Open University Spring Schedule
Outdoor & Environment

Animal Tracking
Birding for Beginners
Chickens: For Pets, Eggs, or Dinner
Introduction to Fly Fishing
For the Fisherman: Beginning Fly Tying
Gardening Bliss: The Lazy Person’s Garden
GPS for the Navigationally Challenged
Navigating with a Map and Compass
Orchids are Easy
Pruning Basics
Really Natural Foods and Medicines
Small Fruits in the Garden
Spruce up for Spring Gardening
Understanding Weather

Animal Tracking
Discover the many mysteries of the creatures that inhabit nature. This class will increase your awareness of and ability to find and interpret tracks, scats and other sign left behind by mammals and birds. This day-long course including field trip will help you better understand and appreciate the environment by learning how to identify animal families by their prints and signs. Rob Speiden is an environmental engineer and teaches tracking skills to search and rescue personnel throughout the U.S. Students should bring a tape measure, note pad, pencil, and lunch to class. A camera is optional. Directions sent with email reminder to registered students. $25

Birding for Beginners
Students will learn to identify the different families of woodland passerines, or perching birds, commonly found in this part of Virginia. We’ll dis­cuss how to tell vireos from warblers and sparrows from finches – by body shape, posture, beak shape, and plumage. We’ll also discuss birding-by-ear, which is often the easiest way to identify small songbirds, especially in dense forest or brush. This class includes a short field trip on a Saturday morning so that students can put their new knowledge to work. $30

Dates	Day	Time	Location
4/6-4/20	3 Mondays	7:00-8:00pm	Lancaster House
4/25 (field trip)	Saturday	7:00am	Pandapas Pond

Chickens: For Pets, Eggs, or Dinner
This course is intended to help students begin a small chicken flock venture. Topics covered will include chicken stock selection, space analysis, general care, and what to expect. Instructor Lydia Warren began developing her own flock 4 years ago and now supplies customers with eggs from free-range chickens. $30

Introduction to Fly Fishing
Have you wanted to try fly fishing but been put off by the unfamiliar jargon? The bewildering array of tackle, gear, and gadgets? Then this introductory course is for you. Learn all about trout, where they live, what they eat, and how to catch them. Learn about dry flies, streamers, and nymphs, fly lines, leaders, and tippets, the fly-fisherman's favorite knots, and reasonably priced rods and reels perfect for the beginner. Learn to cast a fly line in thirty minutes with all the dexterity needed to catch fish. Eight hours of classroom instruction, plus group and private casting lessons and a guided trip to local streams. Text (highly recommended) Dave Whitlock, L.L. Bean Fly Fishing Handbook, 2nd ed. (Lyons. Press, 2006). *Streamside demonstrations 1/31 & 2/21 $65

For the Fisherman: Beginning Fly Tying
Tying artificial flies is not only a great way to enrich the sport of fly fishing, for many people it becomes an end in itself – a creative pastime with a strong connection to the natural world. This course is designed for the beginner or novice who has some or no experience. By tying a simple but effective selection of fly patterns (nymphs, wet flies, dry flies, and streamers), students will get hands-on experience using basic fly tying tools and materials while mastering essential tying techniques. $50

Supply list: Fly tying vise, bobbin, scissors, hackle pliers, bodkin, whip-finishing or half-hitch tool, and fly-tying (or “head”) cement. (Supplies available at Tangent Outfitters, Pembroke, VA; estimated cost $50). Recommended text (but not required): “Basic Fly Tying: All the Skills and Tools You Need to Get Started,” by Wayne Luallen and Jon Rounds..

Gardening Bliss: The Lazy Person’s Garden
What’s your joy in gardening? Do you want to produce profit or just plain pleasure? Let’s explore your options to make gardening easiest and most productive toward your goals. This class is designed to promote the fun and educational side of gardening. Join instructor Virginia Abraham, master gardener, for this informative class. $30

GPS for the Navigationally Challenged
Did Santa bring you a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver and you’re not sure how to turn it on? Or have you heard of geocaching and would like to play? Whether you are unsure of the benefits of a GPS or are interested in learning more about your receiver, this class will point you in the right direction with a basic introduction of GPS functions and using it for specific purposes like finding your way back to your car. Due to the variety of products available, please bring your GPS and its user manual. Directions sent with email reminder to registered students. $20

Navigating with a Map and Compass
Learn how to navigate in the woods! We will cover map reading, compass use, route planning, land navigation, declination and put these skills to use outside. A classroom session will be followed by a 3-hour hike through the woods on trails and a great opportunity to become comfortable with your compass and a USGS topographical map. Rob Speiden is an environmental engineer and teaches navigational skills to search and rescue personnel throughout the mid-atlantic region. Students should bring a compass, notepad, pencil, and lunch to this class. Directions sent with email reminder to registered students. $35

Orchids are Easy
Orchids are versatile plants that can be both houseplants and found in the garden. This one evening class will talk about selection, growing (light, fertilizer water, pots, media) purchasing, and repotting orchids. Students will receive an orchid to take home. Taught by Erica Jones. Registration fee includes blooming orchid. $35

Pruning Basics
This is a hands-on class designed to take the anxiety out of pruning.  We will cover tools, techniques, timing, the basics of plant growth, and when to call a professional. Emphasis will be on maintaining the health and yield of fruit trees for the home grower, but other plants will be covered. *End of Maywood Street off N. Main Street - Blacksburg  $15

Really Natural Foods and Medicines
The world of tasty, edible plants includes more than just what you can find in the grocery store – some of them are growing right outside your door! If you’re interested in issues of health and sustainability; or, if you’d enjoy a themed hike, this is the class for you. Rob Speiden will guide this exploration of the wild edible and medicinal plants you can pick to eat, or use to treat the symptoms of common illnesses, like colds, sore throats, or bee stings. Poisonous look-alike plants will also be identified and discussed. Rob Speiden teaches survival and tracking skills to Search & Rescue volunteers statewide. Students should bring a bag lunch. Directions sent with email reminder to registered students. $25

Small Fruits in the Garden
In this two evening class, students will discuss how to incorporate small fruits into their garden.  Specific attention will be given to blueberries, gooseberries, currents, rhubarb, elderberries, strawberries and cane fruits.  Topics covered will include where to purchase plants, how to grow them, and some ideas on what to do with the results of your labor. Taught by Erica Jones. $25

Spruce up for Spring Gardening
This 3-session course will cover gardening projects for early spring. Sessions will cover starting your own transplants from seeds, improving your soil, pruning shrubs and trees, maintenance of hand tools, discussion of some of my favorite flowers and vegetables. Bring your gardening/landscaping problems to class and we will devote some time each class for exchange of ideas. The Sunday class will be partly outdoors, where students will practice pruning shrubs. Taught by Erica Jones. $35

Understanding Weather
Learn how to tell what weather is coming your way! We’ll discuss high and low pressure systems, fronts, winds, cloud types and heights, rain, tornadoes, hurricanes, hail, temperature, and dew point. Hands-on activities will help you understand how to interpret a weather map, the information on The Weather Channel, weather radar displays, and weather-related websites. Jim Chadwick is a Certified Synoptic Weather Observer and has been a weather enthusiast for more than 50 years. As an airplane pilot, he has a deep interest in, and knowledge of, weather as it relates to flying safety. $25

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