Have you ever been wandering down a trail and wished you could put a name to the trees towering above you, the wee invertebrates creeping below, or the birds singing nearby? Have you considered participating in a Citizen Science project, but not felt confident in your skills as a naturalist? Do you want to know how to use a dichotomous key? Are you wondering which of the overwhelming number of field guides is most useful and accurate? Do you struggle to adapt to the new wave of technological identification resources? If so, this workshop is for you! Co-leaders Shannon O’Brien, Science Engagement Coordinator at Schoodic Institute, and Jordan Chalfant, Naturalist’s Notebook Manager and Maine Natural History Observatory board member, will be teaming up to make these topics accessible and fun. Shannon oversees numerous Citizen Science projects and is a PRO at using iNaturalist. Jordan has been a contract field technician on dozens of studies in the realms of ornithology and botany, and is a dichotomous key connoisseur. These two nature nerds can’t wait to take you on a short walk from The Naturalist’s Notebook to Seal Harbor Beach. We will try out using iNaturalist and field guides to identify the biota we encounter along the way, and will bring back specimens to The Notebook to use some more advanced resources and to explore iNaturalist on the computer. We hope to leave you hooked on knowing your nature neighbors by name and feeling empowered to participate in the Citizen Science projects happening in your community. Bring a hand lens if you have one. 2hrs.'

Participant cap: 15

Registration: $10

Click HERE to register.

Questions? Email: info@thenaturalistsnotebook.com

Preserving seaweed on paper is a scientific art that has been practiced for hundreds of years. Seaweed pressings are known as “herbarium vouchers” when they’re created and stored as scientific data. Vouchers are vital for tracking changes in distribution, genetics, and climate. Seaweed can also be appreciated from a purely aesthetic standpoint for its diversity of color and structure. Collecting seaweed that has washed ashore is a lovely way to enjoy nature and create art with very little environmental impact. In this workshop, Naturalist’s Notebook Manager and coauthor of the upcoming Field Guide to the Seaweeds of Maine, Jordan Chalfant, will demonstrate techniques for pressing seaweed. She will cover the process of collecting data and preserving herbarium vouchers, as well as creative methods of artistically pressing seaweed. She will also discuss long-term storage, display, and care. Participants will spend the rest of the workshop creating their own seaweed pressings. Materials, including seaweed samples and 10 sheets of paper, will be provided for the participants. Reference texts and tools will be available for use during the workshop. Participants should bring their own plant press with ventilators and blotting paper, or purchase them at The Naturalist’s Notebook.

Participant cap: 10

Registration:

$30 – Includes 10 sheets of heavy-weight herbarium paper for pressing seaweed. BYOPP (Bring Your Own Plant Press with ventilators and blotting paper).

$130 – Plant press with 12 cardboard ventilators, 12 sheets blotting paper, and 10 sheets of heavy-weight herbarium paper ($100 value). Seaweed pressing tool kit ($20 value).

Click HERE to register.

Note: This workshop can be taken separately or in conjunction with the Collecting and Identifying Seaweed workshop the day before.

Questions: email info@thenaturalistsnotebook.com

The Coast of Maine is home to over 300 species of marine macroalgae, aka seaweed. Some species are so distantly related to each other that they’re in different kingdoms. Others are so similar, they can only be distinguished using DNA analysis. These fascinating sea-plants are able to withstand the extreme fluctuations of the intertidal zone, from freezing or sweltering air to complete submersion. They provide essential habitat for marine organisms, they sequester around 175 million tons of carbon around the world each year, and are used by humans as food, nutritional supplements, cosmetics, fertilizer, and numerous other applications. Join Naturalist’s Notebook manager Jordan Chalfant on the shores of Seal Harbor to learn the names, identifying characters, uses, and ecological roles of the seaweed species we encounter. The first hour will be spent in the intertidal, looking at seaweeds in their environment. The second hour will take place at The Naturalist’s Notebook, where we’ll have a “field lab” set up to take a closer look at the seaweeds we collect. We’ll examine our specimens under a microscope and practice using keys and other identification resources. The second hour can be introductory or advanced depending on each participant’s skill and interest level.

In addition to managing The Naturalist’s Notebook, Jordan is a board member at Maine Natural History Observatory. Along with executive director Glen Mittelhauser and researcher at the Canadian Museum of Nature, Dr. Amanda Savoie, she is writing a photographic field guide to the seaweeds of Maine.

Note: This workshop can be taken separately or in conjunction with a seaweed pressing workshop the next day.

Participant cap: 10

Registration: $20

Click HERE to register.

Recommended materials: Hand lens / magnifying loupe. Magiscope.