MOUNT VERNON – Camp Bearnstow on Parker Pond will hold six informal workshops aimed at better understanding the lake’s ecology, landscape, natural plant communities and water quality protection on Saturdays from July 12 to Aug. 16.

Four of these will be during two-hour, outdoor walk-and-talk sessions. Another will be an evening loon count.

The summer workshops are:

• July 12, 10 a.m. to noon, Pond edge vegetation, natural groundcovers, shrubs and trees.

• July 19, 6:30 to 8 a.m., Audubon loon count, limited to six participants who must be able to swim.

• July 26, 10 a.m to noon, soil erosion and stormwater control methods on camp roads and developed sites. It also will cover low-cost methods of grading, draining and adding vegetation.

• Aug. 2, 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., identifying and controlling invasive aquatic plants such as hydrilla and milfoil.

• Aug. 9, 10 a.m. to noon, identifying and controlling runoff pollution and tips for prolonging life of septic systems.

• Aug. 16, 10 a.m. to noon, “Community Watershed Impacts – The China Lake Experience,” how changing land use affects the health of lakes and tax dollars.

The public is invited to attend at no cost. Preregistration is welcome. For more information, people may phone Ruth Grauert at 293-2280.