Animal Encounter
2025-05-12 14:00 - 14:20, 2025-05-13 14:00 - 14:20, 2025-05-14 14:00 - 14:20, 2025-05-15 14:00 - 14:20, 2025-05-16 14:00 - 14:20, 2025-05-18 14:00 - 14:20, 2025-05-19 14:00 - 14:20 (America/New_York)
Animal Encounter
2 PM – 2:20 PM
Meet an ambassador animal and hear their story while we learn about the adaptations they have that help their species survive in the wild. Join us for a reptile ambassador on Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday, or a raptor ambassador on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday!
Held in the Hawkfly or Neale Pavilion.
For more information, contact us at info@vinsweb.org or 802.359.5000.

Raptor Feeding Time
2025-05-12 14:30 - 15:00, 2025-05-13 14:30 - 15:00, 2025-05-14 14:30 - 15:00, 2025-05-15 14:30 - 15:00, 2025-05-16 14:30 - 15:00, 2025-05-18 14:30 - 15:00, 2025-05-19 14:30 - 15:00
Raptor Feeding Time
2:30 PM – 3 PM
Join our raptor care-givers for feeding time! Learn about the habits and history of each of the resident raptors at VINS as you watch them enjoy their daily meal.
Held in the Raptor Exhibits.
For more information, contact us at info@vinsweb.org or 802.359.5000.

Raptors Up Close
2025-05-13 11:00 - 11:30, 2025-05-14 11:00 - 11:30, 2025-05-15 11:00 - 11:30, 2025-05-16 11:00 - 11:30, 2025-05-18 11:00 - 11:30, 2025-05-19 11:00 - 11:30
Raptors Up Close
11 AM – 11:30 AM
Take flight with us on an unforgettable experience! We’ll show you the unique nature of some of the world’s most highly skilled predators – raptors! In this live bird demonstration you’ll gain an up-close view and an in-depth understanding of these majestic birds.
Held in the Hawkfly or Neale Pavilion.
For more information, contact us at info@vinsweb.org or 802.359.5000.

Songbird Aviary Tour
2025-05-13 12:30 - 12:50, 2025-05-14 12:30 - 12:50, 2025-05-15 12:30 - 12:50, 2025-05-16 12:30 - 12:50, 2025-05-18 12:30 - 12:50, 2025-05-19 12:30 - 12:50
Songbird Aviary Tour
12:30 PM – 12:50 PM
Spend some time in our Songbird Aviary! Our docents will familiarize you with this special group of birds and point out the ways you can make a great habitat for these important creatures in your own backyard.
Held in the Songbird Aviary.
For more information, contact us at info@vinsweb.org or 802.359.5000.

Robert Frost Through the Seasons: Spring
2025-05-15 15:30 - 17:00 | VINS Nature Center, 149 Natures Way, Quechee, 05059, United States
Spring Poems: May 15, May 29, June 12
Summer Poems: July 17, July 31, August 14
Fall Poems: Dates TBD
Winter Poems: Dates TBD
3:30 – 5 PM
Cost: $12 General Public ($2 discount per session if sign up for multiple sessions – Use code MULTI25 in Shopping Cart)
VINS Members – free
Advanced registration required as space is limited. Register today.
Join VINS Executive Director Alden Smith to explore the poetry of Robert Frost. Each session will be dedicated to reading and interpreting poems relevant to the season.
These workshops will involve gentle trail walking through the woods and meadow of the VINS Nature Center, visiting natural spaces reminiscent of locations Frost wrote about. Poems will be sent to participants in advance of each session for those who want to read the poems ahead of time. The workshops will include walking, presentation, and discussion.
Each session will be unique; come for all of them or just one!
Details for Participants:
Classes will be held outdoors. Participants should dress for the weather.

Robert Frost Through the Seasons: Spring
2025-05-15 15:30 - 17:00 | VINS Nature Center, 149 Natures Way, Quechee, 05059, United States
Spring Poems: Thursday, May 15, 29, June 12, 2025
Summer Poems: Thursday, July 17, 31, August 14, 2025
Fall Poems: Dates TBD
Winter Poems: Dates TBD
3:30 – 5 PM
Cost: $12 General Public ($2 discount per session if sign up for multiple sessions – Use code MULTI25 in Shopping Cart)
VINS Members – free
Register today. Advanced registration required as space is limited.
Join VINS Executive Director Alden Smith to explore the poetry of Robert Frost. Each session will be dedicated to reading and interpreting poems relevant to the season.
These workshops will involve gentle trail walking through the woods and meadow of the VINS Nature Center, visiting natural spaces reminiscent of locations Frost wrote about. Poems will be sent to participants in advance of each session for those who want to read the poems ahead of time. The workshops will include walking, presentation, and discussion.
Each session will be unique; come for all of them or just one!
Details for Participants:
Classes will be held outdoors. Participants should dress for the weather.

Clean Water Day
2025-05-17 10:00 - 17:00 | VINS Nature Center, 149 Natures Way, Quechee, 05059, United States
Clean Water Day: A Celebration of VINS Founder, David Laughlin
May 17, 2025 / 10 AM – 5 PM
General Admission
Join us for a day-long celebration on May 17 honoring the environmental legacy of VINS Founder David Laughlin (February 17, 1940 – September 6, 2024). This family-friendly event celebrates all things clean water, beginning with the pivotal water quality efforts, led by Laughlin in the early 1970s, that transformed the Ottauquechee River and set new standards for environmental protection. From interactive wildlife programs and guided nature walks to hands-on water-themed activities, visitors of all ages will discover the incredible impact one person can have on preserving our natural world. Explore raptor programs, engage with stream ecology, and participate in fun games that bring environmental education to life. Come celebrate clean water, local wildlife, and the vision of a true environmental pioneer!
Event Schedule:

All-day activities (10:00AM – 4:00PM)
VINS History Photo Gallery (Neale Pavilion)
A self-guided tour through the history of VINS! Enjoy the stories and photographs posted near the entrance to the Neale Pavilion and learn more about how founder David Laughlin and others helped build the environmental organization we are today.
Research at VINS (Neale Overhang)
Join VINS Researchers at an activity table with Rudi from the White River Partnership to learn about invasive rusty crayfish and participate in hands-on research.
Water Droplets Game (Hawkfly Lawn)
Journey through the water cycle as a water droplet. Follow the flow of water downhill using our outdoor ramps!
Aquatic Wildlife (Canopy Walk)
Can you collect all the pieces of a healthy stream habitat so that your brook trout can survive?
Pop-up Play with Water! (Pop-up Corner)
Experiment with water, funnels and tubes with our mobile magnet wall. What path can you design for the water to follow?
Life in the Pond (August Pavilion)
Our youngest visitors will love to get up close with real red-winged blackbird nests, turtle shells, and beaver-chewed sticks! Help complete our pond picture by adding animals to their habitats, then create your own mini pond habitat with natural materials. Learn where pond animals live – in the water or along the edges? Little ones will love our special puppet show and songs about pond friends!
Trout Station (Outside the Forest Exhibit)
Join members of the VINS Research Team to learn about our Trout In the Classroom program. We’ve been raising our own trout here at VINS all year long and will be releasing them at 12:30pm and 3:30pm today!
Family Fishing (outside the August Pavilion)
Test your fishing skills with magnets. Visit our mobile pond to see how many fish you can catch.

Timed Programs:
10:30AM – 11:00AM: Puppet Show (August Pavilion)
For our youngest visitors, start your day with a beloved puppet show from VINS Educators!
10:00AM – 2:30PM: Crayfish with Rudi (Neale Overhang)
Join Rudi from the White River Partnership to learn about invasive rusty crayfish and participate in hands-on research.
10:30AM – 12:00PM: Guided Gorge Walk (Meet at the Nature Store)
Join watershed scientists with Dan “Rudi” Ruddell on a guided walk of the beautiful Ottaquechee Gorge whose waters helped inspire the founding of VINS. Learn all about water and the wildlife that depend on it as well as how we can keep it healthy and clean for generations to come.
11:00AM – 11:30AM: Predators of the Sky (Hawkfly)
Join us as we explore the natural world through the eyes of raptors.
11:30AM – 12:30PM: Evaporation Station (August Pavilion)
Imagine water vapor dissolving into the air by playing with our windtube and scarves.
11:45AM – 12:45PM: Stories of David Laughlin (Neale Pavilion)
Join VINS Executive Director, Alden Smith, former Executive Director Charlie Rattigan, and other special guests to hear inspiring stories about David Laughlin (February 17, 1940 – September 6, 2024), including his conservation achievement and the founding of VINS.
12:00PM – 3:00PM: Black River Action Team (Neale Overhang)
Meet Kelly Stettner from the Black River Action Team and learn about river macroinvertebrates.
12:00PM – 1PM: Trout Release (Outside the Forest Exhibit)
Learn from the VINS research team about the process of hatching and raising Trout in the Classroom and why a healthy ecosystem is critical for trout.
12:30PM – 12:50PM: Songbird Aviary Tour (Songbird Aviary)
Meet the resident songbirds that call the aviary home. Learn all about these backyard species and how you can help their wild counterparts.
1:00PM – 3:00PM: Exploring River Ecology with our Stream Table (August Pavilion)
Use the VINS Stream Table to model stream ecology and erosion on a fast time-scale. Experiment with water flow and sediment deposition, the safest places for human and animal habitats, where to build roads and culverts, and how to prevent erosion with the strategic planting of trees and sod.
2:00PM – 2:30PM: Predators of the Sky (Hawkfly)
Join us as we explore the natural world through the eyes of raptors.
2:30PM – 3:30PM: Guided Nature Walk (Meet by the Snowy Owl enclosures)
Join watershed scientist Dan “Rudi” Ruddell on a guided walk along the VINS trails. View the Ottauquechee River and Dewey’s pond from the observation platform, and learn all about how the land affects water and what ways we can protect our waterways. ADA accessible.
2:30PM – 3:00PM: Raptor Feeding Time (Raptor Exhibits)
There is always a lot to learn from our resident avian ambassadors! Follow along as our resident raptors are given their dinner. Ask about their wild counterparts, their conservation, or their individual stories.
3:00PM – 4:00PM: Water Droplet Roll (Hawkfly)
Send a water droplet ball tumbling down ramps and curves to mimic water’s journey through the water cycle.
3:30PM – 3:45PM: Hawk on the Walk (Canopy Walk)
Follow along as our VINS Staff guide our resident Harris Hawk as they fly between the branches above the canopy walk! (Weather dependent.)
3:30PM – 4:30PM: Trout Release (Outside the Forest Exhibit)
Learn from the VINS research team about the process of hatching and raising Trout in the Classroom and why a healthy ecosystem is critical for trout.
For more information, contact us at 802.359.5000 or info@vinsweb.org.

Lens on the Wild: Photography Workshop
2025-05-18 10:00 - 12:00
Lens on the Wild: Photography Workshop
Sunday, May 18 / 10 AM – 12 PM
$52 General public, $45 VINS Member
Register Today
Always one of our most popular offerings, VINS is excited to host our Lens on the Wild: Photography Workshop this spring.
Join VINS and local photojournalist Rob Strong for an exclusive photo shoot with several of our resident raptors. Designed for the beginner to intermediate-level photographer, the workshop will begin with a review of camera settings and photography techniques, followed by a bird portrait session.
Workshop Details:
Spend a full day at VINS! Purchase discounted admission to the VINS Nature Center for $5. Discount available only to registered participants on the day of the workshop.
Participants should dress in layers for being outdoors and bring a camera and plenty of storage (be it digital or film). In the event of rain, this workshop will be moved to an indoor area.
This workshop is designed for adults 18 and up. Interested youth 13 and up may attend with an adult. No registration fee required for an adult accompanying a youth participant unless the adult also plans to participate in the workshop.
Wildlife Ambassador Photo Contest:
Submit your best workshop image to our Wildlife Ambassador Photo Contest for a chance to be featured in the VINS 2026 Ambassador Adopt Calendar!*

One submission per person
Photos must be at least 1600 x 1200 pixels at 300 DPI
Submission deadline: May 27
File Format: JPEG, PNG
Photo Editing Guidelines: Basic adjustments allowed
Notification Process: Selected photographers will be notified via email by July 1
Selected photographers will receive a FREE Calendar.
Submission method: Coming soon

Selection Process:

VINS Staff will select winning photos for each month
The VINS community will vote on the calendar cover photo

*By submitting photos, photographers grant VINS permission to use their images in the calendar while retaining copyright.
Contact Interactive Media Coordinator Emily Beach at ebeach@vinsweb.org with questions.
About Rob Strong:
Rob Strong is a freelance photographer in the Upper Valley. His primary areas of expertise are portraiture, performance, documentary, and education, but living in a rural area has afforded him a wonderful variety of assignments, including architecture, fine-art reproduction, and time-lapse.
Learn more about Rob Strong at www.robstrong.com.
For more information contact us at info@vinsweb.org or 802.359.5000.
Photo credit: James Walsh
