Workshop Title: Secrets of the Oak Woodlands: Emandal in Summer

Instructor: Kate Marianchild

Which Session? June 24-28, 2026

Workshop Description: We will meander quietly through oak and riparian woodlands looking, listening, and learning about the flora and fauna –– oaks...manzanitas...willow galls; chorus frogs...dome spiders...water ouzels. We’ll gaze at gloriously magnified dragonflies and bluebelly lizards. We’ll find woodrat mansions and look for bushtit nests. Our jaws will drop open as bumblebees wrestle soap plant flowers open each evening.

Using close-focus binoculars, we’ll watch the proboscis of a checkerspot butterfly probe a mariposa lily for nectar.

I’ll help you to identify and fall in love with oaks, buckeyes, and redbud; ant lions and acorn woodpeckers; lace lichen, mistletoe, and bluebirds. If we’re lucky, we will see mink, otters, dippers, foxes, bobcats, coyotes, bears, and/or eagles.

The pace will be slow, and we will rarely cover more than two miles in a day. Every afternoon we’ll have free time for swimming in the Eel’s deep green pools, hiking Emandal’s extensive trails, napping, reading, and/or socializing. Before dinner, we will share stories from the day with members of the parallel ArtStay workshops.

Levels of Experience: Ability to occasionally walk up moderate slopes on uneven ground.

Additional Supplies Participants Must Bring to Workshop: *Daypack (large enough to hold a slim 3-ring binder or folder and other things (listed below). 

*Binoculars (Close-focus binoculars if you have them or wish to buy them from me once we’re at Emandal. (That way you won’t have to pay shipping.) Also bring birding binoculars, if you have them. I like to wear both simultaneously, and I use a binocular harness to take the weight of birding binocs off  my shoulders.

*Closed-toe shoes (These won’t be needed on every walk but will be preferable when we’re off-trail). Shoes that burs won’t adhere to are also a good idea.

*Sandals with good traction for established trails. (These are not necessary if you prefer to wear closed-toe shoes on every walk).

*Socks long enough to tuck your pant legs into––for discouraging ticks from reaching your skin. 

*Extra pairs of socks––in case we occasionally go off trail  and get burs in our socks.

*Trekking poles, if you use them. 

*A few lightweight containers for “treasures” –– acorns, feathers, galls, leaves, already-dead butterflies or dragonflies, etc. Pill bottles and Altoid boxes work well for small items, but something longer would be good for long fragile items like shed lizard skins or feathers. Maybe a shallow tupperware or cottage cheese container.

*Pencil or pen to write or draw with, and lightweight notebook for optional notes or sketches. 

*Cloth or a folding chair to sit on when you get tired of standing and for “sit-spot” time... This will reduce the chance of ticks getting on your while you’re sitting on the ground. A sarong or a bedsheet cut to size works well (try a thrift store). If you might want to lie down some of the time, make sure it’s big enough for that.  

*Camera (optional)

*Folding knife for opening things up (optional).

*Any field guides you like to refer to while on the trail or in the evening.

Additional Supply Fee:

Please bring a check or cash if you don’t have close-focusing binoculars, a copy of my book, or my oak identification guide. You can read about them on my website, katemarianchild.com. They are not absolutely required, but most people realize they want them a few days into a class.

Where else have you taught this workshop or a similar course? I have been giving classes, leading nature interpretation walks, and giving talks across the state since 2008. I have been teaching multi-day nature classes at Emandal since 2019 and at SF State’s Sierra Nevada Field Campus since 2024.