Saturday Workshops for Beginners
June, 2013 - Flyer PDF if you want to share

General Considerations

Parking will be made available at the Station, but the gate will be closed during the workshops. If other family members are coming with you, but not attending, they will not have access until the end of the workshop.

Restrooms and handicap access, but we will not be providing any food/water.

We will have very limited shore access, which will be explained at the workshops. This is a protected area for both the life present and the experiments in progress.

These workshops are meant for beginners who are thinking of starting these activities as a possible hobby or avocation. If you are already an advanced amateur, then they may not be appropriate.

Workshops will be limited to a maximum of 20 people (each family member attending counts as a person) and be on a first come first served basis. All courses are $15 to cover a few expenses in setting up. We are purposely keeping costs low to encourage participation. As part of that effort we will require a signed liability waiver.

We really want to give instruction during these workshops so advise that children under twelve may not make your experience (and others at the workshop) as delightful as it could be. We can recommend the kids days offered at the Pacific Grove Natural History Museum on Science Saturdays as an alternative for younger children.

Drawing the Sea: June 1, 2013, 9am-12pm [half full as of 4/16/2013]

Local naturalist and artist Kate Spencer will assist us in drawing & watercolor to illustrate the sea and its life forms. She will demo a few methods and then, along with a TA, assist you in whatever you want to draw/paint. We will have live sea creatures as well as oceanscapes available.

Materials: You will need to bring whatever drawing materials you are comfortable with. We will only have a minimal amount on hand. Some paper will be available. You may want a clip board or other hard board if drawing outside. If you need to buy anything for this workshop it is recommended to stay simple until you see the demos. There are tricks to the trade that make on location work easier.

Birding at the Shore: June 8, 2013, 9am-12pm

Brian Sullivan, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and web/data master of the eBird.org website, will work with us to learn the local shorebirds visible from Hopkins. All participants will receive a copy of the Local Birds: Monterey Area folding pocket guide to keep.

Materials: We will have a few spotting scopes and binoculars, but it will be better for you if you bring your own. Many of our birds can be seen easily without aid. Some bird guides will be available for use at the workshop as well.

Nature Photography w/ Simple Cameras, June 15, 2013, 9am-12pm

Hopkins own photographer/webmaster Chris Patton will instruct us in the use of point & click and phone cameras to image plants, animals & landscapes at Hopkins. He will show how to use simple methods to improve your closeup to landscape work, and how to compensate for exposures, focus and composition.

Materials: No cameras will be provided. You will need to bring a camera of some sort. If you want immediate feedback, then a digital camera is recommended. Critters, plants of the marine kind, and landscapes are provided. Some simple closeup lenses will be available for use during the workshop.

Ready to Sign Up?

Sign up here! (you will need an email address to contact you with, but all payments will be by check sent in ahead of time)