Notes From the Classroom: Springing Into Outreach

March welcomed new guests to the island and kicked off of a spring full of outreach for our education team! Our education team is excited to connect with people from across the Cape Fear region this season. Here’s a glimpse of our month so far!

Participants of Weekend at Vivian’s, an event hosted by local chef, Vivian Howard, teamed up with our staff on a tour around the island! While driving around on their golf carts, they visited a couple of historical locations and the important ecosystems comprising BHI (the dunes, maritime forest, and salt marsh). They were also visited by a couple of the birds & wildlife that call BHI their home!

Scott Schmolesky, Director of the High Adventure program at Hampden-Sydney College, and his students visited the island with our education team. The High Adventure Program gives students opportunities to challenge themselves, develop new skills, and build camaraderie with classmates in the great outdoors. We explored Middle Island, visited Kent Mitchell Trail and hiked in Bald Head Woods. Students also had the opportunity to learn about our internship program as well as hear about the environmental research and sea turtle conservation work that we do.

Where else may you meet our education team this spring?

• Brunswick County Community Day – Saturday, March 18th 10-4 – Museum of Coastal Carolina
  • Stop and see us at the Museum of Coastal Carolina (free with your Brunswick County ID), and enjoy meeting representatives of conservation organizations doing work throughout Brunswick County.
• Spring Festival at Fort Fisher – Saturday, March 25th 10-4 – Fort Fisher State Recreational Area
  • Celebrate the first week of Spring with us at the Fort Fisher State Recreational Area Spring Festival. Fun and (free) games for the family.
• NC SciFest: Colors in Nature – Saturday, April 8th 10-2 – Bald Head Island Conservancy
  • Have you ever noticed the bright colors found in nature? Take a look around! What do you see? Come and learn more us.
  • Staff will lead you in a colors-in-nature BioBlitz exploration of our campus and surrounding nature spaces. You’ll learn how to use iNaturalist, a community science app, and make observations that scientists can use in their research.
  • Create with us and learn how we can paint with nature! This activity will be held outside in our outdoor classroom space.
• Conservancy Camp – Week 1: April 3, 5, and 6, Week 2: 10-13 – Bald Head Island Conservancy
  • The Conservancy offers an exciting opportunity for children ages 5-10 to explore and learn about the island’s diverse ecology through our half-day Conservancy Camps. Camp immerses children in the barrier island ecology as they explore the various island environments such as the maritime forest, salt marsh, and beach.
  • Activities offered during Camp include interacting with ambassador animals, birding, tidal exploration, plant identification, animal tracking, and much more.