A Forest of Lights
New and expanded, with even more magic than ever before.
Artist Exhibition – Betsy Smith
NOVEMBER 1 – JANUARY 31 – Betsy Smith’s artwork is a celebration of the amazing natural world around us, from distant galaxies to the fascinating wild creatures with whom we share our sacred Earth. Her preferred mediums are watercolors and acrylics. She particularly enjoys watercolor painting on location, where the experience of sunlight, weather, and birdsongs adds a lively dimension to the creative process.
Decaying Ice, Lingering Fall
DECEMBER 11 – Steve Arcone’s photo-story is comprised of stunning photographs that will take viewers on a colorful journey from the initial cool-blue sunlit freezes in mid-November through the many warmly colored thaw-freeze episodes observed in early winter to spectacular, blue crystals frozen within a sheet of “black ice.”
Paint, Sip, & Soar
DECEMBER 14 – Join a VINS Educator for a one of a kind – Paint, Sip & Soar – featuring a live raptor model. Get up close and personal with one of our avian ambassadors and garner techniques in painting from life, all while learning about raptor natural history and anatomy.
Wildlife in Winter: Family Camp
DECEMBER 27 – Join VINS for family-focused fun this December with our Wildlife in Winter Family Camp. Spend the day at the VINS Nature Center learning what our furry and feathered neighbors are doing this time of year. Then, after a day of adventuring, take a seat by the campfire and toast up a marshmallow to close out our first-ever Family Camp. And, for those families feeling extra adventurous, stick around after the camp day ends for a nighttime adventure into the woods to call for owls and find out Hoooo is living in the forests at VINS.
Riding with Researchers
JANUARY 9 & 23 – Addison County is known as a hotspot in Vermont for wintering raptors. Red-tailed Hawks, Rough-legged Hawks, and Northern Harriers are all often observed and some years even yield Snowy Owl sightings. Learn about raptor ecology, behavior, and field identification from VINS staff and get a firsthand glimpse at the equipment and process used to humanely trap and band raptors.