community clubs
Get together, expand your knowledge of the natural world, meet other folks, and have a good time!
The following clubs are FREE and all are welcome.
The following clubs are FREE and all are welcome.
Tracking Club
Mink tracks found along the shore of the Sandy River, Tracking Club Summer 2020
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Join us this summer as we explore along the Sandy River for signs of wildlife! The floodplain at Oxbow Park hosts a diversity of wildlife. Some of the tracks and signs we've encountered there have been left by mountain lion, coyote, bear, deer, toad(!), mink, beaver, otter, and more! You never know who you might find.
June 27: Families and Kids - invoking curiosity and wonder for all!
July 25: Animal Movements and Gaits When: Last Sunday of every month, 9am-12pm Where: Oxbow Park. Meet at the Floodplain, which is the first parking lot on the left after you enter the park. Cost: Free - but $5 entrance fee to Oxbow Park per vehicle. |
No matter the month, tracking club is open to everyone, whether you're an experienced tracker, completely new, or somewhere in between. Led by two Cascadia Wild Tracking Leaders, this is an informal gathering where you can practice your tracking skills and learn from each other. It is a space for people to get together, learn and share knowledge, encourage each other along our journey, and have fun.
Not only is tracking a skill you can enjoy no matter your experience level, this is also an activity that is great for many levels of physical ability. Much of the time is spent at a casual pace as we look for tracks and sign, or spent huddled over something interesting! The terrain at Oxbow is relatively flat and is a mix of sand and grass floodplain, with a few (usually dry) channels to walk across. The shore of the river is sloped and has some river rocks in the wet sand or mud. There is a bathroom facility at the meeting area. Wear sturdy shoes if you need them and always dress for the weather.
Tracking Club meets the last Sunday of every month from 9am-12pm.
Each month will have a different theme to inspire exploration of different aspects of tracking and to welcome different parts of our community.
*Wear a mask and practice physical distancing at this event. Please do not carpool with members outside your household/social unit. Do not attend if you are feeling even the slightest bit sick. Maximum group size is 8; if this group size is met we will split into smaller groups. Thank you!
Not only is tracking a skill you can enjoy no matter your experience level, this is also an activity that is great for many levels of physical ability. Much of the time is spent at a casual pace as we look for tracks and sign, or spent huddled over something interesting! The terrain at Oxbow is relatively flat and is a mix of sand and grass floodplain, with a few (usually dry) channels to walk across. The shore of the river is sloped and has some river rocks in the wet sand or mud. There is a bathroom facility at the meeting area. Wear sturdy shoes if you need them and always dress for the weather.
Tracking Club meets the last Sunday of every month from 9am-12pm.
Each month will have a different theme to inspire exploration of different aspects of tracking and to welcome different parts of our community.
*Wear a mask and practice physical distancing at this event. Please do not carpool with members outside your household/social unit. Do not attend if you are feeling even the slightest bit sick. Maximum group size is 8; if this group size is met we will split into smaller groups. Thank you!
Nature Book Club
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This club is a great way to keep up on your nature learning, meet new people, read new books, and participate in discussion about the ways nature writing shapes our experiences and relationship to the natural world.
New folks are always welcome to join! When: the fourth Tuesday of each month Time: 5:30pm-7pm Where: Online, contact us for the meeting link Cost: Free We'll meet June 22 to discuss Ecology of a Cracker Childhood by Janisse Ray
Janisse Ray grew up in a junkyard along U.S. Highway 1, hidden from Florida-bound vacationers by the hedge at the edge of the road and by hulks of old cars and stacks of blown-out tires. Ecology of a Cracker Childhood tells how a childhood spent in rural isolation and steeped in religious fundamentalism grew into a passion to save the almost vanished longleaf pine ecosystem that once covered the South. In language at once colloquial, elegiac, and informative, Ray redeems two Souths. In July, we'll meet on the 27th to discuss Songbird Journeys: Four Seasons in the Lives of Migratory Birds by Miyoko Chu Until recently, little was known about the lives of songbirds during their travels from autumn until spring. Now scientists have documented mass migrations over the Gulf of Mexico, identified the voices of migrants in the night sky, and showed how songbirds navigate using stars, polarized light, and magnetic fields. Miyoko Chu explores the intricacies underlying the ebb and flow of migration, the cycle of seasons, and the interconnectedness between distant places. Songbird Journeys pays homage to the wonder and beauty of songbirds while revealing the remarkable lives of migratory birds and the scientific quest to answer age-old questions about where songbirds go, how they get there, and what they do in the far-flung places they inhabit throughout the year. Check the calendar for upcoming dates and books that will be discussed. |
June's book is 'Ecology of a Cracker Childhood' by Janisse Ray.
Miyoku Chu, author of July's book, 'Songbird Journeys.' Courtesy Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
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