December through February
Winter Solstice Celebration - December 18
Share in the joy of the holiday season with your family, and celebrate winter with the CNC community! Join us for an exciting day of music and winter cheer from 1-5 pm. Listen to Celtic music by Dark Moll and hear holiday tunes by West Clermont By Request. Plant narcissus bulbs for winter blooms, take a horse-drawn wagon ride*, and go on a winter scavenger hunt outdoors! Warm up indoors as Education Director Connie O'Connor shares the history of winter solstice and join in a casual drumming circle. Cash only.
Drumming on the Longest Night (December)
Drum, dance, or just listen as we celebrate winter solstice with drums and other percussion instruments in a casual drumming circle. Bring an instrument if you have one. Infants under 2 are free. (Children may want to wear earplugs as some are very sensitive to the volume.) This will be an indoor program in the Rowe Visitor Center.
Adults $10, Children $5. Pay at Door. Fee applies both to drummers/dancers and observers.
Full Moon Walks (Year-Round)
Hit the trails at night and enjoy the full moon and natural history readings. Full moon walks are led by Executive Director Bill Hopple. Recommended for ages 8 and up. Preregistration is required. Members free; nonmembers $5.
Ice Hike on the Creek at Long Branch (A Saturday in early January)
Explore the artful, frozen shapes in the ice of O'Bannon Creek at Long Branch Farm & Trails as we hike on the shallow parts of the creek in search of frozen animal tracks and telltale signs of beaver. Enjoy ice-embedded crystals and bubbles as we look for groundwater icicles. Hot chocolate provided. To be notified to join a naturalist-led hike when conditions are favorable, email Amy Johnson at ajohnson@cincynature.org and type ICE HIKE in the subject line. Kids ages 6 and up are invited to attend with an adult. Members free; Nonmember adult $8, Child $3. Pay at Door.
Winter Tracking for Families (A Saturday in early January)
Snow reveals the habits of animal inhabitants. Head out into the winter wonderland in search of tracks and sign of raccoons, mice, voles, raptors and coyotes. Create some tracks your family can take home. Hot chocolate provided. If you would like to be notified to join a naturalist-led hike when conditions are favorable, email Amy Johnson at ajohnson@cincynature.org and type TRACKING in the subject line. Children 4+ are invited to attend with an adult. Members free; Nonmember adult $8; Child $3. Pay at door.
Groundhog Day Hike for Families at LBFT
Hike off your cabin fever at Long Branch Farm and Trails. Learn to whistle like a woodchuck as you search for signs of the illusive groundhog. Become a groundhog as you look for your shadow an denjoy Groundhog Day activities. This hike concludes with hot chocolate and marshmallow roasting. This program meets at the Creekside Barn at Long Branch. Dress in layers as we'll be outside for the entire program. Members $2; Nonmembers $8. Preregistration Required.
Backyard Maple Sugaring: A Hands-On, How-To Workshop
Have you always wanted to make syrup from the maple trees in your yard? This workshop is for people who wish to make syrup on a small scale and will be filled with "sweet" advice concerning the selection of trees, tapping, sap collection, sap storage and boiling, as well as finishing and canning syrup. Spiles (tree taps) will be available for purchase. Meet in the Rowe Visitor Center.
Maple Sugaring Days for Homeschool Families
Delve into the science and lore of turning sap into maple syrup. The program runs from 10 am to 12 pm and includes a guided hike in the sugarbush, a look into the Native American origins of sugaring, and a visit to the Sugar House. Students will tap a tree with a hand drill, help with sugaring work and sample warm maple syrup right off the evaporator. This program takes place outdoors regardless of weather. This is a family program, so please plan on staying with your children. This program begins in the auditorium.
Maple Syrup Making (February, March)
| Saturday, March 3, 2012 | 9 am-4 pm |
| Saturday, March 10, 2012 | 9 am-4 pm |
The sap is rising! Savor the first taste of spring and drop by the Sugar House near Krippendorf Lodge anytime between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Experience the whole process of producing "liquid gold" maple syrup from sap and bask in the warmth of the evaporator and its maple-scented steam. Join an interactive sap-collecting maple hike at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m. or 2 p.m. Hikes start at the Sugar House. A self-guided maple trail is also available.
Free Falling: The Dance of the Woodcock (Late February, Early March)
Woodcocks are game birds that arrive here just as the mud starts to thaw. They are nocturnal and require field habitat to mate. Many people think their call sounds like an insect. Few people know they exist. To be notified to join a naturalist-led hike at the peak of woodcock activity - sometime in late February to early March around 6:30 pm - please email Amy Johnson at ajohnson@cincynature.org and write WOODCOCK in the subject line. *Children are invited to attend with an adult if the child is able to stand still and quiet for up to 15 minutes at a time.
Dress warmly and be prepared to walk from the visitor center to the fields across Tealtown Road. Members Free; Nonmember Adult $8; Child $3.
Salamander Celebration (Late February, Early March)
A quiet nocturnal migration takes place on a late winter thaw when termperatures rise and ice pulls away from the edge of the ponds. Four to five inch long Jefferson Salamanders head back to the ponds to breed and lay eggs. If you would like to join a brief evening program followed by a naturalist-led walk when the time seems right, please email Amy Johnson at ajohnson@cincynature.org and type SALAMANDERS in the subject field. Bring your flashlights. Member Adult $5, Child $1; Nonmember Adult $8, Child $3.
