Northern Landscapes Festival 2020: Online Edition
Overview
Thank you for joining us for the Northern Landscapes Festival: Online Edition! Recordings of several of the programs are available at our Crafting in Place Page.
Each year we celebrate the arrival of spring in the north woods with coursework and speakers that explore natural history and our connection with the natural world. This year, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and our need to limit in-person events, we're taking the festival online!
We encourage you to get out in the field… of your own backyard! There’s so much nature to discover and enjoy close to home wherever you are, and we’ve designed a week of events you can tune in to at your own pace. Getting outside while safely maintaining physical distancing requirements is a healthy way to connect with the landscape and has all kinds of mental health benefits too. Whether you share your observations with us through the North House BioBlitz or join us for a webinar, we welcome and invite you to dig deeper into the world outside your doorstep.
All events are free and open to the public!
Webinar: The Geologic Story of Lake Superior with Jim Miller
Fri, May 29th | 12–1pm
In this live webinar, geologist Jim Miller shares the story of two geological events responsible for the dramic rocky landsacpe of Minnesota's North Shore.
Details & Register (free!)
Webinar: Exploring Birds through Spring Migration
Wed, May 27th | 12–1pm
Learn about spring bird migration with Margie Menzies of Sugarloaf Cove Nature Center and Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory in this live webinar.
Details & Register (free!)
North House BioBlitz
Get outside in the nature of your backyard, observe the natural changes of spring, and share your findings in this week-long BioBlitz! Post photos for others to help you identify, or help others identify their findings.
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Event Details
North House BioBlitz
Monday-Sunday, May 25-31
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/north-house-bioblitz
One of the founding ideas of a folk school is that everyone has something to learn and everyone has something to teach. A BioBlitz is a community project to gather observations and identifications of wildlife: birds, plants, insects, lichens, you name it! Though it might have a fancy sounding name, it resonates with the roots of our folk school community learning model—but with modern technology! Regular folks take pictures of things they see and post them for others to help identify. We are hosting a BioBlitz all week and you can participate from wherever you live. We’ll be gathering and sharing observations all week using iNaturalist, a global community of naturalists cataloguing the world’s biodiversity that helps folks get outside and explore nature, and helps scientists too!
To participate you can add observations (you don’t need to know what something is to share it!), or help identify other people’s observations, or both!
You’ll need an account with iNaturalist: sign up here. Check out their how-to guides to learn more about sharing your observations. Then join our BioBlitz here!
We are hosting a webinar on Monday May 25th to introduce the BioBlitz and help folks get comfortable with the iNaturalist platform as well. See below for information on registering for the webinar!
North House BioBlitz Kick-off Webinar
Monday, May 25: 12–1pm
Join naturalist Joe Walewski of Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center to learn how to use the simple online tool iNaturalist to record your observations of the natural world. Today kicks off our week-long BioBlitz, a project to gather as many observations of plants, critters, and wildlife as we can. You'll learn tips and tricks for noticing nature everywhere and have a chance to ask questions with our expert naturalist Joe.
The BioBlitz has begun, but it's not too late to participate! If you missed the kick-off webinar, feel free to watch it below!
Nature Notes Check-in
Tuesday, May 26: 7:30–8pm
Throughout the BioBlitz there are opportunities to stop by virtually and see what observations have been collected so far, and get inspired to look for new things. Naturalist Joe Walewski will share some highlights from the observations submitted so far, share some tips for using iNaturalist, and give a short presentation on lichens.
Exploring Birds through Spring Migration Webinar
Wednesday, May 27th: 12–1pm
Join naturalist Margie Menzies of Sugarloaf Cove Nature Center and Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory for a webinar to learn about the spring bird migration. You'll get to see a demonstration of bird banding, a tool researchers use to learn about bird behavior and populations, and get some great tips from Margie on how to enjoy birdwatching in your own backyard.
Nature Notes Check-in
Thursday, May 28th: 7:30–8pm
Throughout the BioBlitz there are opportunities to stop by virtually and see what observations have been collected so far, and get inspired to look for new things. Tonight naturalist Joe Walewski will share some highlights from the observations submitted so far, share some tips for using iNaturalist, and give a short presentation on moths.
Fire and Ice: The Geologic Story of Lake Superior Webinar via Zoom
Friday, May 29th | 12–1 pm
Spend an hour with instructor Jim Miller learning the story of two geological events that created the dramatic rocky landscape of Minnesota's North Shore. One tells the tale of red hot lava flows that spilled out onto a barren landscape over one billion years ago, and the other is the story of mile-thick sheets of ice that carved out the great basin of Lake Superior over the past two million years.
Nature Notes Check-in
Saturday, May 30th | 7:30–8pm
Throughout the BioBlitz there are opportunities to stop by virtually and see what observations have been collected so far, and get inspired to look for new things. Tonight naturalist Joe Walewski will share some highlights from the observations submitted so far, share some tips for using iNaturalist, and give a short presentation on ferns.
BioBlitz Wrap up and Celebration via Zoom
Sunday, May 31st | 7:30–8 pm
Tune in on zoom tonight to celebrate the results of the North House BioBlitz! We'll share stats on how many species were observed, the geographic range of observations, and fun and interesting highlights of the week. BYO celebratory snacks/drinks and we'll toast to getting outside!
