UPCOMING CLASSES
UPCOMING CLASSES
UPCOMING CLASSES UPCOMING CLASSES
September 27th, 1:00-4:00 p.m.
AN AFTERNOON OF FALL FORAGING
To sign up, go to https://linktr.ee/blueheronnaturetours
Stroll through Maclay Flat in Missoula with Elena and learn how to identify 20+ plants and lichens and how they can be used for food, medicine, dye and more. You’ll leave with a greater appreciation for all of the wonderful gifts that nature provides for us.
Engage in experiential, field-based education and get certified as a Montana Master Naturalist. Adults will learn how to identify species, interpret behaviors, and understand ecological relationships. This hands-on education strengthens both a sense of place and the confidence, curiosity, and attention needed to respect and conserve a variety of ecosystems in Montana.
This class meets twice a week, with Monday’s class in the classroom and Wednesday’s class in the field at various natural areas in Missoula and the Bitterroot. There will also be 2 guest speakers who are experts in their field.
*To become a Montana Master Naturalist you must complete the 40 hour course and to keep your certification and earn your yearly pins, 20 hours of volunteering and 8 hours of continuing education are required.
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September 9th-October 14th
Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:00-5:30 pm AND
2 Saturdays (Sept. 26th and October 10th from 9:00-a.m.-2:00 p.m)
MONTANA MASTER NATURALIST COURSE
Lifelong Learning Center
Registration opens on August 1st at www.missoulaclasses.com
No vember 17th: Fun With Wonton Wrappers
November 23rd: Turkish Eggplant Salad and Ginger Cardamom Cream Scones
December 1st, 8th and 15th: Holiday Fun With Phyllo Dough
HANDS-ON COOKING CLASSES
Lifelong Learning Center, (Missoula)
Registration opens on October 1st, go to:
There are three things in life that I love- natural history, cooking healthy food and art. I have been teaching cooking classes at Missoula’s Lifelong Learning Center mainly from November to April. I will be teaching several international vegetarian cooking classes (listed on the left). The classes are hands-on and you will be going home with lots of food to share with your family.
October 3rd, 10:00-11:30 a.m
GARDENING FOR THE BIRDS
Missoula County Department of Extension and Ecology
https://missoulaeduplace.org/get-involved/our-calendar.html/event/2026/10/03/garden-bird-walk/554216
Ioin Elena in the Rocky Mountain Gardens at the Missoula Fairgrounds for an hour of birding. Expect to see a variety of songbirds using this beautiful and diverse garden right in the middle of Missoula. We will also discuss what plants to add to your garden to attract all kinds of birds.
DATE TBD
ADOPT A HIGHWAY CLEANUP
Hwy. 93 between the Humane Society and the awesome old weeping willow tree
Blue Heron Nature Tours has adopted a 2-mile stretch of Highway 93 for trash cleanup. We will meet at the Humane Society parking lot at 9:00 a.m. and be done by 11:30 a.m., possibly earlier depending on our crew size. Please bring your own gloves and trashbags and safety vests will be provided. Snacks provided too!
Please email Elena at info@blueheronnaturetours.com to sign up
December 9th, 6:00-7:00 p.m
Lichens of Montana
Missoula Public Library- FREE
Did you know that Montana has at least 400 species of lichens and there may many more yet undiscovered ones.? They are strange and marvelous organisms, with a myriad of uses, from cleaning our air to providing food and nesting material for animals. Humans can even use them!
There will be a slideshow and many specimens for you to examine.
January 2027, Exact Date TBD
Attracting Birds To Your Yard During Winter
Lifelong Learning Center (Missoula)
Registration opens December 1st
Winter is a great time to feed the birds from the comfort of your home. You don’t have to worry about bears raiding your feeders and since natural food is scarce, the birds will love what you provide for them. We will discuss what species of birds you can expect to see in your yard, as well as styles of feeders and foods that attract specific species. You will also learn some simple habitat features to provide for them..
January and February 2027 (Registration opens December 1st)
Winter Ecology Walks
LIfelong Learning Center
www.missoulaclasses.org
Wintertime in the Montana woods is a quiet and magical place. In this class you will visit three different natural areas in Missoula and stroll one mile with a Master Naturalist to observe birds, mammals, trees and lichens and discuss their adaptations to the cold conditions. Expect to see a giant congregation of bald eagles, red squirrels, wolf lichen and the beautiful Bitterroot River, to name just a few. If we’re lucky we may see an owl or porcupine!
I will have a booth at this sweet little holiday bazaar selling my handmade pine needle baskets, bird seed wreaths and botanical earrings. Everything is affordable and make great gifts for the holidays! Come say “hi” and check out the Montana Natural History Center and all it has to offer too. Free entry.
January and February 2027
Free Naturalist Classes and Cooking Demos at the Missoula Public Library
January and April 2027
MOLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Montana)
The Story of Spices
Attracting Pollinators to Your Yard
I’ve been teaching MOLLI courses through the University of Montana for 4 years during the winter and/or spring sessions. They range from 3 to 6 weeks long, there are no tests or homework and they are for anyone over 18 year s old.
In January I will teach a 3-week class called “Story of Spices” , which consists of 1 lecture about the history of the Silk Road and 2 cooking demos at the Missoula Food Bank using a variety of spices.
In April I will teach a 3- week class called “Attracting Pollinators to Your Yard” where you will learn what species ofplants to provide for a variety of pollinators, from bees to moths. There will be 2 lectures and 1 field trip to the Fort Missoula Native Plant Garden, managed by yours truly for the past 4 years.
