Gratiot Lake Conservancy to offer nature oriented workshops this summer

Adults and children can learn to track animals like this beaver family in the Tracking Workshop with science teacher Brian Rajdl, the first of the series of nature oriented workshops to be offered by the Gratiot Lake Conservancy this summer. (Photo © and courtesy Jim Hay)

GRATIOT LAKE --  Gratiot Lake Conservancy is offering a series of nature oriented workshops in Keweenaw County this summer. All workshops are open to the public and fees vary. Preregistration is necessary and group size is limited. Detailed information and registration forms can be accessed through the links given for each workshop below. (Please note that some workshops have rain dates.) Janet Avery Scholarships are available for all workshops.

9 a.m. - 3 p.m., Saturday, July 18: Tracking Workshop with Brian Rajdl. explore the trails and shoreline of Gratiot Lake. Learn to track animals and to interpret the signs they leave behind: tracks, scats, feathers, fur, rubs, chews, lays, dens, and burrows. Adults and children (accompanied by an adult) are invited to attend. Click here for info and link to registration form.

9:30 a.m. - 4 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, August 1 and  2: Sketching the Landscape in Watercolor. Artist Marilynn Brandenburger is back by popular demand.

Sketching Nature in watercolor. (Photo courtesy Gratiot Lake Conservancy)

Group will meet indoors and out-of-doors at various Keweenaw locations including Eagle Harbor and Central. Click here for info and registration form.

10 a.m. - 3 p.m., Saturday, August 15: Lichen Workshop. Instructor Karena Schmidt describes lichens as complete ecosystems where the fungus has learned how to farm algae.

Lichen. (Photo © and courtesy Karena Schmidt)

Over 620 species of lichen have been identified in the Copper Country. Spend a day at the Gratiot Lake Preserve discovering what lichens can teach us. Click here for info and registration.

9 a.m. - 4 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, August 22 and 23, Aquatic Plant Identification Workshop with  botanist Janet Marr. Get your feet wet learning about the plants that inhabit Keweenaw inland lakes and waterways.

Aquatic plants on Little Gratiot River. (Photo © and courtesy Janet Marr)

This workshop is geared towards professionals and students in the fields of biology, botany, and environmental science and education. It will also be of interest to volunteer monitors, lake association members, and others who want to learn to identify aquatic plants and invasive species in order to protect healthy ecosystems in inland lakes. Click here for info and registration.

10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday, August 25, Damselfly and Dragonfly Workshop. Amateur odonatist Bob Marr will be leading a one day beginner’s workshop at GLC’s Bammert Farm.

Dragonfly catch. (Photo © and courtesy Bonnie Hay)

Learn to identify these "winged dragons" and "neon toothpicks." Click here for info and registration.

Questions? Please contact director@GratiotLakeConservancy.org.

Some places still available in Gratiot Lake Conservancy summer workshops

GRATIOT LAKE -- Gratiot Lake Conservancy (GLC) announces that some places remain in the Tracking Workshop to be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. this Saturday, July 13, at the Noblet Field Station and Gratiot Lake Preserve. Rain date is Sunday, July 14.

Brian Rajdl, instructor and nature educator, will help participants learn to track animals and to interpret the signs they leave behind. Tracks, scats, feathers, fur, rubs, chews, lays, dens, and  burrows are all signs to help identify WHO has been there, WHAT they were doing, WHEN they were there, WHERE their trail leads. Also, you can interpret WHY they left that particular sign, and HOW it might feel to be that animal.

The fee for this workshop is $20 ($15 GLC members); children under 16 (accompanied by an adult) are $5. Janet Avery Scholarships are available. Advance registration is required.

Download the registration form at http://www.gratiotlakeconservancy.org/TrackingWorkshop.htm and also contact Bonnie Hay, GLC program director, at belh@verizon.net or call her at 906-337-5476 if you wish to register NOW for this workshop. She will give you meeting place directions.

A few places remain in two August workshops: the Beginner’s Workshop on Dragonflies and Damselflies (at sites in Keweenaw County), to be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 17, with Bob Marr, instructor; and the Aquatic Plant Workshop (near Eagle Harbor) with Janet Marr, instructor, to be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 24, and Sunday, Aug. 25, 2013. Contact  Bonnie Hay at belh@verizon.net or call her at 906-337-5476 to register. (Registration forms are also available from the above links to the workshops.)

For current news about Gratiot Lake Conservancy, click here for their Summer 2013 Water's Edge newsletter.

Updated: Gratiot Lake Conservancy to offer summer workshops

Bob Marr will again be offering a Beginners Workshop on Dragonflies and Damselflies through Gratiot Lake Conservancy this summer. See below to read about this and other workshops that still have openings. (Photo © and courtesy Jim Hay of Gratiot Lake Conservancy. Reprinted with permission.)

GRATIOT LAKE -- Gratiot Lake Conservancy (GLC) has exciting offerings on tap for July and August. All workshops require advance registration. Here are some descriptions of those that still have vacancies:

Sketching the Landscape in Watercolor -- 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 14, and Sunday, July 15.
Instructor: Marilynn Brandenburger.
Location: Eagle Harbor Community Building and outdoor locations in the vicinity. Fee: $100 ($85 GLC members) Advance registration required.
Suitable for persons of all levels of art experience. Advance registration required (limited enrollment).

A student at a recent GLC workshop given by Marilynn Brandenburger works on a watercolor journal. (Photo © and courtesy Bonnie Hay) 

Marilynn Brandenburger has been painting and exhibiting professionally for more than twenty-five years. Awards and recognitions include grants from private and public foundations, appointments as Artist-in-Residence in national and state parks, including Isle Royale National Park. Her work is in collections throughout the U.S. Marilynn’s work has been featured in national newspaper and magazine articles and in two books: The Best of Colored Pencil 5 and The Island Within Us. She has also illustrated three books. Click here to read more about Marilynn Brandenburger and the workshop.

A Retreat at Gratiot Lake Preserve and Noblet Field Station: Connecting More Deeply with Nature and Spirit -- 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 21 (Raindate July 22)
Facilitated by Bonnie Hay and Sharon Levine
Location: Noblet Field Station and Gratiot Lake Preserve
Fee: $50 ($45 GLC members) Advance registration required.

Cabin at Noblet Field Station near Gratiot Lake. (Photo © and courtesy Jim Hay)

Participate in a guided process to develop skills of careful observation in nature through direct sensory experience. It will be a time to rekindle your imagination and translate your perceptions into stories or images. Details of the Saturday meeting location and what to bring will be sent to you. Bring a bag lunch and extra drinking water since no potable water is available at the GLC preserve. Please wear comfortable clothing suitable for being out-of-doors and shoes suitable for moderate walking. Click here to read more about this workshop.

Beginners Workshop on Dragonflies and Damselflies -- 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, August 11 (Raindate August 12)
Instructor: Bob Marr
Location: Sites in Keweenaw County. Meeting location to be determined closer to the date.
Fee: $20 ($15 GLC members) Janet Avery Scholarship available. Advance registration required.
Learn identification, safe capture and release, and techniques for observation of these "winged dragons" and "neon toothpicks." Appropriate for adults and children 11 and older with an interest in nature (accompanied by an adult). The day will start with a short (about 45-minute) overview of life cycle, ecology, morphology, and behavior followed by field identification. There will be a break for lunch and then more field observation. Since both aquatic and terrestrial habitat will be explored, participants are encouraged to bring along wading shoes or boots.... Click here to read more about this workshop.

All workshops require advance registration. More information and downloadable application forms are at www.gratiotlakeconservancy.org. Go to the drop down menu at the top of the page and select "What’s New" to find the GLC calendar and workshop list.  For further information contact Bonnie: belh@verizon.net or leave a phone message at 906-337-5476.

Mike Schira to present "Living by Water" June 30

GLC is planning to host Mike Schira, District Educator of the MSU Extension from 10 a.m. to Noon on Saturday, June 30, at the Eagle Harbor Community Building. Mike’s talk will be "Living by Water." He will explain how lakeshore landowners can protect the lakes and rivers they love. This is free and open to all.