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2023 Litten Lecture Event & Winter Programs EJC Arboretum

-General Events-

Litten Lecture

Friday, February 24, 2023 | Reception: 5:45pm | Lecture: 7pm | Forbes Center, Recital Hall | Free Admission, Donations Welcome

Discover how aspects of urbanization impact the song and behavior of a vocal mimic, the gray catbird. Dr. Moseley will explain her research on this topic. Anna Showalter, a musician and JMU doctoral student, uses the art of listening and creating sound to share Moseley's research and story with audiences. She aims to promote greater awareness of the soundscape humans share with other creatures. Anna will also share Ashkan Fakhrtabatabaie's piece for piano and electro-acoustics that draws from the audio date that Moseley collected at the Edith J. Carrier Arboretum and other Harrisonburg spaces. We will also enjoy a performance by our special guest, cellist Amanda Gookin, the executive director of the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival!

The Great Backyard Bird Count

February 17-20

We have a slate of adult and family programs to help you appreciate our local birds and begin birding! All may participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count from any location--visit www.birdcount.org for more information. We invite you to participate in one or more of our programs to meet some friendly local bird enthusiasts and receive a local birds checklist to assist your scouting efforts.

Winter Birdsong

Friday, Feb. 17 | 12 PM - 1 PM | Free

Bring your lunch and enjoy a presentation led by Rich Wood on birds and birdsong, focusing on our winter residents. We will then head outside to discover some of the feathered songsters that call the Edith J. Carrier Arboretum home!

Birding Basics with the Rockingham Bird Club

Saturday, Feb. 18 | 11 AM - 12 PM | Free

Meet at the Frances Plecker Education Center (please dress for the weather). The Rockingham Bird Club will give an overview of local birds and how to find them, then we’ll go out into the Arboretum to do some scouting for the bird count! This program is designed for adults, but families are welcome.

A Book for the 'Burg Events

Book Discussion of Rachel Carson and Her Sisters

Saturday, Feb. 18 | 2 PM | Frances Plecker Education Center | Free

Part of the "A Book for the 'Burg" collaborative event series. Grab your copy of Rachel Carson and Her Sisters by Robert K. Musil from JMU library, EMU library, or Massanutten Regional Library and join us at the Frances Plecker Education Center to talk about it over light refreshments. Then, you'll be ready to engage with Dr. Musil's presentation at JMU, to which you are also invited!

A Conversation About Sound Ecology

Wednesday, March 29 | 6 PM | Frances Plecker Education Center | Free

In her book Silent Spring, Rachel Carson asks “Can anyone imagine…a springtime without a robin’s song?” Have you thought about the role of the sounds of nature in your human experience? Join us for an interdisciplinary conversation about the sound worlds humans share with birds and animals. We’ll look through the lens of sound ecology - a discipline studying the relationship between human beings, sound, and their environment. We’ll consider how scientists, artists and educators can contribute toward the understanding and practice of a sound ecology. This event is sponsored in part by the Virginia Commission for the Arts and presented by Anna Showalter, doctoral student in the JMU School of Music.

Book Discussion of Silent Spring

Saturday, April 22 | 2 PM | Frances Plecker Education Center | Free

Part of the "A Book for the 'Burg" collaborative event series. Grab your copy of Silent Spring by Rachel Carson from JMU library, EMU library, or Massanutten Regional Library and join us at the Frances Plecker Education Center to talk about it over light refreshments.

Terrarium Workshop

Saturday, March 4 | 10 AM | Price: $50 (Includes Materials and Instruction)

The workshop you all have been asking us about is back! Join us at the Edith J. Carrier Arboretum as local Sparrows Floral Design owner, Amanda Tutwiler, guides you through how to create your very own Terrarium!

-Save the Date!-

Spring Celebration Plant Sale

Members Preview Sale: Thursday, April 27th from 9AM-3PM

Open to the Public: Friday, April 28th through Monday, May 8th from 9AM-3PM | Excluding Sundays

Earth Day Poetry Programs

Saturday, April 22

Is there a better place to celebrate Earth Day than the Arboretum? We invite you to join us and the Furious Flower Poetry Center for 'Poet-tree'! Free workshops for adults and for youth and a celebratory dedication of a Poet-tree! Check on our website this spring for more details.

-Youth Programs-

Great Backyard Bird Count Activity Series

February 17-20

Participate in this year's Great Backyard Bird Count at the Edith J. Carrier Arboretum! We have prepared a slate of programs for adults and for families to assist you in learning about and enjoying our local birds. For more information on the Great Backyard Bird Count, visit www.birdcount.org.

Feathers

Thursday, Feb. 16 | 10am | For Preschool Age | Free

Join us at the Frances Plecker Education Center to explore feathers and identify a few birds from their feather color. Participants will also enjoy some feather painting.

Birding 101 for Kids

Monday, Feb. 20 | 3 PM | Free

Virginia Master Naturalists and Rockingham Bird Club members Sharon and Jay Landis will introduce elementary-aged youth to the fun of birding. We'll play a bird picture/facts matching game, learn how to look and listen for birds and how to use binoculars, discover some great technology tools to help in our birding. Then we'll go birding out in the Arboretum and tally our discoveries for the Great Backyard Bird Count!

Bilingual Winter Storytime

Thursday, Feb. 28 | 1 PM | Pre-School - Elementary Suggested | Free

¡Únase a nosotros en el Centro de Educación Frances Plecker para una hora de cuentos para niños de preescolar bilingüe con cuentos, actividades y chocolate caliente! -- Join us at the Frances Plecker Education Center for a bilingual preschool story time with stories, activities, and hot chocolate!

Storytime in the Understory

Mondays, Feb. 13 & 27, March 13 & 27 | 11 AM - 11:30 AM | Pre-School - Elementary Suggested | Free | No Registration Required

Bring a blanket and come enjoy 30 minutes of nature-themed reading. We will meet in the At Home in the Woods Family Garden in our new Storytime area! If it is wet or less than 45 degrees, we will meet inside the Frances Plecker Education Center.

Nature Study Series: Explore the Flora

Tuesdays, Feb. 14 & 28, March 14 & 28 | 4pm-4:45pm | All Ages Welcome | Free

Has wonder and curiosity about the natural world ever made you stop and look a little closer? What’s that called? How does it grow? Getting to know our flora is a rewarding life-long skill that just takes a little effort to cultivate. Drop in for our free nature study series for families: we’ll meet at the arboretum pavilion, take a short nature walk through the Arboretum, then hone in for a close look at one of our native plants! We will make careful observations, learn some facts and lore, and do a little relaxed sketching. Bring a notebook or paper and some colored pencils, but we’ll have extras on hand. Registration requested but not required. Rain or shine.

Art in the Arboretum: Forest Paintings Inspired by Emily Carr

Saturday, March 4 | 12pm | For Elementary Age + | Free

Join us on the Tree Terrace as we take a look at how artist Emily Carr tried to capture nature’s movement on paper—then make our own art! Supplies provided, and we’ll be following the lesson make from the blog paintedpaperart.com.

Poet's Nature Walk and Writing Workshop

Saturday, March 4 | 2PM - 3:30PM | For Elementary+, Adults Welcome Too | Free

Take the upland trail, Use your imagination, Write for fun with us
The urban woods live, Nature speaks to me today, As for the first time

We’ll learn together how to think and look a little differently at the world around us and practice turning that experience into poems. No real secrets here, just an opportunity to slow down and wonder, then let that feeling bubble up for sharing with others!

-Art Exhibitions for Sale-

January- February | 8 AM - 4 PM (M - F) | Frances Plecker Education Center

Zach Sensabaugh, Our Park: Shenandoah National Park

Artist Statement: "I am an artist focused on conceptually driven photographic series and nature photography. I have studied the arts since early childhood participating in music, theater, painting, print making, sculpture, poetry, and traditional crafts. I went on to study music production and communications at Middle Tennessee State University. It was during that time that I began to engage seriously in the art of photography. I have been a featured artist at galleries throughout western Virginia as well as at Middle Tennessee State University and James Madison University.
The National Parks are important. They preserve increasingly sparse wilderness and are an important tool for teaching how to be good stewards of our environment. Additionally, the National Park Service is an enduring example of how a society can take collective action to build a better world. This series seeks to highlight the power and purpose of our park next door."

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