Upcoming Programs
Reading the Winter Landscape Weekend: Winter Botany, Old Growth Forests & more! Febraury 17-19, 2023
$75.00 - $275.00
Location: Chicot State Park. Details upon registration. Cost: $275, includes instruction, hand outs, lodging and meals. Work-trade and single day options available. $75 for individual classes, see below . Including classes on: •Old Growth Mixed Hardwood Forests & •Winter Botany •Evenings programs on forest forensics, folklore and ethnobotany Description:
The forests that early inhabitants of the South knew were vastly different from today’s dense and disorganized patchwork. But relics of antiquity can still be found if we have the trained eyes to see them. Join botanist John Michael Kelley and naturalist Matthew Herron on a treasure hunt to discover the remnants of our rich natural heritage as we hike one of Louisiana’s greatest hidden gems. Read the land for signs of the forest’s past while learning to identify plants in the winter, estimate the age of trees and stands, and determine the ecological health of a mixed hardwood forest.
We start the weekend on Friday around the dinner table, where we’ll share stories and socialize. Afterwards we unpack the naturalist toolbox and explore the many tricks for finding stories in the land, including aerial imagery, historic botanical records and more. Saturday we build on foundational naturalist skills by learning how to recognize plants in the wintertime from twigs, seed pods, bark and other growth patterns. Sunday, we investigate several forest stands to determine how growth forms and patterns tell us their age and history. Our quest: to find the old growth, hidden among the tangle of historic land-use patterns. Along the way, we see how our current landscapes reflect our varied past and the values of the people that lived here.
The course is designed with adults in mind but could also work for mature, self-motivated youth. If your thinking of bringing family along, gives us a call to make sure it’s a good fit. This course is well-suited for naturalist, land owners/managers, local history buffs and those who love a good story.
SPECIAL NOTES: the class includes up to 1 mile of hiking on Sunday, a portion of which is on steep terrain and off-trail. Participants should be in good health and prepared for an adventure. SEPERATELY BOOKED PROGRAMS RUN 9-3PM and DO NOT INCLUDE MEALS
Itinerary:
Friday 4-5:30 PM Check-In 6:00 PM Dinner 7:00 PM Reading the landscape presentation, Forest forensics breakout Campfire Saturday – Winter Botany Focus Early Bird Activities 8:00 AM Breakfast 9:00 AM Winter Botany Landscape/habitat cues Trees and shrub ID clinic using twigs Bark: ecology and identification primer 12PM LUNCH 1:00 PM Winter Botany Continued Herbaceous plant patterns Fruits, seeds, pods clinic 3:00 PM End of Winter Botany and BREAK 6:00 PM Dinner 7:00 PM Plants and People through Time: ethnobotanical demonstrations, storytelling and social w/ campfire afterward Sunday - Old Growth Forests 8:00 AM Breakfast 9:00 AM Old Growth Forest Program Big trees: measuring, aging, understanding architecture Forest development stages Indicators of old growth and human impact 12PM LUNCH 1:00 PM Old Growth cont. More indicators Stand investigation 3:00 PM End of Old Growth / SAFE TRAVELS! Learning with the Land: An Open-space Retreat for Nature-based Educators and Leaders, March 10-12, 2023
$30.00 - $150.00
Join us for this unique “open space” retreat, where the attendees shape the conversation and decide the activities they want to do most. This retreat is centered around building stronger relationships among attendees in a supportive environment. Attendees support each other by helping with meals and clean up. Dormitory bunkhouse and meals are provided. Tent camping allowed on premises. Additional sleeping accommodations may be available through the state park but must be reserved separately.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT OPEN SPACE WHAT TO EXPECT:
Friday 6 pm Potluck Dinner and Opening Circle Open Space Introduction Campfire Saturday AM Open Space: Hike, paddle, discuss or both! PM Open Space Sunday Early Bird Activities Final Discussion / Activities 10 am Closing Circle Restoration Basketry: Random Weave with Invasive Plants - Dec 10, 2022
$30.00 - $120.00
Description: Come learn the foundations of basketry using a fun and adaptable “random weave” technique on foraged materials. We utilize invasive species because they are abundant and removing them improves wildlife habitat for wildlife in what we call the healing harvest. This workshop includes an introduction to identifying, harvesting, processing and weaving wild materials, with a thread of foraging philosophy interwoven throughout.. Make your own unique basket and learn a skill that can be applied to all manner of objects including wreaths, sculptures and even shelter building. We will take a short hike discussing the ecology and cultural history of invasive plants and then practice harvesting and processing material and ultimately start a project. There should be enough time to practice your technique and finish a simple small project. Location: Brooklyn, MS. Details upon registration. Times: Check in at 8:45 am; Class ends 3:00 pm Cost: $60, includes instruction, materials and hand outs; Community meal available at additional cost. If you are not able to afford the full cost, we now offer a reduced rate. We also offer a support rate, if you are able to provide extra money to support those who can't afford the full rate. Winter Mushrooms of the Piney Woods, January 7, 2023
$30.00 - $120.00
Join us for an introduction to the identification, ecology and uses of wild mushrooms of the Gulf South. The day class will focus on laying the foundations in mushroom anatomy, diversity and habitats, then foray into the woods, gather the bounty and share stories of the ecology and cultural uses of wild fungi. An optional evening program covers mushroom cultivation techniques using invasive plants, dinner and a campfire social. Participants will each take home one inoculated log (more logs available at cost). Complete the day by camping on our conservation area in the heart of the Desoto National Forest. NOTE: this class is designed with beginner-intermediate adults & mature youth in mind.
Location: Brooklyn, MS. Details upon registration. Itinerary: January 7, 2023; 8:45 am Check in at 9:00 Day Class begins ---how to notice/observe mushrooms ---anatomy and ecology, classification strategies ---mushroom foray ~12:00 pm Lunch. Meal option available or bring your own ---using dichotomous keys clinic ---misc tips and tricks ---seasonal edibles available ---labeling and practicing ---closing circle / reflection 3 pm. Day class ends / break 4:00 pm Mushroom Cultivation Evening Program begins ---biology of mushrooms ---equipment, substrates, spawn ---making your own take home kit 6:00 pm End of formal programming but... ---Food / social activities / camp out optional Cost: $60, includes instruction, materials and hand outs; lunch provided at additional cost. Additional $50 for evening mushroom cultivation workshop and dinner, overnight tent camping optional, weather permitting. Foraging the Gulf South: a workshop on wild foods and materials. March 25, 2023
$30.00 - $120.00
Come learn the foundational skills for integrating wild foods and materials into daily life throughout the seasons. We will: •Gather and learn a multitude of useful plants, mushrooms, and more in the wild •Process and prepare a foraged meal •Practice techniques that replenish wild foods through propagation, ethical harvesting, and ecological “gardening”. •Understand how geography and ecology drive the availability of resources in natural communities. •Take home cuttings for your native plant garden Cost: $60 day class includes instruction, materials and hand outs; lunch provided at additional cost. If you are not able to afford the full cost, we now offer a sliding scale payment. Location: Brooklyn, MS. Details upon registration |
|
ACCESSIBILITY:
At CPOS, we value diversity and want to make these programs available to all. If you would love to participate yet can’t pay for a workshop or program, please send us an email at register@coastalplainsoutdoors.org. We offer work-trade options for most classes and scholarships too. Write us and describe your needs and goals, what you can contribute, and how you might answer the call to "foster deeper relationships between land and people." ALSO, if you would like to donate money to provide scholarships to others, please let us know at the email above!
At CPOS, we value diversity and want to make these programs available to all. If you would love to participate yet can’t pay for a workshop or program, please send us an email at register@coastalplainsoutdoors.org. We offer work-trade options for most classes and scholarships too. Write us and describe your needs and goals, what you can contribute, and how you might answer the call to "foster deeper relationships between land and people." ALSO, if you would like to donate money to provide scholarships to others, please let us know at the email above!
