Courses

Most birds are not known for sitting still. By learning to recognize their songs, calls and the habitats they live in, you can have a satisfying birding experience every time you step outdoors, with or without your binoculars! In this one-day workshop we’ll travel to various habitats and birding hotspots…

Spring in northeastern Minnesota is truly alive with life. After a winter of cold and white, there is a veritable explosion of all things feathered. The Boreal Birding Workshop is field focused, offering students a rare opportunity to immerse in this world and develop an appreciation for the wide range…

Head up the trail and experience the unique and ancient geology of the Gunflint area. We are pleased to partner with Gunflint Lodge to offer students an opportunity to immerse in the rich history of this special area using one of Minnesota's premier wilderness resorts as a home base for…

Often overlooked and clearly underappreciated, our lichens are wonderfully diverse and surprisingly beautiful. We will explore habitats from the shore of Lake Superior to inland forests and rocky outcrops. Practice with tools and techniques that will catapult you from nerdy novice to local respected authority (you’ll amaze friends and family).…

North House Folk School is excited to partner with Sugarloaf: The North Shore Stewardship Association and University of Minnesota-Extension to host the Northwoods-Great Lakes Master Naturalist Volunteer Training Course on the spectacular North Shore of Lake Superior. Dig into northern ecology in this five-day immersion course that offers a wide…

Late summer brings on a plethora of mushrooms, and the North Shore and Superior National Forest are great place to see myriad species. From the fairytale Amanita to the mysterious Lobster mushroom to the unusual Ramaria species, there’s no shortage of beauties to find and identify. Michael Karns, a certified…

If the sight of a falcon, eagle, owl, or osprey soaring over the shoreline of Lake Superior has always enraptured you, this workshop will let you dig your talons into these fascinating creatures. Join Micaela Brevig, naturalist with The Raptor Center for a day-long immersion in raptors. The first half…

Spring offers excellent birding opportunities on the North Shore: with the arrival of warblers and other migrants, there is the potential to see an unusual number of species in a short amount of time. Join Michael Karns, avid outdoorsman and life-long birder (and fountain of knowledge on many topics) for…

Nature has its own rhythms and these days, it can be hard to predict! Phenology is the recording of the natural calendar—the arrival times of various migrating birds, lake ice-outs, blooming dates of wildflowers, harvest times for crops, and tree leaves changing color in the fall are all events that…

Find your way around the night sky by learning the bright seasonal constellations, current planets and satellites. Understand how planets and Moon move, the reason some constellations are visible in one season and not another and where Earth fits into the big picture. We'll begin with a classroom session on…

Learn how telescopes work, the different kinds available and how to choose one to fit your budget. We'll begin with a classroom session on campus, take a dinner break and then—weather permitting—we'll set up two telescopes for close-up looks of the Moon, Jupiter, and Saturn along with a nice sampling…

How many times have you walked along a cobbled beach or a rocky ledge along the North Shore and wondered: What’s this rock? Where did it come from? Why is it here? Well, lace up some sturdy footwear and head into the field to be immersed in the fascinating geology…

Our wild counterparts thrive all around us often unseen. What if there was a way to open a window to the secret lives of wildlife? Remote camera technology and tracking techniques can provide us valuable opportunities to study and learn about the natural history of the animals in our backyards. …