•All Events take place at our Nature Centre unless otherwise noted.

•Events in brown require advanced registration and/or an associate fee.

•Events in black are free to attend.

•See below for all event descriptions.

Macphail Woods is a project of the Environmental Coalition of Prince Edward Island, a registered charity. Donations are welcome and help fund a diverse range of activities across the Island.

AUGUST JUL 30 - AUG 3 - Young Ecologist Summer Camp (Ages 10-12) AUG 1-3 - How to Share a Love of Nature: A Course for Island Educators AUG 6-10 - Nature Discovery Summer Camp (Ages 6-8) AUG 11 - Volunteer Afternoon AUG 13-17 - Bushcraft Ecology Summer Camp (Ages 12+) AUG 26 - Third Annual Festival of Forests AUG 27-31 - Acadia University Field Course

SEPTEMBER SEP 22 - Knots & Natural Cordage SEP 22 - September Stargazing SEP 29-30 - Ecological Bushcraft: An Overnight Excursion

OCTOBER OCT 6 - Woodland Ecology: an Introduction to Forest Stewardship OCT 14 - Autumn in the Forest

NOVEMBER NOV 2-4 - Chainsaw Safety & Maintenance

2018 Calendar of EventsAPRIL APR 18 - Owl Prowl #1 APR 20 - Owl Prowl #2 APR 22 - Owl Prowl #3 APR 28 - Owl Prowl #4 APR 27-29 - Chainsaw Safety & Maintenance

MAY MAY 3 - JUN 2 - Native Plant Nursery Open MAY 5 - Landscaping with Native Plants MAY 12 - Birds & Breakfast MAY 12 - Shelter-building for Kids MAY 19 - Pruning Trees & Shrubs MAY 19 - Mastering the Art of Fire-lighting MAY 26 - Creating and Maintaining Hedgerows & Windbreaks JUNE JUN 2 - Plants of Prince Edward Island with Kate MacQuarrie JUN 2 - Last Day of Native Plant Nursery Sales JUN 9 - The Backyard Arborist: Proper Pruning & Planting JUN 10 - Acadian Forests & their Inhabitants at Risk with Bob Bancroft JUN 23 - Identifying Native Trees & Shrubs JUN 25-29 - UPEI Field Course in Ecological Forestry

JULY JUL 2-6 - Becoming A Naturalist Summer Camp (Ages 8-10) JUL 9-13 - Young Ecologist Summer Camp (Ages 10-12) JUL 14 - Introduction to Native Botany JUL 14 - Forest Restoration Workshop JUL 16-20 - Nature Discovery Summer Camp (Ages 6-8) JUL 23-27 - Becoming A Naturalist Summer Camp (Ages 8-10) JUL 28 - Tracking the Mammals of PEI

Email: macphailwoods@gmail.com Phone: (902) 651-2575

Website: macphailwoods.org Location: 269 Macphail Park Rd.

Orwell, PEI

2018 Free Walks, Talks and Workshops

MAY

Landscaping with Native Plants Saturday May 5th - 2pm Want to spend less time cutting grass and more time enjoying the beautiful plants around your home? This workshop introduces a variety of hardy native plants to attract wildlife and beautify your yard.

Birds & Breakfast Saturday May 12th - 8am The Macphail Homestead will be open at 7am to serve a free "early bird" breakfast. Join other birders beside the fireplace in the Great Room for at hot beverage and breakfast treats to start your day out right! Donations will be gladly accepted to help cover costs. Then walk the trails of the Macphail Homestead with Fiep de Bie, looking at year-round residents and returning migratory birds. A great walk for the whole family. Wear your boots, and bring binoculars if you have them.

Shelter-building for Kids Saturday May 12th - 10am Take your fort-building skills to the next level! Get outside with the whole family and learn more about shelter do’s and don’ts and how to hang a tarp securely. Let your wild creativity fly by designing and building your own outdoor shelter.

Pruning Trees & Shrubs Saturday May 19th - 10am Participants will practice pruning on a variety of plants in the nursery, arboretum and woodlands. Please bring along any of your favourite pruning tools. Workshop will include a slide show and demonstration of proper pruning methods and a discussion of recommended books and tools.

Creating and Maintaining Hedgerows & Windbreaks Saturday May 26th - 10am This workshop will look at on creating diverse, beautiful and functional hedgerows and windbreaks using a variety of native plants.

APRIL

Owl Prowls

Join us for a slide show and talk on owls, then walk the trails learning to hoot for Owls.

The Macphail Foundation will open the Great Room of the Homestead at 6:30pm and serve light refreshments. There will be no cost but donations to the Foundation will be gratefully accepted.

Owl Prowl #1: Wednesday April 18th - 7:30pm

Owl Prowl #2: Friday April 20th - 7:30pm

Owl Prowl #3: Sunday April 22nd - 7:30pm

Owl Prowl #4: Saturday April 28th - 7:30pm

We’ve added a fourth owl prowl this year due to the increased interest, but we ask that you only attend one so that everyone has an opportunity to participate.

JULY

Forest Restoration Workshop Saturday July 14th - 1pm A walk and talk in a wide variety of forest habitats at Macphail Woods. The focus will be on restoring the native Acadian forest, looking at enhancement methods used on the property over the past 27 years and trying to find solutions to problems faced by woodlot owners.

Tracking the Mammals of PEI Saturday July 28th - 10am Come on out and learn about the native and introduced mammals found on PEI, as well as a brief look at some of the mammals we've lost. After a brief slideshow, we'll head off to the woods looking at a variety of animal tracks and signs. A great activity for the whole family!

JUNE

Plants of Prince Edward Island with Kate MacQuarrie Saturday June 2nd - 10 am Kate, one of the province’s foremost biologists, will focus on many of the plants, both native and non-native, that you commonly encounter, plus a look at lots of rare trees, shrubs, wildflowers and ferns. You won’t want to miss this one.

Acadian Forests & their Inhabitants at Risk with Bob Bancroft Sunday June 10th - 2pm We are thrilled that Bob is coming over again from Nova Scotia. The well-known CBC Radio Noon guest and advocate for nature throughout the region will explore how forests across the region are being clearcut and the dependant species are being threatened. Bob will offer insights into how we can protect and enhance our forests and what individuals - whether woodlot owners or concerned citizens - can do to stem the tide of destruction.

AUGUST

Volunteer Afternoon Saturday August 11th - 1pm-4pm Come out and help with our work on our Native Plant Arboretum. We’ll have lots of tools and compost and mulch, and a variety of native shrubs, wildflowers and ferns to plant. This is already a beautiful area and will continue to improve over the years as we add more plantings of both rare and common species. Come out to help anytime between 1pm and 4pm.

Third Annual Festival of Forests Sunday August 26th - 2-6pm Our Third Annual Festival of Forests will be a family-friendly event, with children’s activities, guided walks, food and micro-workshops. This will be a great opportunity to explore the wonders of the Acadian Forest.

SEPTEMBER

September Stargazing Saturday September 22nd - 7pm Learn about the night sky and get to know some constellations. This outing will teach some basics of astronomy and then head out into the dark for naked-eye stargazing.

OCTOBER

Autumn in the Forest Sunday October 14th - 2pm A walk along the trails of Macphail Woods, looking at both plants and animals. This is a great outing for people of all ages.

BIRD BANDING

In 2015, we restarted our bird banding program at Macphail Woods and included a new site on the Selkirk Road Public Forest Land.

Under the leadership of Master Bander Fiep de Bie, we had dozens of volunteers of all ages come out to help, and great cooperation from the birds as well.

Bird Banding seasons run early summer late summer.

Interested in Helping Out?

Come on out to help us with bird banding, restoration plantings, nature photography, fundraising, collecting seeds and more.

For more information: Call: (902) 651-2575 Email: macphailwoods@gmail.com Website: macphailwoods.org.

2018 Camps

Nature Discovery (Ages 6-8) $195 Week 1: July 16th - 20th Week 2: August 6th - 10thThe campers will delight in learning to use all their senses to understand the natural world, as well as create crafts, tell stories and play games designed to give them a foundation for further inquiry and exploration.

Becoming a Naturalist (Ages 8-10) $195 Week 1: July 2nd - 6th Week 2: July 23rd - 27thThis camp builds on the campers’ ability to encounter and describe the natural world. They will use art, collecting equipment and take part in many hands-on outdoor activities that will expand their understanding of how to identify our Island’s flora and fauna.

REGISTER ONLINE

Young Ecologists (Ages 10-12) $195 Week 1: July 9th - 13th Week 2: July 30th - August 3rd This camp will begin to introduce the campers to the amazing complexity of our native Acadian forests. They will dissect owl pellets, take part in forest restoration planning and plantings and develop their understanding of how we can take positive environmental action.

Bushcraft Ecology (Ages 12+) $245 August 13th - 17th (Including Thursday Overnight Excursion) These campers will delight in learning survival skills such as one-match fire making, shelter building, rope making with natural fibres, and tracking animals. Touching on plant and tree identification, campers will learn the edible and medicinal properties of local plants. Our camp will include cooking over an open fire, natural crafts such as birch bark baskets, basic whittling and an overnight camp.

Sharing a Love of Nature Summer Camps Week-long days camps at Macphail Woods

Over the past 27 years, Macphail Woods has offered a wide variety of free workshops on topics from owls to

botany to forest restoration and more.

The School of Woodland Ecology courses will allow participants to delve deeper into specific topics,

developing expertise, skills and confidence.

2018 Courses

Chainsaw Safety & Maintenance - $250 This three-day course will introduce participants to many aspects of sustainable fuelwood harvesting: chainsaw safety, basic plant identification, forest ecology, tree extraction, felling, pruning, workplace safety and more. Spring Session - April 27th-29th Fall Session - November 2nd-4th

Mastering the Art of Fire-lighting - $45 May 19 - 9am - 1pm This half-day course will introduce students to all aspects of fires, from fire safety to how to find the best materials for

tinder, kindling and fuel, firelighting techniques for wet and cold weather as well as friction fires.

The Backyard Arborist: Proper Pruning & Planting – $45 June 9 - 9am - 1pm Over the four hours, participants will learn proper pruning techniques to help maintain healthy, attractive and safe trees; transplanting methods for ensuring healthy root growth with little die-back; and how to plant so that your young trees and shrubs will thrive and prosper.

Identifying Native Trees & Shrubs – $45 June 23 - 9am - 1pm The course will run four hours and include lots of outdoor hands-on experience looking at leaves, buds, branches and

bark as well as the preferred habitats of many of these beautiful and sometimes rare species.

REGISTER ONLINE

Introduction to Native Botany – $45 July 14th - 9am - 1pm Plants are amazing organisms. Every year more scientific discoveries shed light on the fascinating lives of plants from tiny algae to ancient trees. A basic knowledge of botany can help with many outdoor activities from pruning to planting and forest restoration to harvesting while enriching forest hikes and seaside walks.

Participants of this half-day course will learn about the types of plants that can be found on PEI, from liverworts and mosses to trees and ferns. Using the surrounding grounds, we will have hands-on examples to demonstrate how plants grow, how roots systems connect, strategies for survival and propagation and more. 

How to Share a Love of Nature: A Course for Island Educators – $200 August 1st-3rd There is almost nothing as rewarding as watching a child fall in love with nature. Despite its potential, nature education can seem overwhelming and difficult to integrate into regular classroom activities. After over 20 years of teaching, we have developed an intuitive and practical approach to nature education that helps teachers become co-learners with their students.

By combining theory-based lectures, experiential learning and taking part in camp activities, participants will gain a foundational knowledge of the Island’s plants and animals and develop a host of educational tools.

Knots & Natural Cordage – $100 September 22nd - 9am - 4pm Does the job require a truckers hitch or just two half hitches? Should I use a sheet bend, zeppelin bend or a square knot? Knowing how to select the right knot for the job and how to tie it properly are tremendously satisfying skills.

During this course we will introduce the three main categories of knot tying: loops, bends and hitches. We will also cover lashing, stopper knots and rope care. With the basics under our belt, we will also introduce the wide world of natural cordage. 

Ecological Bushcraft: An Overnight Excursion - $225 September 29th-30th Bushcraft is the art of living comfortably in nature. Learning to light a fire, construct a shelter or cook outdoors are just a few of the essential skills that connect us to the land and remind us of our dependance on nature. We believe that it is impossible to leave no trace but with sound ecological knowledge and skills the trace we leave can improve the health of our wild spaces. Through skillful pruning, proper harvesting techniques and plant identification, students will develop a profound respect for our infinitely complex ecosystems

Ecological Bushcraft is a two-day overnight course that will provide students with confidence, comfort and respect for the natural world around us. Participants will practice hands-on skills such as knots, safe knife use, fire lighting and more.

Woodland Ecology: an Introduction to Forest Stewardship – $100 October 6th 9am - 4pm This course helps landowners gain the knowledge and skills they need to enjoy, improve and manage their own woodlot whether it be creating better access, harvesting wood or creating a refuge for local wildlife.

Over the one-day course students will gain hands-on experience in pruning, plant identification, habitat improvement, harvesting, forest management, and more.

ABOUT USThe Macphail Woods Ecological Forestry Project is an initiative of

the Environmental Coalition of Prince Edward Island.

It combines protection of the natural areas with wildlife enhancement, forest stewardship, watershed protection, environmental education and ecological research.

Our nature centre, native plant nursery, and walking trails are located in Orwell on the

beautiful Sir Andrew Macphail Homestead.

Ongoing Education

Field Course: Ecological Forestry Learn more about the Acadian forest, wildlife enhancement, forest ecology and restoration techniques through a combination of classroom sessions, outdoor experience and hands-on activities.

UPEI Field Course: Ecological Forestry June 25-29th This one always fills up quickly so register early to avoid disappointment. Register through the UPEI registrar’s office (www.upei.ca/registrar).

Acadia University Field Course: Ecological Forestry August 27th-31stThis is the first year we’ll be offering our ecological forestry course at Acadia University. Register through Acadia’s registrar’s office (https://registrar.acadiau.ca/).