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This workshop is co-sponsored by the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History.
  Workshop Description Back to Founders Workshop Main Page
 

Date: April 5 - 9, 2006
Arrive Wednesday, April 5, at 6 PM for dinner. An optional tour of HIGHLIGHTS FOR CHILDREN® and Boyds Mills Press is available for early arrivals.
Depart Sunday, April 9, after lunch.

Designed For: Nature writers wanting to get out in the field, sharpen their skills in observation and writing, and receive expert critiques from publishing professionals.

Workshop Tuition: $895

Maximum Capacity: 15 participants

 
 

Sharing your sense of wonder about nature with children takes special skills. It takes an alert mind, a keen sense of observation, and a passionate heart to translate nature’s language into words that come alive on a page.

  • Guided field trips with seasoned naturalists
    Immerse yourself in a pristine natural environment.
  • Instruction on keeping a field journal
    One of the foremost nature journaling teachers will show you how to use notes from the field to enliven your nature writing.
  • Techniques to sharpen your powers of observation
    Learn how to see—then write about—nature with a trained eye.
  • Critique of your written work
    Get feedback from professionals on how to improve your writing.
  • One-on-one opportunities with children’s publishing experts
    Get the inside scoop on the world of children’s publishing from editors and nature writers in the know.
  
General Workshop Information Request an Application for this Workshop
  Workshop Leader


Mark Baldwin

 Mark Baldwin
Principal author of the Natural History Atlas to the Chautauqua-Allegheny Region, Mark has
devoted the past fourteen years to the development of nature education programs for the Roger
Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History. As director of education, Mark works with teachers
throughout the country to infuse nature studies into their curricula. He is president of the
Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy and vice president of the American Nature Study Society.
  Guest Faculty

Andy Boyles		 Andy Boyles (Workshop Facilitator)
A lifelong interest in science led Andy to his position as science editor at Highlights for Children
ten years ago. From dinosaur fossils and rain forests of Madagascar to environments closer to
home, Andy’s encounters with the natural world and those who study it are recorded in countless
interviews and articles. A member of the National Association of Science Writers, he has received
numerous writing and editing awards.

Ron Hirschi		 Ron Hirschi
An award-winning author of more than 50 books for children, Ron works as a fisheries biologist for Pacific Northwest Indian Tribes. He has introduced hundreds of young people to the water world, and he has been invited to schools to create nature trails, plant butterfly gardens, restore streams, and create as well as restore wetlands. Ron often involves young people in his work, sometimes incorporating lessons he learns from kids in his books. He says this helps him write for curious young naturalists in playful new ways.

Paul Kowalczyk
 Paul Kowalczyk
Paul is a longtime forester with deep firsthand knowledge of the Pennsylvania woods. As
manager of the forest surrounding Boyds Mills House, he directs efforts to maintain the forest as
a healthy habitat for wildlife as well as a source of timber.

Doug Wechsler		 Doug Wechsler
Doug is a wildlife biologist and photographer who takes his inspiration from forests, swamps, and seashores as well as his own backyard. By showing the wonders of nature and its humorous side, he hopes to motivate his readers to deepen their interest in their natural surroundings. His photographs have appeared in hundreds of publications, including International Wildlife, BBC Wildlife, Audubon Magazine, National Geographic, National Wildlife, and Smithsonian Magazine.

Ed Wesely

Ed Wesely
Ed is director of the Butterfly Barn Nature Center, which overlooks the Delaware River, where he rears and releases about 400 monarch butterflies each summer. Ed’s environmental education background provides the foundation for his many outreach activities, including numerous publications, lectures, and guided field tours. He is currently developing a natural history Web site.

John Wiessinger		 John Wiessinger
John is a wildlife artist, naturalist, and educator on the staff of the Roger Tory Peterson Institute. John has written and illustrated five books on nature, illustrated several other books, and produced his own natural history educational series, which has been used in zoos, museums, schools, and nature centers across the U.S. and Canada. John combines his interests in natural history and art with writing—a skill he never thought he’d need to use—to develop an online nature series called the Electronic Naturalist.