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Summer Nature Camp’s 2012 Season Features New Session, “Chesapeake Chefs"
Contact: Beth Lacey Gill, 443-738-9230
OWINGS MILLS, MD (January 10, 2012) The Summer Nature Camp at Irvine will offer a brand new specialty week during its 2012 season. Chesapeake Chefs is designed to teach children about food sources and the relationship between our eating habits and the environment. The program will run Monday, July 16 to Friday, July 20 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Recommended for boys and girls ages 10 to 12, Chesapeake Chefs will give children the chance to discover the connection between the land and our food, while using biology, chemistry and nutrition to craft culinary creations. Campers will travel to offsite locations where they can explore first-hand the forest, farmland and Bay. The week will conclude with a fresh feast from the farm to the table.
“Chesapeake Chefs is more than a cooking camp. Through hands-on investigation of local farms, fisheries and forests, it will help campers make healthy and environmentally friendly choices when deciding what to eat. Of course, they will spend some time preparing their own tasty treats throughout the week,” said Irvine’s Naturalist & Manger of Public Programs Steven Mickletz.
Registration for the Chesapeake Chefs session is available now and costs $465 for non-members. Irvine members receive a discount.
The Summer Nature Camp at Irvine offers extraordinary outdoor camp experiences for children ages 2 to 15. The camp season begins on June 11 and runs through August 24. There are more than 40 sessions that include trail walks, science experiments, nature games and crafts, and encounters with animals. Before and after camp care is available with some sessions. For more information, including registration details, please visit www.explorenature.org.
About Irvine Nature Center: Founded in 1975, Irvine is an environmental education organization. Our mission is to educate and inspire current and future generations to explore, respect and protect nature. Irvine is located at 11201 Garrison Forest Road in Owings Mills, Md. Call
443-738-9200 or visit www.ExploreNature.org for more information.
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Irvine Nature Center Hosts PumpkinFest Weekend:
Saturday, October 8 and Sunday October 9!
Contact: Beth Lacey Gill, 443-738-9230
OWINGS MILLS, MD (September 28, 2011) - Irvine Nature Center will host its annual PumpkinFest, a harvest festival, on Saturday, October 8 and Sunday, October 9. The autumnal celebration features pumpkin picking, pony rides, scarecrow making, live music and other outdoor fun.
The rain-or-shine event will take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, and from noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Each child costs $10, which includes a free pumpkin. Adults and children younger than 3 are admitted free. Parking is also free.
Harvest festival attendees will revel in a mixture of activities, including face painting, animal encounters, puppet shows, guided nature walks, sack races, a scavenger hunt and a pumpkinseed spitting contest. FunDrum Rhythm Circle will engage visitors in a drum circle, and Fiddlesticks will perform acoustic folk music. There will also be nature-themed art projects for children and delicious fall food available. All activities are free with paid admission.
“PumpkinFest is great opportunity for families to explore the outdoors during one of the most beautiful seasons of the calendar year – fall,” said Irvine’s Executive Director Peggy F. O’Neill. She added that the event is fun for all ages, and makes a great weekend outing for families large and small.
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Modern Family’s Julie Bowen Returns as Honorary Chair of Irvine Nature Center’s Pumpkins on the Green
Contact Person
Beth Lacey Gill
443-738-9230
OWINGS MILLS, MD (September 13, 2011) – Irvine Nature Center − an environmental education organization whose mission is to educate and inspire current and future generations to explore, respect and protect nature − will host its third annual “un-gala” Pumpkins on the Green on October 1, 2011 from 7 to 11 p.m. The event will be hosted by Emmy-award winner Julie Bowen from ABC’s comedy hit Modern Family.
“I wish there was a place like Irvine for my three boys in L.A.,” said Julie Bowen at last year’s Pumpkins on the Green. Julie was raised in Baltimore and has been a long-time supporter of environmental education and Irvine. Bowen said, “It’s an amazing place to celebrate everything that’s great about nature.”
Not only is Pumpkins on the Green Baltimore’s jean-casual event of the year, it also is the most nature-based event in our region. More than 500 guests enjoy an evening visiting with Irvine’s resident animals, participating in nature-inspired live and silent auctions, dancing to live music, and eating dine-around style fare featuring locally farmed foods.
The event takes place on Irvine’s 116-acre campus located at 11201 Garrison Forest Road in Owings Mills, Md. Julie Bowen will participate in a pre-event VIP cocktail party from 6-7 p.m. Tickets to both Pumpkins on the Green and the VIP cocktail party with Julie Bowen are $500 per pair. Un-gala tickets are $95 per person. Tickets can be purchased by visiting Irvine’s website, www.ExploreNature.org, or by calling 443-738-9227.
Thank you to our many wonderful sponsors, which include Constellation Energy, Miles & Stockbridge, PNC, Ward-Boland Associates, Biohabitats, Croft Leominster, Inc., Stevenson University, Marathon Capital Management, CFG Community Bank, Carroll Tree Service, Natural Concerns, MGH and Obrecht-Riehl & Pinkard, LLC.
Additional support comes from David S. Brown, Brown Advisory and The Wine Merchant. Irvine received in-kind support from Rouge Fine Catering and The Daily Record.
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Geocaching: Join the Hunt at Irvine Nature Center
All ages use a GPS to navigate around Irvine in search of ‘treasure’
Contact Person
Beth Lacey Gill
443-738-9230
OWINGS MILLS, MD (July 1, 2011) Irvine Nature Center recently incorporated geocaching into their list of family-friendly outdoor activities. Five “caches” are located on their 116-acre property for people of all ages to come out and search for.
Geocaching is done with the help of a handheld navigational system. Cache seekers plug specific longitude and latitude coordinates into a GPS and then hike to a location where a container holds a log book, and often a prize. With the help of Ranger Rick and the National Wildlife Federation, Irvine has now joined the worldwide geocaching community and offers five nature-oriented boxes for their visitors and members to search out while on the property.
Just a few hours after the first cache was officially posted in Irvine’s new Outdoor Classroom, a cache finder commented “I’ve always passed Irvine, but never stopped. Thanks for placing this cache and bringing me here!” Steven Mickletz, an Irvine naturalist, believes the geocaching trend will continue. “This is a great activity for families with a smart phone. It’s a fun combination of technology and being outdoors.”
Irvine has rental GPS units available for families without their own equipment. Players should be sure to log their name, record their experiences and check out any other cool things inside each cache box. Geocaching at Irvine is limited to Irvine’s 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. business hours. |
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Irvine Nature Center's Nature Store is Full of Green Holiday Stocking Stuffers!
Contact: Beth Lacey Gill, 443-738-9230
OWINGS MILLS, MD (December 4, 2010) Shoppers in need of easy, last-minute green holiday gifts know the solution - Irvine's Nature Store!
Need an easy, last-minute item? You can pick up several at the Nature Store at Irvine in Owings Mills, Md. This local, sustainable store carries jewelry, environmentally friendly kids gifts, bird-safe coffees, birdseed wreaths and other items for family members, colleagues, kids, teachers and eco-friendly friends! Plus, every purchase supports our environmental education initiatives.
Katharine Patterson, Irvine Board Member and frequent shopper at the Nature Store, said, "I like it here because everything is sustainable. Parking is easy, and there are no pushy crowds like at chain stores and the mall."
The Nature Store is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The adjacent nature center buildings and grounds are free and open to the public. Limited items are available through Irvine's online shop. The store closes at 2 p.m. on Christmas Eve.
Members receive a 10 percent discount, and memberships are currently on sale for 35% off. Special holiday sales are planned for 12/17 - 12/24, including a free suet cake (for birds) if a shopper spends more than $50. After Christmas, select holiday items and children's toys will be 50% off.
See the sample items!
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