Two events of note, for those who cherish nature and the outdoors .....

The popular and venerable Irvine Nature Center is celebrating its move from Stevenson to Owings Mills with a grand opening celebration this weekend.  The 33-year-old environmental education nonprofit relocated recently to 11201 Garrison Forest Road, moving into a "green" building on 116 acres of "woodlands, wetlands and meadows" in Caves Valley.  

It's kicking off the housewarming with an ticketed gala today, but Saturday and Sunday there'll be a free "family fun event" with nature games, puppet shows, animal encounters, music and story-tellling.  Also, on Sunday, the center plans to recognize Johns Hopkins University professor M. Gordon "Reds" Wolman for his long career teaching about and advocating for the state's waterways.

For more information, go to www.ExploreNature.org or call 410-484-2413.

As Ike whacks the Gulf Coast, some may feel like appreciating the tiny bit of Atlantic coast that Maryland has.   Saturday, there'll be  wildlife to see, entertainment to enjoy and environmental education at Assateague State Park to mark the 12th annual Maryland Coast Day.

There'll be bay and ocean seining for crabs and fish, chances to see live owls, turtles and hawks, lessons in building sand castles and carving bird decoys and Native American dance.  There'll also be a nature hike and talks about the history of the region. About 30 organizations will be on hand to talk about their work preserving nature and wildlife.

The festivities run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.  For more information, call Kate Diffenderfer at 410-213-2297 or email kdiffenderfer@mdcoastalbays.org   (Assateague photo by Wessel Kok, Special to the Sun. 2008)