Outdoor Insiders

Outdoor Insiders brings the amazing stories of the Chesapeake's environment and people to you! Learn about Bay plants, animals, and landscapes with Echo Hill Outdoor School staff naturalists, and try some of our fun activities at home in this digital series.

episode 1

Capt. Andy McCown explores two of EHOS' historic workboat fleet, "Twilight" and "Spirit," and talks about propellers, shafts, and how their engines work.

episode 2

There's so much to discover about the plants around us just using our senses. What can you observe about the plants around you, and what can you learn from t...

episode 3

Echo Hill Staff Naturalist James Stankiewicz demonstrates how Chesapeake Native Americans would have used fire and scraping implements to make dugout canoes ...

episode 4

In this Episode of Outdoor Insiders, Capt. Ian shows us how to use friction and a simple bow drill to start a fire.

episode 5

James discusses the process of decomposition in the Echo Hill swamp, and shows how methane can be collected to create a swamp bomb!

episode 6

Learn about how sediment layers, revealed by erosion, can tell a BIG story with staff naturalist Jake at the EHOS Chesapeake Bay bluff.

episode 8

Episode 7

Plants are rooted in place-but their seeds can move! Discover how plants have developed special adaptations to allow their seeds to be distributed far from t...

episode 9

Preview the new Echo Hill Outdoor School wigwam, constructed for the Early American Site on campus. Wigwams and similar dwelling structures were normally bui...

There are fourteen different species of these invertebrates living in the Chesapeake Bay, and all of them have an exoskeleton- meaning they have to shed thei...

episode 10

Capt. Andy explores the parts of a fish that make it unique, from gills to fins, by observing catfish, eel and pumpkinseeds in this lesson onboard the workbo...

episode 11

Using a circle defined by a hula hoop (or sticks or rope, whatever you have handy), look closely to observe the plants and animals that live within this tiny...

Episode 13

Join Captain Andy as he explores a thousand-year-old oyster midden (aka a Native American trash site) on the banks of Still Pond Creek.

Episode 15

Join EHOS naturalist Jake as he looks at the bones of different animals, and talks about what these bones can tell us about different animals, what they ate,...

EPISODE 17

Harness the fun of this windy spring weather with a homemade kite! Just a trash bag, some twigs, string, and an old tie from around the house…

EPISODE 19

Take a ride with Captain Andy on this episode of Outdoor Insiders! We'll ride down the Chester River on the “Ric,” the Outdoor School skiff.

episode 21

Get up close and personal with a rat snake on EHOS campus with James.

episode 23

Exploring the tiny insects and invertebrates that live all around us in our yards, trees, and parks.

episode 12

Hope and history spring eternal at our EHOS onsite natural spring, where unique plants like Jack-in-the-Pulpit are created by the wet conditions. Take a look...

Episode 14

Today on Outdoor Insiders, Betsy McCown joins us to share some fascinating information about mistletoe

episode 16

Today James is exploring one of the EHOS swamp's most amazing animals-beavers!

EPISODE 18

Learn about the different kinds of Chesapeake maps and charts we've used since the 1600's to today, for all sorts of things-from exploring the Bay to getting...

episode 20

Join Amanda as she explores different kinds of mushrooms and fungus on the EHOS campus.

episode 22

Explore the small creatures of the EHOS swamp-pollywogs, tadpoles, leeches, nymphs and more-with Jake in this episode, and learn about the many stages of dev...

episode 24

Snakeheads! Meet this invasive, predatory, walking, air-breathing fish with staff naturalist and captain Petey Rice.