella Linares to examine the life cycle and ecology of slime molds. What are these creatures that appear and disappear in a matter of hours? Where can you find them, and how can you get a better look at them? Get first-hand experience by finding and learning to identify these other-worldly creatures. This day of discovery will begin at the Natural History Society of Maryland with a lecture followed by a field exploration at a nearby natural area, Herring Run Park.

    Open to adults only. Low to moderate-intensity hiking.

    Remember to

    • Dress according to the weather. Layers of clothing work best. For sunny days, a hat with a brim may be needed.
    • Wear sturdy closed-toe hiking boots or sneakers with non-slip soles that can safely handle slippery surfaces.
    • Bring water, snacks, sunblock, bug spray, and for your camera, an extra battery, extra memory card, and lens-cleaning cloth.
    • Bring a magnifying glass or a hand lens.
    • No pets, please.
    • The field portion will be held right after the lecture. Location to be determined.

    Our leader Serenella Linares serves as principal park naturalist at the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. Prior to her work there, Ms. Linares was the Director of Adult Education at the Audubon Naturalist Society, co-chair of Naturally Latinos, and an assistant park naturalist with the Prince George’s County Department of Parks and Recreation. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Universidad Metropolitana de Puerto Rico, a Master’s degree in Atmospheric Science from Howard University, and graduate training in mycology from the University of Maryland. When Ms. Linares is not teaching, she explores natural areas, practices nature photography, and participates in citizen science projects.

    NEW - Payment and Cancellation Policy: Payment is due online at the time of registration. Cancellations made seven or more days in advance of the event will receive a refund minus a 5% processing fee. Cancellations made within seven days of the event will not receive a refund but may be transferred to a friend.

    For questions, please email Jayne at JAsh@marylandnature.org.

    • 19 May 2024
    • 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
    • 6908 Belair Rd, Natural History Society of MD
    Register

    Rarely is there an animal more beloved by humanity than the turtle. At World Turtle Day at the Natural History Society of Maryland,  meet and interact with over a dozen species of turtles, learn about the latest conservation efforts, and see specimens from the NHSM collections. Engage in hands-on educational activities, play turtle games, make turtle crafts, dress in your finest turtle gear, and feed a giant tortoise.

    World Turtle Day was created in 1990 as an annual observance to help people celebrate and protect these beloved creatures and their vanishing habitats around the world. There are 17 types of turtles that call Maryland home. Of those, 12 species are threatened by habitat loss and 9 are experiencing population decline. All four sea turtle species found in Maryland are protected by the ESA.

    Please arrive during your selected time slot and head to the check in tent. There is no limit to how long you can stay, so enjoy your visit! Kids 3 and younger – FREE. Payment and Cancellation Policy: Payment is due online at the time of registration. Cancellations made seven or more days in advance of the event will receive a refund minus a 5% processing fee. Cancellations made within seven days of the event will not receive a refund. Events with fees of $10 or less are not refundable unless canceled by NHSM. NHSM retains the right to update or change these requirements at any time.

    1.  10:00 AM
    2.  11:00 AM
    3. 12:00PM
    4. 1:00PM
    5. 2:00 PM

    World Turtle Day closes out with a presentation on restoration efforts for Maryland’s state reptile, the Diamond backed Terrapin from the guy who literally wrote the book on the subject, Dr. Willem Roosenburg. The talk is included in your ticket-  we just ask that you RSVP is you plan to attend for planning purposes. 

    Poplar Island is a one-of-a-kind 1,140-acre restoration project off Tilghman Island in the Chesapeake Bay. Using dredge material from shipping channels, the island, which was reduced to but 5 acres in size is being reborn as a wildlife sanctuary. A lack of land predators, undisturbed sandy shorelines, and a variety of habitat types make Poplar an ideal terrapin nesting site

    Since 2002, Dr. Willem Roosenburg, the director of the Ohio Center for Ecology and Evolutionary Studies and a professor of biological sciences at Ohio University, has been monitoring the diamondback terrapin population at Poplar Island, trying to better understand how terrapin populations are affected by the construction of the island and the quality of the habitat that results from the construction.

    These terrapins are getting a head start, thanks to students across Maryland through the Terrapins in the Classroom project.

    • 19 May 2024
    • 2:45 PM - 3:30 PM
    • 6908 Belair Rd, Natural History Society of MD
    • 40
    Register

    World Turtle Day closes out with a presentation on restoration efforts for Maryland’s state reptile, the diamondback terrapin, from the guy who literally wrote the book on the subject, Dr. Willem Roosenburg.

    Poplar Island is a one-of-a-kind 1,140-acre restoration project off Tilghman Island in the Chesapeake Bay. Using dredge material from shipping channels, the island, formerly reduced in size to just 5 acres, is being reborn as a wildlife sanctuary. A lack of land predators, undisturbed sandy shorelines, and a variety of habitat types make Poplar an ideal terrapin nesting site.

    Since 2002, Dr. Roosenburg, the director of the Ohio Center for Ecology and Evolutionary Studies and a professor of biological sciences at Ohio University, has been monitoring the diamondback terrapin population at Poplar Island, trying to better understand how terrapin populations are affected by the construction of the island and the quality of the habitat that results from the construction.

    These terrapins are getting a head start, thanks to students across Maryland through the Terrapins in the Classroom project.

    Maryland Environmental Service, on behalf of the Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Port Administration, works with local organizations and schools to place hatchling terrapins in classrooms. The juvenile turtles from the Paul S. Sarbanes Ecosystem Restoration Project at Poplar Island live in classrooms from fall through the following spring.

    Students provide all care to the terrapins. They collect growth data, observe behavior, learn care and husbandry protocol, and research the natural history of our state reptile. Head starting allows the hatchlings to grow to the size of a two- or three-year-old wild juvenile terrapin in just nine months.

    After caring for the hatchlings, students bring the terrapins back to Poplar Island where they are released to the Bay. Before the head start terrapins are released back on the beaches of Poplar Island, they are implanted with a Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tag. If these terrapins are ever recaptured, they can be scanned and identified. Dr. Roosenburg’s study is trying to answer the question of whether having a “head start” really gives these terrapins a higher chance of surviving in the wild.

    Payment and Cancellation Policy: Payment is due online at the time of registration. Cancellations made seven or more days in advance of the event will receive a refund minus a 5% processing fee. Cancellations made within seven days of the event will not receive a refund. Events with fees of $10 or less are not refundable unless canceled by NHSM. NHSM retains the right to update or change these requirements at any time.

    • 26 May 2024
    • 9:00 AM - 3:30 PM
    • Stratford Cliffs / Stratford Hall Plantation 483 Great House Road, Montross, VA 22520 · Montross, VA
    • 29
    Register

    Stratford Cliffs are a part of the Calvert Formation, a rare geological phenomenon along the Chesapeake Bay and Potomac River. Among the most important fossil research sites in the Mid-Atlantic region, the cliffs were formed when land replaced an ancient sea.

    Fossils found here are composed of compacted marine plant and animal matter dating from the Miocene Epoch, approximately 17 to 10 million years ago. Fossilized remains found at this site indicate a sea filled with primitive shark-toothed porpoises, salt-water crocodiles, sea cows, gopher turtles, rays, whales, and sharks. Thousands of shark teeth found along this area attest to the frequency of the sharks, the largest among them being Carcharodon megalodon, or Giant White Shark, with teeth measuring 7 inches or more.

    Most of the land along the shoreline is privately owned, and public access is severely limited, so we are fortunate to have this opportunity. Our site is part of the Stratford Hall plantation owned by four generations of the Lee family, and now cared for by the Robert E. Lee Memorial Foundation. The estate encompasses 1900 acres of farmlands and forests on a high bluff overlooking the Potomac River.

    Travel time: Located in Montross, VA (on the south side of the Potomac River, adjacent to Westmoreland State Park), The site is an estimated 3-hour drive from Baltimore. Carpooling is encouraged, but guests are responsible for their own transportation; NHSM cannot provide rides. A link to a carpool app will be shared for participants looking to join up for the drive.

    Difficulty: This field trip is moderately strenuous, involving hiking, cold water, and uncertain weather. Depending on what storms may have impacted the river, there could be washed-up trees and debris on the beach, as well as broken glass. There could be a few scramble spots. However, if you do not want to climb over obstacles, you can remain on the beach that is accessible to you. This is a rain-or-shine event.

    What to wear/bring:

    • Please wear closed-toe shoes with sturdy soles. We strongly encourage you to bring waders, as the water may be high and it is often cold.
    • Pack snacks, water, and a brown bag lunch, if you get hungry.
    • Do you have a scoop, a screen, small shovels, sieves, etc.?  Bring them!
    • Metal detectors are not allowed.
    • You may want to bring a set of dry clothes, in case you get wet.

    Age Restriction: This event is not for young children. Stratford has a minimum age requirement of 8 years old.

    NEW - Payment and Cancellation Policy: Payment is due online at the time of registration. Cancellations made seven or more days in advance of the event will receive a refund minus a 5% processing fee. Cancellations made within seven days of the event will not receive a refund but may be transferred to a friend.

    If NHSM cancels this event, all registration fees will be refunded in full.

    For questions, please email Jayne at JAsh@marylandnature.org.

    • 30 May 2024
    • 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
    • Online via Zoom
    Register

    Brian Gratwicke, a conservation biologist who leads the amphibian conservation programs at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, will talk about his global work and then bring it home to local amphibians, including hellbenders and redback salamanders, and vernal pools.

    Brian’s focus is building capacity to conserve amphibians in Appalachia and Panama, developing outreach and educational programs and exhibits to build public support for amphibian conservation, and research to develop tools to reintroduce amphibians back into the wild.

    One major research focus is developing applied solutions for the amphibian chytrid fungus, including research into the area of beneficial skin bacteria and identifying genetic traits associated with resistance to the disease. He also conducts research into emerging diseases and the effects of climate change on Appalachian salamanders.

    Gratwicke grew up in Zimbabwe and began his conservation work researching the impacts to freshwater fish in Africa. In 2000, he was awarded a Rhodes scholarship that took him to Oxford, where he studied marine fish communities in the British Virgin Islands for his doctorate. After completing his doctorate, Gratwicke moved to Washington, D.C., where he worked as a program administrator and then assistant director of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Save the Tiger Fund.

    • 08 Jun 2024
    • 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
    • 6908 Belair Rd, Marshy Point Nature Center, Natural History Society of MD
    • 0
    Join waitlist

    The oceans cover more than 70 percent of our planet and are its dominant feature. Studying the ocean is studying the earth. In this full day course, all aspects of the Oceanography merit badge will be covered except #8 (see below). The hands-on class will begin at the Natural History Society of Maryland from 9 AM to noon. In the afternoon (1-4 PM), we will move to Marshy Point Nature Center where Scouts will literally get their feet wet exploring marine ecology.

    Class Prerequisites:

    Meet You Instructor: Dr. Thomas Haine is a Professor in the Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences at Johns Hopkins University. His teaching and research interests are in physical and dynamical oceanography and the ocean’s role in Earth’s climate. Particular interests are the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, and their rotating-stratified fluid dynamics. He is the co-author (with Barry Klinger) of a graduate level textbook in his field, entitled Ocean Circulation in Three Dimensionshttp://www.jhu.edu/~eps/faculty/haine

    Payment and Cancellation Policy: Payment is due online at the time of registration. Cancellations made seven or more days in advance of the event will receive a refund minus a 5% processing fee. Cancellations made within seven days of the event will not receive a refund.

    Payment and Cancellation Policy: Payment is due online at the time of registration. Cancellations made seven or more days in advance of the event will receive a refund minus a 5% processing fee. Cancellations made within seven days of the event will not receive a refund.
    • 08 Jun 2024
    • 9:00 AM - 3:30 PM
    • Stratford Cliffs / Stratford Hall Plantation 483 Great House Road, Montross, VA 22520 · Montross, VA
    • 38
    Register

    Located in Montross, VA (on the south side of the Potomac River, adjacent to Westmoreland State Park), Stratford Cliffs are part of the Calvert Formation, a rare geological phenomenon along the Chesapeake Bay and Potomac River. Among the most important fossil research sites in the Mid-Atlantic region, they were formed when land replaced an ancient sea.

    Fossils found here are composed of compacted marine plant and animal matter dating from the Miocene Epoch, approximately 17 to 10 million years ago. Fossilized remains found at this site indicate a sea filled with primitive shark-toothed porpoises, salt-water crocodiles, sea cows, gopher turtles, rays, whales, and sharks. Thousands of shark teeth found along this area attest to the frequency of the sharks, the largest among them being Carcharodon megalodon, or Giant White Shark, with teeth measuring 7 inches or more.

    Most of the land along the shoreline is privately owned, and public access is severely limited, so we are lucky to have this opportunity! Our site is part of the Stratford Hall plantation owned by four generations of the Lee family (and now cared for by the Robert E. Lee Memorial Foundation). The estate encompasses 1900 acres of farmlands and forests on a high bluff overlooking the Potomac River.

    Travel time: The site is an estimated 3-hour drive from Baltimore. Carpooling is encouraged, but guests are responsible for their own transportation; NHSM cannot provide rides.

    Difficulty: This field trip is moderately strenuous, involving hiking, cold water, and uncertain weather. Depending on what storms may have impacted the river, there could be washed-up trees and debris on the beach, as well as broken glass. There could be a few scramble spots. However, if you do not want to climb over obstacles, you can remain on the beach that is accessible to you. This is a rain-or-shine event.

    What to wear/bring:

    • Please wear closed-toe shoes with sturdy soles. We strongly encourage you to bring waders, as the water may be high and it is often cold.
    • Pack snacks, water, and a brown bag lunch, if you get hungry.
    • Do you have a scoop, a screen, small shovels, sieves, etc.?  Bring them!
    • Metal detectors are not allowed.
    • You may want to bring a set of dry clothes, in case you get wet.

    Age Restriction: This event is not for young children. Stratford has a minimum age requirement of 8 years old.

    Cancellation Policy: Cancellations made more than one week before the date of the event will result in a refund, minus a 5% processing fee. No refunds can be issued within a week of the event, but the registration can be transferred to a friend.

    If NHSM cancels this event, all registration fees will be refunded in full.

    • 14 Jun 2024
    • 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
    • Poplar Island Land Base
    • 18
    Register

    Can’t afford to buy your own island? Could you build one instead? It’s not impossible if you’re part of the Paul S. Sarbanes Ecosystem Restoration Project, located on Poplar Island.

    Poplar Island slipped away into the Chesapeake Bay, dwindling from 2,000 to two acres throughout hundreds of years. This island’s fate was commonplace with records showing 500 Chesapeake Bay islands lost before the end of the 20th century. With erosion, sea level rise, and land subsidence, these islands were doomed to become a sand shoal, leading to the dramatic loss of wildlife habitat.

    How do you build an island? Join us on a three-hour boat and bus tour through the restoration project with Maryland Environmental Service. The project began in 1998 to rebuild and restore wildlife habitat using clean sediment dredged from the Port of Baltimore’s approach shipping channels. Now more than 1,140 acres of island habitat have been created, with an additional 570 acres planned for construction.

    Our tour will include viewing some of the 300 acres of wetland habitat that have been completed, providing homes for a wide variety of birds, plus important nesting areas for colonial waterbirds, such as terns and egrets, and waterfowl, such as American Black Duck. A thriving Diamondback Terrapin population lives on the island with as many as 1,600 terrapins hatched onsite in a single year.

    Poplar Island tours leave from Tilghman Island land base dock and consist of a 30-minute boat ride to the island, a two-hour bus tour with stops at points of interest, and a 30-minute boat ride back.

    Please note these important details for touring Poplar Island.

    • This is an active construction site. All guests are expected to be respectful to the site and other participants; unruly behavior will not be tolerated.
    • Poplar Island is open to the public through prior arrangements only.
    • All posted signs and verbal notices must be obeyed.
    • Alcohol and controlled substances are prohibited.
    • Pets are prohibited.
    • The group must stay together at all times.
    • Closed-toed shoes with appropriate soles such as sneakers or hiking shoes/boots are required. Failure to wear closed-toed shoes will result in getting turned away at the dock.
    • High visibility vests (provided) must be worn at all times while onsite and outside vehicles.
    • Participants will not be allowed off the bus in areas designated as active construction zones.
    • All participants are required to wear a life jacket while on the boat (provided). Visitors under 50 lbs. must provide their own life jackets.
    • Tours run rain or shine; however, the tour may be canceled in the event of severe weather. Please note that the island weather can be more severe than on the mainland, is unpredictable, and can change quickly. If the Poplar Island staff feels it is unsafe, cancellations can occur on the same day as the tour.
    • Participants must be prepared to board a boat and climb a few steps; however, the amount of walking is minimal.
    • The boat will depart promptly at 9 am. Please make sure to arrive no later than 8:45 am. Leave time to gather your belongings and use the restroom, if needed.
    • The tour does not include a designated lunch break but feel free to bring snacks.
    • The topics covered may be advanced for younger visitors. The minimum age for attendance is 12 years old.
    • Binoculars and cameras are encouraged.

    While this trip is offered free of charge through Maryland Environmental Service, a minimum of $15 per person donation is suggested to attend. Your donation helps to offset our costs in offering this program to you. No refunds will be available for cancellations. Reservations may be transferred to a friend.

    If you have questions about this trip, please email Jayne at JAsh@marylandnature.org.

    • 15 Jun 2024
    • 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
    • Baltimore, Inner Harbor
    • 13
    Register

    A large iron ring hung from a post many decades ago. And just below, a big stone step. Look closely to see the peephole near the top. Who was spying? Join geologist Kathleen Marasco to find out the answer on this walk near the Inner Harbor. Kathleen will share the stories of rocks from many of our largest buildings and monuments, and you’ll discover how far away these beautiful slabs of stone traveled to find a home here in Baltimore.

    On this 1.25-mile walk, view structures built with igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rock formed roughly 3.8 billion years ago in Earth’s history and erected during the last 200 years of American history. Who knew you could see ancient fossils, touch a stone almost as old as the earth, and get a feel for Italy all in downtown Baltimore?

    Our trip leader Kathleen Marasco holds a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Geology and a Master’s in Secondary Science Education. The tour should take approximately 1.5 hours to complete. Bring a loupe or hand lens. Some will be available for sharing.

    Cancellation Policy: NHSM Field Experiences – Cancellations made seven or more days in advance of the field experience will receive a refund (minus a 5% processing fee). Cancellations made within the week of the event will not receive a refund but can be transferred to a friend.

    For questions, please email Jayne at JAsh@marylandnature.org.

    Read more about Baltimore Rocks here: https://www.microexcursions.com/baltimore-rocks/

    • 22 Jun 2024
    • 14 Sep 2024
    • 4 sessions
    • 6908 Belair Rd, Natural History Society of MD
    Register

    Q. What does the Overlea Farmer’s Market have that no other farmers market has?

    A. A Natural History Museum.

    After you have filled your bellies, come inside and fill your minds. There are animals, fossils, plants, rocks, archaeological artifacts and even a woolly mammoth waiting for you. Complete the scavenger hunt, and win a prize. The gift store features a suite of items you can’t find anywhere else like a fossil hunt in a bag. Or pick up a pair of shark toothed cufflinks for that special someone.

    • June 22
    • July 20
    • August 17
    • September 14

    • 27 Jun 2024
    • 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
    • Online via Zoom
    Register

    There could be a champion growing near you.

    Now utilized nationwide, the Champion Tree Measurement Formula was developed by Fred Besley, Maryland’s first State Forester, who began keeping records of “notable trees” in Maryland in 1925. Joli McCathran, Champion Tree Coordinator for Montgomery County and Vice Chair of the Maryland Big-Tree Program, will explain what it takes to become a champion tree, where you might get to see a champion tree, and how this Maryland program spread nationwide.

    A board member of the Maryland Forestry Foundation, Joli McCathran also serves as president of the Maryland Association of Forestry Boards and a member of American Foresters’ National Cadre of Tree Measurers. She is the Mayor Emeritus of the Town of Washington Grove, where she resides with her husband. Her hobbies include camping, sewing, canning produce, and playing with her grandsons.

    • 21 Jul 2024
    • 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
    • Natural History Society of MD

    Come to the shark side for a chompin’ good time! Celebrate one of the most successful creatures to ever live on our planet at our annual SharkFest, coming Sunday, July 14.

    Preparations are still in the works, but a sample of our hands-on activities includes exploring our fossil and shark teeth collections, learning about shark behavior and anatomy from experts, and marveling at the apex predator of modern times. Mix science with hands-on games and crafts for a day full of activities for all ages.

    Speaking from our shark dive cage, Emmy-Award-winning underwater cinematographer Nick Caloyianis joins us as a special guest. Nick has 30 National Geographic documentaries to his credit. Ask him for the story of how the cage was damaged, with him in it, during a filming of Shark Week for the Discovery Channel.

    The kid zone features a sandpit where kids can dig for shark teeth and bones, just like a real paleontologist. Make a shark tooth necklace from your find or purchase a Meg tooth for a small extra fee.

    To delve deeper into shark waters, remember that Saturday night, July 14, is our kick-off event with guest shark researchers. Lecturer names and their topics are in the works.

    Follow our planning progress and be the first to know when tickets become available by signing up for our newsletter here: http://marylandnature.org. Our social feeds are swimming with info, too: https://www.facebook.com/marylandnature/ and https://www.instagram.com/marylandnature/

    Looking to volunteer to help make this event even more fabulous? Email Jayne at JAsh@marylandnature.org.

     

    • 10 Aug 2024
    • 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
    • Dinosaur Park
    • 24
    Register

    Join the dino hunt! It’s a morning of fossil hunting right here in Maryland where dinosaurs roamed 115 million years ago. This period in the Early Cretaceous is so long ago, that it was approximately 50 million years before Tyrannosaurus rex evolved. Dinosaur Park is also home to Astrodon Johnstoni, the Maryland State dinosaur, and the largest species found east of the Mississippi River. The area represents what remains of a river and wetlands, similar in environment to the Patuxent River Park in Upper Marlboro, Maryland today. The site has been described as one of the most prolific sites for dinosaur and plant fossils east of the Mississippi River.

    Our day will start with a show-and-tell presentation about Dinosaur Park then you’ll be able to look for fossils in the fossil site area. We will have access to a back portion not open to the general public.  All fossils found are retained by the park.

    Remember

    • Digging is prohibited by visitors. Instead, you will learn surface collection techniques used by paleontologists in the field. No personal tools allowed.
    • Your fossil discoveries help park paleontologists better understand the ancient world of Prince George’s County. All fossils are stored and preserved in our Dinosaur Park lab.
    • If you find a significant fossil, your name is recorded and displayed in our museum collection.
    • Dinosaur Park is entirely outdoors, and the fossil site can get dusty or muddy. Please dress appropriately in closed-toed shoes and dress for the weather.
    • Restrooms are available. A water fountain is available seasonally. Picnic tables are available year-round.
    • Wear sturdy closed-toe hiking boots or sneakers with non-slip soles that can safely handle slippery surfaces.
    • Bring water, snacks, sunblock, bug spray, and for your camera, an extra battery, memory card, and lens-cleaning cloth.

    The exact meeting location will be listed on your confirmation email after payment has been received.

    NEW – Payment and Cancellation Policy: Payment is due online at the time of registration. Cancellations made seven or more days in advance of the event will receive a refund minus a 5% processing fee. Cancellations made within seven days of the event will not receive a refund. Events with fees of $10 or less are not refundable at any time unless canceled by NHSM. NHSM retains the right to update or change these requirements at any time.

    For questions, please email Jayne at JAsh@marylandnature.org.

    • 15 Sep 2024
    • 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
    • Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary, 1361 Wrighton Rd, Lothian, MD 20711
    • 17
    Register

    Join mycologist Serenella Linares on a visit to one of her favorite mushroom-hunting spots, Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary. This site offers one of the most diverse macrofungi sites in the region, and it’s host to one of the most brilliant bioluminescent species of the Mid-Atlantic. Learn about the fungal relationships and natural phenomena associated with the fungi species at Jug Bay. We will move at a slow pace to observe and enjoy the mushrooms that are popping up in this fungi-extravaganza time of year.

    Note: An additional $6 parking fee will be collected per car at the visitor center.

    Remember to

    • Dress according to the weather. Layers of clothing work best. For sunny days, a hat with a brim may be needed.
    • Wear sturdy closed-toe hiking boots or sneakers with non-slip soles that can safely handle slippery surfaces.
    • Bring water, snacks, sunblock, bug spray, and for your camera, an extra battery, extra memory card, and lens-cleaning cloth.
    • Bring binoculars and a hand lens or loupe. Some loupes will be available to borrow.
    • Bring your guidebooks.
    • No pets, please.

    Our leader Serenella Linares works as a principal park naturalist at the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. Before her work there, Ms. Linares was the Director of Adult Education at the Audubon Naturalist Society, co-chair of Naturally Latinos, and an assistant park naturalist with the Prince George’s County Department of Parks and Recreation. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Universidad Metropolitana de Puerto Rico, a Master’s degree in Atmospheric Science from Howard University, and graduate training in mycology from the University of Maryland. When Ms. Linares is not teaching, she explores natural areas, practices nature photography, and participates in citizen science projects.

    NEW - Payment and Cancellation Policy: Payment is due online at the time of registration. Cancellations made seven or more days in advance of the event will receive a refund minus a 5% processing fee. Cancellations made within seven days of the event will not receive a refund but may be transferred to a friend.

    For questions, please email Jayne at JAsh@marylandnature.org.

     

    • 28 Sep 2024
    • 29 Sep 2024
    • 2 sessions
    • Herring Run Park, Online via Zoom
    • 19
    Register

    Explore the fascinating natural history of the kingdom fungi and the new developments in fungal research that are making all the waves! From eight-meter mushrooms to zombie ants, we will explore the mysteries and the importance of the kingdom fungi.  Learn about ecological roles, their ever-changing taxonomy, and how these organisms intersect with different environments. Discover how crucial fungi are in human lives.

    This program is a two-part series, with a lecture portion via Zoom on Saturday, Sept 28. For the next day, Sept. 29, join us for an in-person day of forest exploration to see the organisms in their natural habitat at Herring Run Park.

    Remember to

    • Dress according to the weather. Layers of clothing work best. For sunny days, a hat with a brim may be needed.
    • Wear sturdy closed-toe hiking boots or sneakers with non-slip soles that can safely handle slippery surfaces.
    • Bring water, snacks, sunblock, bug spray, and for your camera, an extra battery, extra memory card, and lens-cleaning cloth.
    • Bring binoculars and a hand lens or loupe. Some loupes will be available to borrow.
    • Bring your guidebooks.
    • No pets, please.

    Our leader Serenella Linares works as a principal park naturalist at the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. Before her work there, Ms. Linares was the Director of Adult Education at the Audubon Naturalist Society, co-chair of Naturally Latinos, and an assistant park naturalist with the Prince George’s County Department of Parks and Recreation. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Universidad Metropolitana de Puerto Rico, a Master’s degree in Atmospheric Science from Howard University, and graduate training in mycology from the University of Maryland. When Ms. Linares is not teaching, she explores natural areas, practices nature photography, and participates in citizen science projects.

    NEW - Payment and Cancellation Policy: Payment is due online at the time of registration. Cancellations made seven or more days in advance of the event will receive a refund minus a 5% processing fee. Cancellations made within seven days of the event will not receive a refund but may be transferred to a friend.

    For questions, please email Jayne at JAsh@marylandnature.org.

     

    • 26 Oct 2024
    • 10:00 AM
    • Bethesda, Cabin John Stream Valley Trail, MD
    • 16
    Register

    Join mycologist Serenella Linares on a visit to one of her favorite mushroom-hunting spots, Cabin John Stream Valley Trail. This wonderfully diverse park is home to some of the most attractive species of fungi found during the fall months such as red chanterelles, witches butter, walnut mycena, eyelash cup fungi, and smoky spindles. Learn about the fungal relationships and natural phenomena associated with the fungi species on this trail. We will move at a slow pace to observe and enjoy the mushrooms that are popping up in this fungi-extravaganza time of year.

    Remember to

    • Dress according to the weather. Layers of clothing work best. For sunny days, a hat with a brim may be needed.
    • Wear sturdy closed-toe hiking boots or sneakers with non-slip soles that can safely handle slippery surfaces.
    • Bring water, snacks, sunblock, bug spray, and for your camera, an extra battery, extra memory card, and lens-cleaning cloth.
    • Bring binoculars and a hand lens or loupe. Some loupes will be available to borrow.
    • Bring your guidebooks.
    • No pets, please.

    Our leader Serenella Linares works as a principal park naturalist at the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. Before her work there, Ms. Linares was the Director of Adult Education at the Audubon Naturalist Society, co-chair of Naturally Latinos, and an assistant park naturalist with the Prince George’s County Department of Parks and Recreation. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Universidad Metropolitana de Puerto Rico, a Master’s degree in Atmospheric Science from Howard University, and graduate training in mycology from the University of Maryland. When Ms. Linares is not teaching, she explores natural areas, practices nature photography, and participates in citizen science projects.

    NEW - Payment and Cancellation Policy: Payment is due online at the time of registration. Cancellations made seven or more days in advance of the event will receive a refund minus a 5% processing fee. Cancellations made within seven days of the event will not receive a refund but may be transferred to a friend.

    For questions, please email Jayne at JAsh@marylandnature.org.

Past events

16 Mar 2024 Felt an Owl - (PM class added)
16 Mar 2024 Felt an Owl - Art and Nature Class
16 Mar 2024 Stratford Cliffs Fossil Hunt (Fossil Club Members Only)
15 Mar 2024 Quarry Watch - Family Friendly
14 Mar 2024 The Flora of Virginia: an Essential Tool for Maryland Plant Lovers
13 Mar 2024 Herp Club Meeting: NeighborSpace and the Vernal Pools Project
11 Mar 2024 Bark– Species ID and Ecology Short Course (online)
10 Mar 2024 Turtles of Maryland
07 Mar 2024 Evolution of the Appalachian Mountains
06 Mar 2024 Fossil Club Meeting: Fossil Collecting in the White River Badlands of Nebraska
29 Feb 2024 Bird City Maryland
28 Feb 2024 Lep Club Game Night: Mariposas
28 Feb 2024 Lep Club Game Night: Mariposas
27 Feb 2024 Life in a Vernal Pool: Frederick Location
27 Feb 2024 Outdoors Maryland Watch Party featuring NHSM
25 Feb 2024 Lichens 101: Biology, Ecology and Diversity
24 Feb 2024 PYSANKY: Ukrainian Egg Decorating Workshop - Art and Nature
21 Feb 2024 Archaeological Perspectives on African American Heritage in Metro DC
18 Feb 2024 Weave a Layered Basket with Joan
17 Feb 2024 Takuga: The Japanese Art of Botanical Prints in Ink and Watercolor with Sue Fierston
15 Feb 2024 Tardigrades A Natural History
14 Feb 2024 Herpetology and the Law: Is This Legal?
13 Feb 2024 Paint a Mammoth with A Mammoth
11 Feb 2024 Geology of Baltimore's Buildings & Monuments
10 Feb 2024 The Secret Life of Stars at Towson Planetarium
09 Feb 2024 Ancient Wildflowers -Skunk Cabbage
08 Feb 2024 Disease Detectives: Parasite Hunting Underwater
07 Feb 2024 CANCELLED Ice Age Trivia Night
07 Feb 2024 Fossil Club Movie Night: Titans of the Ice Age
05 Feb 2024 The Growth of Trees: A Journey Through Time (online)
04 Feb 2024 Meet a Mammoth - Public Open House FREE
01 Feb 2024 James Webb Space Telescope Year One Discoveries
31 Jan 2024 A Mammoth Night for Teachers
28 Jan 2024 A Howlin' Good Time at the Wolf Sanctuary
27 Jan 2024 Flying WILD Workshop for Educators
27 Jan 2024 Winter Walk for Woody Plant ID
27 Jan 2024 Growing Up WILD - Early Childcare Educator Training
25 Jan 2024 Putting a Value on Nature
24 Jan 2024 Lep Club: You Too Can Do A Butterfly “Big Year”!
21 Jan 2024 Painting with Bacteria - Agar Art Workshop with BUGSS, Baltimore Underground Science Space
20 Jan 2024 Reptile and Amphibian Handling and Care for Veterinary Staff and Wildlife Rehabbers
19 Jan 2024 Mammoth Unveiling- Party Like its 40,000 BCE
17 Jan 2024 The Archaeological Investigation of an Urban Oasis at Herring Run Park
14 Jan 2024 Weave a Bird's Nest Basket with Joan Betzold
14 Jan 2024 Eagle Spotting at Loch Raven - January
13 Jan 2024 Paper Bead Workshop with Candace Stribling
13 Jan 2024 Winter Migration Photo Trip - Day 2 of Explore the Eastern Shore
12 Jan 2024 Harriet Tubman, the Naturalist & Blackwater Night Sky; Day 1 of Explore the Eastern Shore
08 Jan 2024 Founding Monsters: Founding Fathers Quest for Mammoths and Mastodons
04 Jan 2024 Otter Latrines as Carnivore-Biodiversity Hotspots?
01 Jan 2024 First Day Hike
14 Dec 2023 Oil-Collecting Bees
13 Dec 2023 CANCELLED Herp Club: Natural History of the Corn Snake
12 Dec 2023 Humans and Mammoths a Million Year Relationship
11 Dec 2023 A Mammoth Book Club: The Last Animal by Ramona Ausubel
07 Dec 2023 The Past, Present, and Future of Climate Change
03 Dec 2023 Turtles of Maryland
30 Nov 2023 Emerald Ash Borers in Maryland: Natural History, Control, and Seasonal Changes
29 Nov 2023 Wingspan Game Night - November
28 Nov 2023 Mammoths, Mastodons and Gomphotheres in Maryland
26 Nov 2023 Museum Store Sunday - Be A Patron
25 Nov 2023 Petrified Wood Collecting Trip (Fossil Club Members Only)
19 Nov 2023 Pine Needle Basket Workshop with Clare Walker - 2nd Session Added
19 Nov 2023 Pine Needle Basket Workshop with Clare Walker
19 Nov 2023 Bare Tree ID with Nick Spero
15 Nov 2023 Native American Archaeology in Anne Arundel County
14 Nov 2023 Memories of Mammoths (and Mastodons): Late Pleistocene Proboscidean extinctions in eastern North America.
12 Nov 2023 Canceled - Geology Tour of Baltimore's Buildings and Monuments with Sam
09 Nov 2023 Skeletal Prep with the Museum of Osteology
08 Nov 2023 SAVE THE FROGS! Translating Science into Action
05 Nov 2023 Fossil Hunting at Stratford Cliffs, November 2023 (Fossil Club Members Only)
05 Nov 2023 Trilobite Hunt at Seven Stars Quarry
03 Nov 2023 How We See the Stars - Banneker Planetarium
01 Nov 2023 Fossil Club: Prepping Your Fossils, a Hands-On Demonstration
29 Oct 2023 Leafy Tree ID with Nick Spero
28 Oct 2023 Be a Beaver Believer
27 Oct 2023 Native Plant Origins & Cultivation Plus Fall Colors Hayride at Mt Cuba Center
26 Oct 2023 Are our starry night skies disappearing?
26 Oct 2023 Maryland's Crown Jewel- Diamondback Terrapins
25 Oct 2023 Lep Club Meeting: What's in a Name?
22 Oct 2023 Wild Edibles - Fall Foraging with Nick
22 Oct 2023 October 2023 Stratford Fossil Hunt, Open to the Public!
21 Oct 2023 Fall into Biodiversity
20 Oct 2023 Quarry Watch -- Family Friendly
18 Oct 2023 Figuring it Out: Pre-European Indigenous Human Figures as Art & Artifact
14 Oct 2023 The Natural History of the Mammoth
13 Oct 2023 Fall into Fungi - October
12 Oct 2023 Chesapeake Bay Parasite Project: Citizen Science and the Mud Crab
07 Oct 2023 Petroglyphs Canoe Paddle
07 Oct 2023 Petroglyphs Canoe Paddle
07 Oct 2023 CANCELED - Of Rice & Rails: The Delicate Ecology of Wild Rice Marshes on the Patuxent River
06 Oct 2023 Life in Chesapeake Bay Aboard a Skipjack
05 Oct 2023 The Ice Ages - Earth’s Pleistocene Climate
05 Oct 2023 Mammoth Speaker Series
04 Oct 2023 Fossil Club Meeting: The M-NCPPC Dinosaur Park Bone Bed
04 Oct 2023 How to Grow an Island
01 Oct 2023 Fantastic Fungi and Where to Find Them: Montgomery County
30 Sep 2023 PYSANKY: Ukrainian Egg Decorating Workshop: Art and Nature
29 Sep 2023 Full Moon Canoe Float at Jug Bay
28 Sep 2023 What is Forest School?
28 Sep 2023 Hiking & Birding - An Eco-Friendly Cemetery Explore
27 Sep 2023 Creating Lep Club Host Plant Maps
24 Sep 2023 CANCELED- Geology Tour of Baltimore's Buildings and Monuments with Sam
23 Sep 2023 Felt a Squirrel - Art and Nature Class
23 Sep 2023 Kingdom Fungi 101 Class with Serenella
23 Sep 2023 CANCELED - Bugs, Birds, and Blooms
22 Sep 2023 Quarry into History
21 Sep 2023 The Natural History of Earth's Atmosphere
20 Sep 2023 History of Marshy Point and Techniques to Think Outside of the Box
16 Sep 2023 Petroglyphs Canoe Paddle
16 Sep 2023 Gyotaku: Japanese Fishprinting Workshop with Sue Fierston
16 Sep 2023 Fantastic Fungi and Where to Find Them: Anne Arundel County
16 Sep 2023 Petroglyphs Canoe Paddle
15 Sep 2023 Fall into Fungi - September
14 Sep 2023 Keystones of the Sea: Echinoderms and the role of curiosity in driving research forward
13 Sep 2023 Herp Club September Meeting: Save Our Snakes
10 Sep 2023 Introduction to Micromounting Workshop - Big things come in small packages
10 Sep 2023 Wild Edibles - Way Down Yonder for Pawpaws with Nick
09 Sep 2023 Botanical Fabric Printing with Sue Fierston
09 Sep 2023 Celebrate Fall Insects
09 Sep 2023 Botanical Fabric Printing with Sue Fierston - 2nd Session
09 Sep 2023 Of Rice & Rails: The Delicate Ecology of Wild Rice Marshes on the Patuxent River
08 Sep 2023 Fossil Collecting from the Middle Devonian at Beltzville Dam (Lehighton, PA)
07 Sep 2023 Making A Difference: Women Naturalists, Commemorative Visions and Lessons Learned
06 Sep 2023 Hunting Giant Sharks: Pro Tips for Collecting Megalodon Teeth
02 Sep 2023 Moth Madness! (NHSM Lep Club Members Only)
02 Sep 2023 September Fossil Hunt at Stratford Cliffs (NHSM Members Only)
30 Aug 2023 Blue Crab Dissection Lab
27 Aug 2023 Wingspan Game Night - August
27 Aug 2023 Ghost Fleet of Mallows Bay Canoe Paddle
27 Aug 2023 Ghost Fleet of Mallows Bay Canoe Paddle
27 Aug 2023 Going with the Flow -Public Stream Field Days at Hampton Natl Historic Site Farm (August)
26 Aug 2023 Cylburn Arboretum: Exploratory Lepidoptera Walk with Cylburn Arboretum Friends (CAF)
26 Aug 2023 Be a Beaver Believer
23 Aug 2023 Journey with Monarchs: A Personal Experience Raising and Releasing Monarchs in the Home Garden
20 Aug 2023 Wild Edibles - Chanterelle Foraging with Nick
20 Aug 2023 August 2023 Fossil Hunting at Stratford Cliffs -- Open to the Public!
19 Aug 2023 Geology Tour of Baltimore, Buildings and Monuments with Sam (Aug 19)
19 Aug 2023 Petroglyphs Canoe Paddle – CANCELED
17 Aug 2023 Dormancy: The Sleeping Seed
16 Aug 2023 An Introduction to the Patapsco Valley Heritage Area
15 Aug 2023 NHSM Lep Club: Ladew Gardens Butterfly House Tour
14 Aug 2023 Eroding History Film Screening PLUS Q & A w/ Filmmakers
11 Aug 2023 Family-Friendly Boat & Bus Tour of Hart-Miller Island: Where Three Islands Become One State Park
10 Aug 2023 Mussel Power in the Anacostia River
09 Aug 2023 Show and Shell: What NOT to do when keeping turtles and tortoises
06 Aug 2023 CANCELLED Herp Club Field Trip: Gunpowder Falls
05 Aug 2023 Wild Rice Canoe Paddle at Jug Bay
04 Aug 2023 CANCELLED Maryland Archaeological Conservation Lab (NHSM Members Only)
02 Aug 2023 Fossil Club Meeting: Secrets of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal
01 Aug 2023 National Night Out @ The Museum
28 Jul 2023 CANCEL DUE TO WEATHER Moth Nights: Gunpowder/Monkton
27 Jul 2023 From Stump Dump to National Model, Camp Small - Baltimore's Urban Wood Utilization Program
26 Jul 2023 July Lep Club Meeting: Discovering and documenting biodiversity in your neighborhood and beyond
26 Jul 2023 Deer Creek Canoe Paddle at Eden Mills
25 Jul 2023 Painting with Bacteria: Agar Art Workshop with BUGSS, Baltimore Underground Science Space
23 Jul 2023 Going with the Flow - Public Stream Field Days at Gwynns Falls/Leakin Park (July)
22 Jul 2023 Petroglyphs Canoe Paddle
21 Jul 2023 Moth Nights: Gunpowder/Bunker Hill-July 21
20 Jul 2023 The Moon: Our Partner in Space
20 Jul 2023 Ghost Fleet of Mallows Bay Canoe Paddle
20 Jul 2023 Ghost Fleet of Mallows Bay Canoe Paddle
20 Jul 2023 Ghost Fleet of Mallows Bay Canoe Paddle
16 Jul 2023 SharkFest 2023 - Sink Your Teeth Into Fun
15 Jul 2023 SharkFest 2023 Red Carpet Event - Lectures with Dr. Bretton Kent & Lucy Howey
15 Jul 2023 Arch Club: Homewood Museum Tour
14 Jul 2023 CANCELED due to weather - Moth Nights: Gunpowder/Bunker Hill
14 Jul 2023 Boat & Bus Tour of Hart-Miller Island: Where Three Islands Become One State Park
13 Jul 2023 Can Fish Climb Ladders? The Fish Passage Program in Maryland
12 Jul 2023 Snakes 101: Everything the Internet Won't Tell You about Caring for Your Snake
08 Jul 2023 July 2023 Fossil Hunt at Stratford Cliffs (NHSM Members ONLY)
07 Jul 2023 Moth Nights: July 7 Confirmed - Gunpowder/Monkton
05 Jul 2023 Fossil Club Meeting: Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail
29 Jun 2023 Nature's Small Stuff: Bacteria -Friend, Foe and Artist Medium
28 Jun 2023 June Lep Club Meeting: Assessing the Status of Butterflies in the United States
28 Jun 2023 Boat & Bus Tour of Hart-Miller Island: Where Three Islands Become One State Park
25 Jun 2023 Wingspan Game Night -June
25 Jun 2023 Geology Tour of Baltimore's Buildings and Monuments with Sam
25 Jun 2023 CANCELED- Going with the Flow - Public Stream Field Days at Gwynns Falls/Leakin Park (June)
25 Jun 2023 PG County Urban Stream Fossil Hunt (Fossil Club Members Only, Just 6 Spots Available)
24 Jun 2023 Ghost Fleet of Mallows Bay Canoe Paddle
24 Jun 2023 Ghost Fleet of Mallows Bay Canoe Paddle
24 Jun 2023 Market Days at the Museum
24 Jun 2023 Fossil Hunting at Stratford Cliffs, June 2023 (Open to the Public!)
22 Jun 2023 How and Why We Study Sharks with Shark Hero, Jillian Morris
22 Jun 2023 Dearly Departed - How to be Eco-Friendly Even in Death
21 Jun 2023 Colonial Chesapeake Horse Culture
21 Jun 2023 The Shapes of Nature Summer Scavenger Hunt 2023
17 Jun 2023 Wild Edibles Foraging for Early Summer Plants with Nick Spero
17 Jun 2023 Insect Study Merit Badge Class
15 Jun 2023 Canoe Lessons June 15
14 Jun 2023 June Herp Club Meeting: Foundation for the Conservation of Salamanders
11 Jun 2023 Petroglyphs Canoe Paddle
11 Jun 2023 Petroglyphs Canoe Paddle
11 Jun 2023 Biodiversity of Meadows & Wetlands; Intro to Odonate ID, Breeding Birds and Butterflies
10 Jun 2023 Photograph Safari Hike: Bodacious Birds & Beasts with Barbara Saffir
09 Jun 2023 Birding Canoe Paddle at Wade Island
08 Jun 2023 Climate Anxiety and Eco-Grief: A Psychological Response with Heidi Schreiber-Pan
07 Jun 2023 Fossil Collecting in the Mahantago Formation
07 Jun 2023 Bird Banding Demo with Birds of Urban Baltimore (2 of 2)
04 Jun 2023 Reptile and Amphibian Study Merit Badge Day
03 Jun 2023 A Howlin' Good Time at the Wolf Sanctuary
03 Jun 2023 Oceanography Merit Badge Class
01 Jun 2023 Hair Today...The Long and Short Story of Mammalian Hair
31 May 2023 Birding Discovery Canoe Paddle at Jug Bay
28 May 2023 Going with the Flow - Public Stream Field Days at Gwynns Falls/Leakin Park (May)
28 May 2023 Sounds of the Songbirds Photo Hike in Havre De Grace
27 May 2023 Crawling and Pulsating Decomposers: Exploring the Mysteries of Slime Molds with Serenella
25 May 2023 An Introduction to the Ants of Maryland
24 May 2023 Lep Club Swap Meet
24 May 2023 Unique Rock with a Unique Ecosystem - Bare Hills Serpentine Barrens
21 May 2023 Turtle Troubles - World Turtle Day Keynote Address with Kerry Wixted
21 May 2023 World Turtle Day
21 May 2023 Wild Edible: Foraging for Late Spring Plants with Nick Spero
21 May 2023 Fossil Hunting at Stratford Cliffs, May 2023 (Fossil Club Members ONLY)
20 May 2023 Spider Taxonomy and ID Workshop with Jane Marlow
20 May 2023 Geology Tour of Baltimore's Buildings and Monuments with Sam (May 20)
20 May 2023 Turtle Discovery Canoe Paddle at Lake Roland
19 May 2023 Birding Canoe Paddle at Wade Island
18 May 2023 A Year in the Life of Skunk Cabbage
17 May 2023 The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA): What it means for Maryland museums
13 May 2023 Animal Skulls: Nature Illustration Class with Tim Phelps
12 May 2023 Oysters and PEARL - A Sustainable Combination
11 May 2023 Biological Illustration - Past, Present and Future
11 May 2023 What's Flying By the Natural History Society? Monthly Birding Meetups
10 May 2023 Croaks, Peeps, and Color: Exploring the World of Amphibian Communication
10 May 2023 Bird Banding Demo with Birds of Urban Baltimore(1 of 2)
09 May 2023 Wingspan Game Night - May
07 May 2023 Onion Basket -Twinning with Joan Betzold
07 May 2023 Pines, Prairies and Sparrows at Soldiers Delight with Mike Hudson
06 May 2023 Felt a Robin's Nest and Egg: Art and Nature
04 May 2023 The Flight to Wingspan (and its aftermath) with Game Creator Elizabeth Hargrave
03 May 2023 Tyrannosaurus Next: New discoveries and new controversies about the world's most famous dinosaur
02 May 2023 ID Check and Correct: City Nature Challenge
01 May 2023 Bird Study Merit Badge Class
30 Apr 2023 CANCELLED DUE TO WEATHER City Nature Challenge Hike at Double Rock Park
30 Apr 2023 Inventory of the NHSM Archaeology Collection with Kat Sterner
30 Apr 2023 Wild Edibles, Morels, Foraging Hike with Nick Spero
29 Apr 2023 Archaeology Merit Badge Class
26 Apr 2023 “Our” Monarchs in Mexico
23 Apr 2023 Getting Started with iNaturalist Workshop
23 Apr 2023 Geology Tour of Baltimore's Buildings and Monuments with Kathleen
23 Apr 2023 April Fossil Hunting at Stratford Cliffs (NHSM Members ONLY)
20 Apr 2023 The Art of the Bird before Audubon from the 1500s to 1800 (redux)
19 Apr 2023 Explore the Homesite of Harriett Tubman's Father, Ben Ross
16 Apr 2023 Nature Connections: Archaeo-Expo 2023
13 Apr 2023 Maryland's Other Crabs
13 Apr 2023 What's Flying By the Natural History Society? Monthly Birding Meetups
12 Apr 2023 CANCELLED: The Foundation for the Conservation of Salamanders, aka Chopsticks for Salamanders
11 Apr 2023 Wingspan (table game) Tutorial
08 Apr 2023 Field Trip: Petrified Wood, Odessa, DE (Members Only)
07 Apr 2023 CANCELLED: Gunpowder Vernal Pools Trips April 7
06 Apr 2023 Science of Birds Banding with Birds of Urban Baltimore (BUrB)
05 Apr 2023 Living with Mammoths: Lessons from the Ice Age
03 Apr 2023 Flintknapping Workshop
31 Mar 2023 Gunpowder Vernal Pools Trips March 31
29 Mar 2023 Founders' Day 2023: The Maestro of Maryland Minerals, Charles Ostrander
26 Mar 2023 Takuga: The Japanese Art of Botanical Prints in Ink and Watercolor with Sue Fierston
26 Mar 2023 Wild Edible Walk with Nick Spero: Foraging for Early Spring Plants in Baltimore
24 Mar 2023 Gunpowder Vernal Pools Trips March 24
23 Mar 2023 Unmitigated Gall Wasps in Maryland - Natural History and Ecology
22 Mar 2023 Supporting Pollinators by Staying Native
19 Mar 2023 March Fossil Hunting at Stratford Cliffs (Fossil Club Members ONLY)
18 Mar 2023 Geology Tour of Baltimore's Buildings and Monuments with Sam (March)
18 Mar 2023 PYSANKY: Ukrainian Egg Decorating Workshop - Art and Nature
18 Mar 2023 Migrating Wood Ducks, Snow Geese, and Tundra Swans in Kent County
16 Mar 2023 Women Astronomical Computers - Project PHaEDRA
15 Mar 2023 Taken Out of Context: Arch Club March Meeting
11 Mar 2023 Geology Merit Badge Class
10 Mar 2023 CANCELLED: Gunpowder Vernal Pools Trips March 10
09 Mar 2023 What’s Flying By the Natural History Society? Monthly Birding Meetups
08 Mar 2023 Herp Club March Meeting: Northern Map Turtle
05 Mar 2023 Herringbone Utility Basket: Advanced Basket Weaving with Joan Betzold
02 Mar 2023 Limb Regeneration in Amphibians and Freshwater Worms
01 Mar 2023 The Evolution of Euryapsids
27 Feb 2023 Bark– Species ID and Ecology Short Course (2nd Session)
26 Feb 2023 Skunk Cabbage Discovery Hike (Session 2)
26 Feb 2023 Skunk Cabbage Discovery Hike (Session 1)
26 Feb 2023 A Shore Thing - Bird Watching on Kent Island with Mike Hudson
25 Feb 2023 Nature Connections: The Return of Clubapalooza
23 Feb 2023 Of Rice & Rails: The delicate ecology of wild rice marshes on the Patuxent River
22 Feb 2023 Baltimore Checkerspot Restoration Project
19 Feb 2023 NHSM Native Plant Habitat Project, Phase One
18 Feb 2023 Geology Tour of Baltimore's Buildings and Monuments with Sam (February)
16 Feb 2023 Rhythms of the Night - Bat Echolocation
15 Feb 2023 Diving Into the Past: Recent developments in underwater prehistoric archaeology in Florida (and elsewhere)
12 Feb 2023 Eagle Watching at Loch Raven with Nick Spero ( February )
11 Feb 2023 Weave a Foraging Backpack with Joan Betzold - SESSION II
09 Feb 2023 The Art of the Bird before Audubon from the 1500s to 1800
08 Feb 2023 Herp Club February Meeting
06 Feb 2023 Bark– Species ID and Ecology Short Course
05 Feb 2023 Weave a Foraging Backpack with Joan Betzold
02 Feb 2023 Fleshing it Out the Evolution of Skin Color
01 Feb 2023 Ice Age Fauna and Mammalian Evolution
26 Jan 2023 Nature's Nap Time: Dormancy, Torpor, Estivation, Hibernation and Brumation
25 Jan 2023 Lep Club: Let's Plant a Pollinator Garden!
21 Jan 2023 Geology Tour of Baltimore's Buildings and Monuments with Sam
19 Jan 2023 Poos Clues, A Prehistoric Potty Talk
18 Jan 2023 Shell-Button Making on the Delmarva Peninsula (1930-1995)
15 Jan 2023 Eagle Watching at Loch Raven with Nick Spero
14 Jan 2023 Talking Bones: Skull and Bone Identification
14 Jan 2023 Field Trip: Winter Woody Plant Hike ID
14 Jan 2023 Taking Inventory: NHSM Archaeology Collection
12 Jan 2023 Bark: An Introduction
11 Jan 2023 The Secrets of Spotted Turtles
08 Jan 2023 History of Pollination -Short Course with Dr. Jody Johnson
05 Jan 2023 Robo-Raven and More Bioinspired Robotics
04 Jan 2023 New Perspectives on Tyrannosaurs and Their World
01 Jan 2023 Field Trip: New Year's Day First Hike
21 Dec 2022 Solstice Stories: Winter Traditions of the NHSM Archaeology Club
17 Dec 2022 In the Footsteps of Dinosaur - Beltsville Tour with Dr. Peter Kranz
17 Dec 2022 Field Trip: Odessa Petrified Wood (Members Only)
15 Dec 2022 Subterranean Splendors with Caver Dave
10 Dec 2022 Felt a Chickadee: Art and Nature Workshop SESSION II
10 Dec 2022 Felt a Chickadee: Art and Nature Workshop
08 Dec 2022 Sawfish Secrets in Natural History Collections
07 Dec 2022 Where Did Whales Come From?
01 Dec 2022 Introduction to Astrophotography
26 Nov 2022 Beaver Discovery Hike in Harford Co.
20 Nov 2022 Gyotaku: Japanese Fishprinting Workshop: Art and Nature
20 Nov 2022 Gyotaku: Japanese Fishprinting Workshop: Art and Nature SESSION II
17 Nov 2022 Suburban Leaf Litter and Overwintering Insects
12 Nov 2022 Fossil Hunting at Stratford Cliffs (November-Fossil Club Members)
10 Nov 2022 Horseshoe Crab Life History and Management in Maryland
09 Nov 2022 Discover the Susquehannock Wildlife Society
05 Nov 2022 Big Book Sale - General Public Day
04 Nov 2022 Big Book Sale - Members Only Night
02 Nov 2022 Anthracite Fossils of Eastern Pennsylvania
30 Oct 2022 Geology Tour of Baltimore's Buildings and Monuments
30 Oct 2022 Taking Inventory: Explore the NHSM Archaeology Collection
29 Oct 2022 Lichens 101: Biology, Ecology and Diversity
29 Oct 2022 Fossil Hunting at Stratford Cliffs (October)
27 Oct 2022 Venus Flytraps: A Pollination Puzzle
26 Oct 2022 What's Next for the NHSM Lep Club? A Members-Only Forum
23 Oct 2022 Botanical Fabric Printing with Sue Fierston SESSION 2 ADDED
23 Oct 2022 Botanical Fabric Printing with Sue Fierston
22 Oct 2022 Jug Bay Pontoon Archaeology Excursion (Members Only Field Trip)
19 Oct 2022 Discover the Jug Bay Archaeological Complex
16 Oct 2022 Wild Edible: Foraging Mushrooms Field Trip
15 Oct 2022 The Kingdom Fungi 101
13 Oct 2022 Maryland Garnets and the Formation of the Appalachians
12 Oct 2022 Life cycle of the Marbled Salamander
09 Oct 2022 The Life and Times of the American "Cheetah"
09 Oct 2022 Nature Connections: Fossils from the Age of Mammals
06 Oct 2022 Bees versus Elephants and Innovative Approach to Solving Human-Wildlife Conflicts
05 Oct 2022 Jewels and Stones: What Fossil Ants Tell Us
29 Sep 2022 Maryland Ornithological Society's Sanctuaries: From Mountains to Saltmarsh
28 Sep 2022 CANCELLED: Can a Non-Native Milkweed Help Monarch Populations?
28 Sep 2022 Sharing the Lepidoptera Experience
28 Sep 2022 Swift Night Out - 2022
27 Sep 2022 Aquatic Macroinvertebrates in 3 Parts with Ken Belt
21 Sep 2022 What Is the Maryland Historical Trust & What Does it Do
19 Sep 2022 Escape to Hart-Miller Island: Educational Tour #3
18 Sep 2022 Wild Edible Field Trip: Paw paws and Fall Mushrooms
14 Sep 2022 Crocodilian Encounter with Michael Shwedick's Reptile World
11 Sep 2022 Nature Connections: James Webb Space Telescope
11 Sep 2022 Fossil Hunting at Stratford Cliffs (September-NHSM Members)
08 Sep 2022 Hidden Lives of Sharks with Dr. Aaron Carlisle
07 Sep 2022 The Evolution of Cetaceans: What is a four-legged land animal doing in the Ocean?
01 Sep 2022 Whale Sharks: The Largest Fish in the Sea
28 Aug 2022 Scrimshaw Workshop for Adults
28 Aug 2022 Scrimshaw Workshop for Kids
27 Aug 2022 Summer Herp* Walk
25 Aug 2022 Living with Beavers
24 Aug 2022 Butterflies in Maryland, Common, Rare and Unique (online and in-person)
22 Aug 2022 Escape to Hart-Miller Island: Educational Tour #2
21 Aug 2022 CANCELLED: Swimming with Sharks: the Story BEHIND the Story with Author, Twig George
20 Aug 2022 A Different Butterfly Garden Tour – MEMBERS ONLY
18 Aug 2022 Catfish Species in Maryland: A snapshot of the last 120 years
17 Aug 2022 The Things We Find During Rehabilitation: Rediscovering the NHSM Archaeology Collections
15 Aug 2022 Escape to Hart-Miller Island: Educational Tour #1
13 Aug 2022 Fossil Hunting at Stratford Cliffs (August)
06 Aug 2022 Grasses, Sedges and Rushes Identification
03 Aug 2022 A fish-eat-fish world: Dunkleosteus and other creatures from the Cleveland Shale
28 Jul 2022 Fish Out of Water: Terrestrial Locomotion of Amphibious Fish
25 Jul 2022 RESCHEDULED: Escape to Hart-Miller Island -Educational Tour
24 Jul 2022 Art and Nature: Make a Comb Basket
23 Jul 2022 Quaker Neck Landing Paddle
22 Jul 2022 Moth Night: Sweet Air Area part 2
17 Jul 2022 Fossil Hunting at Stratford Cliffs (July-NHSM Members)
16 Jul 2022 Baltimore Heritage: Gargoyles, Landmarks, and Lions Downtown Baltimore Walking Tour
14 Jul 2022 Natural History of Shrews of the Mid-Atlantic Region of the US
13 Jul 2022 The Great Virgin Islands Frog Count: a low-tech, high-return method for finding frogs
09 Jul 2022 Moth Nights: Sweet Air Area
09 Jul 2022 Bromo Seltzer Tower Tour
01 Jul 2022 Moth Nights: Harford County MD
01 Jul 2022 The REAL Scavenger Hunt - Photo Safari 2022
25 Jun 2022 SharkFest 2022
24 Jun 2022 Sharkfest Kick Off: Exploring the Hidden Lives of Sharks with Dr. Aaron Carlisle and David Shiffman
22 Jun 2022 Summer Species Swap and Husbandry Panel
19 Jun 2022 PG County Urban Stream Fossil Hunt (Fossil Club Members Only)
18 Jun 2022 Market Days at the Museum
18 Jun 2022 Fossil Hunting at Stratford Cliffs (June)
17 Jun 2022 Moth Night in Monkton
16 Jun 2022 COVID in Animals -A Zoo Veterinarian's Perspective
15 Jun 2022 Overlooked Places: Telling the interconnected history of Maryland through recent archaeology in Baltimore
09 Jun 2022 The Marvelous Mysids of Maryland
08 Jun 2022 Timber Rattlesnakes
08 Jun 2022 Public Bird Banding Demonstration at the Museum (2 of 2)
04 Jun 2022 Baltimore Heritage: Federal Hill Walking Tour
04 Jun 2022 Insect Study Merit Badge Class
01 Jun 2022 FIN-tastic Fossil Sharks: A Hands-on fossil club meeting
22 May 2022 World Turtle Day 2022
21 May 2022 Banneker Spring BioBlitz
19 May 2022 Oceans, Atmospheres and Climates of Earth VS. Other Planets and Moons
18 May 2022 Octoraro - Susquehannock Fort or Pre-Contact Town, An Archaeological Mystery
17 May 2022 Darwin Remembers: Recollections of a Life's Journey
15 May 2022 Fossil Collecting from the Middle Devonian at Beltzville State Park, PA
14 May 2022 Gyotaku: The Art of the Japanese Fishprint Workshop: Art and Nature
14 May 2022 Gyotaku: The Art of the Japanese Fishprint Workshop: SESSION II
12 May 2022 The Beltsville Virtual Experience - 7,000 acres in one hour
11 May 2022 The Bog Turtle: Natural History and Conservation in Maryland
11 May 2022 Public Bird Banding Demonstration at the Museum
07 May 2022 Field Trip: Maryland Archaeological Conservation Lab (Archeology Club Only)
07 May 2022 Reptile and Amphibian Study Merit Badge Day
06 May 2022 Review Rally: City Nature Challenge
05 May 2022 Bobcats in Maryland - Distribution, Abundance, and Population Genetics
04 May 2022 Sharks: A Journey Through Deep Time
01 May 2022 Fossil Hunting at Stratford Cliffs (May-NHSM Members ONLY)
30 Apr 2022 Archaeology Expo 2022 - The Future of Studying the Past: Innovative Technologies in Maryland Archeology
28 Apr 2022 Community Bird Banding with Birds of Urban Baltimore (B.Ur.B)
27 Apr 2022 Monarch Sister Schools
24 Apr 2022 Teacher Training: Environmental History of Maryland Through Fossils
24 Apr 2022 Wild Edible Field Trip: Morels
23 Apr 2022 Magical Mandalas Workshop
20 Apr 2022 Star-Spangled Archaeology:  Examining the War of 1812 Through Maritime Archaeology
16 Apr 2022 From Forest Floor to the Treetops: An Introduction to Maryland Birds
16 Apr 2022 Fossil Hunting at Stratford Cliffs (April-Fossil Club Members ONLY)
15 Apr 2022 Vernal Pool Series: Gunpowder Trip April 15 (NHSM Members)
14 Apr 2022 I Spy with My Little Eye - An Introduction to City Nature Challenge 2022
13 Apr 2022 Amphibian and Reptile Show and Tell (in-person and virtual)
09 Apr 2022 Private Tour of Hershey Gardens & Butterfly Atrium and Lab
09 Apr 2022 Archaeology Merit Badge Class
07 Apr 2022 CANCELLED The Beltsville Virtual Experience - 7,000 acres in one hour
06 Apr 2022 Dental Detectives - Fossil Teeth
03 Apr 2022 Choctaw Basket Workshop
02 Apr 2022 Founder's Day 2022: Honoring Howard A. Kelly, Surgeon, Naturalist, Author, Collector and Benefactor
31 Mar 2022 Discover the World of Minerals in your Pocket
24 Mar 2022 Meet The Largest Australian Pterosaur - Thapunngaka shawi
23 Mar 2022 Caterpillars Count! Bugs on branches as canaries in the coalmine for global change
17 Mar 2022 The Icelandic Phallological Museum: Interpreting the science and culture of the penis
16 Mar 2022 History of Spiritualism in Baltimore
12 Mar 2022 PYSANKY: Ukrainian Egg Decorating Workshop, Art and Nature
11 Mar 2022 Vernal Pool Series: Gunpowder Trip March 11 (Herp Club only)
09 Mar 2022 A Tale of Two Salamanders: A story of a threatened amphibian and the threats of an uncertain future in Appalachia
06 Mar 2022 All About Seeds: Nature Connection
05 Mar 2022 Discover Maryland Tour at the Maryland Center for History & Culture (Archaeology Club)
02 Mar 2022 Morocco: A Fossil Collector’s Paradise
23 Feb 2022 Monarch Rx: Exploring a Little-Known Behavior of a Beloved Butterfly
20 Feb 2022 Eagle Watching at Loch Raven with Nick Spero
17 Feb 2022 Amazing Antlers
16 Feb 2022 We Too Are The Village: Reparative heritage at Catoctin Furnace
12 Feb 2022 Maryland & DC Breeding Bird Atlas 3: Community Science Saturday
10 Feb 2022 Building Holistic Urban Stream Ecosystems Using People, Bugs, Slime, Fish and Concrete
09 Feb 2022 King snakes of the United States and their care, breeding and husbandry
06 Feb 2022 Basket Making 101: Art and Nature; Second Session Added
06 Feb 2022 Advanced Fossil Event at Calvert Cliffs
05 Feb 2022 Basket Making 101: Art and Nature
03 Feb 2022 The "Eyes" Have It: Introduction to The Comparative Ocular Pathology Laboratory
02 Feb 2022 The Life and Times of the Mosasaurs, Giant Predatory Sea Reptiles
27 Jan 2022 Parasitic Algae of the Air - Downy mildews
22 Jan 2022 Winter Hike 1/22 Patuxent River Park
22 Jan 2022 Towson Glen Winter Tree Identification
20 Jan 2022 A History of Our Most Precious Resource: Watershed Ecology in the Anthropocene
19 Jan 2022 Archaeology Club New Year Meet n Greet Virtual
16 Jan 2022 Last Chance Fossil Collecting @ C&D Canal Delaware
16 Jan 2022 Eagle Watching at Loch Raven with Nick Spero
12 Jan 2022 Wildlife Trafficking: Domestic and International Law Enforcement Responses
06 Jan 2022 Harnessing Europa
01 Jan 2022 Field Trip: New Year's Day Hike
16 Dec 2021 Rattlesnake Conservation: What you should know
11 Dec 2021 DIY Planet Search - Community Science Saturday the James Webb Experience
09 Dec 2021 Coming soon to your neighborhood, get ready for spotted lanternfly
07 Dec 2021 Galaxy Evolution: The James Webb Experience
04 Dec 2021 Archaeology Club Field Trip, Green Mount Cemetery Dec. 4th
04 Dec 2021 Talking Bones: Skull and Bone Identification
02 Dec 2021 Daddy Long Legs: The Art and Natural History of the Marvelously Misunderstood Opiliones
01 Dec 2021 Fossil Sharks of Alabama
24 Nov 2021 Butterfly or Moth, with Lookalikes How do You Know
20 Nov 2021 Field Trip: Fossil Hunting at Dinosaur Park
18 Nov 2021 A Star is Born: James Webb Experience
17 Nov 2021 Indigenous Foods and Native Cuisine of the Chesapeake Bay Region
11 Nov 2021 Exoplanets: The James Webb Experience
10 Nov 2021 Rat Snakes of North America - Captive Husbandry and More
07 Nov 2021 Field Trip: Fossil Hunting at Stratford Cliffs
06 Nov 2021 Fossil Collecting from the Middle Devonian at Beltzville State Park, PA
04 Nov 2021 Space in Infrared, More than Meets the Eye: The James Webb Experience
03 Nov 2021 How to start a fossil collection: cleaning, cataloging, labeling, storing, organizing
28 Oct 2021 History of the Telescope: The James Webb Experience
27 Oct 2021 Butterflies in Space
21 Oct 2021 The Chemistry of Gemstones with the Gemological Institute of America (GIA)
20 Oct 2021 Rewriting History: Pre-Contact Peoples in Cecil County, Maryland
17 Oct 2021 Field Trip: Looking for Fossils at Stratford Cliffs
16 Oct 2021 The Old Weather Project for Community Science Saturday
14 Oct 2021 Slugs of Maryland: Biodiversity and Biology
13 Oct 2021 The Mysteries of Painted Turtle Stripe and Spot Color
13 Oct 2021 DIY Shark Tooth Necklace
13 Oct 2021 National Fossil Day - Free fossils! Fossil experts & Fossil Fun
10 Oct 2021 Fossil hunt & Geology Field Trip on the beach at Scientists Cliffs #2 (adults only)
09 Oct 2021 Floating Field Trip Exploring the Archaeology of the Patuxent River
07 Oct 2021 20,000 Species and Counting: The Maryland Biodiversity Project
03 Oct 2021 Wild Edible Field Trip: Foraging for Early Fall Plants
26 Sep 2021 Swift Night Out
25 Sep 2021 Banneker Fall BioBlitz: Reptiles, Amphibians and much more
23 Sep 2021 Rocking Rodentia
22 Sep 2021 Moth Friendly Moon Gardens with Maryland Natives
19 Sep 2021 Wild Edible Field Trip: Foraging for Early Fall Plants
18 Sep 2021 Lights Out Baltimore: Community Science Saturday
16 Sep 2021 Rock On Maryland: Celebrate National Collect Rocks Day with Martin Schmidt
15 Sep 2021 A Story of Everyday Life in a Maryland Irish Immigrant Laboring Town
12 Sep 2021 Fossil hunt & Geology Field Trip on the beach at Scientists Cliffs (adults only)
11 Sep 2021 Field Trip: Looking for Fossils at Stratford Cliffs
09 Sep 2021 Ecology and Economics of Oysters and the Chesapeake Bay
08 Sep 2021 Protecting your Right to Possess and Breed Reptiles and Amphibians
02 Sep 2021 Chimney Swifts as Neighbors not Nuisance
01 Sep 2021 Taung: The Nexus of African Palaeoanthropology
28 Aug 2021 Archaeological Artifact Cleaning and Cataloging
26 Aug 2021 Nature's Odd Couple: Spotted Salamanders and Algae
25 Aug 2021 Photographing Butterflies and Moths: Tips and Tricks
19 Aug 2021 The Rise, Fall and Potential Recovery of the American Chestnut Tree
18 Aug 2021 The Caulker's Houses: African American and White Working Class Folk of 19th Century Fell's Point, Baltimore
15 Aug 2021 Virtual Shark Fest
15 Aug 2021 Shark Fest 2021
12 Aug 2021 Invasion Ecology and Community Science
08 Aug 2021 NHSM Book Club - The Monster Shark’s Tooth: Canoeing from the Chesapeake Bay into the Ancient Miocene Sea
07 Aug 2021 Field Trip: Looking for Fossils at Stratford Cliffs
05 Aug 2021 Corals, Fish, and Energy in Maryland – What’s the connection?
04 Aug 2021 Plant Evolution Through Geological Time
01 Aug 2021 Trekking through Taxonomy: 2021 Nature Scavenger Hunt
29 Jul 2021 Maryland's Law Library is for the Birds! Thurgood Marshall State Law Library's Audubon Collection
28 Jul 2021 Ladew Butterfly House NHSM Lep Club Private Tour and Picnic
24 Jul 2021 NEW DATE Moth Night Field Trip #2
24 Jul 2021 Field Trip: Looking for Fossils at Stratford Cliffs
22 Jul 2021 Bio-Plastics: Sculptural Experimentation
21 Jul 2021 Caring for Red-eared Sliders and Snake Sitting: NHSM Herp Club Hybrid Meeting
17 Jul 2021 CANCELLED DUE TO WEATHER Moth Night Field Trip #2
17 Jul 2021 Nature Book Sale - General Public Day
16 Jul 2021 Nature Book Sale - Members Only Night
15 Jul 2021 Weasels to Wolverines – Meet the Mustelids
14 Jul 2021 British Clay Tobacco Pipes found in the Chesapeake Bay Region
10 Jul 2021 Moth Night Field Trip #1
10 Jul 2021 Purple Martin Landlords Needed - Community Science Saturday
08 Jul 2021 Baltimore Rocks: Playing Golf on the Earth's Crust
07 Jul 2021 Travelling Deep Time Along Country Roads: The Devonian in West Virginia
27 Jun 2021 Field Trip: Looking for Fossils at Stratford Cliffs
26 Jun 2021 Banneker BioBlitz: Herps
24 Jun 2021 The Role of Connection to Nature on Psychological Well-Being and Resiliency
23 Jun 2021 The Maryland Fluted Point Survey: New Insights on the Paleoindian Occupation of Maryland (13,000 to 10,000 ybp)
16 Jun 2021 New Annual Butterfly Count for Maryland – Volunteers Needed
12 Jun 2021 Watching Fireflies for Fun and Conservation: Community Science Saturday
11 Jun 2021 The Natural History Society of Maryland Presents Charming Disaster's Quarantine Livestream
10 Jun 2021 Hiding in Plain Sight, Saw-whet Owls in Maryland
09 Jun 2021 Banneker BioBlitz Orientation: NHSM Herp Club June Meeting
03 Jun 2021 Edible and Non-Edible Fungi
02 Jun 2021 Maryland's Fossil Sharks: What tales do shark teeth tell?
27 May 2021 Hypervelocity Impact Cratering on Earth
26 May 2021 Extirpated and Endangered Butterflies of Maryland
23 May 2021 World Turtle Day: In-Person Turtle Encounters
22 May 2021 Project Budburst: Community Science Saturday
21 May 2021 Lunchtime Nature-themed Guided Meditation (online)
20 May 2021 Bats of Baltimore
19 May 2021 Songs and Stories of the Susquehanna River
12 May 2021 Fungal Pathogens Impacts on Amphibian Biodiversity
08 May 2021 Field Trip: Looking for Fossils at Stratford Cliffs
06 May 2021 Ancient Forests Live: Microscopic Anatomy and the Identification of Wood and Charcoal
05 May 2021 Triceratops – The Frill of It All
03 May 2021 Meteorological Mondays: Weather, You Like It
29 Apr 2021 Arboretums of Maryland
28 Apr 2021 Spirit Photography Fact or Fraud?
22 Apr 2021 Spend Earth Day with Rachel Carson
21 Apr 2021 iNaturalist Primer: Connect with Nature
16 Apr 2021 Vernal Pool Night Walk #2 at Gunpowder (HERP CLUB MEMBERS ONLY)
15 Apr 2021 "Born" to Float Alone: The Natural History of Plankton
14 Apr 2021 Herping the Trans-Pecos Region of Texas
10 Apr 2021 Chesapeake Bay SAV Watchers: Community Science Saturday April
10 Apr 2021 Field Trip: Looking for Fossils at Stratford Cliffs
08 Apr 2021 Nutria Eradication in Maryland: How Dogs Saved the Bay
07 Apr 2021 More than Teeth: Megalodon's Morphology and Ecology
03 Apr 2021 Vernal Pool Walk at Benjamin Banneker Historical Park and Museum (MEMBERS ONLY)
02 Apr 2021 Vernal Pool Night Walk #1 at Gunpowder (HERP CLUB MEMBERS ONLY)
02 Apr 2021 Founders’ Day Celebration: NHSM Contributions to Maryland Archaeology
01 Apr 2021 Exploding Stars and You: An Elemental Origin Story
25 Mar 2021 The Dutch Gap Canal: Where Paleobotany Meets Civil War History
25 Mar 2021 Select Lepidoptera from Vietnam: NHSM Lep Club March Mtg.
24 Mar 2021 Excavating the Susquehannocks
18 Mar 2021 Bonds of Honeydew: Understanding the relationship between Acropyga ants and mealybugs
14 Mar 2021 Sharing, Caring, and Thievery: Arachnid Behavior and Interactions
11 Mar 2021 The Wild Turkey in Maryland: History, Biology, and Management
10 Mar 2021 Meet -N- Greet: NHSM Archaeology Club
10 Mar 2021 Vernal Pool Primer and Member Show-n-Tell
06 Mar 2021 Monarch Butterfly Community Science Project Sampler
04 Mar 2021 Milking An Aardvark? Learn About the World’s Largest Exotic Milk Repository
03 Mar 2021 Meet the Denisovans, Enigmatic Archaic Cousins to the Neanderthals
25 Feb 2021 Dolphins of the Chesapeake Bay
25 Feb 2021 Wintering Tips, Tricks, and Practices for Spring Butterflies: NHSM Lep Club Feb. Mtg.
18 Feb 2021 Native Orchid Ecology and Conservation
17 Feb 2021 Research, Conservation and Curation at the Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory
16 Feb 2021 Meet Naturalist Aldo Leopold
11 Feb 2021 Return of the Cicadas in 2021: A Teenage Love Story
10 Feb 2021 Salamanders to Rattlesnakes: Herpetology Footwear Innovation—and the Design Behind It
06 Feb 2021 Winter Salt Watch
04 Feb 2021 Overlooked Life History: Butterfly and moth overwintering ecology
03 Feb 2021 Fossil Show and Tell
28 Jan 2021 Insect Potpourri Night
28 Jan 2021 Good Fences Make Good Neighbors: How a University and a Town Came Together to Protect an Endangered Turtle
27 Jan 2021 Three Families, Four Centuries: Archaeological Evidence of Ecosystem Alterations
24 Jan 2021 Fossil Club Trip: Collecting Fossils at Chesapeake Ranch Estates
21 Jan 2021 So Much More Than Ribbit: Frog Calls of Maryland
16 Jan 2021 Every Drop Counts, The Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network
14 Jan 2021 Snow Crystal Photomicrography 101
10 Jan 2021 Fossil Club Trip: Collecting Fossils at Chesapeake Ranch Estates
07 Jan 2021 The Beauty & Magic of Microscopic Minerals
06 Jan 2021 From Caves to Canyons, Searching for Ancient Sharks in Our National Parks:
21 Dec 2020 Lichens and the Lichenologists Who Love Them – 2nd Date Added
17 Dec 2020 Lichens and the Lichenologists Who Love Them
14 Dec 2020 What's This Plant
12 Dec 2020 The Christmas Bird Count: Overview and Invitation
10 Dec 2020 The Language of Soils, the Poetry of Life
05 Dec 2020 Maryland Bald Eagle Nest Monitoring Program Workshop
04 Dec 2020 Love Bugs Watch Party and Behind the Scenes Tour of NHSM’s Entomology Collections
02 Dec 2020 Taking A Bite Out of Shark Teeth
28 Nov 2020 Moss Workshop
23 Nov 2020 What's This Plant?
23 Nov 2020 Edible Insects: An Introduction to Entomophagy
22 Nov 2020 Fossil Club Trip to the Devonian Mahantango Formation
19 Nov 2020 Terrapin Tales with Scott Smith
15 Nov 2020 Fossil Club Field Trip to Douglas Point in Purse State Park
13 Nov 2020 NHSM Archaeology Club Open November Mtg.: Glen Ellen Castle
12 Nov 2020 “Tails” of Hello and Good-bye: Extirpated and Introduced Mammals of Maryland.
09 Nov 2020 What's This Plant?
08 Nov 2020 Animal Origami, A Personal Paper Menagerie
06 Nov 2020 Field Trip: Looking for Fossils at Stratford Cliffs
05 Nov 2020 The Big Small World of Honey Bees
04 Nov 2020 Dino Tracks and the MAGLEV NHSM Fossil Club Nov. Mtg
31 Oct 2020 Moss Workshop
30 Oct 2020 Natural History Scares and Tales for Halloween
29 Oct 2020 The Science of Spider Webs: Silk biology from DNA to fiber
27 Oct 2020 Playing Mind Games: How microbes make zombies of their insect hosts
26 Oct 2020 What's This Plant?
24 Oct 2020 Wildlife Drawing Workshop
22 Oct 2020 Unlocking the Mysteries and Marvels of Bird Migration
19 Oct 2020 Enslaved Families of Eutaw Farm in Baltimore: NHSM Archaeology Club Open Mtg. October
18 Oct 2020 Guided Susquehanna Petroglyph Canoe Trip
15 Oct 2020 Fern Ecology and ID
12 Oct 2020 What's This Plant?
10 Oct 2020 PG County Urban Stream Fossil Hunt (Fossil Club Members Only)
08 Oct 2020 Minds in the Gutter: Urban Leaf Litter and Stream Health
07 Oct 2020 NHSM Fossil Club Mtg: Sharkfest and Trip Planning
01 Oct 2020 Clubapalooza - Intro. to NHSM Clubs
28 Sep 2020 What's This Plant?
26 Sep 2020 Moss Workshop
20 Sep 2020 Field Trip: Looking for Fossils at Stratford Cliffs
19 Sep 2020 Wild Edible Field Trip: Foraging for Early Fall Plants
17 Sep 2020 Intro to Maryland Fossils and Fossil Hunting
15 Sep 2020 Bird Banding Demonstration
12 Sep 2020 Field Trip: Looking for Fossils at Stratford Cliffs
10 Sep 2020 Projectile Points: Pocket-Sized Pieces of the Past
05 Sep 2020 NHSM Fall Book Club: Snorkeling Rivers and Streams: An Aquatic Guide to Underwater Discovery and Adventure
02 Sep 2020 Open Fossil Club: Megalodon Evolution
27 Aug 2020 Just “Wingin” It – A Feather Q + A
24 Aug 2020 CANCELLED: What’s This Plant?
20 Aug 2020 The Science of Poop
18 Aug 2020 Who's Singing In Your Backyard? A Guide to the 2020 Cricket Crawl
13 Aug 2020 What “Shell” We Learn Tonight? – A Sea Shell Q + A
10 Aug 2020 CANCELLED: What’s This Plant?
06 Aug 2020 Reptile Husbandry Basics and Common Pitfalls
01 Aug 2020 Photo Safari Scavenger Hunt
30 Jul 2020 Science You Can Eat: Blue Crabs
27 Jul 2020 CANCELLED: What’s This Plant?
25 Jul 2020 CANCELLED: Moss Workshop
23 Jul 2020 An Overview of Maryland Geology with Martin Schmidt
21 Jul 2020 CANCELLED: Bird Banding Demonstration
13 Jul 2020 CANCELLED: What’s This Plant?
27 Jun 2020 CANCELLED: Moss Workshop
22 Jun 2020 CANCELLED: What’s This Plant?
22 Jun 2020 Natural History Museum Escape Room
18 Jun 2020 CANCELLED: RIVER SNORKELING ADVENTURES-MEMBER ONLY EVENT
16 Jun 2020 Bird Banding Demonstration
08 Jun 2020 What's This Plant?
30 May 2020 Moss Workshop
25 May 2020 What's This Plant?
19 May 2020 CANCELLED Bird Banding Demonstration
17 May 2020 Spring Herp Hike
16 May 2020 CANCELLED Rat Taxidermy Class
11 May 2020 What's This Plant?
07 May 2020 CANCELLED Fossils 101
02 May 2020 CANCELLED Rock Swap 2020
27 Apr 2020 PENDING What’s This Plant?
25 Apr 2020 PENDING Moss Workshop
21 Apr 2020 CANCELLED Bird Banding Demonstration
16 Apr 2020 CANCELLED Insects in the Food System-Member Only Night
13 Apr 2020 PENDING What’s This Plant?
05 Apr 2020 CANCELLED Swamp, Snakes, and Frogs
04 Apr 2020 CANCELLED Stargazing in Sparks!
29 Mar 2020 CANCELLED: NATURE CONNECTIONS: Outside Your Window
28 Mar 2020 CANCELLED Moss Workshop
23 Mar 2020 CANCELLED What’s This Plant?
20 Mar 2020 CANCELLED Vernal Pool Night Walk #2
19 Mar 2020 CANCELLED Paleozoic Sharks across the United States-Member Only Night
09 Mar 2020 What's This Plant?
06 Mar 2020 Vernal Pool Night Walk #1
06 Mar 2020 Documenting Maryland’s Historic Cemeteries
05 Mar 2020 Herp Club Meeting
04 Mar 2020 Fossil Club Meeting
29 Feb 2020 Moss Workshop
29 Feb 2020 PYSANKY: Ukrainian Egg Decorating Workshop
28 Feb 2020 Looking at the Moon, Venus, and Beyond: Maryland Space Grant Consortium Observatory
24 Feb 2020 What's This Plant?
23 Feb 2020 NATURE CONNECTIONS: Iron
22 Feb 2020 Looking for Bald Eagles in Loch Raven Reservoir
20 Feb 2020 Tree-Ring Dating and Historic Structures: A Look at the Science of Dendrochronology-Member Only Night
19 Feb 2020 Volunteer Informational Gathering -Come Volunteer With Us!
15 Feb 2020 Starting Native Seeds
10 Feb 2020 What's This Plant?
09 Feb 2020 CANCELLED: Fruit Tree Pruning at Great Kids Farm with the Baltimore Orchard Project!
08 Feb 2020 Glen Ellen Castle Artifacts
06 Feb 2020 Herp Club Meeting
05 Feb 2020 Fossil Club Meeting
02 Feb 2020 Entomology 101
01 Feb 2020 Winter Tree Identification: A Short Walk in Druid Hill Park
01 Feb 2020 CANCELLED The Microcosmos: Protists, Algae, Slime Molds and Tardigrades
27 Jan 2020 What's This Plant?
26 Jan 2020 NATURE CONNECTIONS: Skulls and Teeth
25 Jan 2020 Moss Workshop
13 Jan 2020 What's This Plant?
09 Jan 2020 Members Only Night - Feathers!
08 Jan 2020 Fossil Club Meeting
28 Dec 2019 Moss Workshop
23 Dec 2019 What's This Plant?
17 Dec 2019 What was the Star of Bethlehem? The Astronomy of Biblical Times
15 Dec 2019 NATURE CONNECTION: Holiday Nature Crafts and Hot Chocolate!
09 Dec 2019 What's This Plant?
07 Dec 2019 Field Trip: Winter Tree Identification with TreeBaltimore
07 Dec 2019 The Kingdom Fungi
05 Dec 2019 Herp Club Meeting – Holiday Party Show and Tell
04 Dec 2019 Fossil Club Meeting
30 Nov 2019 Moss Workshop
25 Nov 2019 What's This Plant?
24 Nov 2019 CANCELLED: Big Game Record Keeping: Past, Present and Future
24 Nov 2019 Field Trip: Archaeology Club's First Excavation
17 Nov 2019 NATURE CONNECTIONS: Trees
16 Nov 2019 Field Trip: Chesapeake Gold: Ecology of the Eastern Oyster
16 Nov 2019 Bird Study Merit Badge Class
11 Nov 2019 What's This Plant?
10 Nov 2019 Field Trip: Looking for Fossils at Stratford Cliffs
07 Nov 2019 NHSM Herp Club November Meeting
07 Nov 2019 Exploring Animal Behavior A 3-Part Series with Jane Marlow
28 Oct 2019 What's This Plant?
27 Oct 2019 Canceled:NATURE CONNECTIONS: Slime
26 Oct 2019 Moss Workshop
24 Oct 2019 NHSM Lep Club October Meeting End of year celebration
19 Oct 2019 CANCELLED: DIY Dissect it Yourself – Chicken Feet and Wings
19 Oct 2019 Archaeology Club Field Trip: Antietam National Battlefield
19 Oct 2019 Field Trip: Bird Walk at Sandy Point State Park with Pete Givan
18 Oct 2019 The Love Bugs – Maryland Premiere Screening
17 Oct 2019 Teachers' Night Out at the Museum
16 Oct 2019 CANCELLED: Cephalopods: Intelligent Magicians
15 Oct 2019 Introduction to Astronomy
14 Oct 2019 What's This Plant?
09 Oct 2019 CANCELLED: Wee Naturalists October: Bats
05 Oct 2019 Wild Edible Field Trip: Foraging for Fall Mushrooms
03 Oct 2019 Monthly Herp Club Meeting October Show and Tell
02 Oct 2019 NHSM Fossil Club October Meeting
29 Sep 2019 CANCELLED: Draw With Horses
28 Sep 2019 Moss Workshop - New Location
28 Sep 2019 Field Trip: Looking for Fossils at Stratford Cliffs
28 Sep 2019 Field Trip: Looking for Fossils at Stratford Cliffs
28 Sep 2019 Herp Hunt Field Trip
23 Sep 2019 What's This Plant?
21 Sep 2019 CANCELLED Owl Pellets DIY Dissect it Yourself Family Lab
19 Sep 2019 The History, Legend, and Science of Psychedelic Mushrooms
14 Sep 2019 Shellebrate Shells: Family Science Workshop
13 Sep 2019 Wine, Feasting, and Frescoes: An Update on the Recent Findings at the Canaanite Palace of Tel Kabri
11 Sep 2019 Wee Naturalists September: Shells
07 Sep 2019 Wild Edible Field Trip: Foraging for Early Fall Plants
05 Sep 2019 Monthly Herp Club Meeting Medusa's Misfits
26 Aug 2019 What's this plant?
25 Aug 2019 CANCELLED: Canoe Trip (afternoon paddle): Watersheds Explained
17 Aug 2019 Field Trip: Looking for Fossils at Stratford Cliffs
17 Aug 2019 Field Trip: Bird Walk at Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary with Pete Givan
12 Aug 2019 What's this plant?
11 Aug 2019 NATURE CONNECTIONS: Soil Smarts
10 Aug 2019 CANCELLED: Canoe Trip (afternoon paddle): Conservation on the Creek
10 Aug 2019 Canoe Trip (morning paddle): Conservation on the Creek
07 Aug 2019 August Fossil Club Meeting: Presentation by David Bohaska on the Fossils of Calvert Cliffs
03 Aug 2019 Wild Edible Field Trip: Summer Plants
03 Aug 2019 Put a Pin In It: Insect Collecting Short Course
01 Aug 2019 August Herp Club Meeting -Endangered Salamanders
31 Jul 2019 Life on the Seafloor
28 Jul 2019 NATURE CONNECTIONS: Wings and Things
28 Jul 2019 Field Trip: Draw with Horses
27 Jul 2019 Moss Workshop
27 Jul 2019 Field Trip: Looking for Fossils at Stratford Cliffs
22 Jul 2019 What's this plant?
21 Jul 2019 Sharkfest 2019
20 Jul 2019 CANCELLED - Field Trip: Bird Walk at Piney Run Park with Pete Givan
17 Jul 2019 Bees of Maryland
13 Jul 2019 CANCELLED - Field Trip: Explore Maryland’s Coastal Bays – A Restoration Tour
08 Jul 2019 What's this plant?
06 Jul 2019 Wild Edible Field Trip: Chanterelles and Other Plants
06 Jul 2019 Birds in the Neighborhood: Free Guided Bird Walks
29 Jun 2019 Moss Workshop
29 Jun 2019 Field Trip: Looking for Fossils at Stratford Cliffs
29 Jun 2019 CANCELLED - Field Trip: Chesapeake Gold: Ecology of the Eastern Oyster
24 Jun 2019 What's this plant?
23 Jun 2019 Nature Connections: Wild Edibles
23 Jun 2019 CANCELLED - Urbanization in the 1900's Stream Ecology with Dr. Ken Belt: Aquatic Insects Workshop and Field Trip
22 Jun 2019 Urbanization in the 1800's Stream Ecology with Dr. Ken Belt: Aquatic Insects Workshop and Field Trip
22 Jun 2019 Overlea Farmer's Market open house
15 Jun 2019 Field Trip: Peregrine Falcons of Baltimore
11 Jun 2019 Bird Study Skin Preparation Demo
10 Jun 2019 What's this plant?
08 Jun 2019 Open House Saturdays
05 Jun 2019 Fossil Club Meeting
02 Jun 2019 Guided Hike: Exploring the Ruins of the Northampton Iron Furnace
01 Jun 2019 Wild Edible Field Trip: Late Spring Plants
30 May 2019 Monthly Lep Club Meeting
29 May 2019 A History of Our Most Precious Resource: Watershed Ecology in the Anthropocene
27 May 2019 What's this plant?
26 May 2019 NATURE CONNECTIONS: Streams
25 May 2019 Moss Workshop
21 May 2019 Forensic Entomology: Insects as Silent Witnesses
13 May 2019 What's this plant?
11 May 2019 2019 Annual Victorian Gala
04 May 2019 DIY Dissect it Yourself Family Workshop – FISH
04 May 2019 Wild Edible Field Trip: Morels
01 May 2019 Fossil Club Meeting
28 Apr 2019 NATURE CONNECTIONS: Bird Friendly Communities
27 Apr 2019 Maryland Entomological Society (MES) April 2019 Meeting
27 Apr 2019 Maryland Amphibian and Reptile Atlas Book Launch
27 Apr 2019 Moss Workshop
27 Apr 2019 CANCELLED - Baltimore City Nature Challenge: Bioblitz at Herring Run Park
25 Apr 2019 Baltimore City Nature Challenge: Learn to use iNaturalist
22 Apr 2019 What's this plant?
20 Apr 2019 FIELD TRIP IS FULL - Peregrine Falcons of Baltimore
16 Apr 2019 Bird Banding Demonstrations - Monthly (April-Oct)
14 Apr 2019 NATURE CONNECTIONS: Amphibian Day!
13 Apr 2019 FIELD TRIP IS FULL - Behind the Scenes Tour of the Calvert Marine Museum
12 Apr 2019 FIELD TRIP IS FULL - Vernal Pool Night Walk
10 Apr 2019 What the Cluck? Chickens from Jungle Bird to Backyard Pet
08 Apr 2019 What's this plant?
07 Apr 2019 FIELD TRIP FULL - National Beaver Day at Boordy Vineyards
06 Apr 2019 DIY Dissect it Yourself Oyster and Squid Family Workshop
06 Apr 2019 FIELD TRIP IS FULL - Spotted Salamander Reproduction in Ephemeral Ponds
05 Apr 2019 FIELD TRIP FULL - Vernal Pool Night Walk
03 Apr 2019 Fossil Club Meeting
31 Mar 2019 FIELD TRIP FULL - Beginner's Bird Walk at Lake Roland
30 Mar 2019 Moss Workshop
30 Mar 2019 Field Trip: Looking for Fossils at Stratford Cliffs
29 Mar 2019 FIELD TRIP IS FULL - Vernal Pool Night Walk
25 Mar 2019 What's this plant?
24 Mar 2019 NATURE CONNECTIONS: Primitive Technology
22 Mar 2019 CANCELLED - Vernal Pool Night Walk
19 Mar 2019 PENDING Digging Into The Chemistry of Sand
16 Mar 2019 Bird Walk at Fort Smallwood with Pete Givan
15 Mar 2019 Maryland Entomological Society (MES) March 2019 Meeting
15 Mar 2019 Vernal Pool Night Walk
15 Mar 2019 Archeology Society of Maryland (ASM) Central Chapter March Meeting
14 Mar 2019 Snakes of Maryland - The Essssssssentials
11 Mar 2019 What's this plant?
10 Mar 2019 NATURE CONNECTIONS: The Magical World of Microminerals
08 Mar 2019 CANCELLED - Vernal Pool Night Walk
07 Mar 2019 Monthly Herp Club Meeting
06 Mar 2019 Fossil Club Meeting - March Natural Glass: Impacts from Space, Volcanoes and Lightening
03 Mar 2019 Nature Connections: A Snow Show
03 Mar 2019 CANCELLED - Beginner's Bird Walk at Lake Roland
25 Feb 2019 What's this plant?
24 Feb 2019 NATURE CONNECTIONS: Bears!
23 Feb 2019 Moss Workshop
21 Feb 2019 The Man Who Stole the Past: The Yinger Assault on the Hughes Site
15 Feb 2019 Maryland Entomological Society (MES) February 2019 Meeting
11 Feb 2019 CANCELLED due to weather -- What's this plant?
09 Feb 2019 Looking for Bald Eagles in Loch Raven Reservoir
07 Feb 2019 Monthly Herp Club Meeting
06 Feb 2019 February Fossil Club Meeting
03 Feb 2019 CANCELLED - Field Trip: Looking for Fossils at Stratford Cliffs
02 Feb 2019 Interactive Lecture: May the Quartz Be With You
28 Jan 2019 What's this plant?
27 Jan 2019 NATURE CONNECTIONS: Skulls and Skeletons
26 Jan 2019 Moss Workshop
24 Jan 2019 Bees, Bats, and Snakes, Oh My! With Kerry Wixted
19 Jan 2019 CANCELLED - Field Trip: Looking for Fossils at Stratford Cliffs
18 Jan 2019 Archeology Society of Maryland (ASM) Central Chapter January Meeting
14 Jan 2019 What's this plant?
13 Jan 2019 CANCELLED!!!!!!! NATURE CONNECTIONS: A SNOW SHOW
12 Jan 2019 Field Trip with Nick Spero: Looking for Bald Eagles in Loch Raven Reservoir
02 Jan 2019 January Fossil Club Meeting
29 Dec 2018 Moss Workshop
14 Dec 2018 Lecture: The Eastern Rat, the east coast's rainbow ratsnake
09 Dec 2018 NATURE CONNECTION: Holiday Nature Crafts and Hot Chocolate!
08 Dec 2018 Reading the Woods at Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary
06 Dec 2018 NHSM Herp Club December Meeting
05 Dec 2018 December Fossil Club Meeting
01 Dec 2018 Learn With Jane: Have You Thanked a Spider Lately?
24 Nov 2018 Moss Workshop
20 Nov 2018 CANCELLED - Bees, Bats, and Snakes, Oh My! With Kerry Wixted
18 Nov 2018 NATURE CONNECTION: Beetlemania
17 Nov 2018 Archeology Society of Maryland (ASM) Central Chapter November Meeting
17 Nov 2018 Field Trip: Looking for Fossils at Stratford Cliffs
16 Nov 2018 Maryland Entomological Society (MES) November 2018 Meeting
08 Nov 2018 Connection to Nature, Psychological Well-Being, and Spirituality
07 Nov 2018 Fossil Club Lecture by Dr. Ralph Eshelman on Fossils of Alaska
27 Oct 2018 Moss Workshop
25 Oct 2018 Baltimore Bat Lecture with Ela-Sita Carpenter
24 Oct 2018 Second October Fossil Club Meeting - Lecture by Dr. Thomas Holz on Theropod Dinosaurs
20 Oct 2018 Tour Wolf Sanctuary of PA with Dr. Steve Sheffield
11 Oct 2018 Mosses for Beginners
03 Oct 2018 Fossil Club Lecture by Dr. Bretton Kent on ‘The Rise & Fall of the Neogene Giant Sharks’
30 Sep 2018 Fossil Collecting With the Natural History Society of Maryland: DAY TWO
29 Sep 2018 Moss Workshop
29 Sep 2018 Fossil Collecting With the Natural History Society of Maryland: DAY ONE
22 Sep 2018 Hawk Count with Jim Meyers
16 Sep 2018 Wild Edible Field Trip with Nick Spero at Gunpowder Falls State Park
15 Sep 2018 Monarch Tagging and Release Demonstration
05 Sep 2018 Fossil Club Lecture by Dr. Peter Kranz on Dinosaurs of the District of Columbia
30 Aug 2018 September Herp Club Meeting
26 Aug 2018 NATURE CONNECTION: Migration and Bird Conservation
19 Aug 2018 Wild Edible Field Trip with Nick Spero at Herring Run Park
18 Aug 2018 Guided Trip: Looking for Fossils at Stratford Cliffs
18 Aug 2018 Guided Susquehanna Petroglyph Canoe Trip
12 Aug 2018 NATURE CONNECTIONS: Herp Day at NHSM
29 Jul 2018 NATURE CONNECTIONS: Shark Fest at NHSM
28 Jul 2018 Moss Workshop
28 Jul 2018 Wild Edible Field Trip with Nick Spero at Gunpowder Falls
22 Jul 2018 Guided Susquehanna Petroglyph Canoe Trip
15 Jul 2018 NATURE CONNECTIONS: Butterflies of the world AND your backyard!
30 Jun 2018 Moss Workshop
30 Jun 2018 Wild Edible Field Trip with Nick Spero
17 Jun 2018 Guided Trip: Looking for Fossils at Stratford Cliffs
10 Jun 2018 Nature Connections: Preparing Wild Edibles
06 Jun 2018 June 6 Fossil Club Meeting
31 May 2018 May Lep Club Meeting
26 May 2018 Moss Workshop
02 May 2018 Fossil Club Lecture by Paleontologist Dr. Stephen Godfrey on the Megalodon Shark
29 Apr 2018 Guided Canoe Trip on the Gunpowder, Hammerman Area
28 Apr 2018 Guided Trip: Fossil Hunting at Stratford Cliffs
28 Apr 2018 Moss Workshop
22 Apr 2018 Guided Wild Edible Hike: Looking for Morels
21 Apr 2018 Vernal Pool Walk - Saturday, April 21 at 7:30PM
21 Apr 2018 NEW DATE – Guided Hike: Exploring the Ruins of the Northampton Iron Furnace
14 Apr 2018 Night Walk to a Vernal Pool
08 Apr 2018 Nature Connections: Primitive Technologies
07 Apr 2018 Guided Hike: Exploring the Ruins of the Northampton Iron Furnace
05 Apr 2018 Understanding Weather and Climate - 6 Session Course with Martin Schmidt
31 Mar 2018 Moss Workshop
30 Mar 2018 Night Walk to a Vernal Pool - Friday March 30
25 Mar 2018 Nature Connections: Creatures of Vernal Pools
23 Mar 2018 Night Walk to a Vernal Pool - Friday March 23
17 Mar 2018 Night Walk to a Vernal Pool - Saturday March 17
14 Mar 2018 Archaeology for Everybody: 6 Session Course with Lisa Kraus and Jason Shellenhamer
09 Mar 2018 Night Walk to a Vernal Pool - Friday March 9
03 Mar 2018 Guided Hike: Looking for Beavers in Herring Run Park
25 Feb 2018 Nature Connections: Skulls and Teeth
24 Feb 2018 Moss Workshop
21 Feb 2018 Interactive Lecture: May the Quartz Be With You
18 Feb 2018 Nature Songs with Stina: Wetlands, and Meadows, and Forests, Oh My!
18 Feb 2018 RESCHEDULED - Guided Hike: Looking for Bald Eagles in Loch Raven Reservoir
28 Jan 2018 Archaeological Society of MD - Unearthed Stories of the Lincoln Assassination
26 Jan 2018 Nature Connections: Preparing Wild Edibles
10 Jan 2018 Science Cafe with Alex Jansen: The Use of Coastal Archaeology to Aid in Today’s Oyster Restoration in the Chesapeake Bay
30 Dec 2017 Moss Workshop
25 Nov 2017 Moss Workshop
12 Nov 2017 Nature Connections: Migrations -- Birds, Butterflies, and Buteos
08 Nov 2017 Recovering from Deer Damage: What is Most Important to You? Lecture with Eugene Meyer
05 Nov 2017 Nature Connections: Pesky Critters
05 Nov 2017 Wild Edible Field Trip with Nick Spero
21 Oct 2017 Baltimore Bats Walk with Ela-Sita Carpenter
18 Oct 2017 Baltimore Bats Lecture with Ela-Sita Carpenter
11 Oct 2017 National Fossil Day with Paleontologist Dr. Stephen J. Godfrey
24 Sep 2017 Wild Edible Walk with Nick Spero in Herring Run Park
10 Sep 2017 What’s all the buzzzzzz at the Natural History Society?
27 Aug 2017 Wild Edible Field Trip with Nick Spero
10 Aug 2017 Elmer Kreisel: Past and Present Solar Eclipses
06 Aug 2017 Wild Edible Field Trip with Nick Spero
29 Jul 2017 Moss Workshop
22 Jul 2017 July 22 Lep Club Campout at Green Ridge State Forest
08 Jul 2017 Wild Edible Field Trip with Nick Spero
25 Jun 2017 Nature Connections: Life of the Chesapeake Bay
24 Jun 2017 June 24 Lep Club campout at Green Ridge State Forest
24 Jun 2017 Moss Workshop
17 Jun 2017 NHSM Lep Club: Moths and Creatures of the Night
17 Jun 2017 Maryland Entomological Society Field Trip
16 Jun 2017 Central Chapter of the Archaeological Society of Maryland, Inc. June Meeting
11 Jun 2017 Nature Connections: Preparing Wild Edibles
27 May 2017 Moss Workshop
25 Mar 2017 Moss Workshop
22 Mar 2017 Botany for Beginners - with Vanessa Beauchamp - Six Sessions – $144.00 (USD)
27 Feb 2017 Maryland Mammals - with Kerry Wixted - Five Sessions
25 Feb 2017 Moss Workshop
28 Jan 2017 Moss Workshop
31 Dec 2016 Moss Workshop
26 Nov 2016 Moss Workshop
06 Nov 2016 Fossil Trip: Stratford Cliffs, with John Nance
29 Oct 2016 Moss Workshop
16 Oct 2016 Fossil Trip: Scientists Cliffs, with John Nance
13 Oct 2016 October 13 Mushroom Walk
04 Oct 2016 Maryland's Geology - with Martin Schmidt - Six Sessions
24 Sep 2016 Moss Workshop
21 Sep 2016 WILD PLANT WORKSHOP SERIES: demonstrations for using wild plants for a variety of techniques and applications
20 Sep 2016 volunteer night
27 Aug 2016 Moss Workshop
20 Aug 2016 Wild Edible Field Trip with Nick Spero
17 Aug 2016 Wild Edible Field Trip with Nick Spero
30 Jul 2016 Moss Workshop
17 Jul 2016 Wild Edible Field Trip with Nick Spero
13 Jul 2016 Wild Edible Field Trip with Nick Spero
22 Jun 2016 Wild Edible Field Trip with Nick Spero
18 Jun 2016 Wild Edible Field Trip with Nick Spero
28 May 2016 Moss Workshop
21 May 2016 Spring Bird Walk - Cromwell Valley Park
30 Apr 2016 Moss Workshop
26 Mar 2016 Moss Workshop
20 Mar 2016 A Celebration of Song with Wil Hershberger
27 Feb 2016 Moss Workshop
20 Feb 2016 William Hamilton Gibson: Naturalist, Artist, Author
17 Feb 2016 May the Quartz Be With You
30 Jan 2016 Moss Workshop
16 Jan 2016 History of Life Through Fossils
26 Dec 2015 Moss Workshop
28 Nov 2015 Moss Workshop
24 Oct 2015 Moss Workshop
17 Oct 2015 Basic Botanical Drawing with Mary Ellen Carsley
14 Oct 2015 History of Life Through Fossils
10 Oct 2015 Listening for Bats with Shannon Pederson
28 Sep 2015 What’s this plant?
28 Sep 2015 (copy) What’s this plant?
26 Sep 2015 Maryland Fish – In the River with Stan Kemp
26 Sep 2015 Moss Workshop
14 Sep 2015 What’s this plant?
29 Aug 2015 Moss Workshop
24 Aug 2015 What's this plant?
10 Aug 2015 What's this plant?
06 Aug 2015 Songs of Insects with Wil Hershberger
27 Jul 2015 What's this plant?
25 Jul 2015 Moss Workshop
30 May 2015 (copy) Dragonflies and Damselflies: Field Trip to Centennial Lake
27 Jul 2014 Dragonflies and Damselflies: Field Trip to Centennial Lake
26 Jul 2014 Sunset Canoe Trip
31 May 2014 Moss Workshop
The Natural History Society of Maryland is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation and contributions are tax-deductible.

The mission of the Natural History Society of Maryland is to foster stewardship of Maryland’s natural heritage by conserving its natural history collections, educating its citizenry, and inspiring its youth to pursue careers in the natural sciences.


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