Posted by clegg - Fri, Apr 15, 2011, 6:52 P

May Schedule

Great Falls Discovery Center is open Fridays and Saturdays from 10 am to 4 pm until May 14, 2011.
Starting May 15, 2011, Great Falls Discovery Center will be open 7 days a week from 10 am to 4 pm. All programs are free to the public unless otherwise noted.


May 2011


In the Great Hall
May 1-May 30

A Sense of the Refuge: Arctic National Wildlife Refuge 50th Anniversary Exhibit

Program Schedule

May 1, 2011 (10:00 am – 12:00 pm): Downtown Turners Falls Spring Clean-Up

Pitch in to clean-up Turners Falls. Meet in front of the Great Falls Discovery Center at 10:00 am. This clean-up is being put on by the Streetscape Committee. For more details, call the Discovery Center at (413) 863-3221.

May 13, 2011 (7:00 pm – 9:00 pm): Friends’ Coffee House Series Presents Kathy Chapman and Blue Moon

Doors open at 6:30 pm, concert begins at 7 pm. Refreshments available. Museum and museum store open at intermission. Donations ($6–$12 suggested) help the Friends support free programming at the Great Falls Discovery Center.

Kathy sings songs about family, love and life’s challenges in a smooth, folk/rock, Nanci Griffith style. She has opened for artists like Bill Staines, and Garnet Rogers, and plays widely in the Pioneer Valley and beyond. Her band, Blue Moon, widens the repertoire to include classic rock and blues tunes from Patsy Cline to Jimmy Hendrix along with some original pop tunes written by guitarist and music composer Joe Pod. Joe, perhaps best known in the Valley as a member of the 70’s band, Spirit in Flesh, is also the owner of Avocet Recording Studios where Kathy’s first and second CD were recorded. On keyboard is Dick Amberman, her partner in Limited Edition and also a member of The King Bees, a long running blues band in the Pioneer Valley. Other musicians in the group include John Sorrentino holds down the bottom end of the rhythm section on bass and Daniel Scott keeps the groove going on drums.

May 14, 2011 (10:30 am - 11:45 am and 1:30 pm – 2:45 pm): Eyes on Owls- Live Owl Presentation

Program is free but space is limited- please call 413-863-3221 to reserve a spot.

Everyone loves owls! Yet, how often do you get to see an owl up close? Perhaps you've glimpsed the shadowy form of a Great-horned Owl in the beam of your headlights as you traveled a back road at night. Have you ever scanned a frozen saltmarsh or hayfield in winter, hoping to find that arctic hunter, the Snowy Owl? How about that mob of noisy crows circling a white pine tree? Have they found an owl? Join teacher/naturalist Marcia Wilson and author/photographer/naturalist Mark Wilson in sharing their passion for owls!

Owls of the World - Who's Watching You? introduces you to the owls of New England and beyond. Mark and Marcia share the field marks, signs and naturalist's skills that you can use to find wild owls without disturbing them. Next, you meet six live owls (from small to huge) up close. Everyone participates in a hooting lesson and learns tips on how to attract and protect owls near you. While the selection of live owls varies from group to group, chances are you'll meet New England's tiniest owl, the Northern Saw-Whet Owl (weighing in at 4 ounces) along with the world's largest owl, the Eurasian Eagle Owl (check out that five foot wingspan!). Other species that figure prominently in our program can include Eastern Screech Owl, Barred Owl, Barn Owl, Great-horned Owl, Snowy Owl and Spectacled Owl. Owl pellets and white wash are topics of great interest at our programs and we spend time dissecting these fascinating aspects of owl biology.

The 10:30 am program will be held in the Great Hall. If weather allows, the 1:30 pm program will be held outside.

May 15, 2011 (1:00 – 3:00 pm): Edible Plants of Spring Field Walk

Take a walk along the Canal-side bike path with Blanche Derby to locate and learn about edible plants that emerge in Spring. The walk will depart from the bike path entrance in Unity Park at 1 pm. In the event of rain, the program will be held in the Great Hall of the Great Falls Discovery Center.

May 19, 2011 (7:00 - 8:30 pm): Third Thursday Adult Speaker’s Series presents Lamar Gore on Birding

Join biologist Lamar Gore to learn some beginning birding skills. Lamar has been bird watching for well over a decade while working for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Vermont, Virginia, New Jersey, Delaware, and Massachusetts. During the program, you will learn how to identify birds by look, behavior, and sound.

May 21, 2011 (1:00 – 4:00 pm): “Picture Your World” Photography Workshop for Teens

“Picture Your World” is a free photography workshop by two professional photographers and a naturalist especially for teens. The afternoon workshop will explore the basics of photography and build appreciation for the natural world surrounding the Connecticut River landscape. Discover the art of nature and landscape photography. Point and shoot cameras provided or you may bring your own. Workshop is for ages 13-18, and space is limited so please give us a call at 413-863-3221 to reserve you spot. Participants’ photos will be published in the The Montague Reporter. This workshop was funded by the Friends of the Great Falls Discovery Center.


May 27, 2011(10:30 – 11:30 am): Young Children’s Story Hour

Join us the fourth Friday of every month from 10:30 am to 11:30 am for a story hour especially for children ages 3-6. After the story, you can join us for an age appropriate activity.

We will be reading Rainbow Fish Finds His Way by Marcus Pfister, and then making our own rainbow fish. This program is a great way to get your family interested in migrating fish, which you can view for free across the street at the Turners Falls Fishway, a fish ladder, after the program.


May 28, 2011 (10:00 am – 4:00 pm): Come see this month’s investigation station at the front desk!

The fourth Saturday of every month, come into the Discovery Center to learn something new about the environment! An investigation station will be set up at the front desk with interesting items for you to see. In May, we will investigate birds’ nests. Appropriate for all ages.



Ashley Dussold
Park Ranger, Visitor Services
Great Falls Discovery Center
2 Avenue A
Turners Falls, MA 01376