Jay C. Hormel Nature Center packs summer with activities

With the summer solstice a little over two weeks away, the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center is in full swing.

From nature walks to bird watching, canoeing to geocaching, the nature center has a lot to offer.

“There are many different ways you can enjoy the nature center,” said Nature Center Director Larry Dolphin.

Dolphin said canoe rentals began May 29, and many people row from the nature center to Eastside Lake and back. Walkers and runners can also enjoy nine miles of trails, or use the area for bird watching — which works best in spring and early summer, when birds are most active — or for geocaching, a recreational treasure hunting game which involves GPS to find hidden containers. The Ruby Rupner Auditorium is also available for private rentals, and astronomy enthusiasts can also use the Sola Fide Observatory — at 407 15th St. SE — beginning at 9 p.m. on June 16 and 30, July 14 and 28, and Aug. 11 and 25.

“The whole reason we’re here is so there are many options for you to enjoy,” Dolphin said.

While nature enthusiasts are free to enjoy the center on their own during regular hours of 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day, Dolphin said, they also have a large selection of classes and events.

Starting off the summer, the nature center has booked Minnesota naturalist and dragonfly export Kurt Mead for June 21, and as part of the Summer Solstice Ecoblitz program on June 23. Dolphin said Mead will show how dragonflies moult, or shed their skin.

Mead is also the founder and coordinator of the Minnesota Odonata Survey Project, an effort to figure out which dragonflies are living where in Minnesota.

“It’s quite fun watching them fly around,” Dolphin said.

The Ecoblitz, a free family event, is split into two sessions. Participants can choose three to five of the six activities: a timed canoe race on the pond, trail rides, scooping the ponds for aquatic critters, geocaching, a presentation by David Stokes, and a presentation by Mead.

Other summer programs include Ole Oleson’s “Immigrant Tales” — a free program on Norwegian immigrants and pioneers — on July 11, Native American musician and storyteller Keith Bear on July 12, and a performance by singer/songwriter Ann Zimmerman on Aug. 2, which is an Alzheimer’s disease fundraiser.

For more information on any of these activities, call the Nature Center at 507-437-7519 or visit www.hormelnaturecenter.org.

 Youth events, June-August

•Shell Rock River Youth Canoeing, Geocaching and Fossil Trip: June 12

and 13

•Family Geocache Treasure Hunt: June 14

•Little Explorers Hand in Hand in Nature: June 19, 20 and 22

•Nature Detectives: June 19, 20 and 22

•Geocache Treasure Hunt: June 26, Aug. 27 and 29

•“Birds and Bugs” with artist Christopher Tully: June 26-28

•Nature Photography: June 29, July 19

and 20

•Heritage Survival Class: July 10, 11, 12 and 13

•Junior Ranger Rick: July 17 and 18

•Junior Naturalists: July 24 and 25

•Canoeing the Root River, Geocaching and Exploring the Blufflands: July 30 and Aug. 1

•Monarch Magic: July 27, Aug. 3 and 10

•“Give Me a Home Where the Buffalo Roam”: Aug. 6 and 7

•Family Nature Photography: Aug. 8 and 9

•Radical Raptors: Aug. 13 and 15

•Monarch Tagging: Aug. 17, 24, 28 and 31

•Root River Youth Canoeing-Living History at Forestville State Park: Aug. 21 and 22

 Get out and visit the nature center

•Dragonfly expert Kurt Mead: June 21

•Summer Solstice Ecoblitz: June 23

•Ole Oleson’s “Immigrant Tales”: July 11

•Musician and storyteller Keith Bear: July 12

•Minnesota Zoo Zoomobile: July 26

•Singer/songwriter Ann Zimmerman: Aug. 2

•Musician Tom Pease: Aug. 16