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Abbott’s Ashland DEEC | See also Outreach Topics
Abbott’s Mill Nature Center
Abbott’s Mill Historic Grist Mill Tour (Abbott’s)
— Program Length: 2 hours — Fee: $5 — Available: Year-round — Step back in time with a guided visit through Abbott’s Mill. The mill encompasses more than 200 years of Southern Delaware history. See the giant mill stones and roller mills. Visit the mill pond and stream and discover the ingenious mechanical systems that powered the mill through its unique history. Hear stories about life at the mill. Request this program »
Animals In Winter (Abbott’s)
— Program Length: 2 hours — Fee: $5 — Available: Year-round — Who hibernates? Who stays awake? Who goes south where it is warm? Find out the answers to these questions with live specimens, taxidermy and a story. Request this program »
Around The Pond (Abbott’s)
— Program Length: 2 hours — Fee: $5 — Available: Year-round –Discover what makes the Abbott’s Pond interesting and important. Learn to identify plants and animals that belong to the pond habitat. Seine and dip in the mud bottom of the pond to catch incredible aquatic creatures. Request this program »
Canoeing On Abbott’s Pond (Abbott’s)
— Program Length: 2 hours — Fee: $7 — Available: Year-round — Learn to use the canoe and then take your new skills out on Abbott’s Pond. While paddling along, learn about the ecology of the pond. Request this program »
Insect Safari (Abbott’s)
— Program Length: 2 hours — Fee: $5 — Available: Year-round — Use your senses to seek out and identify insect characteristics and compare their life cycles. Using nets, collect and observe insects found in meadows, forests and streams, and examine the insects you find to see how they are adapted to their environment. This program focuses on insect parts, function, and types of metamorphosis. Request this program »
Native Americans (Abbott’s)
— Program Length: 2 hours — Fee: $5 — Available: Year-round — Explore the culture of the early inhabitants of Delmarva. Follow a day in the life of the coastal plain Native Americans and discover how they lived in harmony with the world around them. Request this program »
Native Wild Animals (Abbott’s)
— Program Length: 2 hours — Fee: $5 — Available: Year-round –Inspect mounted and live wild animals that make their home in the Delmarva region, including the rarely seen gray fox and otter. Closely examine the habitats and characteristics of these mammals, noting similarities and differences. Request this program »
Owls Of Delaware (Abbott’s)
— Program Length: 2 hours — Fee: $5 — Available: Year-round –Learn about four species of owls common to Delaware. Examine their adaptations and calls using mounted specimens and tape recordings. Optional: dissect owl pellets, $1/person extra. Request this program »
Reptiles & Amphibians (Abbott’s)
— Program Length: 2 hours — Fee: $5 — Available: Year-round — With live specimens, examine the differences between reptiles and amphibians. Learn the significance of their unique adaptations and their differing life cycles. Request this program »
Ashland Nature Center
Bats Of America (Ashland)
— Program Length: 1.5 hours — Fee: $7 — Available: Year-round –Learn about these often misunderstood mammals while examining mounted specimens, viewing slides, and participating in activities. Use a bat detector to listen for echolocation calls and visit a bat house. Request this program »
Birds Of A Feather (Ashland)
— Program Length: 1.5 hours — Fee: $7 — Available: Year-round — Using taxidermy, feathers, nests and other resources, learn about the unique characteristics of birds. Then hike through meadows, marshes and forests to observe birds in their habitats. Request this program »
Butterfly Foray (Ashland)
— Program Length: 1.5 hours — Fee: $7 — Available: June – September — Visit Ashland Nature Center’s summer Butterfly Habitat House and discover butterflies during all stages of their life cycle. Then, venture into nearby meadows and marshes with nets to learn techniques for capture, identification and release. Request this program »
Deep In The Forest (Ashland)
— Program Length: 1.5 hours — Fee: $7 — Available: Year-round — Life in a forest exists from just below the ground all the way to the crowns of trees. Discover the ecology of two forest types and learn how to identify common native trees. Request this program »
Eco-Hike (Ashland)
— Program Length: 1.5 hours — Fee: $7 — Available: Year-round — Explore three different ecosystems to determine what makes each unique and how the varied plant and animal life interacts. Request this program »
Geology (Ashland)
— Program Length: 1.5 hours — Fee: $7 — Available: Year-round — Everything on earth has a cycle–even the rocks! Discover how this slow change affects what’s beneath your feet and above your head. Learn how to identify some basic rocks while using hammers and safety goggles to collect samples. Request this program »
Lenape Lifeways (Ashland)
— Program Length: 1.5 hours — Fee: $7 — Available: Year-round — Learn how Lenni Lenape depended on the natural world for their sources of food, clothing, shelter and tools. Hike to a replica wigwam and examine artifacts used by these true Delaware natives. Request this program »
Marsh Magic (Ashland)
— Program Length: 1.5 hours — Fee: $7 — Available: Year-round — While visiting Ashland’s marshes, use your eyes and ears to find frogs, turtles, birds and insects. Learn why wetlands are so full of life and are important to humans and wildlife. Request this program »
Native Wild Animals (Ashland)
— Program Length: 1.5 hours — Fee: $7 — Available: Year-round — Enjoy a close encounter with some of Delaware’s wild inhabitants. Learn about camouflage and other adaptations that protect them. Discover why many animals, once common to Delaware, are now threatened. Request this program »
New To Nature (Ashland)
— Program Length: 1.5 hours — Fee: $7 — Available: Year-round — This highly flexible program will introduce participants to the natural world. Float sticks down a stream, hear frogs in the marsh, splash through a mud puddle, come face-to-face with a butterfly…you never know what you might find during this hour of exploration and discovery! Request this program »
Pond Life (Ashland)
Program Length: 1.5 hours — Fee: $7 — Available: Year-round — Find out exactly what defines a pond and discover its unique ecology and diversity of life. Collect and identify plants and animals found at Ashland’s pond and experience its diversity of life. Request this program »
Scales & Skins (Ashland)
Program Length: 1.5 hours — Fee: $7 — Available: Year-round — Meet live reptiles and amphibians while learning about their unique traits and discover what they have in common. Request this program »
Stream Life (Ashland)
Program Length: 1.5 hours — Fee: $7 — Available: Year-round — Learn how to gauge the health of a stream by the kinds of creatures that live in it. As we collect samples from two different streams, identify the organisms and compare findings. Request this program »
Unhuggables (Ashland)
Program Length: 1.5 hours — Fee: $7 — Available: Year-round — Spiders, bats, snakes and lizards–all animals that make many people shudder. Learn about the remarkable role these less popular animals play in the balance of nature and explore their wondrous adaptations. Request this program »
Weavers & Wings (Ashland)
— Program Length: 1.5 hours — Fee: $7 — Available: Year-round — Hike through Ashland’s meadows, woods and marsh to capture and study up close a variety of fascinating native spiders and insects that share our world. Learn about their life cycles and importance in the food chain. Request this program »
DuPont Environmental Education Center
Exploring By Canoe (DEEC)
— Program Length: 3 hours — Fee: $20 — Available: Year-round — Take your group or class on an adventure as you canoe the Christina River and the Russell W. Peterson Urban Wildlife Refuge, a freshwater tidal marsh on the edge of the city of Wilmington. They are home to a tremendous diversity of wildlife. Learn basic paddling skills, hike along the shore to survey plant and animal life, and discover the functions and importance of wetlands. Canoes, paddles and life preservers included in cost, no canoeing experience required. Program meeting site to be determined with staff. Request this program »
Fantastic Fish (DEEC)
— Program Length: 1.5 hours — Fee: $7 — Available: Year-round — Meet the many fish of the Christina River and the marsh. Watch as fish are caught in a spinning cast net, reel in fish traps, and use dip nets to try your luck. Examine the features of a variety of fish to learn what they eat and how they live. Request this program »
Geocaching (DEEC)
— Program Length: 1.5 hours — Fee: $7 — Available: Year-round –Experience a modern day treasure hunt along the Christina River! Geocaching is a worldwide game of hiding and seeking a cache of riches using a global positioning system. After a GPS tutorial, awaken your inner treasure hunter and find a series of geocaches hidden along Wilmington’s Riverwalk. Request this program »
Marshy Adventures (DEEC)
— Program Length: 1.5 hours — Fee: $7 — Available: Year-round — Explore the biodiversity of a marsh habitat in this outdoor adventure! Look for marsh residents in the air, on land, in the soil, and in the water. Examine plants and animals closely using nets and magnifiers. Learn about marsh food chains, the water cycle, and why the Christina River is so important to Northern Delaware. Request this program »
Nature Photography (DEEC)
— Program Length: 2 hours — Fee: $9 — Available: Year-round — Capture the Russell W. Peterson Urban Wildlife Refuge through the lens of a digital camera. Learn photography skills and how to compose outstanding photos where the city, river and marsh meet. Print and decorate a frame for your favorite photo. Request this program »