North Branch Nature Center Inc

Natural history and community science programs: more than 3,000 people participate in our natural history and community science programs annually, including a summer festival for all ages; a mid-winter presentation series; biodiversity university classes; a vermont master naturalist program; and numerous other field trips and adventures in vermont and beyond, including internationally. Community science programs include saw-whet owl banding, mushroom mapping, and amphibian monitoring, in which volunteers collect data while rescuing thousands of amphibians at road crossings. We then collaborate with vermont agencies to improve transportation planning with statistical modeling of annual amphibian movements.

Visitor experience and outreach: annually 17,000+ people enjoy our floodplain landscape and trails, which are always free and open. Our universal access trail meets ada standards and our nature connection trail fosters a deeper engagement with the land. Nbnc serves as a hub for outdoor recreation by walkers, joggers, skiers, snowshoers, bikers, and swimmers, and connects to montpelier's two largest city parks. Nbnc is home to a community garden, a community orchard, and a new conservation nursery. Our building is open to the public five days/week and features aquariums, rotating natural history and art gallery displays, and a widely used community room.