Exploration

Preschoolers join Joppa Flats Naturalists in an active, fun, program where they will learn what makes a salt marsh special, what lives in a salt marsh, how these animals find their food, and a chance to touch and hold live animals from the salt marsh! Using group games, songs, and fun interactive props, we’ll turn your preschooler into estuary enthusiasts! We’ll also make a take home craft  and enjoy a tasty salt marsh looking snack!

Join The Trustees of Reservations and Essex River Basin Adventures (ERBA) for a guided kayak paddle of Crane Wildlife Refuge in Essex Bay. This introductory paddle teaches participants the basics of sea kayaking before setting out to explore what Yankee Magazine called "the best place to kayak in New England."

Come to the Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary to join in the reading of a children's nature story followed by an exploration in the woods, fields and wetlands of the sanctuary.

Celebrate Father's Day by spending a night under the stars camping with the whole family. Many cultures and people from the past depended on reading the forests for their survival. Join IRWS on this fun overnight and learn some new skills. Have an early dinner at home, and then come with your family, your tent, and a dessert to share. We will explore nature through games and hands-on activities, set up our tents near the Barn before sundown, and tell stories after the sun sets.

Enjoy one stunning view after the next as we explore the Crane Wildlife Refuge, an island-studded patchwork of salt marsh and tidal creeks located in Essex Bay. During this guided tour, participants will traverse a series of island treasures, walking a spectacular network of carriageways and footpaths that link cobbled beaches and grassy fields with forested hillsides and historic buildings. This tour includes a short complimentary boat ride across the river and culminates with a summit top visit to the Crane Family burial ground on Choate Island. Please note: the full hike is a distance of approximately two miles and can be fairly strenuous.

Explore the Ipswich River at dusk. Bring your family and join us for an evening paddle in a canoe as we learn more about the river and some of its inhabitants. Celebrate the coming of summer with the solstice just around the corner. As we paddle along, we'll look for plants and animals that are equally excited about the approaching season.

Fireflys, also called lightning bugs, appear for only a few weeks in the early summer to delight us with their luminous nighttime dance and light show. During this fun evening family adventure at Maudslay, learn about the life of a firefly and take a firefly walk led by the park interpreter. Bring a net or jar to catch fireflies, and learn how you can help with firefly monitoring. Comfortable walking shoes and bug spray are recommended.  Meet at the park headquarters on 74 Curzon Mill Road.

Maudslay State Park has one of the best shows of flower bloom in the Commonwealth. Come and join the beginning of this cycle with a look at the two varieties of trilliums that bloom at Maudslay with the park interpreter. This month, we enjoy the bloom of Lily-of-the-Valley, Ghent/Exbury Azalea, Columbine, and Ox-eye Daisy. Wear comfortable shoes and appropriate warm clothes. Meet at the park headquarters at 74 Curzon Mill Rd

Maudslay State Park has one of the best shows of flower bloom in the Commonwealth. Come and join the beginning of this cycle with a look at the two varieties of trilliums that bloom at Maudslay with the park interpreter. This month, we enjoy the bloom of Lily-of-the-Valley, Ghent/Exbury Azalea, Columbine, and Ox-eye Daisy. Wear comfortable shoes and appropriate warm clothes. Meet at the park headquarters at 74 Curzon Mill Rd