If you have questions about your e-newsletter please call 327-0405 or e-mail Jessie at programs@montananaturalist.org.The Montana Natural History Center is your base camp for discovery.

Note our Spring Hours: Tuesday – Friday from noon – 5 pm and Saturdays noon to 4 pm. Bring your family to enjoy fun activities and natural history exploration each Saturday, and admission for MNHC Members is always free.

May 2007 at your Montana Natural History Center
www.MontanaNaturalist.org

What’s happening outside:
Spring beauty, arrow leaf balsam root and yellow violet flowers are blooming.
Look for arriving western tanagers.
Listen for the western meadowlark.
Killdeer and osprey are incubating their eggs.
Watch for yellow swallowtail butterflies.

Welcome New Staff to the Montana Natural History Center
We are pleased to welcome all of our new staff. Arnie Olsen is our Executive Director. Jenny Gray just started as our Administrative Assistant. Jessie Sherburne started in January as our Community Programs Coordinator. Sean Sullivan started this winter as our Watershed Festival Coordinator. Please stop in and say hello.

Summer Science Discovery Camps Open for Registration.
Day camp programs are available each week starting June 11th. Camps meet from 9:00 am until 4:00 pm with extended drop off and pick up hours from 8:00-9:00am and 4:00-5:00pm. Visit our website to see what exciting topics we’ll explore this summer! To register, visit us at 120 Hickory Street in Missoula, print and mail your registration from home or call 327-0405 and register by phone!

Saturday Kids Activities
Join us each Saturday at 2 pm for exciting children’s programs at MNHC. Admission is 50 cents for kids and $1 for adults. Great for children ages 5 and up; must be accompanied by an adult. Be prepared to go outside in any weather. Programs run about an hour and a half.

May 5- Big on Bugs
What is the difference between a damselfly and dragonfly? Why are insects important? Become an insect expert! We will learn how to identify common insects, collect (and release) insects, and do a fun art project.

** If you’d like to be notified about Fun Fall Kids’ Activities in September please send Jessie an e-mail at programs@montananaturalist.org or call 327-0405.***

Tuesday May 1
Evening Lecture Series
Larry Evans- Mushrooms: Edible and Otherwise.
7:30pm MNHC
Suggested donation: $3 adults, $1children, MNHC members are free.
Come early for an Open House Welcoming our New Director Arnie Olsen!
Reception 6:30pm-7:30pm MNHC. Pizza and beverages provided.

Join Larry Evans as he covers local and not-so-local mushrooms that are edible and otherwise. He will share a wealth of information on how to identify and collect tasty forest and field fungal findings. Larry also encourages everyone to bring in mystery mushrooms for him to identify. Maybe he'll even croon a tune from his new cd Fungal Boogieman!

Larry Evans earned his B.S. in Botany with a minor in Microbiology from University of Montana. He has been collecting mushrooms and teaching about them since 1980. Larry is the founder of the Western Montana Mycological Association and edits the Fungal Jungle newsletter. He works as contributing editor for Mushroom: The Journal of Wild Mushrooming.

Volunteers Needed for School Field Trips in May!
The Visiting Naturalist in the Schools program brings naturalists into local 4th and 5th grade classrooms each month during the school year. During May we host our celebratory final field trip for our students by learning about insects, native and non native plants, the signs that animals leave behind and how great it feels just to walk through the woods! We have field trips scheduled throughout the month of May so contact Lisa youthcoordinator@montananaturalist.org if you’d like to volunteer your time for one or more of these field trips.

Open House at Fort Missoula-Prairie Keepers
Tuesday, May 8, 5pm-7:30pm
Meet at Nature Adventure Garden at Fort Missoula.
Tour the facilities, purchase native plants grown from seed, and find out how to get involved.
Call 327-0405 or see http://prairiekeepers.dbs.umt.edu for more information.

Native Plant Sale at Farmer's Market- Prairie Keepers
Saturday May 19, 8:30 am
North end of Higgins Ave at the Farmer's Market
Your chance to buy native plants that have been grown from ethically collected seeds. Come early for best selection.
Call 327-0405 or see http://prairiekeepers.dbs.umt.edu for more information.

Woad Warriors Part 1- Prairie Keepers
Tuesday May 22, 6:30 pm
Help the Clark Fork Chapter of the Montana Native Plant Society pull dyer's woad from the native prairies of Mt. Sentinel.
Call 327-0405 or see http://prairiekeepers.dbs.umt.edu for more information.

Membership supports educational programs and exhibits!
Join our Membership Drive and give the gift of education. You can make your gift online at www.MontanaNaturalist.org. Help celebrate 15 years of MNHC discoveries!

MNHC is an independent non-profit organization celebrating its 15th Anniversary.
Become a member and support MNHC’s mission of promoting and cultivating the appreciation, understanding and stewardship of nature through education. Members receive discounts on programs, special invitations, free admission to the MNHC Discovery Center, and the knowledge that they are supporting natural history education in local schools.
MNHC is a proud member of Montana Shares.

Feel free to forward this to friends who might enjoy learning more about
the Montana Natural History Center.

120 Hickory Street, Missoula, Montana 59801

406.327.0405

www.MontanaNaturalist.org

Copyright © 2007