If you'd like to learn...

• What insect can see above and below water at the same time?
• What bird says "cheeseburger"?
• What tree’s nickname is "musclewood"?

… you can find out from the Young Macnamaras. For the adults out there, if there are children in your life who love discovering what the natural world has to offer, the Young Macnamaras have youth-themed outings to discover what’s going on under the snow, what birds are out hunting in the cold, and how to tell what kind of trees those are in the forest, even after their leaves have fallen. And we need your ideas about what might appeal to kids. For more information, to get involved, or to register for our field outings, please contact Alicia Salyi at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Upcoming Events

Please remember: registration is required for all of our field outings.  Please make sure that you send This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it a message, and let us know you are coming!

Saturday, August 14, 2010 - The Young Macs head out for our Dragonfly Daze at Morris Island Conservation Area up the Ottawa River. This location has an excellent variety of dragonfly and damselfly species, and we are going to take full advantage of them!  Please bring a (litterless) lunch to eat after we going searching; the location is a great picnic area!  Other equipment you may need: a long handled net (though we have extras), insect containers for closer observation, appropriate clothing, water, and an i.d. book if you have one.

Meet at the Morris Island Conservation Area parking lot off Loggers Way near Galetta at 10 am.   

View Morris Island Conservation Area in a larger map

In order to get prepared for this outing, check out the 'Seasonal Info for Kids' area in the top drop-down menu, which has great information on these fanstastic creatures.

Springtime Darner eating a Delicate Emerald Dragonfly

*Remember to check out our blog to see what we did on previous field trips. Our blog can be accessed from the "Young Macs Blog" link in top drop-down menu. 

Volunteer Opportunities

If you like … 

• being outdoors
• working with children
• hands-on activities
• leading groups
• learning new things     

… then we would love to have you join our field trips. The Young Macnamaras offer youth in our area an opportunity to head out into woods and fields and learn our local natural history. We need volunteers to help with set-up, planning, ideas, watching our young naturalists, and having fun. If you already know something really cool about the outdoors, maybe you could teach kids what you know!

If you love nature, are looking to fulfil your community service requirement or just want to gain experience working with children, then the Young Macnamaras could be the place for you.

Contact Alicia at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more info or to sign on to this exciting experience.