Today was full of new adventures and exciting challenges, all while getting to know each other and our group better! We challenged ourselves to stretch into our growth zones and try new things while making new friendships. The day ended by exploring the area either by skates, boots, or sled! Really what could be better?…
The Naturalist Notebook
Welcome to the Shaver’s Creek blog! The entries here are posted by staff, interns, and volunteers, and aim to keep you informed about the programs, updates, and natural history happenings here at the Creek. Enjoy!
As snow covers much of Shaver’s Creek there is still much to see and explore. The Eastern white pine and Eastern hemlock are a beautiful contrast against the white winter snow. Eastern hemlocks are characterized by their short, flattened needles and small brown cones. They are able to grow well in both open sun and…
Early morning snow fall at Hulbert Outdoor Center See the full gallery on Posterous
The air is crisp and cold as it meets our lungs. We lumber out of the vans stretching our legs and working out the kinks from our 10 hour drive. As we take in a deep breath of New England winter air we look up to see thousands of stars and Orion’s belt dangling overhead. …
FarmShowNewsArticle.pdf Download this file An article from the Altoona Mirror this week. More photos from our time at Farm Show to come…
Although Shaver’s Creek is now closed to the public until February, we’d like to invite you out to the Center next Tuesday, December 21 to do a little last-minute holiday shopping! Our bookstore/gift shop will be open from 11AM-4PM for our first ever Winter Solstice Sale! Many items in the gift shop will be discounted…
Just a friendly reminder that tomorrow, Wednesday, December 8th, from 10:00 a.m.-Noon is the last Kids Corner program of the fall. This week, join our environmental education staff for a fun morning learning about Pennsylvania mammals. Kids Corner is intended for children ages 3-5 and an accompanying adult. Children will enjoy nature-based crafts, activities, and…
In case you haven’t heard, Shaver’s Creek has two sessions of our annual Wreath Making Workshop coming up tomorrow, December 4th. Shaver’s Creek staff will teach you how to use evergreen boughs, pine cones, grapevine, and other natural materials to create wreaths for all seasons. Materials will be provided, but you may bring your own…
As we mentioned in a previous blog entry, this is our 15th winter particpating in Project FeederWatch here at Shaver’s Creek. Here are a few of the common birds that we’ve seen, and that you might see at your feeder this winter: Purple Finches often forage on seeds, fruits and insects and are a common…
Here at Shaver’s Creek we have 21 birds of prey in our raptor center. All of them have sustained some kind of injury that would prevent them from being able to survive in the wild with the exception of our American Kestrel, who was raised illegally as a pet before coming to us. The Shaver’s…