text:
USFWS National Digital Library
small (250x250 max)
medium (500x500 max)
large (1000x1000 max)
extra large (2000x2000 max)
full size
original image
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Summer/Fall 2007 Fish & Wildlife News Path to Discovery / 12 River Explorers / 16 Rx for Healthy Kids / 14 Linking Girls to the Land / 18 Special Issue children & nature 2 / Fish & Wildlife News Summer/Fall 2007 Director's Corner / 1 News Briefs / 3 Service Spotlight / 8 Science / 24 Around the Service / 28 Features Departments In Their Own Words / 42 Our People / 45 Transitions / 45 Honors / 47 In Memoriam / 49 what's inside On the cover: Two children explore the woods near the National Conservation Training Center in West Virginia. Steve Hillebrand / USFWS Back to Nature / 8 Service employees are connecting children with the land and with the agency's conservation mission. By David Eisenhauer Path to Discovery / 12 An innovative partnership in Washington State helped blaze a trail for all lifelong learners. By Taylor Pittman A Prescription for Healthy Kids / 14 Getting children outside is not just about fun and games. Their health may depend on it. By Kyla Hastie and Shani Howard River Explorers / 16 Class is in session at the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge. By Cindy Samples Linking Girls to the Land / 18 By Jennifer Anderson Senses in the Desert / 22 By Betty Mulcahy Editor's note: Connecting children with nature is a theme that clearly resonates with Service employees. We received about 100 submissions for this special issue from all regions and nearly every Service program. To accommodate the high volume of stories, we have added a regular section called Around the Service that highlights events, programs and activities in all Service regions. Stories that did not make it into the print edition eventually will be included in an online version of Fish & Wildlife News, which is currently under development. Summer/Fall 2007 Fish & Wildlife News / 1 from the director Borrowing From Our Children Growing up in the hills of Harlan County, Kentucky, I never thought about the importance of connecting with nature; it was as much a part of my life as breathing. If I wasn't up in the mountains chasing squirrels, I was down on the Cumberland River trying to fish and run trot lines or making boats out of old car tops. Even though we didn't have a lot of money, I always felt rich. For many kids today, however, exploring nature is fast becoming a thing of the past. Time in the woods has been replaced by time in front of a computer or television screen; unstructured play has been replaced by organized events run by adults; the art of daydreaming has been replaced by a non-stop schedule. Author Richard Louv, who writes about this in his book Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder, believes one of the biggest problems is fear: Parents are terrified of "stranger danger," and many view the outdoors as more of a threat than a sanctuary. The result is a younger generation that is less active and less interested in spending time outside, which can lead to a host of physical and emotional problems. And you can bet kids who prefer virtual reality to natural reality are going to have a tough time understanding why they should care about conservation. So what can we do? The Service has identified connecting people with nature as one of its six highest priorities. We have formed a Children and Nature Working Group — including representatives from every region and program — to identify ways to reach out to communities and build awareness that "nature play" is good for both children and adults. This special edition of Fish & Wildlife News provides a glimpse of what Service employees from coast to coast are already doing to reconnect children with nature. From the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge, where youngsters sample brine shrimp in the salt ponds or investigate bird and plant life with their parents, to the Chesapeake Bay Field Office, where students create schoolyard habitats outside their classroom door, our land base and our people are helping folks of every age to get outdoors. But we can always do more. We should look for opportunities to connect children and families to nature as we go about our daily work and help them share in our conservation mission. Connecting people with nature should not be just another box to check off on a performance plan; it should be something we want to do, something that is a part of us. Sometimes when I'm bass fishing on a lake and the sun is just breaking over the horizon and the birds begin to fly low across the water, I lay down my rod and realize I didn't come here to catch fish; I came for the healing power of nature and to feel better as a human being. I know many of you have had similar experiences and have a strong desire to help people — especially youngsters — rediscover what Rachel Carson called a "sense of wonder" for the outdoors. Now is the time for all of us to act on that desire. John James Audubon once said, "A true conservationist is a man who knows that the world is not given by his fathers but borrowed from his children." It is time for us to pay back that loan and share the riches of nature with tomorrow's caretakers. To learn more about the Service's children and nature initiative, visit <www.fws.gov/children>. Director Hall with youngsters during a break at the National Dialogue on Children and Nature at the National Conservation Training Center in September 2006. Todd Harles / USFWS 2 / Fish & Wildlife News Summer/Fall 2007 guest column No Child Left Inside By Richard Louv Leveraging its expertise, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is already a leader in the growing public movement to leave no child inside. The future of children and conservation is at stake, and this organization takes the outcome seriously. Studies show that most conservation leaders credit their commitment to the environment to two sources: many hours spent outdoors, when they were children, "in a keenly remembered wild or semi-wild place in childhood or adolescence, and an adult who taught respect for nature," according to University of Colorado environmental psychologist Louise Chawla. I wonder how many of you reading this have a personal story confirming her statement. The famous biologist E.O. Wilson addressed this in his memoir, Naturalist: "Most children have a bug period, and I never outgrew mine. Hands-on experience at the critical time, not systematic knowledge, is what counts in the making of a naturalist." Edmund Morris' description of the boyhood years of the presidential patron of conservation, Theodore Roosevelt, suggests a similar genesis: "Teedie's interest in all 'curiosities and living things' became something of a trial to his elders. Meeting Mrs. Hamilton Fish on a streetcar, he absentmindedly lifted his hat, whereupon several frogs leaped out of it." A family maid protested the boy's predilections: "How can I do the laundry with a snapping turtle tied to the legs of the sink?" We may owe the existence of our protected national wild lands to that turtle. Unfortunately, today we see diminishing sales of fishing and hunting licenses and a decline in attendance at many of our national parks. If the gap between children and nature continues to widen, where will the future conservationists come from? How will future natural scientists and nature poets develop? What will happen to the political constituency for our fish and wildlife, streams and rivers, parks and refuges? The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service offers wonderful opportunities for fishing, hunting, wildlife photography and other outdoor experiences. But the Service Directorate is determined to do more — to create, in essence, a new national backyard. Here are possibilities to consider: Wildlife refuges close to urban area areas should be expanded to provide kids with the hands-dirty, feet-wet experiences that no classroom or digitally simulated nature provides. The Youth Conservation Corps should be expanded. Conservation agencies should reach even deeper into inner-city schools and neighborhoods to offer these youngsters substantial and repeating experiences in nature. These agencies could identify the kids with nature talents, and then encourage and prepare them for careers in conservation and the natural sciences. As a tribute to Rachel Carson, the National Wildlife Refuge System could designate certain areas as Sense of Wonder Zones— special, safe places that would encourage children to build tree forts and collect (and release) bugs and turtles just as E.O. and Teedie did. This is not to suggest that kids be allowed to damage protected natural areas. But children cannot love what they can never touch. As a matter of policy, the conservation services should view the child-in-nature as an endangered species, an indicator species of the future — because if the young are not bonding with nature now, who will care about the refuges in the future? Evidence suggests that children and adults benefit so much from contact with nature that conservation "can now be viewed as a public health strategy," says Howard Frumkin, Director of the National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Think about that for a moment. This is a powerful argument, one that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is well positioned to make, and by so doing will improve the health of children and the health of the earth. Richard Louv is the author of Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder and chairman of the Children & Nature Network <www.cnaturenet.org>. Summer/Fall 2007 Fish & Wildlife News / 3 Service Expands Wildlife Forensics Lab of Agriculture requirements for containment of potentially bio-hazardous materials entering the United States; an expanded state-of-the-art genetics lab; a modern necropsy unit; new offices and meeting rooms; and an odor-free "bug room," where the lab's domestic beetle collection chews meat off bones so scientists have pristine skeletons to analyze. "The expansion will really enhance our ability to engage with the national and international wildlife forensics communities," said Ken Goddard, director of the lab, which is named after a longtime director of the Service's Law Enforcement Program. "We simply didn't have the proper facility where we could keep diseases contained so we had to refuse some cases." The addition will be dedicated on August 16, and the lab and new facilities will be open for public tours sometime in the spring. "The forensics lab is essential to our work in enforcing wildlife laws and protecting resources in this country and around the world," said Service Director H. Dale Hall. "The lab helps our special agents and wildlife inspectors develop the evidence they need to bring charges and obtain convictions." Besides aiding the work of Service law enforcement officers, the lab, with a staff of 35 and a 2007 budget of $3.5 million, provides forensic support to all 50 state fish and wildlife agencies. By treaty, it is the official crime lab of the 172 signatory countries of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and the Wildlife Subgroup of Interpol. With global illegal trade in wildlife and related products estimated at billions of dollars each year, the lab has no shortage of work. DNA analysis done by the lab's scientists led to the conviction of U.S. Caviar and Caviar, Ltd., in 2001, resulting in a $10.4 million fine — the most ever in a wildlife trafficking case. In 2000, work done at the lab led to convictions for the illegal sale of smuggled shahtoosh shawls made from the highly endangered Tibetan antelope. More recently, genetics work by lab scientists led to the 2006 conviction of a Portland, Oregon, man who admitted selling shavings from the horn of a black rhinoceros, one of Africa's most endangered species. Authorities in Israel want the lab to help them find out who has been killing wild gazelles but Goddard said they had to decline because of the lack of a containment lab. The new Bio-Hazard III facility will change that. Among the many discoveries by the lab's scientists is a means of distinguishing non-fossilized ancient mammoth and mastodon elephant ivory from modern African and Asian elephant ivory, utilizing the simplest lab instrument known: a protractor. After discovering that each species has its own hemoglobin molecules, lab scientists developed a species identification technique that takes 15 minutes instead of up to three days. The lab's scientists are starting research on a means of determining where an animal is from by identifying the stable isotopes in its body. This technique will enable the lab to determine the origin of an animal or animal product, thus confirming or contradicting the information on an import/ export permit. The new addition also features a forensics garden designed to educate the public about wildlife forensics and provide a protective buffer for the lab. This scientific garden, one of only four or five in the world (including the one in France where Leonardo daVinci is buried) was designed by 14 graduate students from the University of Oregon's Landscape Architecture School. It will be planted this fall with native plants. "A walkway will take visitors through the three-dimensional garden showing the connection of victim, suspect and crime scene and leading to a solution," Goddard said. "This will be the only one of its kind." Joan Jewett, External Affairs, Portland, Oregon news briefs Since 1988, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Clark R. Bavin National Fish and Wildlife Forensics Laboratory in Ashland, Oregon, has helped solve wildlife crimes around the world, resulting in convictions of caviar and ivory smugglers, poachers of rare animals and dealers of forbidden "medicinal cures." In the process, the lab's scientists have developed many of the advances in the field of wildlife forensics. But there were things the lab couldn't do, such as accepting carcasses and animal parts from overseas and conducting toxicology work that involved handling hazardous materials such as poisons, pesticides, blood pathogens and other substances that can carry diseases. Now, thanks to a new $15 million addition, that will change. The world's most comprehensive wildlife forensics lab will truly be able to serve the world. The 17,000 square-foot addition includes a Biological Containment Area that meets Department Clark R. Bavin National Fish and Wildlife Forensics Laboratory in Ashland, Oregon. USFWS 4 / Fish & Wildlife News Summer/Fall 2007 news briefs Hot Topic Wildlife Service Web site, at <www.fws.gov/international/ animals/polarbears>. Concerns about the status of the world's polar bear populations, driven by such actions as the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Polar Bear Specialist's Group's 2005 decision to change the species' conservation status from "Low Risk" to "Vulnerable" and the Service's January 2007 proposal to list the polar bear worldwide as "threatened" under the ESA, have increased in recent years in the face of observed and predicted changes in the extent and seasonal duration of sea ice. These and other concerns stem from the impacts of changing world climate patterns, which are especially visible in the arctic regions. The five nations participating in the meeting are also signatories to the landmark 1973 Agreement for the Conservation of Polar Bears. That agreement (which the IUCN's Polar Bear Specialist Group helped champion) called for the member nations to coordinate research efforts, share information, cooperate on the management of migrating polar bear populations, and continue to consult with one another for the purpose of providing increased protection for the world's populations of this emblematic marine mammal. In the spirit of the agreement, Hall hopes this will be the first of a series of annual meetings, either by teleconference or face-to face, the latter to rotate The 95-degree heat at the Service's National Conservation Training Center in West Virginia provided a strange setting for a meeting to discuss international polar bear conservation. Representatives from the five "range states" (those nations that host populations of polar bears; the U.S., Canada, Norway, Greenland, and Russia), most of whom were more accustomed to northerly climates, soldiered on through the heat with good humor. More than one, however, was heard to compare the beautiful Shepherdstown outdoors to the inside of a sauna. The delegates were gathered at NCTC to discuss the management and conservation of polar bears across the Arctic region. The United States delegation, lead by Director H. Dale Hall (and including representation from Service, USGS, the Department of State, the Alaska Nanuuq Commission, and the State of Alaska) was joined by similar groups representing the other four range states. The attendees focused their discussions on such pivotal issues as sport harvest, subsistence harvest, import/ export of polar bear parts and products, polar bear research and monitoring, and bear-human interactions. Although not intended to develop or change policy, the meeting was intended to serve as a starting point, and to initiate information exchanges leading to enhanced polar bear conservation in all of these Arctic nations. Reports presented by countries during the meeting are available on the Fish and among the range-state nations. Such gatherings would bring together representatives who serve at the directorate level of their countries' conservation agencies, and provide a companion structure to the IUCN Polar Bear Specialist Group, which is a group of scientists that meets every three to five years. The new series of range-state directorate-level meetings would serve as an international forum able to take the findings and recommendations of the Specialist Group's biologists and translate them into coordinated actions for the benefit of polar bears worldwide. "Each of the countries shares the goal of ensuring healthy polar bear populations for future generations. This meeting enabled experts and policymakers to come together and share ideas and I'm extremely pleased at the progress we made," Hall said. Bruce Woods, Media Relations Chief, Anchorage, Alaska Polar bear female with young. Susanne Miller / USFWS Delegates from the five polar-bear "range states" gathered at NCTC in June to discuss cooperation in polar-bear conservation. Bruce Woods / USFWS Summer/Fall 2007 Fish & Wildlife News / 5 managers typically have adopted a confine-and-contain strategy on the refuge using a combination of ground and aerial suppression tactics to keep fire from spreading outside the swamp. One of the endangered species most at risk from the fire was the Red-cockaded woodpecker, which nests in upland areas. There was concern the fires might have damaged or destroyed colonies of cavity trees used by the birds; however, Refuge biologists Dean Easton and Sara Aicher inspected the colony sites and discovered no evidence of red-cockaded woodpecker mortality. In fact, they found ample evidence of post-fire woodpecker activity. "We discovered that some of the birds re-nested after the fire." Easton said. "These are hardy woodpeckers, which gives us hope for their continued survival." The largest fire in refuge history will benefit the swamp for decades to come, Gillette said. "Fire enhances the ecosystem and is a primary force of nature that sustains the diversity and richness of a wide variety of plant and animal species," he said. "Whether it is fast moving or slow and creeping, fire in one form or another makes the Okefenokee a world-class resource and a fascinating unit of the National Wildlife Refuge System." Shawn Gillette, Refuge Ranger, Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Folkston, Georgia Okefenokee NWR heals from wildfires Okefenokee Swamp Featured on New Postage Stamp for postage for letters between the U.S. and Mexico or Canada. Through its support of the Federal and Junior Duck Stamp programs, the U.S. Postal Service is an important conservation partner of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Sales of the Federal Duck Stamp have helped protect more than 5.2 million acres of wetlands for national wildlife refuges. The Postal Service is also an active partner in the Junior Duck Stamp program. Each year, more than 30,000 schoolchildren from kindergarten through twelfth grade participate in the Junior Duck Stamp program. Through this unique program, kids learn not just about ducks — but also learn about conservation, ecology, wetlands, waterfowl, and more. Joshua Winchell, Public Affairs, Washington, DC The most recent addition to the Scenic American Landscapes postage stamp series featuring Okefenokee Swamp was unveiled June 1 at the NAPEX 2007 stamp exhibition in Northern Virginia. This stamp depicts the still water, cypress trees and yellow cow-lilies of the Okefenokee Swamp in southeastern Georgia and northeast Florida, an image that contrasted sharply with the wildfires that raged this summer on the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. Established in 1937, the refuge protects 402,000 acres of the 438,000 swamp. The photograph on the stamp was taken by José Azel. This new $.69 First Class Mail International stamp can be used As of mid September, remnants of wildfires that consumed about 85 percent of the 403,000-acre Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge continued to smolder. Refuge Ranger Shawn Gillette said while no active flames are present, some hot spots exist in the thick layers of peat moss, and it will take at least a two-foot rise in the water table to extinguish them. Because the hot spots are contained in an isolated area, Gillette said most of the world-famous wildlife refuge has reopened and visitors are slowly returning. "Visitation is starting to increase," he said, adding that visitors are seeing more wildlife than normal because the fires have removed the thick underbrush, and animals such as black bear, bobcat, and deer can now be better observed. The Big Turnaround Complex of wildfires spread into the refuge's native longleaf pine habitat, which supports many endangered and threatened species. Despite the fire, Gillette said the majority of the forested upland resources were not significantly damaged because of the aggressive and successful prescribed fire management program used by the refuge to promote this ecosystem. Decades of experience have demonstrated that wildfire cannot be fought successfully inside the Okefenokee Swamp. The swamp's sheer size and its mosaic of habitat types render traditional ground suppression efforts impractical. Incident Shawn Gillete / USFWS Biologist Aicher monitors longleaf pine habitat at the refuge. 6 / Fish & Wildlife News Summer/Fall 2007 Internet Sleuths news briefs It's true, said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Special Agent Ed Newcomer, the Internet has made wildlife crime easier — and easier to hide. But the anonymity of the online world has also made it easier for wildlife law enforcement agents to pose as potential customers and to catch people. "What works for criminals also works for us," said Newcomer. "The Internet provides anonymity for everyone, and when we go online, the people we're after have no idea who we are." Wildlife crime is a huge growth industry, grown larger still by the Internet. Most experts believe that the global illegal wildlife trade measures in the billions of dollars, annually. Profits in this illicit market are so huge that law enforcement officers routinely note that the black market in wildlife is now the second largest in the world, ranking only behind the trade in illegal drugs. (In the mid-1990s, an ounce of rhino horn sold in Yemen for about $1,687 per ounce, according to the World Wildlife Fund — making it more valuable than gold, which has a current price of $667 per ounce). Animals — including everything from insects to bizarre objects like footstools made from elephant feet — have always had aficionados in the more developed Western countries. The nations that are most likely to have the most vigorous On their first day at the hatchery, agents collected the remains of more than 200 heron carcasses in various states of decay hanging from trees and on the ground. Under a dead pine tree, agents found piles of bird bones. They sent several heron carcasses to the National Fish and Wildlife Forensics Laboratory in Ashland, Oregon where scientists determined the cause of death to be gunshot. Resuming surveillance in the early spring, agents collected more heron and osprey carcasses. They also found a freshly killed immature bald eagle under the dead pine tree. Agents arrested Zak and Lloyd and searched the hatchery, seizing two rifles. As a condition of their release, the court ordered Zak to surrender 118 firearms and Lloyd to surrender seven firearms. Private Hatchery Owner Sentenced for Killing Birds The owner of a private western Massachusetts hatchery found guilty of violating both the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act for killing an eagle and hundreds of other birds has been sentenced to six months in a halfway house and five years probation with no contact with weapons. Michael Zak also must pay a $65,000 fine, which will go to the North American Wetlands Restoration Fund. In addition to shooting an immature bald eagle, Zak also killed hundreds of great blue herons and ospreys over the course of nearly 30 years. The birds were feeding on trout in the hatchery's unprotected raceways. Northeast Region special agents, led by case agent Tom Ricardi, investigated Mohawk Trout Hatchery in the fall of 2005 and the spring of 2006 based on a tip from Massachusetts Environmental Police. Agents conducted more than 30 days and hundreds of hours of surveillance from the woods surrounding the Sunderland, Massachusetts hatchery. Agents videotaped Zak shooting at a heron and Zak's son-in-law Timothy Lloyd shooting and killing an osprey. They also observed Zak shooting and killing a heron. USFWS In all, agents collected carcasses of nearly 300 herons, 15 ospreys, one red-tailed hawk and one crow. For killing herons and ospreys, the pair each pleaded guilty to two Migratory Bird Treaty Act violations and one count of conspiracy, but Zak requested a trial on the charges of killing a bald eagle. In April, following a six-day bench trial, U.S. District Court Judge Michael Ponsor found Zak guilty of violating both the MBTA and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act for killing the eagle. Lloyd was fined $1,500 and must serve two years probation and perform 200 hours of community service. Diana Weaver, External Affairs, Hadley, Massachusetts A Service special agent examines carcasses of an immature bald eagle and an osprey killed on private hatchery property during an investigation of bird shootings. Summer/Fall 2007 Fish & Wildlife News / 7 take a nature hike, or learn how to become year-round birdwatchers. Web site visitors can use a site locator to find places throughout the Chicago Wilderness system to take their kids, along with a list teacher resources and the latest news on current and upcoming events and activities to get children outside. The program's ultimate goal is fostering generations of children who care enough about nature to protect it. conservation movements also Windy City Wilderness have citizens with the most disposable income. "That's the engine that really drives this train," said Newcomer. The drive that pushes people to buy such things as bird-eating spiders, giant African scorpions, poisonous snakes, macabre furniture and other ornaments made from animal parts is, said Newcomer, as simple as the desire to want something that nobody else has. The buyers are frequently people in upper income levels who simply seem to be taken by a novelty of the moment. The crime is compounded when the new owners of live exotic creatures become bored — and decide to dump them in the wild. That has helped place Florida at the top of the list of states with invasive species. California, where Newcomer is based, has its share. How much illegal wildlife is available on the Internet? Newcomer said it's difficult to know; there is no authoritative, dependable research. But as someone who spends time chasing Internet crime, he's confident the numbers run to the thousands. Newcomer thrives on the challenge; he relishes telling the story about how he and his colleagues nabbed a man in Los Angeles not long ago who billed himself as "the world's most wanted butterfly smuggler." He sold Newcomer $14,000 worth of protected butterflies and would have sold him $300,000 worth, if Newcomer had had the cash. The smuggler is serving a two-year sentence in federal prison. The agents' undercover work is as much a battle of wits as anything else; they must change their tactics often — to fit the changing tactics of the people they are after. Newcomer, who earned a law degree before deciding he wanted to be a wildlife agent, isn't discouraged. "Everything I work for is incapable of dialing 9-1-1," said Newcomer. " Wildlife is resilient, but it's not inexhaustible. You worry about reaching the end of the line. I want every illegal wildlife dealer who is online to think about one thing: your next customer may be a Fish and Wildlife Service law enforcement agent." Ken Burton, Public Affairs, Washington, DC news briefs More than 200 Chicago Wilderness member organizations, including the Midwest Region's Chicago Ecological Services field office, are forging a connection between children and nature with programs such as camping trips, nature scavenger hunts and birding hikes. Beginning next year, Chicago Wilderness members will begin offering all-new programs as part of Leave No Child Inside, the consortium's new effort to get kids outdoors. The Leave No Child Inside program kicked off June 16 at Chicago's Jackson Park, as officials from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, BP America and the U.S. Forest Service helped Chicago Wilderness launch its effort to encourage youth to explore the outdoors. "Our nation has a great heritage of outdoor activity and stewardship," said Robyn Thorson, Midwest Regional Director, at the kick-off event. "Because we treasure the link between people and nature we've added Leave No Child Inside and similar initiatives to our agency's national priorities." Leave No Child Inside offers hundreds of year-round events in nature accessible to millions of children throughout the region, and a Chicago Wilderness Field Book to encourage fun and educational visits to local natural areas. The Leave No Child Inside Web site <www.kidsoutside.info> offers a wealth of information on how to connect kids and nature through Chicago Wilderness programs, lands and activities. Kids can play "Bat and Moth," find out how to raise monarch butterflies, Chicago Wilderness is a partnership of more than 200 public and private organizations working together to protect the Chicago region's natural spaces, help conserve the diversity of plants and animals, and enrich local residents' quality of life. The partnership forms a natural network spanning more than 300,000 acres of forests, prairies, savannas, wetlands, lakes and other protected open spaces, in southeastern Wisconsin, northeastern Illinois, northwestern Indiana, and southwestern Michigan. Georgia Parham, External Affairs, Bloomington, Indiana A teen gets close to nature at the Leave No Child Inside event at Chicago's Jackson Park. USFWS 8 / Fish & Wildlife News Summer/Fall 2007 service spotlight For years, Service employees have been connecting children with the land and with the agency's conservation mission. Today those efforts may be more important than ever. By David Eisenhauer At four feet six inches, 9-year-old Lexi Monroe isn't much taller than the clump of native bunchgrass she is trying to plant. Her knees are sinking in mud and her shovel is losing its battle with the hard-packed soil, but the freckled fourth grader is steadfastly determined to get her plant in the ground. Monroe and 36 of her classmates at Rockledge Elementary in Bowie, Maryland, are spending the warm spring morning installing vegetation in the school's backyard "wetland" under the guidance of Fish and Wildlife Service biologist Carolyn Kolstad. The knee-high trench behind the school serves as a living laboratory where the youngsters learn how to build habitat for local wildlife and receive a first-hand lesson in environmental conservation. As director of the Chesapeake Bay Field Office Schoolyard Habitat program, Kolstad provides a combination of biological expertise, onsite technical and design assistance and hands-on training for teachers and students — all the necessary components for implementing a successful student-led restoration project on school grounds. The students are involved every step of the way, from planning and design through grant writing, planting and community outreach. To date, the Service has assisted approximately 150 Maryland schools in completing wetland, meadow, and forest projects involving more than 30,000 students. An additional 50,000 to 60,000 students have used the restored habitat For years, Service employees have taught children about nature and respect for natural resources while accomplishing important wildlife habitat goals. But today those efforts may be more important than ever. Mounting evidence shows an increasing number of children are becoming disconnected from nature, preferring to spend time indoors immersed in a virtual reality of television, video games, and I-pods rather than explore the natural reality outside their front doors. Author Richard Louv, whose book Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder chronicles this trend, argues that increased urbanization, parental anxiety, residential development restrictions and structured play have kept children on a tight leash. This separation from the natural world can result in a host of physical and mental ailments, Louv warns — from childhood obesity to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder — and erode future support for conservation. "If this gap between children and nature continues to widen," he asks, "where will future conservationists come from?" Sparking a Conservation Ethic As the nation's primary conservation agency, the Service has a significant stake in answering that question. Alarmed by Louv's conclusions and steady declines in hunting and fishing license sales, the Service, The Conservation Fund and >> Lavonda Walton / USFWS back to nature sites as part of an integrated curriculum approach. Annually, the program provides training for hundreds of teachers and involves thousands of students in projects on school grounds that create habitat for wildlife, help to improve water quality and provide outdoor classrooms where students can interact with and observe natural resources daily. The Schoolyard Habitat program not only teaches children about natural systems, Kolstad says, but it also sows seeds of conservation in their budding young minds. "This may be the first time some of these students have ever planted a plant," she says. "The experience can forge a life-long connection to the natural world." These kinds of lessons are taking place at refuges, hatcheries, and Service field stations across the country — from the "Kids in the Creek" program, where high schoolers in Chelan County, Washington, assess stream health by identifying aquatic insects to the Prairie Wetlands Learning Center in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, where students spend a semester studying traditional subjects in an outdoor learning environment. Summer/Fall 2007 Fish & Wildlife News / 9 Below: Service biologist Carolyn Kolstad, director of the Chesapeake Bay Field Office's Schoolyard Habitat program (here with students from Rockledge Elementary in Maryland) explains thecacies of wetland plant plugs. It's gratifying to know the passion I have for the outdoors is being passed to the next generation — not because I tell them they should have this passion, but because they have been given the opportunity to discover it on their own." Carolyn Kolstad 10 / Fish & Wildlife News Summer/Fall 2007 "With big issues like climate change impacting our conservation mission, we will need every American to become part of the solution. Engaging children in our conservation and restoration efforts — from planting a tree to banding a duck — gives them a sense of connection to the natural world and personal empowerment that they can make a difference," Lemon said. "Whether they grow to be a biologist, a banker or a mechanic, we will need them to be aware and care about the natural world. That starts with connecting them with nature when they are young. When you see the light in a child's eyes when they come in contact with a wild animal, you know that you have kindled a flame in their soul." Making the Connections As this issue of Fish & Wildlife News shows, the Service hasn't been sitting on the sidelines when it comes to connecting children with nature. Dozens of hands-on conservation projects help restore habitat and wildlife species and teach children outdoor and scientific skills. Service employees also regularly give presentations at schools, provide expertise on field trips, conduct training for teachers, participate in summer camps, and help develop curricula and lesson plans that deal with natural resource issues. The Refuge System's nearly 100 million acres provide plentiful opportunities to reconnect children and family with the outdoors through the System's "Big Six" recreational uses — hunting, fishing, wildlife observation, nature photography, environmental education and interpretation. Nearly 40 million visitors enjoy refuges each year, and more than 300 refuges annually offer environmental education programs for some 700,000 students and teachers. Likewise, many hatcheries also provide excellent recreational and educational opportunities for schools and communities and regularly host events to share the Service's conservation message. Most programs and initiatives are done in collaboration with a variety of partners, including watershed groups, scouting groups, refuge and hatchery friends (Nature, continued) Louv organized a national dialogue on children and nature at the National Conservation Training Center (NCTC) in September 2006 to discuss the how to reconnect a generation of youth with the natural world — and secure the mental and physical health benefits that go with it. About 350 educators, health professionals and conservationists participated in the meeting, including Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne, Service Director H. Dale Hall, The Conservation Fund's President Larry Selzer, Executive Director of the North American Montessori Teachers' Association David Kahn and Yale University's Stephen Kellert. "Fishing and just playing around in the woods was an important part of my childhood," Hall says. "Our kids need to have a chance to tromp through a woodlot or muck around in a creek. That's the foundation of a healthy relationship with the outdoors and a way to spark a conservation ethic." In January 2007, the Service Directorate listed connecting people with nature as one of the agency's six top conservation priorities and created a national Children and Nature Working Group of field and regional office representatives from each program to map a course of action for the future. In December, the working group is sponsoring a national workshop at NCTC that will give Service employees new skills and training to help children and families develop strong life-long connections with the natural world. NCTC Director Rick Lemon, who leads the Service's Children and Nature Executive Team, says the agency — with its extensive land base and passionate and knowledgeable employees — is well positioned to help children reconnect with nature. But while the Service already provides public use opportunities — ranging from hunting, fishing, observing and photographing wildlife, or simply exploring and discovering connections to nature on refuges — Lemon says an "even greater and more focused effort is needed." service spotlight groups, volunteers and junior naturalist programs. The Service also regularly teams up with national conservation organizations such as Audubon, the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation, the National Wildlife Federation and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. Lemon says he is encouraged by the wide range of Service programs that connect children with nature, but suggests the agency needs to integrate existing and new programs with its five other top conservation priorities (National Wildlife Refuge System, endangered and threatened species, landscape conservation, aquatic species, and migratory birds) seek nontraditional partners, incorporate new technologies to reach kids and speak with one voice. The Service's children and nature initiative will include: n Develop a consistent message and materials to raise awareness within the Service and externally about the importance of connecting children to nature. n Identify opportunities within each region to connect children with nature. These will be either new efforts or a refocusing of existing efforts that better target children. n Reach out to urban environments and/or with traditionally underserved audiences. n Identify national campaigns or develop one Service-wide campaign to connect children to nature. Steve Hillebrand / USFWS Summer/Fall 2007 Fish & Wildlife News / 11 service spotlight Links to the Outdoors Here is a sampling of Web links for Service programs that connect children with nature. This is not an exhaustive list but demonstrates a range of activities designed to get kids outside and teach them the importance of conservation. Environmental Education <www.fws.gov/educators/students.html> <www.fws.gov/tennesseerefuge/kids corner.html> <www.fws.gov/sacramento/ed.htm> <www.fws.gov/nwi/educator.htm> <www.fws.gov/chesapeakebay/schoolyd.htm> <alaska.fws.gov/external/education/curricula.htm> <www.fws.gov/midwest/pwlc/aboutus.html> <alaska.fws.gov/external/education/camps.htm> Endangered Species <www.fws.gov/endangered/kids> Recreation <www.fws.gov/leavenworth/kidsfishingfun.htm> <www.fws.gov/midwest/fisheries/kidspage.htm> n Develop a Web site to provide a one-stop source of readily accessible information, outreach materials, curricula and lesson plans and a community of practice where practitioners can interact in posting best practices, success stories, questions and issues. n Analyze existing training courses and make adjustments and/or create new courses to build competency in Service employees to connect children with nature. n Work with traditional and nontraditional partners such as the healthcare community, educators, technology and medical companies to link efforts to get children outside into nature. "The core mission of the Service has not changed," Lemon says. "However, stressing the wellness benefits from connecting with nature in our outreach message is a paradigm shift for the Service; one that will surely reap rewards in terms of increased advocacy and conservation." Discovering the Passion For Carolyn Kolstad, connecting children with the outdoors is second nature. She sits on the ground behind Rockledge Elementary, encircled by a gaggle of young onlookers as she explains the intricacies of wetland plant plugs. Kolstad describes the different plant characteristics — roots, leaves, and in some cases, flowers — and explains that wetland plants have a unique ability to live under water. Her words are sinking in. "The Chesapeake Bay is a really good resource," says student Lisa Chen, 8, as she carefully pats the soil around tiny vegetation that will soon be submerged. "The Bay gives you food and powers the city." "Nitrogen and phosphorus makes the fish die in the Chesapeake Bay," pipes in 10-year-old Taylor Peterson. "A wetland is a natural filter. It gets out all the chemicals." Kolstad's duties as a teacher extend to her role as a member of the Service's Children and Nature Working Group and her life as a working mother. She says she spends most of her "free time" with her 2-year-old son playing outside and exploring the universe of living things in her own backyard. For her, connecting children with nature isn't a job; it's a labor of love. "The Service's children and nature initiative is important to me because I can see the connection kids are making with the outdoors," Kolstad says. "I see it in the eyes of children I've been fortunate to meet in my experience at work, and I see it in my own child's eyes. It's gratifying to know the passion I have for the outdoors is being passed to the next generation — not because I tell them they should have this passion, but because they have been given the opportunity to discover it on their own." For more information about the Service's children and nature initiative, visit <www.fws.gov/children> or e-mail Janet Ady, Chief, Division of Education Outreach at the National Conservation Training Center, at <email@example.com> David Eisenhauer is a public affairs specialist in Washington, DC. Additional reporting by Claire Markgraf; Cathy Rezabeck, outreach coordinator in Anchorage, Alaska; and Janet Ady, Chief, Division of Education Outreach at the National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. Refuges <www.fws.gov/blackwater/kidpage.html> <www.fws.gov/ridgefieldrefuges/adventure/index.htm> <www.fws.gov/rockymountainarsenal/kids/kids.htm> <www.fws.gov/refuges/profiles/recEdMore.cfm?ID=33670> <www.fws.gov/northeast/chinco/kids.htm> <www.fws.gov/northeast/primehook/kids corner.html> <www.fws.gov/saintmarks/education.html> <www.fws.gov/northeast/patuxent/events.html> <alaska.fws.gov/internettv/nwrtv/tetlintv/kids.htm> Fish Hatcheries <www.fws.gov/leavenworth/kc.htm> <www.fws.gov/dalehollow> Migratory Birds <184.108.40.206/index.cfm> <alaska.fws.gov/external/education/calendar.htm> <www.fws.gov/duckstamps/junior/junior.htm> <www.fws.gov/birds/urbantreaty.html> <www.fws.gov/birds/imbd.html> 12 / Fish & Wildlife News Summer/Fall 2007 When Kathy Jacobson was growing up in California, she roamed Wildwood Regional Park. "The defining moments in my life," she recalls, "were watching a tarantula hawk (a type of wasp) preying on a tarantula to use its body as a nesting site for her eggs. I also loved walking through the park's dry canyon for hours and seeing Chumash Indian pictographs on its walls. They lent an air of magical human habitation and deep rootedness in the land." Path to Discovery Kathy Jacobson and Janet Strong didn't just help restore a mile of riparian area on one of the biggest salmon-bearing rivers in Washington; they blazed a trail for lifelong learners. Story by Taylor Pittman Photos by Kathy Jacobson Today Jacobson directs the Chehalis Basin Educational Consortium (CBEC), a partnership composed of Educational Service District 113, the Washington State Departments of Ecology and Fish and Wildlife, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, several school districts, Grays Harbor College, the Chehalis River Land Trust and Council. The primary purpose of CBEC is to support the Chehalis watershed with environmental education that meets the state's learning goals while addressing issues in the watershed. Jacobson and Janet Strong, Director of the Chehalis River Bain Land Trust, were instrumental in getting Discovery Trail on the ground. The nature trail was built to help people of all ages learn the importance and value of the complex interrelationships between the land, the Chehalis River and the people who have inhabited the region for decades. The trail is the result of a partnership between the City of Centralia and the Chehalis River Basin Land Trust — a collaboration built on a mutual desire to protect wild salmon and to provide support to the riverbanks from flooding by planting thousands of native trees and shrubs along the river. The 1.5-mile long trail allows visitors to see a river-riparian ecosystem in action: bald eagles nesting, king fishers darting over the river in search of fish, a jumping salmon. Each trail station examines a different aspect of a working biological system. When Jacobson's CBEC classes got involved, science teachers expanded the experiential education program from students gathering data to planting trees, producing a nature guide and writing poetry about their experiences. The Chehalis River. The Discovery Trail was built to help people of all ages learn the importance and value of the complex interrelationships between the land, the Chehalis River and the people who have inhabited the region for decades. Jacobson says the students' "passion for learning is obvious." Summer/Fall 2007 Fish & Wildlife News / 13 "I learned to teach people to love the earth and not to change the environment for our needs." "If you live farther away from the harbor, your pollution will take longer to get there, but it will still get there." These lessons come from being outdoors, up to their armpits in water, dirt and trees. Jacobson and Strong didn't just help restore a mile of riparian area on one of the biggest salmon-bearing rivers in Washington; they blazed a trail for themselves and others in becoming lifelong learners and good citizens of the land. Taylor Pittman is an Information and Education Specialist for the Western Washington Fish and Wildlife Office in Lacey, Washington One teacher said, "This was the chance for the kids to see first hand how what we learn in school applies to the real world." "The students' passion for learning is obvious," Jacobson says. "When students participate in a real activity with real consequences, the learning objectives are being met and I never hear, 'I'm bored.'" Strong adds, "It is so rewarding to watch the kids working with wheelbarrows, shovels, their hands — they are so proud. They'd come back with friends to take walks. There's no doubt in me that these kids get a lot out of hands-on work." At year's end, the Chehalis Student Congress was held and students from all over the watershed came together to share and compare their data, participate in workshops given by resource professionals and view the art created. When asked about the most important thing they learned, students responded: "I learned to take care of and watch what we put in the rivers." By The Numbers The Discovery Trail Location Centralia, Washington Length 1 mile 7,000 trees planted from 2003-06 22 tree species planted in the last three years 700 participating students 20 participating teachers 100 participating parents 2,700 square miles of watershed Two students record their observations. 14 / Fish & Wildlife News Summer/Fall 2007 A Prescription for Healthy And besides, many kids will tell you they don't want to go outside. Why would they choose the challenges of the outdoors ("That's boring mom!") when they can be easily entertained by TV, video games and the internet? But our highly structured lives, lived primarily indoors, are not good for our children's health. Today we are raising a generation of children who have lost their connection with the outdoors. It is a crisis that has become known as "nature-deficit disorder." The result? In his book Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature Deficit Disorder, Richard Louv shows that this disconnect may play a big role in increased rates of obesity, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), depression and stress in our children. But today's children will have very different childhood memories. Today, we lead busy and highly structured lives. We get off of work and shuttle our children to sports practice and music lessons. Then we rush home in time to feed them, help them finish homework and get them into bed. This leaves them with no unscheduled time. When we do have some down time, most of parents today don't feel comfortable letting our kids roam free through the neighborhood without supervision. In fact, experts estimate that a child's range for roaming and wandering today is one-ninth of what ours was. For many parents, some of our best childhood memories are of the outdoors. Whether it was playing neighborhood freeze tag, building a fort in the nearby vacant lot, splashing around in a creek, or riding our bike to the park, most of us had a lot of fun playing outside. Our formative years consisted of hours of unstructured, outdoor play. Getting children outside is not just fun and games. Their health may depend on it. By Kyla Hastie and Shani Howard Pediatric care providers are particularly tuned into the problem of reduced time for unstructured play. They've known for a long time that getting children out and moving about burns calories, lowering the risk of childhood obesity. But new research shows additional benefits of outside play. A 2006 report from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) states that free and unstructured play is healthy — and in fact essential — for helping children reach important social, emotional, and cognitive developmental milestones. Unstructured play, whether indoors or outside, helps children manage stress and become resilient. Fortunately, "nature deficit disorder" is a problem parents and communities can solve. Spurred by the publication of Louv's book, a movement referred to as "No Child Left Inside" is sweeping the nation. Connecticut has launched a program to get children and parents out to state parks and provide more outdoor opportunities. Flickr / AJ Schroetlin Flickr / maxwell woods Summer/Fall 2007 Fish & Wildlife News / 15 Why Do Children Need Nature and Play? Research shows that children need to spend time in nature for physical, mental and emotional development. Here's why*: Nature reduces stress and lowers the risk of depression. Many studies have shown that a relationship with nature and animals lowers blood pressure, reduces stress, and wards off depression in both children and adults. Children work through issues by playing outdoors. When something is troubling you, how many of us have found quiet and solitude in the outdoors? Nature has a restorative, spiritual quality that enables children (and adults) to think more clearly. Outdoor experiences may combat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Children with ADHD are restless, and have trouble paying attention, listening, following directions, and focusing on tasks. Studies have found that TV may increase a child's likelihood of developing concentration problems, but that nature experiences may improve a child's ability to listen and focus. Children who spend more time outdoors may reduce their risk of obesity and other physical health problems. 40 percent of five- to eight-year-olds suffer cardiac risk factors such as obesity. Two-thirds of American children can't pass a basic physical. There is a growing body of evidence suggesting contact with nature is as important to children as good nutrition and adequate sleep. "Nature smart" children have heightened sensory skills. Outdoor environments challenge, excite, and stimulate our sense (while controlled, indoor electronic environments tend to drown our senses with noise and visual stimulation). Outdoor experiences help develop our kids' sense of sight, sound, smell, taste and touch all at once. Nature-connected kids tend to pay more attention to the world around them, often noticing things that others miss. They also tend to do better on standardized testing. Outdoor experiences foster more creativity. Natural spaces stimulate children's limitless imaginations. Children who connect with nature may be more inventive and better problem solvers due to the hands-on learning that the outdoors provides. Learn more about nature-deficit disorder and the AP's study on the importance of play at: <www.cnaturenet.org> <greenhour.blogspot.com> <www.aap.org/pressroom/play-public.htm> Many school districts are restoring previous cuts in outdoor playtime and investing in outdoor classrooms where children can learn through direct contact with nature. And in some communities, developers are rethinking how they build neighborhoods to include areas where children can play safely. Health care providers are also addressing this problem. As a result of the AAP report on children and play, health care providers have been given new guidelines for patients and parents, which include recommending that all children be afforded ample, unscheduled, independent, non-screen time to be creative, to reflect, and to decompress. Health care providers are also encouraged to be advocates for developing safe spaces for children to play. As Louv says, "Healing the broken bonds between our young and nature is in everyone's self-interest, not only because aesthetics or justice demands it, but also because our mental, physical and spiritual health depend upon it." Time is one of the most valuable resources, so reserve some of it for your kids to get outside and play. It's not just for fun. Their health depends on it. This article was adapted from one that appeared in the March/April 2007 issue of Athens Parent magazine. Kyla Hastie is an outreach and partnerships coordinator for the Service's Southeast Regional Office in Atlanta. Shani Howard is a nurse practitioner at Oconee Pediatric Associates in Watkinsville, Georgia. terri jacobson / usfws 16 / Fish & Wildlife News Summer/Fall 2007 Class is in session at the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge. By Cindy Samples A Winona State University pre-service teacher shows students how to identify macroinvertebrates. Summer/Fall 2007 Fish & Wildlife News / 17 A crew of fifth graders climbs aboard the River Explorer and soon the boat is filled with excitement. Children on the top deck try out binoculars and learn where the "head" is located (they love the captain's "sailor talk"). One young boy named Jordan asks if I am a "cop" and whether he can keep the pair of binoculars I hand him. Today 30 students, parents, teachers, pre-service teachers from Winona State University have joined staff from the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge to explore the refuge by water. Captain Dick Karnath, a veteran riverboat pilot who goes by the name "Captain Kutch," steers the boat away from the dock and we are underway. "How many of you have ever been on the river?" I ask. Most hands go up. "How many of you have ever been on the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge?" Only a few hands go up. Then I ask, "What is a refuge?" Young Jordan replies that it is a "place where animals are protected." I point to a white refuge sign and explain that on this refuge people can hunt, fish, hike, boat, and watch wildlife — so refuges are for people, too. In collaboration with refuge staff, Winona State University developed this interdisciplinary program to use the river refuge as a natural "classroom." The River Explorer is the conduit by which students can explore a myriad of subjects from poetry to sociology. "Through our summer workshops, teachers learn first-hand about the refuge and then they get to bring their students on a river field trip once school is in session," said WSU Chemistry Professor Jeanne Franz. "That's a great way to connect the teachers and students with this refuge. Surveys from the workshop indicate that the teachers and student teachers are much more likely to incorporate the Refuge into their curriculum as a result of traveling through the refuge with a refuge staff member onboard." I instruct the crew to view an eagle nest with their binoculars. One student exclaims, "I see two heads!" Another says, "Look there's something in the water is that a beaver?" "It's a river rat! It's a muskrat." Noah, one of the Winona State University pre-service teachers, shows the students how to use their "Discovery Scopes" and teaches them how to identify macroinvertebrates. "Those guys are really important to the animals on the river," he says. "Fish eat them, ducks eat them, and you're going to discover what they look like. They are tiny so you need the Scopes to see and identify them. Let's go overboard." The children comb the river's edge scooping up water. Soon there are shouts of, "Oh my goodness, it's moving, I found a bug! Look there's a worm thingy in here! Ranger Cindy what is this? I got a baby dragonfly in here! Look at mine — it's a baby mosquito!" All too soon the children are back on the boat as we motor upriver to the lunch stop and canoe launch. The water is cold today, so they will stay in their canoes and avoid the temptation to swim. After a day on the river refuge, the River Explorer docks at Winona, Minnesota and the children file off one by one. Jordan, the young boy who asked if I was a cop looks up at me and says, "That was awesome." WSU sociology professor Todd Paddock says the students' day on the river reinforces their connection to nature and helps the understand the importance of conserving the Upper Mississippi's natural treasures. "I had a class of 28 students sign up for my sociology class. When I told them the class included a weekend trip on the river refuge and that they needed to be ready to get wet and muddy, the class size dropped to nine," Paddock says. "It just shows why I need to get them out on the river. Next time I won't say anything about water or mud. I truly believe that once they get their feet wet it will create a connection and they'll begin caring about and for the river refuge." Cindy Samples is a Refuge Ranger at Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge Cindy Samples / USFWS flickr / daisy baxter Cindy Samples / USFWS 18 / Fish & Wildlife News Summer/Fall 2007 By Jennifer Anderson Summer/Fall 2007 Fish & Wildlife News / 19 One morning in early June, a group of about 10 Girl Scouts in rubber boots and waders revisited a wetland area they helped create a year earlier through a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service partnership. Each year, this innovative partnership is encouraging more than 35,000 Girl Scouts to work with agencies to identify conservation and outdoor projects in their communities. provide them with opportunities to restore native habitats, expose them to careers in the outdoors and help them understand their roles as caretakers of the land. The Shawnee Council's Camp White Rock project was launched in 2004 when the Service agreed to help restore land the Girl Scouts use for educational purposes. The Council applied for a $3,000 Linking Girls to the Land grant, funded by the Girl Scouts' Elliott Wildlife Values Project, U.S. Forest Service, EPA and Fish and Wildlife Service, making the Shawnee proposal among 20 that year to receive the competitive grant. Jodi Schwarzer, national manager of Linking Girls to the Land for the Girl Scouts, explained that the Council's proposal appealed at a national level because it carried an educational component likely to result in the partnership lasting beyond the scope of the immediate project. Partners for Fish and Wildlife State Coordinator John Schmidt from the West Virginia Field Office, joined by members of the state Department of Natural Resources, visited the site and developed a preliminary design for the creation of the wetland. An archaeologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Morgantown determined the land contained nothing of archaeological significance, and in April 2006, the U.S. Corps of Engineers issued a Clean Water Act permit for the wetland reconstruction, clearing the way for the project to proceed. >> The girls, all middle- and high-school aged, were taking inventory of the native grasses and invasive species growing in the wetland, built on their 140- acre Camp White Rock outdoor classroom in Hampshire County, West Virginia. An abundance of dragonflies, deer, raccoons, frogs and other creatures once scarce in the area are now drawn to the marsh. "If we expose children to the beauty of nature, they will be more inclined to treat the natural world with respect and work to protect it," said Sue Jarvis, chief operating officer for the Girl Scouts of Shawnee Council in West Virginia. The partnership between the Shawnee Council and the Service is not unique. Across America, Girl Scout councils are joining together with Service biologists to restore nature. They are planting native grasses, pulling invasive weeds, studying wetland habitats and planning conservation projects on their privately owned and public lands. Begun in 1995 between the Girl Scouts of the USA and several federal agencies including the Fish and Wildlife Service, Environmental Protection Agency and Bureau of Land Management, the Linking Girls to the Land partnership encourages more than 35,000 Girl Scouts each year to work with agencies to identify conservation and outdoor projects in their communities. The partnerships not only enhance Girl Scout leadership skills and their appreciation for nature but also Girl Scouts search for macroinvertebrates at Ditch Creek in the Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. A cold, wet day at Daubenspeck Community Nature Park in Indianapolis doesn't deter these girls from hauling mulch and planting trees. Jodi Stewart Deborah Ellman Schwarzer / Girl Scostu of hte USA 20 / Fish & Wildlife News Summer/Fall 2007 Prairie Partnership In Iowa, where 99 percent of the native prairie land has been lost to development and agriculture, a Girl Scout-Fish and Wildlife partnership led to the restoration of prairie habitat on the 340-acre Girl Scout Camp Conestoga, near New Liberty, Iowa. The project got its start in 2004 when Girl Scout council staff member Hillary Blevins approached Kraig McPeek, biologist with the Rock Island, Illinois Ecological Field Office, and explained that the Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois had already restored two plots totaling 11 acres and were interested in restoring a third. McPeek's office is experienced in working with both private landowners and nonprofit organizations and was eager to help the Girl Scouts restore some of their property, both for educational purposes and to protect wildlife. The partnership received not only a $2,500 Linking Girls to the Land grant but also obtained an $1,800 grant through the Partners for Fish and Wildlife program, to purchase native prairie seed. McPeek described the six-acre plot as "marginal old pasture" running along a hillside and overrun with poison ivy and other invasive grasses, trees and shrubs. A contractor already on-site repairing roads for the Girl Scouts cleared the land and seeded it with a mix of 50 different grass and flower species, all native to Iowa. Unlike the two other plots previously restored as either all grasses or all flowers, the six-acre plot offers a mix, which should add to the girls' understandings of native vegetation and the different species they attract, McPeek said. Although construction is complete, this partnership has also not ended. Service biologists are teaching the Girl Scouts about how fire and other wildlife management techniques are used to care for the prairie, and plans are underway to expand the curriculum to include one-day seminars on identifying butterflies or other prairie-related topics hosted by Fish and Wildlife Service biologists. Within two months, heavy equipment operators from Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge and the West Virginia Field Office, in just one day, completed construction of a short dike and spillway to create approximately a half-acre of wetland within Camp White Rock under the direction of Al Rizzo, state coordinator of Partners for Fish and Wildlife in the Chesapeake Bay Field Office. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists seeded and mulched the area, and the water was allowed to fill in naturally. "The girls benefit because they are learning the science behind what these agencies are doing and developing real connections to their public lands. This type of hands-on involvement leads to a genuine and life-long commitment to care for our planet." Jodi Schwarzer, national manager of the Linking Girls to the Land program for the Girl Scouts The Girl Scouts have been exploring the wetlands since they were developed and going out monthly since January, said Jarvis, of the Shawnee Council. They are observing wildlife, looking at microscopic organisms and learning to identify the native and invasive species. The partnership already is proving itself sustainable; establishment of the wetland led to a $32,600 grant awarded to the council this past June from the West Virginia Commission for National and Community Service. The funds are to be used to develop outdoor educational programs on marsh ecosystems. Future goals include having the Service teach the girls about wetland habitats and their importance in the ecosystem. Summer/Fall 2007 Fish & Wildlife News / 21 Because of the success of the project, McPeek is confident the partnership will not only continue but enable his office to use the Camp Conestoga project as an example for other landowners and organizations in Iowa that would like to pursue habitat restorations. Just as the land benefits, so do the girls. "They are learning the science behind what these agencies are doing and developing real connections to the public lands," stated Schwarzer, Linking Girls to the Land National Manager. "This type of hands-on involvement leads to a genuine and life-long commitment to care for our planet." Jennifer Anderson is a freelance writer living in Falls Church, Virginia Going Wild When lifelong field ecologist Julie Concannon, an environmental contaminants team leader for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Portland, Oregon, became leader of a local Girl Scout troop in 2005, she couldn't wait to get the girls out in nature. But her expectations crashed when several of the 11- to 14-year-olds showed up for a camping and hiking trip along muddy trails in flip-flops and cotton pants and with Teddy bears in tow. "I realized on that first camping trip that connections to the landscape take time and are experienced differently by each girl," she recalled. Elaborate outdoors plans gave way to learning the basics such as how to use a compass, pack a backpack, cook in a Dutch oven and keep an adequate supply of food and water at all times — even in the city. Co-leader Cynthia Carlton shows Zoe Naimo how to use a compass. The girls will have to decide on the project — whether it's pulling invasive plant species, restoring a riparian area or countless other possibilities — and the location. Some projects may be pricier than others, but all are doable as long as the girls are motivated and creative in their fundraising. As Concannon put it: "Their opportunities are limited only by their imaginations." But are the girls ready to do their part for the planet? When Concannon asked, 15-year-old Girl Scout Lindsey Carter replied, "I would do it because it makes me feel good inside." Even the youngest of the troop, 11-year-old Zoe Naimo, said: "I would do anything to save nature." Jennifer Anderson After nine months of "basic training," the girls asked to go on a "real" camping trip. To Concannon's delight, they were ready to connect with a wild landscape. She decided to push the girls to the next step, applying in June for a Linking Girls to the Land grant to partner with the National Wildlife Refuge System in the Northwest and Pacific Islands to restore a part of nature. Julie Concannon / USFWS Anne S. Fege A Service biologist teaches Girl Scouts about insects in their local environment. 22 / Fish & Wildlife News Summer/Fall 2007 "How much farther do we have to go?" the girl behind me asks. "How long do we have to walk?" her friend chimes in. "This could be a very long hike," I think as I lead 20 third graders along the Painted Desert Trail at Imperial National Wildlife Refuge north of Yuma, Arizona. The trail is just over a mile, and we've barely begun. "We have quite a ways to go," I tell the girls. "Good! Because this is so fun!" Big cities offer many choices and opportunities that are unavailable in a remote town the size of Yuma. Children from Yuma have no zoo and few museums. Their connection with nature is limited, and they may be only vaguely aware of its significance. They may live in the desert, but they don't live the desert. Imperial National Wildlife Refuge offers the chance to experience what these children learn in the classroom. Today we are awakening their senses to the desert that surrounds them. "We'll look for signs of water," I told the hikers before we stepped onto the trail. But when I asked them what those signs might be, they merely stared at me. Senses in the Imperial National Wildlife Refuge is an oasis of life and learning for thirsty young minds. By Betty Mulcahy Now we stop at a dry wash striated by occasional water flow. I ask if anyone sees signs of water. Several point to the cracked dried mud. "That's right. And what about erosion on the hillside? Does anyone know what erosion means?" "We've discussed this in class," the teacher is quick to remind the pupils as they peer up at the deep grooves, beginning to connect what they've only read or heard about with what they are now witnessing. We walk down a wash to a wide, flat space populated with cactus, creosote, palo verde, and numerous other plants. As I cup my hands around a creosote branch, breathe on it and inhale, I invite the class to join me. The children surround the bush and inhale the acrid odor. "It smells like rain!" several announce. They know from experience something I had to learn on my first trip to the desert. I smile at their discovery. When I ask why none of the plants have large leaves, they eagerly recall what they've learned at school. It's becoming real for them. One young girl brings me a leaf she has plucked from a brittlebush. "Why is this soft?" she asks. The bush will regrow the leaf, but it has piqued the girl's curiosity. She is paying attention to details. "As we walk, let's look for holes where animals live," I tell the group. Intrigued, the students locate a hillside riddled with various sized and shaped burrows. "There are some tracks!" one declares after investigating the entrances to these homes. Increasingly, the children are honing their observation skills. They begin seeing signs and details that I miss. And I begin to understand why people teach. Igniting excitement and awareness in these students has augmented my own senses. "Now see if you can count the number of colors in the rocks as we walk," I say. Soon we stop again to investigate the different shades. They come up with "reddish-orange" and "pinkish-brownish-whitish" and "purple-maroon" and "green." One child comes up with "blue." "Blue?" I ask. But then I realize that some of the dark gray could appear blue. I've learned something. After climbing a steep incline, we stop at the highest point of the trail. "Does anyone see a sign of water in the distance?" I ask. Answers of erosion and caked mud abound. "Look farther," I insist. "Way in the distance." "It's green," one child offers. Then someone spots the ribbon of blue. "That's the Colorado River," I say. "If you were a bighorn sheep, that's where you'd have to go for a drink. How many of you would want to travel that far just to Chuck Mulcahy / USFWS Summer/Fall 2007 Fish & Wildlife News / 23 Desert drink?" Most shake their heads. One, however, offers to walk the six hilly, rocky miles right now. I admire his enthusiasm. When we descend again to the wash, I ask the group to sit on the gravel. "Close your eyes and listen," I say. "Each time you hear a different sound, hold up a different finger." I give the children one minute of silence with their eyes closed. It must seem an eternity, but not one makes a sound except for an occasional foot crunching the little stones. "Open your eyes," I say when time is up. "What did you hear?" One child heard an insect buzzing in her ear. Another heard the wind through the trees. Still another heard an airplane in the distance. "I heard a lion roar," one proclaims. I don't dispute it. Imaginations have been sharpened this morning. We're coming to the end of the hike, and I have heard few if any complaints. "I want to stay here," one boy says. "Aren't you hungry?" his friend asks. "Yes. But I'd rather stay here than eat." I don't try to hide my satisfaction. Making a difference in a child's life, I find, also makes a difference in mine. Now the children are continually pointing out signs of water and animal burrows and colors in rocks. They are excited with their discoveries. When we round one more hill, the parking lot comes into view. A boy in front of the line marches toward the bus. "This is the most funnest field trip I ever been on!" he declares. "Even better than Sea World!" I wonder if this child has ever been to Sea World. Nevertheless, I stop him long enough to give him a hug. This is one of the most funnest things I've ever done too! Chattering with new awe, the children board the bus. I may have awakened their senses, but they have awakened my sense of wonder. Betty Mulcahy is a Volunteer Interpretive Naturalist at Imperial National Wildlife Refuge in Yuma, Arizona Chuck Mulcahy / USFWS Imperial National Wildlife Refuge offers children the chance to experience what they learn in the classroom. The author teaches young conservationists about life in the desert. Illustrations by Tim Knepp Black-footed Ferret American Alligator kids coloring page California Condor Share this pull-out section with a child to further his or her interest in nature. Polar Bear Emperor Penguin Sea Turtle Gray Wolf kids coloring page Bald Eagle 26 / Fish & Wildlife News Summer/Fall 2007 science Traditional caches are located all over the world. But since leaving behind a cache in federal wildlife refuges is illegal, there's another component to geocaching that entices participants to these wonderful wildlife areas: Virtual caching. With a virtual cache, participants use clues, GPS waypoints and landmarks to get themselves to a particular spot in the reserve. Clever virtual caches can include amazing scenic spots, lesser-known public trails, key bird watching spots, locations of natural mineral deposits, or other natural wonders. It's low-impact treasure hunting at its best. To assist local cachers, rangers at the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge in Minnesota created a special virtual cache with multiple locations and questions. When cachers complete the entire circuit, they return to Treasure Hunting Geocaching — a new-age combination of orienteering and hide-and-seek — gets families around the world out and hiking together. By Kathleen M. Reilly Janell Lovelace's three-year old son, Bram, is an experienced treasure hunter. And we're not just talking pretend treasures, either. Bram hikes through forests and down trails until his parents' Global Positioning System (GPS) lets his family know they're getting close to the treasure they're seeking. Once they're close enough, Bram rummages among the fallen leaves and peers into tree stumps, until — eureka! Hidden treasure! The Durham, North Carolina family is part of a growing worldwide trend — geocaching. This new-age combination of orienteering and hide-and-seek gets families around the world out and hiking together. Here's how it works: Someone hides a treasure box ("cache") and notes its coordinates — its unique position on the globe. Then, they post those coordinates online at <www.geocaching.com, along with an optional clue. Other geocachers can then use their own GPS systems to track down the cache. It's not as easy as it sounds, though. The GPS will only get you so close, and then it's up to old-fashioned detective work to find the cache itself, usually a sealed rubber container or army ammo box. Inside, treasure hunters will find a logbook to sign and date, and an assortment of trinkets to choose from. They then replace the loot with a trinket of their own — small toys, CDs, movies, books, and such — and carefully hide the container back in the same place for the next player to find. photo collage / fred mcwilson the headquarters to report back and collect a reward. Cachers have been amazed at the wildlife they've spotted and thrilled to discover new trails they'd previously overlooked. For families, geocaching is just the ticket to get outdoors and explore nature — what kid could resist a treasure hunt? An added benefit of virtual cache: It helps kids really look closely at nature's beauty as they work the clues and seek out natural landmarks. For your first few caches with the kids, look for caches that are easy to find and in easy terrain (they're clearly marked online). If you're choosing your destinations from the online site, read through the log entries to see if other people have had a lot of difficulty getting to the cache. Bushwhacking with young children can be a quick way to a frustrating outing. Summer/Fall 2007 Fish & Wildlife News / 27 Many geocachers keep a backpack just for geocaching, loaded with what they need, so they can just grab it and go when the urge for adventure hits. Stock your bag with your GPS unit, a local map, flashlight, bug sprays, pens, small first aid kit, and binoculars for checking out the nature scenes. Geocaching is not only fun, but it's a great way to get out and exercise as a family, too, says Maria Nardini, fitness manager of the Duke Health and Fitness Center in North Carolina. "When you're hiking, especially in that kind of environment, there's going to be a variety of terrain," she says. "It's a variety of ways to challenge the body. You may be climbing a steep hill, which is an interval workout, and then return to flat ground, where you're getting a good cardiovascular benefit." One of the best rules of geocaching gives kids a hands — on way to care for the environment, too: Cache In, Trash Out. In an effort to preserve and improve the natural areas of the world, geocachers are asked to tread lightly on the land — and actually help improve it, too — by bringing along a bag to remove any litter you come across in your outings. It's not only Jamie Harper / USFWS A Saint Mary's University (Minnesota) student shows high schoolers from Riverway Learning Community Charter School how to use a GPS unit. Using their GPS device, two young geocachers close in on the "treasure." Kathleen M. Reilly Geocaching returns a sense of outdoor adventure to a world dominated with indoor entertainment. Kathleen M. Reilly For families, geocaching is just the ticket to get outdoors and explore nature. What kid can resist a treasure hunt? helping the environment, but it's setting a great example for your children. "We've carried out dozens of bags of trash from public parks over the past year," Lovelace says. Getting out in search of treasure returns a sense of outdoor adventure to our world dominated with indoor entertainment, and families across the country are enthusiastically jumping into geocaching. And it's helping their families grow closer, too. "A family that does this kind of activity together is likely to support each other in other types of activities, too, and will continue to do so long-term," says Nardini. And that's one treasure you'll always keep close. Kathleen M. Reilly is a freelance writer in North Carolina. She and her family are avid geocachers. 28 / Fish & Wildlife News Summer/Fall 2007 example, is regularly offered at Patuxent National Wildlife Research Refuge. Teachers leave the workshop with an interdisciplinary curriculum guide covering science, math, social studies, physical education, environmental, music, art and education. Erika Scarborough, education specialist at John Heinz at Tinicum National Wildlife Refuge in Philadelphia, concluded that training teachers would give them ownership over the content, thus better engaging the many urban students who come to the refuge. Scarborough offers "pre-field trip orientations" one Saturday a month so that teachers can return with their students and lead their own activities. Heinz Refuge also offers a wide variety of other courses and workshops for teachers of all grade levels throughout the school year, covering everything from wetlands, biodiversity, energy, trees and songbirds. A nominal fee is charged and participants earn continuing education credits. The workshops build confidence and knowledge among teachers, who are often as unfamiliar with green spaces as their students. Scarborough remembers one teacher involved in a hands-on activity who said she had "never seen a real live frog." One student who came to the refuge said it was the "first time she ever planted something that wasn't in a paper cup." Further west, new professional development projects for teachers focus on a single location or a single species. The Matagorda Island Teacher Workshop Cooperative Initiative, which involves staff and Friends of Aransas and Matagorda Island at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge has created an annual workshop that shows teachers an array of learning opportunities on Matagorda Island. Twelve teachers attended the first workshop in November 2006, sleeping in a bunkhouse on the island and spending two days with naturalists from the refuge and local partner organizations. They tried their hand at birding, observing the ecology of beaches and marshes, stargazing and photography. Teachers earned continuing education credits and received curriculum guides that enable them to meet Texas public school requirements to educate middle and high school students about coastal resources. Tonya Stinson, environmental education specialist at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, was the prime mover behind the teacher initiative. The Friends organization provided financial and administrative support. Stinson believes it's important for successful professional development initiatives to fill a need that hasn't already been met and take advantage of as many local partners as possible. At Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico, an effort to provide educators with information about the endangered Mexican gray wolf led to design of an education outreach program focused on the wolf. In 2005, several retired teachers volunteered to help the refuge create an educator's guide. The guide includes activities for pre-school through twelfth grade and will eventually be available online. In the "Build a Wolf" lesson, for example, elementary students learn about wolf adaptations as they dress up in a costume that includes large teeth, ears, feet and a fluffy tail. Middle school students play a hunting game to learn about predator/prey relationships. High school students become members of a fictitious "Wolf Reintroduction Team;" they must decide where and how to reintroduce Mexican gray wolves and then defend their recommendations. More than 150 guides have been distributed to educators, from those who teach in public, tribal and parochial schools and those who provide home schooling. Last year, the refuge's wolf outreach program reached more than 650 students and 100 teachers, according to Kimberly King-Wrenn, visitor services professional at Sevilleta Refuge. "While the Mexican gray wolves are still searching to find their place in the southwest," says King-Wrenn, "wolf education has found a home at Sevilleta Refuge." Karen Leggett, NWRS Communications, Washington, DC around the service Heinz Refuge Environmental Education Specialist Erika Scarborough teaches a Project WILD workshop to local teachers. They are on the deck of the Cusano Environmental Education Center, which opened to the public in January 2001. Bill Buchanan / USFWS headquarters Teaching the Teachers A biology teacher suggests that a student try working for the Youth Conservation Corps in the summer. An elementary school teacher teaches children to write poetry on a refuge. Another conveys math concepts by asking students to calculate how many acres need to be planted to feed migratory birds on a refuge. Engaging the next generation means not only encouraging young people to think of conservation careers but also educating them to become knowledgeable citizens enthusiastic about conservation. That often starts with teachers. Many refuges offer professional development programs for teachers. They are often created by private nonprofit organizations. Many of these programs are being correlated to new public school curriculum standards. A Project Wild course created by the nonprofit Council for Environmental Education, for Summer/Fall 2007 Fish & Wildlife News / 29 exploring a rocky stretch of the Potomac River shoreline provided many opportunities for discovery, reflection and sharpening photo skills. Additional nature experiences and image-making occurred during a day-long field trip to Patuxent Research Refuge, where the campers witnessed and photographed the refuge's conservation work. Unlike many environmental education programs where time outdoors is limited or omitted entirely, the campers spent most of their time in nature. And by having one of their photographic prints framed and exhibited in a public forum at NCTC last fall, each camper could share his or her view of the outdoors through the camera lens. Perhaps the photo camp's most visible measure of success is the fact that half of last year's participants signed up for the session conducted at NCTC this summer. This summer's camp session was expanded to six days. In addition to the field trip to a national wildlife refuge, the campers also visited the National Zoo's Conservation and Research Center in Front Royal, Virginia. There they learned about the important conservation work done by zoos. National Geographic photographer Steve Uzzell visited with the kids and provided tips on nature photography as a potential career. NCTC's Matt Poole and Bill Wallen, an experienced nature photographer and volunteer for the Potomac River National Wildlife Refuge Complex, served as the primary instructors. Because the basic model of the photo camp is so easily adaptable, NCTC developed a video-based case study of the camp session in July and August. The case study and other resources comprised a new "tool kit" that will be made available to national wildlife refuges and other Service field stations that have an interest in starting their own local nature photography programs for kids and their families. The success of the Digital Nature Photography Day Camp supports the idea that technology can be used to facilitate meaningful connections between children and nature. During a focus group that was conducted in conjunction with NCTC's conference about children and nature, one student spoke to the spirit of the day camp when she urged adults to "take those activities which we enjoy...and move them outside!" Matt Poole, Conservation Land Management, National Conservation Training Center, Shepherdstown, West Virginia around the service Nature Through the Looking Glass Television, video games, computers and other forms of technology are frequently blamed for keeping children inside. But these same technologies can also open a door to nature for kids growing up in a digital age. This premise led to the genesis of the Digital Nature Photography Day Camp, an innovative educational partnership between the National Conservation Training Center (NCTC), Potomac Valley Audubon Society and Nikon USA. Eight high school students participated in the inaugural session of the camp at NCTC during summer 2006. The goal of the five-day camp was to directly engage children in a variety of nature-based experiences in the course of practicing newly learned photography skills. Live raptors from Cunningham Falls State Park in Maryland provided the opportunity for the students to practice wildlife photography "up close and personal." Simple, unstructured time spent investigating a butterfly garden, wandering NCTC's trails, and Fun on the Water Boating and fishing are great ways to spend time outdoors, experience new places, learn about different types of wildlife and connect children with nature — whether at home or in the classroom. Formed in 1997 by congressional action to address a trend in declining angler and boater participation, the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation (RBFF) offers grants for boating and fishing programs, free educational materials and extensive "How to" and "Where to" information for first-time anglers and boaters. The National PE Grants Initiative — or PhyshED — engages kids in the classroom, providing grant funding to PE teachers to design and deliver boating and fishing as part of their regular physical education curriculum. Texas educator Mark Fobian has used the RBFF grant to help his third-, fourth- and fifth-graders learn fish anatomy, filleting and cooking. His students collect insects, identify them through >> Craig Springer / USFWS Mat Poole / USFWS 30 / Fish & Wildlife News Summer/Fall 2007 The Service has a partnership with the Coevolution Institute, the nonprofit administrator for a collaboration known as the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign (NAPPC). Through NAPPC, more than 100 government, private, university, and nonprofit organizations are working to promote the health of resident and migratory North American pollinators. NAPPC partners have created a variety of educational products on pollinators. The most exciting is Nature's Partners: Pollinators, Plants and You: a comprehensive pollinator curriculum for grades 3-6. The curriculum is available online <www.nappc.org/curriculum>. NAPPC also has a Web site with tools helpful to educators, such as information on gardening for pollinators, things children can do to help pollinators and fact sheets on pollinators and wildlife. These documents and links are located in the "Resources" section of the <www.pollinator.org> . For more information contact <firstname.lastname@example.com> or visit <www.fws.gov/ pollinators>. Dolores A. Savignano, Division of Environmental Quality, Arlington, Virginia Learning About the Birds and Bees What do raspberries, chocolate, and almonds have in common? Besides being best-selling ice cream sundae toppings, they are also foods from plants that require pollinators. Raspberries are typically pollinated by bees, as are almonds. Chocolate is pollinated by a small fly called a midge. Pollinators are critically important to both the ecosystem and the U.S. economy. More than 75 percent of the flowering plants rely on pollinators, and honey bees alone are responsible for an estimated $15 billion worth of pollinator services to agriculture in the U.S. Many of our fruits, vegetables, and nuts, as well as other food products rely on pollinators. Pollinators include endangered and threatened species, such as the long-nosed bat, and migratory birds, such as the ruby-throated hummingbird. Activities centered on pollinators are a great way to connect children to nature, and questions can be explored with little or no equipment required. For example, how are wind-pollinated flowers distinguished from animal-pollinated flowers? What does the color, shape or smell of a flower tell us about its pollinator? What happens if pollinators are not available? Information on pollinators can be combined with tips on good nutrition, since diets high in fruits and vegetables (foods dependent on pollinators) are healthy. Without animal pollinators, our diets would be much more limited and less flavorful. We are not the only animals whose diets include animal-pollinated food. Fruits and berries are a component of the diet of many birds and some mammals, such as bears. children with nature. From there, we can teach them how to properly care for these precious resources." RBFF offers other programs and resources aimed at piquing children's interest in outdoor activities. The Passport to Fishing and Boating Program, which many organizations use to plan events throughout the year and during National Fishing and Boating Week in June, provides materials to enable even non-anglers and boaters to introduce the sports to kids and families. To help newcomers get started, RBFF also offers downloadable tip sheets on kids and freshwater fishing, basic boat care, fishing terminology, how to tie knots and more. These materials may be downloaded at <www.RBFF.org>. RBFF's TakeMeFishing.org Web site hosts a database with more than 11,000 locations to boat and fish. Site visitors can search by state, region or zip code to get all the information they need to plan a day on the water, including "Family Friendly Hot Spots" — places to fish and boat that make it easy to take the family. The site also features the Kids Fishing Hall of Fame, where parents, friends and relatives can honor the accomplishments of junior anglers. For more information about RBFF programs that help connect children with nature, visit <www.RBFF.org>. Stephanie West, Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation, Alexandria, Virginia (Fun, continued) microscopes and determine water quality. They also measure, tag and release their fishing catch and log all the information online. "With many parents working two jobs and kids engaged in computers and videogames, they don't have the opportunity to get outdoors," Fobian says. Another grant program introduces kids to fishing and boating in a family setting at local parks. RBFF and the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) created the Take Me Fishing™ Community Grants Initiative that helps local park and recreation directors offer instruction and loaner equipment, and provide convenient access to safe, public fishing and boating facilities. According to RBFF Education and Outreach Manager Jim Stewart, "Providing meaningful introductions to these activities at safe, family-friendly public facilities can help spark and sustain children's interest and participation, and expose these activities to families of all backgrounds and incomes." Kathy Spangler, NRPA's director of national partnerships, says the grant program raises awareness about more than just boating and fishing. "Public lands don't exist without stewardship, and people of all ages need to understand how to conserve them," she says. "We see the programs as a valuable first step in reconnecting around the service Summer/Fall 2007 Fish & Wildlife News / 31 students release their salmon fry into the wild, wondering where they may end up. In addition to in-class learning, many of these classes have "adopted" nearby streams where they take field trips to test water quality, wade in the water looking for water bugs, and learn about soil composition and how it factors into plant growth for particular habitats. Students also are learning valuable testing techniques and data collection skills that are reflected in their journal entries. Service learning projects are woven into other class projects during the school year, such as tree planting, trash removal and trail work. Stream adoptions are a cooperative effort with other federal agencies and local conservation districts. Cheri Anderson, Information and Education Manager, Underwood, Washington Salmon in the Classroom Sixteen fourth- and fifth-grade classes throughout Washington's Columbia River Gorge are learning about the extraordinary world of the Pacific salmon by raising the endangered fish in their classrooms. The "Salmon in the Classroom" program is provided by the Service's Columbia Gorge Information and Education Office. During the past eight years, students have come to anticipate the "fish lady" who frequents their classroom to teach them all sorts of interesting things about salmon and lead them on outdoor adventures. The schools also do their part: teachers decorate their classrooms with stuffed and colored salmon; children's literature about salmon crams book shelves; school walls are adorned with unique art and stories about salmon; music classes teach songs with salmon themes; and several of the schools hold evening showcases to allow parents to see and hear what their children have learned about this miraculous fish. The course begins with a visit to the Spring Creek National Fish Hatchery so students can see salmon spawning. The eggs collected from these adults are later taken to classrooms for students to observe. During the next few months, students write daily journal entries, use math to compute hatch dates and percent survival, and learn about the importance of habitat and the salmon's amazing ability to adapt to its environment. As the young salmon grow, students begin feeding them daily. They continue to observe and document the species' growth and survival. The program culminates when Washington Ecological Services Field Office in Washington State. It is a great example of an adaptable outdoor learning experience that not only connects students to nature but instills respect for watersheds for years to come. It also meets Washington State academic learning targets and provides teacher planning and event logistical guidelines. The program is the result of a 12-year partnership of agencies and organizations, including the Fish and Wildlife Service, Chelan County Conservation District, U.S. Forest Service, Cascade Analytical, Washington State Department of Ecology, Washington State Conservation Commission and various schools and communities. The Kids in the Creek curriculum won first place in the Interpretive Media Awards Competition at the 2006 conference for National Association for Interpretation (NAI). The competition promotes excellence in the delivery of natural, cultural, and historical interpretation. Susan Blair and Corky Broaddus, Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery, Leavenworth, Washington; Judy DeLavergne, Ecological Services, Wenatchee, Washington. around the service Cheri Anderson helps a student from Whitson Elementary inWhite Salmon, Washington monitor water quality on Jewett Creek as part of a larger stream adoption program. pacific Kids in the Creek The "Kids in the Creek" program in north central Washington State has helped connect children with local watersheds for more than a dozen years. Each spring, hundreds of high school students pull on waders and slip into an outdoor classroom — a cold mountain stream. For one day, students will experience what it is like to be a biologist. Most of them have never been this close to nature. They collect and identify aquatic macroinvertebrates, map stream features and fish habitat, measure stream flow and temperature, analyze chemical characteristics, identify riparian plants, and observe and identify watershed geology and boundaries. At the end of the class, students present land use plans to actual planning commissioners. The innovative curriculum gives students and teachers a better understanding of watersheds and the critical role of human land management practices. The Kids in the Creek program was created by the Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery, Mid- Columbia Fisheries Resource Office, and the Central USFWS Students participating in Kids in the Creek test water quality on Icicle Creek. Jim Anderson 32 / Fish & Wildlife News Summer/Fall 2007 ESA 101 Biologists at the Service's Arizona Ecological Services Office (AESO) teamed-up with Thunderbird High School in Phoenix, Arizona to create a year-long pilot curriculum that introduces urban public high school students to the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the plight of Arizona's threatened, endangered, and sensitive species. Three classes of freshman and sophomore accelerated biology students were asked to individually choose a native plant, animal, or invertebrate species to research and integrate into a year-long project and final oral presentation. This pilot curriculum also includes a history of the ESA and how this pioneering legislation has been used to conserve and recover listed species. Section 7 of the ESA is used as a framework in this curriculum. The curriculum requires each student to complete several individual writing assignments during the academic year addressing historical and current threats to their chosen species and the current status of their species. It also requires students to create a hypothetical proposed action affecting their species, the environmental baseline in the area of their proposed action, and their recommendations on how to minimize effects to their species. In essence, each student completes a biological opinion on their chosen species. In addition, students were required to contact or interview professional biologists in the public, private, or academic sectors to hone communication skills and get additional information on their project. around the service This pilot curriculum was designed as a "backdrop" to integrate other major topics that are covered in the Glendale Unified High School District's accelerated biology curriculum throughout the school year. Topics include cell biology, cellular respiration, photosynthesis, genetics, evolution, ecology, animal behavior, biochemistry, and mammalian physiology. The fact that many or all of these topics pertain directly to issues affecting students' chosen species reinforces their understanding of the connectivity of ecosystems and the cause and effect dynamics of actions on the landscape. As an attempt to reconnect urban students with nature, several students were granted the opportunity to join AESO biologists in the field to learn more about native ecology and wildlife and gain insight into the professional careers of Service biologists. For example, students participated in native fish electro-shocking surveys in a pristine canyon stream, conducted Yuma clapper rail surveys in marshland habitat; conducted nocturnal ranid frog surveys and identification; conducted northern Mexican gartersnake surveys; and collected specimens for a captive propagation and release conservation project. Jeff Servoss, Ecological Services, Phoenix, Arizona Jef Servos / USFWS Bernard NWR, provides opportunities for students to discover the ecology of a bottomland forest and the impact invasive species have on the natural environment. Fueled by local partnerships, the DEP program has encouraged involvement by new schools and organizations during its 12-year history. A Nature of Learning grant to the Friends of Brazoria Wildlife Refuges enabled Northside Elementary School in Angleton, Texas to incorporate multiple field trips to the refuges into their fourth grade curriculum. The year-long program integrates nature into all subject materials. A Coastal Management Plan grant from Texas General Land Office was instrumental in providing environmental education equipment and displays for the Discovery Center. The Cradle of Texas Chapter of the Texas Master Naturalists supports the program and is the source for most of the trained volunteer docents. Nearly 2,000 volunteer hours were donated by these volunteers during field trips in 2006. Jennifer L. Sanchez, Project Leader, Texas Mid-Coast NWR Complex, Angleton, Texas USFWS southwest DEEP in the Heart of Texas Volunteers, partners and staff at the Texas Mid-Coast National Wildlife Refuges bring the Discovery Environmental Education Program (DEP) alive. Thousands of students and adults experience nature each year in this intensive hands-on outdoor education program coordinated by Texas Mid-Coast Training Technician Bryan Adams. DEP enables children to experience the Texas Gulf coast much as it was before the arrival of humans, and they are often amazed at what is outside their front door. Headquartered at the Discovery Center at the Brazoria NWR, the DEP program allows students to discover a multitude of invertebrates in a freshwater pond; touch and learn about reptiles; examine ways in which water chemistry affects life; and learn about the importance of wetlands to the fisheries of the Gulf of Mexico. The Discovery Center allows students to bring samples from the wild into a laboratory setting and conduct experiments and observations they could not make in the field. The Discover Outpost, at the Hudson Woods Unit of San Students from Thunderbird High School in Phoenix, participate in a Ranid frog survey on Hassayampa River in Maricopa County. The DEEP program allows students to discover a multitude of invertebrates in a freshwater pond. Summer/Fall 2007 Fish & Wildlife News / 33 is a reality. Now in its fourth year, this unique partnership between the Service and the Fergus Falls Independent School District 544 brings 100 students each school day to the Prairie Wetlands Learning Center. The students are taught primarily by two school district teachers housed at the Prairie Wetlands Learning Center, supplemented with field, instructional, and planning support from Service environmental educators. Two indoor classrooms house 25 students each, but those classrooms are often empty while the students spend time in their true classroom: the 325 acres of prairies and wetlands right outside their door. For students in a traditional classroom, a typical day includes reading textbooks and answering questions; for students in the Prairie Science Class, a typical day includes reading the land and asking questions. Prairie Science Class teachers and staff at the Prairie Wetlands Learning Center use the seasonal changes and rhythms of the prairie wetland ecosystem to bring lessons to life. National, state, and local education standards are incorporated in daily activities and long term studies. Students summarize and reflect on their learning through writing and literature assignments such as describing their impressions of the monarch butterfly or scientific reports on the process of capturing and banding ducks. Fractions and percentages take on new meaning as students study them in the context of plant cover on a wetland or invasive species on a prairie tract. By studying famous naturalists such as Aldo Leopold, Rachael Carson, Lewis and Clark, and midwest A Classroom Without Walls Take a moment and think back to when you were in fifth grade. You probably had a typical classroom with rows of desks and a chalkboard in the front. If you were lucky, your classroom had a window or two facing outside, and if you were really lucky, your desk might have been near a window. Maybe your classroom even had an aquarium or two. The only time you got outside was for recess, to climb on the monkey bars or play a game of kickball. Now imagine something completely different. Every day of the school year, you take a short bus ride to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Prairie Wetlands Learning Center. You still spend two hours learning science, applied math, writing, and health — but not just from a textbook. You learn math by measuring the wing of a duck you've just banded, or by recording the length of the seed head on a native plant such as big bluestem. You experience science firsthand by capturing aquatic invertebrates and comparing what you find in different wetlands, or making sound maps on the prairie. You write about changes that occur throughout the year in your one-meter prairie plot, or create a haiku about your experience tracking a mink across the marsh on snowshoes. And as far as health goes, well, you're outside walking and exploring every day. Sometimes it doesn't feel like learning at all — but it most certainly is. For fifth graders in the Prairie Science Class in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, the second scenario around the service Byrd Baylor, students discover different ways to observe nature, sharpen their observation skills and deepen their sense of wonder about the natural world. This unique educational partnership is proving that using the environment as an integrating context for traditional subject areas works for students, teachers, and parents. The first three years of the program were formally evaluated, and the results have been positive. Evaluations have shown that in the Prairie Science Class, students learn science, applied math, and writing at least as effectively as their counterparts in the traditional fifth grade classroom. Their motivation for learning, attitudes towards the environment and stewardship behavior improve. But perhaps the proof is best heard from the students themselves: "It's made me a better thinker because it helps you take the time to think. Like if you are outside and looking at tracks, you think about what the animal was doing and why it was there," said one student. "In the weather, you think about how the temperatures have changed. Yesterday the humidity was 88 percent and today it was 100 percent. And you think about the difference and what affect that will have." "It changes your attitude," said another student. "In fourth grade I got detention all the time. This year I haven't had any detention. I stay out of trouble because I have more to do. I like coming to school this year." Thanks to bonding money directed to the City of Fergus Falls from the Minnesota legislature, the PWLC visitor center will be expanded to include four additional classrooms. Construction is slated to begin this summer, and Prairie Science Class enrollment will double in fall 2008. For more information about the Prairie Science Class, visit <www.fws.gov/midwest/pwlc/ prairie_school.html> or call 218/736 0938. Laura A. Bonneau, Visitor Services, Prairie Wetlands Learning Center, Fergus Falls, Minnesota USFWS For students in the Prairie Science Class, a typical day includes reading the land and asking questions. 34 / Fish & Wildlife News Summer/Fall 2007 The program culminated in the SEDS Bookfair. Teachers, parents, students and onlookers helped the Service raise more than $400 to buy wildlife books for Lee Expressive Arts School's media center. "SEDS is a long-term commitment by our office towards ensuring future conservation in Missouri," said Missouri Ecological Services Field Supervisor Charlie Scott. "We hope to expand this program into more and more schools in the near future." Ashley Spratt, Ecological Services, Columbia, Missouri around the service Roberts also introduced endangered Topeka shiners to the school's new aquarium, which was donated by the Service. Students were surprised to know these endangered minnows can be found in creeks right in their own backyards. Biologist Jill Utrup introduced students to raptors and birds of prey, and told the children about recovery efforts that saved the bald eagle from extinction. Toward the end of the presentation, the students were surprised by visitors from the MU Raptor Rehabilitation Center, who brought two real birds of prey, the great-horned owl and American kestrel. Planting SEEDS The Missouri Ecological Services Office's SEDS program (Students, the Environment, and Endangered Species) brings fish and wildlife biologists and the endangered species they work to protect into the classroom to educate students about wildlife and environmental conservation. The program was unveiled at Lee Expressive Arts School in Columbia, Missouri during National Environmental Education Week. Service biologist Heidi Kuska took a class of fifth graders to an outdoor park to introduce them to the world of caves and karsts and the bat species that call them home. Back in the classroom, Sybill Amalon from the U.S. Forest Service introduced the students to "Chewbacca" and "Pinky," two brown bats. "The bat felt really hairy and the wing was kinda smooth, but kinda rough," said 11-year-old Tarus Moore. Service biologist Andy Roberts took students back to the time of the dinosaurs, unveiling a shovel-nosed sturgeon in a mobile tank in the school's media center. The shovel-nosed sturgeon is a close relative to the prehistoric and endangered pallid sturgeon and features the same sharp, moustache-like barbells along its mouth. Service biologist Andy Roberts shows a shovel-nosed sturgeon to two Lee School fifth graders. Rick Hansen / USFWS southeast World of Discovery We all have seen children enthralled when someone brings out an animal or when they are exploring the natural world on our public lands — that wide-eyed look of discovery and sense that this experience will stay with them for a long time, if not a lifetime. The SEWE (South Eastern Wildlife and Environment Education) Earth Stewards program is giving students along the coast of South Carolina multiple discovery moments and an understanding and respect for the mission of the National Wildlife Refuges found in their own backyards. Cape Romain NWR became a part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Earth Stewards project in 1998. Since then, SEWE Earth Stewards has become a vibrant, growing environmental education project in conjunction with the SEWE Visitor and Environmental Education Center and the SEWE Association, the Friends group for South Carolina Lowcountry Refuge Complex (Cape Romain, Ernest F. Hollings ACE Basin, and Waccamaw refuges). The initial project focused on fifth-grade students in a local rural school. After looking at the state educational standards for that age, the SEWE Association decided to highlight freshwater wetland habitats that are abundant in the coastal plain and are important areas for many Summer/Fall 2007 Fish & Wildlife News / 35 "It's never boring," said 16-year old Stephanie Dorsainvil. Josette Kaufman, Marshall Foundation executive director, says the project also introduces urban youth to the Everglades. "We hope that giving them a positive, hands-on experience will help them develop an interest in the wetland wilderness in their backyards." One photo from each child will be in an exhibit traveling around Palm Beach County later this year. Karen Leggett, NWRS Communications, Washington, DC Loxahatchee Through the Lens Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge helped 40 students from low income schools become amateur photographers during the annual Trail Spruce-Up volunteer event sponsored by the Arthur R. Marshall Foundation. "The Everglades through the Eyes of Children" project is funded by the Palm Beach County Cultural Council. Students ages nine to 17 learned basic photography from skilled mentors and then took pictures of people and nature around the refuge. migratory birds and threatened and endangered species. The SEWE Association hired a teacher to put together the program curriculum and to guide the group through initial classes with students. Eventually, the program featured a set of cross-curriculum lesson plans that included a field trip to a swamp for hands-on learning activities. Since 2000, the program has grown from the initial school with 50 students to eight elementary schools with approximately 650 students and one middle school with 60 students. What do SEWE Earth Stewards do? Throughout the eight-week curriculum they read books on animals and their habitats; write stories and poems; calculate water absorption rates in wetland experiments; discover animal adaptations and behaviors; and identify flora and fauna of swamps and learn about interdependence. Since Cape Romain NWR is composed of salt marsh and barrier islands and only accessible by boat, the SEWE Association worked with the Francis Marion National Forest (where the SEW
Click tabs to swap between content that is broken into logical sections.
|Fish and wildlife news: special issue on children and nature
|This special edition of Fish & Wildlife News provides a glimpse of what Service employees from coast to coast are already doing to reconnect children with nature. From the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge, where youngsters sample brine shrimp in the salt ponds or investigate bird and plant life with their parents, to the Chesapeake Bay Field Office, where students create schoolyard habitats outside their classroom door, our land base and our people are helping folks of every age to get outdoors. But we can always do more. We should look for opportunities to connect children and families to nature as we go about our daily work and help them share in our conservation mission. (FWS Director Dale Hall). Includes a forward by Richard Louv, a short piece on the international polar bear conference at NCTC,
|FWS Resource Links
Connecting people with nature
Environmental education
|U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
|Date of Original
|Item ID
NCTC Conservation Library
|Public domain
|File Size
|Original Format
|52 p.
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Summer/Fall 2007
Fish & Wildlife News
Path to Discovery / 12 River Explorers / 16
Rx for Healthy Kids / 14 Linking Girls to the Land / 18
Special Issue
children & nature
2 / Fish & Wildlife News Summer/Fall 2007
Director's Corner / 1
News Briefs / 3
Service Spotlight / 8
Science / 24
Around the Service / 28
Departments In Their Own Words / 42
Our People / 45
Transitions / 45
Honors / 47
In Memoriam / 49
what's inside
On the cover: Two children
explore the woods near the
National Conservation
Training Center in
West Virginia.
Steve Hillebrand / USFWS
Back to Nature / 8
Service employees are connecting
children with the land and with the
agency's conservation mission.
By David Eisenhauer
Path to Discovery / 12
An innovative partnership in
Washington State helped blaze a trail
for all lifelong learners.
By Taylor Pittman
A Prescription for Healthy Kids / 14
Getting children outside is not just
about fun and games. Their health
may depend on it.
By Kyla Hastie and Shani Howard
River Explorers / 16
Class is in session at the
Upper Mississippi River National
Wildlife and Fish Refuge.
By Cindy Samples
Linking Girls to the Land / 18
By Jennifer Anderson
Senses in the Desert / 22
By Betty Mulcahy
Editor's note: Connecting
children with nature is a
theme that clearly resonates
with Service employees.
We received about 100
submissions for this special
issue from all regions and
nearly every Service program.
To accommodate the high
volume of stories, we have
added a regular section
called Around the Service that
highlights events, programs
and activities in all Service
regions. Stories that did not
make it into the print edition
eventually will be included
in an online version of Fish
& Wildlife News, which is
currently under development.
Summer/Fall 2007 Fish & Wildlife News / 1
from the director
Borrowing From Our Children
Growing up in the hills of Harlan County, Kentucky,
I never thought about the importance of connecting
with nature; it was as much a part of my life as
breathing. If I wasn't up in the mountains chasing
squirrels, I was down on the Cumberland River trying
to fish and run trot lines or making boats out of old
car tops. Even though we didn't have a lot of money,
I always felt rich.
For many kids today, however, exploring nature is fast
becoming a thing of the past. Time in the woods has
been replaced by time in front of a computer or
television screen; unstructured play has been replaced
by organized events run by adults; the art of
daydreaming has been replaced by a non-stop
schedule. Author Richard Louv, who writes about this
in his book Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our
Children from Nature Deficit Disorder, believes one
of the biggest problems is fear: Parents are terrified
of "stranger danger," and many view the outdoors as
more of a threat than a sanctuary.
The result is a younger generation that is less
active and less interested in spending time outside,
which can lead to a host of physical and emotional
problems. And you can bet kids who prefer virtual
reality to natural reality are going to have a tough
time understanding why they should care about
So what can we do?
The Service has identified connecting people
with nature as one of its six highest priorities.
We have formed a Children and Nature Working
Group — including representatives from every region
and program — to identify ways to reach out to
communities and build awareness that "nature play"
is good for both children and adults.
This special edition of Fish & Wildlife News provides
a glimpse of what Service employees from coast to
coast are already doing to reconnect children with
nature. From the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay
National Wildlife Refuge, where youngsters sample
brine shrimp in the salt ponds or investigate bird and
plant life with their parents, to the Chesapeake Bay
Field Office, where students create schoolyard
habitats outside their classroom door, our land base
and our people are helping folks of every age to get
outdoors. But we can always do more. We should look
for opportunities to connect children and families to
nature as we go about our daily work and help them
share in our conservation mission.
Connecting people with nature should not be just
another box to check off on a performance plan; it
should be something we want to do, something that is
a part of us. Sometimes when I'm bass fishing on a
lake and the sun is just breaking over the horizon and
the birds begin to fly low across the water, I lay down
my rod and realize I didn't come here to catch fish;
I came for the healing power of nature and to feel
better as a human being. I know many of you have
had similar experiences and have a strong desire to
help people — especially youngsters — rediscover
what Rachel Carson called a "sense of wonder"
for the outdoors. Now is the time for all of us to act
on that desire.
John James Audubon once said, "A true
conservationist is a man who knows that the
world is not given by his fathers but borrowed
from his children." It is time for us to pay back
that loan and share the riches of nature with
tomorrow's caretakers.
To learn more about the Service's children and nature
initiative, visit
|Images Source File Name
|Date created
|Date modified