Adult Natural History Workshops

Native Tree ID, Birding Basics, Edible Wild Plants

October 3 & 4, 2009

Each fall the Arkansas Audubon Society offers adult natural history workshops designed to enhance understanding and appreciation of Arkansas’ rich and fascinating plant and animal communities. Classes are taught by knowledgeable, enthusiastic educators.

A WALK ON THE WILD SIDE: EDIBLE TREES & PLANTS

Instructor: Tamara Walkingstick, Extension Specialist – Forestry, UA Division of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service

Many of our grandparents and parents used wild plants. We all know about sassafras tea and the glorious taste of wild blackberries, but we have forgotten how extensively wild plants can be used as food. In this workshop, you will not only learn to identify a few edible species of Arkansas native and non-native vegetation: you’ll also learn how to prepare a few tasty dishes. For example, acorns make great flour that you can incorporate into scones and biscuits. The course covers concepts of conservation, history, culture, and plant identification—while you’re learning to walk on the wild side.

BIRDING BASICS

Instructor: Dr. Dan Scheiman, Bird Conservation Director, Audubon Arkansas

Birds are visible, colorful, vocal, and found just about everywhere. It’s no wonder birdwatching is the second most popular outdoor hobby in the U.S. next to gardening. While it is easy to watch birds, it takes a little more effort to identify them. This class is an introduction to birds and birdwatching. Through fieldwork and classroom study, you will get a feel for the tools and skills needed to identify and more fully understand our feathered friends.

NATIVE TREE IDENTIFICATION

Instructor: Eric Sundell, Professor of Biology, Emeritus, University of Arkansas-Monticello

With the help of a user-friendly key, participants will identify more than 50 species of native trees and shrubs from the rich woods of the Ferncliff Conference Center. You’ll meet basswood and pawpaw, admire the chambered pith of black walnut, and taste the medicinal inner bark of slippery elm. And you will learn how to identify all of the other Arkansas trees that grow elsewhere in the state. If you and Confucius agree that getting the right name is the first step to wisdom and appreciation, this workshop is for you.

There are two options for attending the workshop: stay over Saturday night or commute.

Overnighters will occupy climate controlled rooms, each with two double beds and private bath. Rooms are smoke-free, television-free, and telephone-free. Linens are included. Let us know if you have a roommate in mind.

Commuters head home Saturday night after the evening program and rejoin their groups at breakfast Sunday morning.

Four meals are included in the workshop fee: Saturday lunch and dinner and Sunday breakfast and lunch. Warning! Ferncliff’s kitchen offers hearty, delicious meals, including vegetarian fare and homemade desserts, served cafeteria-style. It is possible to leave the workshop on Sunday both smarter and heavier.

Class instructors offer take-home educational materials, handouts or books, for example, Liz and Bill Fulton’s tree identification key for the Tree ID Workshop –a $30 value that is included in the registration fee. We recommend that participants bring along a notebook and personal copies of appropriate field guides.

Your $50 deposit or full tuition is refundable until September 1^st. After the 1^st, a refund will be sent only if someone can be registered in your place. If you must cancel, please let us know as early as possible.

Plenty of parking is available at Ferncliff.

Please contact the Ferncliff administration office at 501-821-3063 for specific information concerning accommodations for handicap accessibility. All three of the workshops will take place both in the classroom and outdoors and will require moderate walking to various sites around a rustic campus. All ages and fitness levels have attended classes in the past with no problems reported.

Wear comfortable shoes and appropriate, casual clothing. A hat, insect repellant and a flashlight are recommended. For participants in the tree workshop, a portable stool can be helpful.