Oregon ridge nature center council

Mark your calendars for our annual Honey Harvest Festival - October 7 & 8, 2023

Mark your calendars for our annual Honey Harvest Festival - October 7 & 8, 2023

View and Register for Events Online

Remember that many programs open to members first. If you are a member, make sure to sign in to view all the programs that are only open to members. Check back often as new programs are added and opened to non-members every week.
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View and Register for Events Online

Remember that many programs open to members first. If you are a member, make sure to sign in to view all the programs that are only open to members. Check back often as new programs are added and opened to non-members every week.

View and Register for Events Online

PROGRAMS AND SPECIAL EVENTS:

The ORNC Council Speakers Series presents informative and engaging talks on a wide range of nature-related topics, by some of the area’s leading specialists in the environmental sciences, natural history, and related fields. You can find details of our upcoming Speaker Series on the Programs and Events Page of this website.  These talks are Free for members or $10 for non-members. Most programs are held in-person at the Nature Center, with Zoom presentations if circumstances require.

The Nature Book Club meets on Mondays eight times a year at 7:00 p.m. The schedule for the year and the choice of books to be read and discussed are set by club members in the Fall. This is a Free program and will take place either online via zoom or in-person. Weather permitting, we will use a pavilion for a safe in-person gathering.

Both of these programs require advance registration which can be done online at:
www.OregonRidgeNatureCenter.WildApricot.org

Events and Festivals

The Oregon Ridge Nature Center Council sponsors several Annual Events and Festivals each year.

bee and queen

Honey Harvest Festival 2023

Saturday, October 7 and Sunday, October 8; 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
All ages
(minimal charge for some activities)

Music in the Woods


(First Saturday in June)
2024 details to be announced

maple sugaring

Maple Sugaring Weekends

(The last two weekends in February)
2024 details to be announced

Annual Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser at the Oregon Ridge Lodge

(The first weekend in March)
2024 details to be announced

summer camp

SUMMER CAMP AT OREGON RIDGE NATURE CENTER

An invitation to register will go out to all members in good standing in early 2024.

Field Trips and Group Programs

school field trips

School Field Trips

The Oregon Ridge Staff, assisted by our volunteer Trail Guides, provide a variety of nature-based field trip opportunities. These programs are available to public and private school groups as well as community and homeschool groups.

Scout Workshops

We have developed several Cub Scout Adventure Loops and Pins, along with Girl Scout Daisy Petal, Brownie Try-it, and Junior/Cadette Badge Workshops. Most programs are 1-1/2 hours with a capacity of 24 people (20 scout maximum), this number must include at least 2 leaders/chaperones. Pricing for our scout program is either $6 or $12 per scout with a minimum of 12 paid scouts. The cost is determined by the program selected and other program variables. The cost for scouts beyond the 12-scout minimum can be added at the same per-scout rate. There is no charge for leaders/chaperones and we request that chaperones are kept to a minimum. Siblings in attendance must be in the same general age range as the scouts and must be approved in advance.

Other Group Programs

Our Naturalists are well versed and able to provide programming on any number of nature-based topics. Whether you are looking for an on-site or off-site program for your group, we look forward to hearing from you and will do our very best to accommodate your requests.

Nature Quest

Year-round Fun! The Great Outdoors! Prizes!

Nature Quest provides a great opportunity to experience the outdoors and be active with friends and family while discovering some of the best parks and trails in Baltimore County. The Quest is ongoing, but questers that complete at least 5 trails each year receive free admission to that year’s Quest Fest and are entered into raffles for great prizes.

MAEOE

We are a Maryland Green Center and available to assist local schools wishing to become or recertify as a MAEOE-certified Green School

In 2015 ORNC was certified by the Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education (MAEOE) as a Maryland Green Center. In addition to supporting community environmental learning and being a model for various sustainability practices, the key criteria for becoming a Maryland Green Center is helping local schools become MAEOE-certified Green Schools. ORNC is here to encourage and support schools to apply (or re-apply) for Green School Certification from MAEOE.