The Appalachian Forest School www.appalachianforestschool.org

Forests of the Far North Summer Course
The Temperate Forest’s Dance with the Boreal North Woods

Boundary Waters Region, Ely Minnesota, July 16-23, 2011

The pristine waters and sprawling wilderness of the Border Lakes of Minnesota is the destination of the Forests of the Far North course. We will be joined by expert naturalists – including black bear researcher Dr. Roger A. Powell; arctic adventurer Paul Schurke; and award winning authors of books in the North Woods Naturalist series Joe Walewski and Kurt Mead, among others. Spend a week in outdoors in the North Woods with these authorities as they demonstrate the amazing biodiversity, beauty, and interconnectedness of the remote and fragile eco-systems in the transition zone between the temperate and boreal forest biomes.

This course is for serious nature-lovers, educators, and naturalists who love learning, and are committed to becoming stronger teachers of others. Taught by expert naturalists in the field (we will be outside every day of the course), participants will gain a deep education in the North Woods, learning hardwood and conifer identification, exploring the northern ecosystems of floating mat bogs and black spruce wetlands, learning the North Wood’s bio-abundance of dragonflies and lichens, recognizing the quintessencial northern songbird species by sight and sound. There will be time for recreation and  immersion in the North wilderness as well — canoeing, reflecting on pristine blue waters studded with water lilies, suffeitting on wild blueberries, and listening to the call of loons and wolves.

We will be staying in rustic Smitty’s Lodge on the shores of Snowbank Lake — the literal “boundary” of the Boundary Waters. Organic produce grown on the banks of Snowbank Lake is featured in their delicious hearty fare. Past participants have given Smitty’s food  rave reviews as “hearty comfort food that is exquisitely seasoned.” Vegetarian or meat options available. Lodging and food costs are included in the tuition. Because this course has non-profit sponsors, the tuition is a fraction of what is usually charged for North Woods retreats in other venues. 

See the Appalachian Forest School website for a detailed itinerary of the trip, tuition info and registration form. The Appalachian Forest School limits participation for this very popular course to only 25 people (20 with lodging), so sign up as soon as possible to guarantee your spot. Registration for this course will be ending soon, so please hurry.

See other AFS offerings such as  The Northern Appalachians; Alpine Ecology of New England, and Butterflies of the Forest Heartland. See the Arc’s entire Calendar of Events for more events and courses in 2011/2012.

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