Walks currently on hold due to CDC/state/county regulations. Please watch this space for when we can reopen these walks.
First Saturday of each month, 9-10 am: Each month, an ANS Master Naturalist covers a different topic, such as deer, fungi, trees, insects, and birds. Bring the whole family—all ages welcome! Come prepared to hike in sneakers and don’t forget your water bottle. Meet at the gazebo by the main house. Register here.

Dr. Clare Walker, Educator at the Irvine Nature Center, gets us up close and personal with Nature’s masters of deceit. From appearance to behavior, insects have developed elaborate ruses to deceive potential predators. Discover who is faking it, who is not and why some caterpillars squeak!

REGISTER HERE.

The Anacostia Riverkeeper, Trey Sherard, takes us on a journey to explore the spooky things we can’t see in our water, perfect for this Halloween month. Learn about bacteria and their relationship to water quality in our streams and rivers. #WhatsInTheWater

REGISTER HERE.

Woodend Garden Clinics

Thursdays, October 8, 15, 22 (1-3 pm) 
Leader: Jenny Brown
Members $100; nonmembers $125
Join ANS Garden Outreach Associate and Master Gardener, Jenny Brown, for three hands-on garden clinics. During these two-hour sessions conducted in the gardens of Woodend, you will gain practical experience with essential skills such as managing compost, thinning and transplanting, weed identification, and pruning. During each session, Jenny will highlight at least four native plants for you to learn common and scientific names, habit, growing conditions and wildlife value. You are encouraged to bring questions, clippings, and photos from home to get help with your own garden challenges. Plus, each session you will take home plant material – either seeds or plants – from the Woodend gardens to cultivate at home. Limited to 8 participants. REGISTER ONLINE.

Geraldine N. Vega, Soil Scientist for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service takes us on a discovery of the wide diversity of soils on earth. Witness the stories about the formation of a living environment told by the layers and colors under the topsoil and learn how geologic processes shaped the landscape.

REGISTER HERE.

Join Calvert County Natural Resources Naturalist, Tania Gale, for this up-close and personal look at the tiny, fierce, and fabulous inhabitants of the small garden in front of Battle Creek Nature Center. Like many such close-to-home spaces, this garden is full of mystery and drama. One never knows what will be unveiled for those who take the time to look.

REGISTER HERE.

Experience a virtual visit to Theodore Roosevelt Island with Melanie Choukas-Bradley, award-winning author of the new book, Finding Solace at Theodore Roosevelt Island. Melanie will bring the beauty and biological diversity of DC’s 88.5-acre Potomac island into your home as she shares island explorations through the seasons. Learn about the trees, wildflowers and birds that inhabit the fascinating island in our midst. Contemplate the island’s history and the conservation legacy of the naturalist president—and ANS member—it memorializes. Among his many other accomplishments, Theodore Roosevelt was an eloquent nature writer and this presentation will introduce you to some of his most evocative writing.

REGISTER HERE.

Mark Garland, Naturalist and ANS Bartsch Award Winner, takes us on a closer look at the magical monarch butterfly, its biology, and its multi-generational migration between temperate North America and overwintering areas high in the mountains west of Mexico City. Learn about the research being conducted on monarchs in the mid-Atlantic region.

REGISTER HERE.

ANS ANNUAL MEETING
Charting the Path Forward
Thursday, October 22, 6:00–7:30 pm, Zoom Meeting

Calling all ANS members and supporters! Please be sure to join us for the 2020 Annual Meeting to learn about all the ways Audubon Naturalist Society is charting its path toward a bright future in the face of global pandemic. While we can’t meet in person, we’ll look forward to seeing all of your smiling faces at our first-ever, Zoom Annual Meeting. The event will include updates on programming and Nature for All construction, unveiling of new projects, and election of the most diverse slate of Board candidates in ANS history.

Your vote at this Annual Meeting is more important than ever now! Please register for this free event online at https://anshome.org/annual-meeting-2020/ by October 21. Your confirmation will contain the Zoom link and we will send a reminder on the day of the meeting.

BOARD ELECTIONS:
ANS members will vote on candidates for the Board of Directors at the Annual Meeting. An official notice including profiles of the Board candidates nominated by the Governance Committee will be posted at www.anshome.org/board after October 1.

Jorge Bogantes, Natural Resources Specialist at the Anacostia Watershed Society, brings on the muscles!  The Anacostia Watershed Society’s (AWS) freshwater mussel restoration program is a pioneering effort to help increase the biofiltration capacity and the biodiversity of the aquatic ecosystems in the Anacostia River.  Learn how mussels – hardworking invertebrates – improve water quality, enhance submerged aquatic vegetation beds, and support fish populations and wildlife. AWS is not only educating the general public about these fascinating animals, but also educating school students through an innovative educational program called “Mussel Power.”

REGISTER HERE.