Finding Connections to Nature During Tremont’s Virtual Naturalist Week
At Tremont, we aim to give learners of all ages the tools and understanding needed to appreciate nature in their own neighborhoods. That’s why we created Naturalist Week, a virtual event designed to help more people connect with nature from wherever they are. Activities are designed for explorers of all ages and any ecosystem. No specific tools were required – just curiosity and a willingness to learn (and maybe some paper and a pencil.)
“My favorite activity was to tell a bug a secret. Funny how saying what’s on your mind makes you feel better it’s also nice when you know it won’t give advice or spill your secret to others. At least I hope the whole colony of ants doesn’t know!”
– Elizabeth, age 42, Tennessee
The Level Up Challenge
During our virtual Naturalist Week this month, we hosted a Level Up Challenge to encourage people to engage with nature in their own outdoor spaces. They were challenged to earn 25 points by completing our scavenger-hunt-like nature exploration prompts to earn a prize. They could choose how they wanted to earn those points – eating a meal outside, following an insect’s travel path, or camping in the backyard are just a few options! Here’s a full list of the challenge prompts, if you’re curious.
60 individuals completed the challenge, earning over 2,100 points in total.
Naturalist Week participants explored thirteen different states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia! The participant age range was just as diverse, with folks as young as two all the way up to 77 years old.
“I had so much fun outside! The best part was finding a bird’s nest with eggs in it and then coming back the next day to look at it and the baby birds had hatched!”
– Lily, age 9, Tennessee
The Big Day
We designated Thursday of Naturalist Week to be The Big Day—a twist on the birding activity where we asked everyone to explore their outdoor spaces and document as many species as they could find. Brandon Everhart, the Bearded Realtor at Realty Executives, generously matched $1 per species found, up to $500. Our Community Science Educators, Hannah and Anna, were the hosts for the day, encouraging creative ways to explore and helping people to identify their finds.
Again, y’all blew us out of the water, finding over 700 species observations across 11 different states and two countries! We also had some of our fellow environmental organizations join in the fun, including Discover Life in America, Beardsley Community Farm, Conservation Fisheries, and Trout Unlimited.
We heard stories of people exploring with their grandkids, taking time outside during lunch breaks at work, and discovering nature mysteries in their backyards. They found plants, fungi, mammals, insects, arachnids, birds, lichen, and so much more! They used existing knowledge, field guides, internet searches, iNaturalist, Merlin, and crowd-sourcing to identify their finds – and many remain mysteries! Take a peek at their discoveries.
"I did this with our 5-year-old grandson. Snorkeling in the river was my favorite, it was his total excitement at seeing the fish, a turtle and crawdads that just made my week! I did find a new bee that I had not seen before – always find new things in nature!"
– Anita, age 68, Tennessee
Keep the Connections Going
We deliver experiential learning for youth, educators, and adults through programs that promote self-discovery, critical thinking, and effective teaching and leadership. From our home in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, our research and residential programs investigate the diversity that sustains all life, develop a sense of place, and cultivate a stewardship ethic that will influence lifelong decision-making. Make a donation to support our work.
"I work from home so sometimes you take the outdoors for granted. This encouraged me to get out and I chose to look for things that occurred in my immediate surroundings. It's amazing all that is happening all around us."
– Donna, age 60, Tennessee
Cover images by Sam Rosolina, shared for The Big Day.
Photos from The Big Day participants. See all the submissions here.
