Educational Programs

For the spring 2012 classes brochure and regestration form click here.

Butterfly Monitoring

Join Tori Graham every wednesday at noon for butterfly monitering. Everyone is welcome!

Going To Bat For The Bats!

Join Bill Mueller from the Western Great Lakes Bird and Bat Observatory for a presentation on Wisconsin's bats, Thursday, April 19th, from 7 to 9 pm. Bats are the only flying mammal in the world and they are much misunderstood. Wisconsin bats may soon be face to face with a very formidable foe. Learn about Wisconsin's bats, their ecology, and what threatens their survival. We will walk the trails and learn about the bats flit in Hawthorn Hollow’s sky.

You will also learn about the "how and why" of the effort to monitor Wisconsin bats. Learn how you can volunteer to help with this monitoring project. No prior knowledge is required!

Bill is an ornithologist and staff conservation biologist at the Western Great Lakes Bird & Bat Observatory. He is the current Conservation Chair of the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology, and the Project Coordinator for the Milwaukee BIOME Project.

This is a free presentation and open to the public. Please RSPV!

Beginning Birding

BEGINNING BIRDING with Rick Fare. Learn about bird anatomy, identification, migration, and behavior. Find out the best birding resources and how to select binocular. Then, take a walk along the trails of Hawthorn Hollow to see and listen to the migrants moving through the area.

Saturday April 28^th, 9 am – 11 am
Members $12, Non-members $17

Mosaic Ornament

MOSAIC ORNAMENTS with Heidi Makris. Make beautiful glass and cement ornaments to enhance your outdoor living space. You will be able to pick from a variety of shapes, sizes and colors, and learn just how much fun it can be to work with stained glass and cement. These pieces are weather and sun tolerant and may be left outside year round. They are smaller than the more familiar cement stepping stones and can be hung on fences and walls. These tiles would make ideal Mother's Day gifts. Materials will be included.

Thursday May 3^rd, 6 pm – 8 pm
Members $15, Non-members $20

A Picture Perfect Evening

A PICTURE PERFECT EVENING with Brigitta Richter. It’s a painting party! Learn to paint a sunflower using acrylic paints, for a picture perfect evening. You will bring home a beautiful painted sunflower on a 16 x 20 canvas. Bring along your favorite beverage for a fun-filled evening of good company and creativity. No experience necessary. Materials will be included.

Wednesday May 9^th, 6 pm – 9 pm
Members $22; Non-members $27

Evergreen ID Walk

EVERGREEN ID WALK with Kate Jerome. Is a pine always a pine? Come for an evening walk on the grounds of the beautiful Hawthorn Hollow and learn to identify and distinguish pines, spruces, firs, and cedars. We will also take a look at some magnificent spring blooming plants.

Thursday May 24^th, 5 pm – 7 pm
Members $12; Non-members $17

Dichotomous Keys & Plant ID's

DICHOTOMOUS KEYS & PLANT IDs with Lori Artiomow. Learn how to identify plants out in the field with a book that has no pictures! We will learn the terminology used to define plant characteristics and use dichotomous keys to figure out plant species we find blooming at Hawthorn Hollow. Please dress for the weather. Bring a hand lens and your copy of Gleason & Cronquist, if you have them.

Wednesday June 20^th, 6 – 8 pm (Summer Solstice)
Members $12, Non-members $17

Saturday July 28^th, 10 am – noon
Members $12, Non-members $17

Dragons & Damsels

DRAGONS & DAMSELS with Beth Goeppinger. Learn to differentiate between dragonflies and damselflies. Discover their fascinating life cycle, their ecological importance and how to attract them to your yard. Prepare to be in the field as we will hike to catch and identify the species at Hawthorn Hollow.

Saturday July 7^th, 1 pm – 3 pm
Members $12, Non-members $17

Biographies

Rick Fare is an avid birder and Education Chair person for the Hoy Audubon Society. He was past president of the club and is a member of the WI Society for Ornithology and the Bluebird Restoration Association of WI. He also leads many bird walks and field trips for various organizations.

Heidi Makris has been making mosaic stepping stones and cement ornaments for many years. She is also an avid gardener and loves to tastefully decorate her yard. She majored in art at UW Parkside, has spent many hours volunteering at the New Orleans Botanical Gardens, and has kept her own garden for more years than she would like mention.

Kate Jerome has her Master's Degree in Ornamental Horticulture from the University of Wisconsin. She is currently Lead Instructor of the Horticulture Department at Gateway Technical College. She’s been a horticulture specialist for Chicago Botanic Garden for 5 years, and has spent the last 14 years as a freelance garden writer and teacher. Besides writing a weekly garden column for the Kenosha News for sixteen years, she’s written books on houseplants and oriental gardening, and has written for several national horticulture magazines.

Brigitta Richter is the owner of the MudHaus Art Studio in Kenosha. Her work concentrates on finding a way to communicate both visually and emotionally through color and subject. Brigitta strives to achieve a certain ambiance and emotive feel with each piece she creates. Her work comes from the heart and she is very proud to know that the effort and vision she expresses through her art is appreciated by others.

Lori Artiomow is the Naturalist for Hawthorn Hollow. She also coordinates the Plants of Concern rare plant monitoring program for the Chiwaukee Prairie Preservation Fund and is working on a comprehensive plant survey of the prairie.

Beth Goeppinger has been a DNR naturalist at Richard Bong State Recreation Area for 19 years. Raised in Minnesota, she received her degrees at Stevens Point and Northern Illinois University. Beth has been fascinated with nature from an early age and still is.