Sweetheart Snowshoe & Gourmet Dinner
February 11
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$140
Make this a Valentine’s Day to remember: a lantern-lit snowshoe through the winter woods, just for you and your loved one. The warm glow of luminaries will guide you on snow-covered trails as you discover nature’s romantic winter story. After your walk, warm up by the fire with some hot cocoa. Then, take home a delicious three-course dinner prepared by Chef Luke Szabo of Scratch Farmhouse Catering complete with dessert. Cost is $140/couple. Click one of the session times below to register.
Starter
Miso panna cotta, roast winter squash, pancetta, radish sprouts and pomegranate molasses
Salad
Garden salad with house vinaigrette
Side Dish
Golden beet gratin
Entrée selections include:
Short Rib Osso Bucco
potato gnocchi, charred onion salad in bacon brown butter dressing, tarragon gremolata
Shrimp Mousseline
shrimp, and celery root and agnolotti, fennel pesto, and balsamic red cabbage
Saffron Stewed Mushrooms
parsnip and ricotta salata risotto, salt and vinegar kalettes
Dessert
Roasted grape blondie with rosemary and honey chevre ice cream
Space is limited to 20 couples per session. There are two, hour-long sessions for this event with separate registration for each. Pre-registration is required. Snowshoes and lanterns are provided. Menu selections can be made during the registration process and registration is per couple.
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Clever Corvids: Crows, Ravens, and Jays in Winter
February 17 @ 10:00 am - 11:30 am
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$6 – $9
Corvids such as crows, ravens, and jays are known for their intelligence, adaptability, and social nature. On this walk around the preserve, we will search for corvids, learn about their behavior, and discover how they are similar to us humans.
This program is designed for teens and adults.
Please dress for the weather. Bring binoculars if you have them; snowshoes will be provided if necessary.
This program will involve a brief hike on moderately hilly terrain.
Animal Signs: Basics of Tracking
February 25 @ 10:00 am - 11:30 am
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$6 – $9
Tracking uses the skills of observation and deduction to tell the story of life in the woods. In this program, we’ll learn how to identify and interpret signs of animals. Then, we’ll put our skills into practice to get to know the daily lives of animals at Baltimore Woods.
This program is designed for adults.
Please dress for the weather. Snowshoes are available to use during the program.
This program will involve a hike with moderate hills.
Spring Montezuma Field Trip
March 10 @ 10:00 am - 12:30 pm
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$6 – $9
Join us for a wild goose chase during one of the most exciting periods of waterfowl migration at Montezuma! Possible sightings include large numbers of Snow Geese, along with a variety of other goose, duck, and swan species.
This program is designed for teens and adults.
Please meet us at the Montezuma visitor center.
Bring binoculars if you have them and dress warmly. Extra binoculars and spotting scopes will be available.
Spring Equinox Hike
March 24 @ 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
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$6 – $9
Spring is a time of rejuvenation and renewal. While it’s a little too early for wildflowers and bursting leaves, we can still find the more subtle signs of spring. Celebrate the Spring Equinox with a hike around the Boundary Trail and soak in the emergence of life and the new season.
This program is designed for adults.
Please dress for the weather.
This program will involve a hike with hills and uneven terrain.
Planting Ahead for a Vegetable Garden
March 25 @ 10:00 am - 11:15 am
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$8 – $12
Want a hands-on way to connect with nature right in your backyard? Early spring is the perfect time to start planning and planting for a vegetable garden! In this program, we’ll cover tips and tools to help you plan your home vegetable garden. Then, we’ll start seeds in containers to be planted outside later in the spring. Seeds and planting materials will be provided.
This program is designed for adults.
Please dress for the weather.
Reed-Purposing Invasives
April 14 @ 10:00 am - 11:30 am
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$6 – $9
Invasive plants are a nuisance and overtake native plants, but they don’t always have to go straight into the trash. Come learn how you can put invasive species to use! Hike with us to the historic Gravel Mine on the newest 90 acres of the Baltimore Woods Preserve to identify Common Reed, Phragmities australis. We will harvest and construct a mat out of this invasive plant, discuss what impacts it has on the environment and learn other ways that we can use it.
More details: This program will hike off trail, across an abandoned farm field to an old gravel mine. This moderate hike will be uneven with loose soil, roots, and packed gravel. The surfaces may be muddy this time of year. Our total route will be about 1 mile.
This program is designed for adults.
This program will hike off trail, across an abandoned farm field to an old gravel mine.
This moderate hike will be uneven with loose soil, roots, and packed gravel.
Our total route will be about 1 mile.
Taking Action for the Earth: Conversation on Sustainability
April 29 @ 10:00 am - 11:30 am
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$6 – $9
Looking for ways to lighten your environmental footprint? Join us for a discussion on the science and practice of living sustainably. We invite you to share your questions, challenges, and successes with sustainability, and hear the advice and experiences of others! By building a network of support, we can take the first step to creating a more sustainable community.
More details: Please dress for the weather. This program will take place in the outdoor Patty Weisse Pavilion. The Pavilion can be reached by easy, paved pathways. Restrooms will be available during the program.
This program is designed for adults.
Rediscovering the Joys of Spring
May 12 @ 8:00 am - 10:00 am
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$6 – $9
As migrating birds return and wildflowers bloom, many of us fondly reflect on childhood adventures spent exploring the beauty of nature. This program will focus on how nature helps us to reconnect with child-like joy and lifelong learning in the springtime. Join us to explore Baltimore Woods in search of spring’s wonders and to share connections between our lives and those of other living beings.
More details: Please bring a pair of binoculars if you have them. Please dress for the weather. We will be walking on moderate terrain in the Arboretum and Faust Wildflower Garden.
This program is designed for adults.
Go Outside and Play!
May 13 @ 10:30 am - 11:30 am
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$6 – $9
Connections to nature are essential for children. Unstructured play outdoors gives them the opportunity to develop and grow, build self confidence, and appreciate nature. In this program, learn about how we facilitate this at Baltimore Woods as we tour our nature play areas. Join us for a walk and discussion about how access to nature provides endless health benefits, and how you can implement these for the children in your life.
More info: Please dress for the weather. This walk will include hills and uneven terrain.
This program is designed for adults.
Forest Therapy Walk
May 21 @ 12:30 pm - 3:00 pm
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$30
Revel in spring in a unique way by experiencing nature on a guided Forest Therapy Walk throughout Baltimore Woods! Forest Therapy, also known as “forest bathing,” stems from a Japanese practice known as Shinrin Yoku. Led by June Leo-Randazzo, a Certified ANFT Forest Therapy Guide, this program invites participants to immerse themselves in nature and open their senses to the surroundings of the forest.
Extensive scientific research has found forest therapy walks to have numerous physical health benefits including activation of the ‘rest and restore’ parasympathetic nervous system, decreases to anxiety and depression, improving creativity, and much more. Your stress will peel away as your nervous system relaxes and you simply experience the medicine of the forest.
During this slow, mindful, and quiet walk, June will provide a series of relaxing invitations to engage all your senses, release your mind chatter, and deepen connections to nature, allowing you to connect with yourself and others through nature in new ways. You will have opportunities throughout for both individual reflection and to come together as a group to listen and share what we are noticing. The walk ends with a tea ceremony with wildcrafted tea foraged from the area and snacks to end this 2.5 hour walk.
More details: Space is limited. Pre-registration is required. You will be notified ahead of the program on where to park and meet on the day of the walk. The walk will take place in rain or shine. In case cancellation is necessary due to dangerous conditions, you will be notified by email the morning of the walk.
This program is designed for adults.
Picnic at the Pond
May 26 @ 11:00 am - 12:30 pm
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$6 – $9
Phillips Pond is bursting with life – let’s enjoy it with a picnic! After a short hike to the pond, we’ll explore the many wonders of the water: birds, dragonflies, frogs and tadpoles, aquatic insects, and emerging plants. Afterwards we can revel in the spring day with a picnic by the water.
More details: Please dress for the weather. The 1/4-mile hike will be on mostly flat grass, with one short steeper section of loose gravel. Access to the pond includes a small gradual slope, steps, and some potentially slippery steep patches. Bring a packed lunch, water, and a hat. Meet at the lower parking lot on Bishop Hill Road.
This program is designed for adults.
