Drawn to Nature

Monday, July 27

• 3 p.m. - Check-in (Biome Center - building 75)
• 4-6 p.m. - Station orientation and course welcome (Lakeside Laboratory - building 44 upper)
• 6-7 p.m. - Dinner (Dining Hall)
• 7-9 p.m. - Quick Start Guide to Expressing Yourself Through Art (Lakeside Laboratory - building 44 upper)

Tuesday, July 28

• 7-8 a.m. - Breakfast (Dining Hall)
• 8-10 a.m. - Journaling with Jennifer: The Basics of Nature Journaling - Focus on Plants (Lakeside Laboratory - building 44 upper)
• 10-10:30 a.m. - Coffee/snack break (Dining Hall)
• 10:30-noon - Northwoods Natural History Hike to Bear Paw Point, led by Itasca State Park Naturalist (meet at Tester's Hub - building 43)
• Noon-1 p.m. - Lunch (Dining Hall)
• 1-4 p.m. - Journaling with Jennifer: Northwoods Natural History (Lakeside Laboratory - building 44 upper)
• 4-5 p.m. - Get out on the water: Pontoon ride or kayaking
• 5-6 p.m. - Share our first journal pages
• 6-7 p.m. - Dinner (Dining Hall)
• 7-9 p.m. - Night at the Museum: Journaling the station’s mammal and bird collections, and working with new media (Biome Center - foyer and 112)

Wednesday, July 29

• 7-8 a.m. - Breakfast (Dining Hall)
• 8-10 a.m. - Freshwater Fauna Foray on the shores of Lake Itasca, led by Emily Schilling (meet in building 44 upper)
• 10-10:30 a.m. - Coffee/snack break (Dining Hall)
• 10:30 a.m.-noon - Journaling with Jennifer: Freshwater Fauna (building 44 lower)
• Noon-1 p.m. - Lunch (Dining Hall)
• 1-5 p.m. - Choose your adventure: Continue exploring macroinvertebrates or nature journaling on your own (Lakeside Laboratory - building 44 upper)
• 5-6 p.m. - Share our journal pages
• 6-7 p.m. - Dinner (Dining Hall)
• 7-9 p.m. - Nature Journaling at Night

Thursday, July 30

• 7-8 a.m. - Breakfast (Dining Hall)
• 8-10 a.m. - Nature journaling in the water — canoe trip with aquascopes (meet at Lakeside Laboratory - building 44 upper)
• 10-10:30 a.m. - Coffee/snack break (Dining Hall)
• 10:30 a.m.-noon - On your own! Spend this time to finish up some of your nature journal pages, take a walk, etc.
• Noon-1 p.m. - Lunch (Dining Hall)
• 1-5 p.m. - Learn a new technique! Block printing (Lakeside Laboratory - building 44 upper)
• 6-7 p.m. - Dinner (Dining Hall)
• 7-8 p.m. - Journal Gallery Walk: Journal exhibition for participants to share their work (Lakeside Laboratory - building 44 upper)
• 8-10 p.m. - Optional group campfire or recreational time

Friday, July 31

• 7-8 a.m. - Breakfast (Dining Hall)
• 10 a.m. - Checkout

Program cost is inclusive of tuition, meals and lodging.

See the Science of Craft home page for details on dining and lodging. 

Participants will choose from the following enrollment options:

• $875 - Faculty cabin lodging
• $755 - Bunkhouse lodging
• $1,225 - Faculty cabin lodging with weekend stay (available only to participants dual-enrolled in Writing the Wild)
• $1,015 - Bunkhouse lodging with weekend stay (available only to participants dual-enrolled in Writing the Wild)

Dual Enrollment Information

Participants enrolling in both Drawn to Nature and Writing the Wild may remain at the station continuously over the weekend between the two courses. During this two-day break, they are free to explore Itasca State Park and the surrounding area. To cover the cost of lodging and dining for this additional time, dual-enrolled participants will pay an extra $350 (faculty cabin) or $260 (bunkhouse).

Dual-enrolled participants wishing to stay over the weekend must select the corresponding “weekend” lodging option when registering for Writing the Wild and must also register separately for Drawn to Nature.

Please reach out to [email protected] with questions about dual enrollment.

Itasca Station is working hard to break down barriers to field participation. As we work to make progress, the station is committed to identifying barriers to access, and communicating accessible aspects of our programs/facilities to help individuals identify whether they can safely participate. Those with mobility concerns should reach out to station staff ([email protected]) before registering. 

To comfortably engage in this course, participants must be comfortable walking on uneven surfaces and trails and must be able to walk at least 0.5 mile without needing to sit and rest. 

Station dining, housing and classroom buildings are spread across our 10 acre campus in Itasca State Park (see station map).  Participants should be prepared for substantial daily walking. Parking is limited to designated areas; therefore, all travel between cabins, classrooms, and the dining hall is done on foot. This routine movement typically adds up to nearly a mile of walking per day, in addition to any walking required for course activities.