December is right around the corner and that means Christmas Bird Count season is almost upon us.

What is the Christmas Bird Count? And How Can You Get Involved?

The Christmas Bird Count is the nation's longest running citizen science bird project.  Citizens go out and count every single bird that they see during the count period in a specific place called the count area.  Anyone can participate.  People that are more experienced with identification can be the spotters.  However, people who are just beginning to learn how to identify birds or people who just like to be outside can contribute greatly too by being recorders.   All the data that is collected by the individual or group is then compiled and an annual summary is produced.  This information can then be utilized to analyse broad trends in the avian populations and changes in community structures.    The count is run through the Audubon Society.

 This year the Audubon's 117th Christmas Bird Count will take place this fall between the inclusive dates of Wednesday, December 14th, 2016 through Thursday, January 5th, 2017.  Your local count will occur on ONE of the days during that period.  To find your local bird count area click here.  In the greater Cincinnati Area, there are 5 count areas.  Two of them are reporting count dates.  Hamilton County is December 18th.  Hamilton-Fairfield is December 17th.  

Hope to see you out in the field and good luck and good birding. 

School Gardens are a Gift that Keeps on Giving

Gardens can be utilized by all grades and content areas.  They can serve as laboratories,an area for classes to explore concepts through an interdisciplinary approach using real word experiences, inspiration to artists, or a place for a moment of peace in a busy day for one to collect one's thoughts. 

With all of this in a garden's favor, it seems like every school would have one, but instead of being common, they are the exception.  There are a few reasons for that.  There is the start up expense, figuring out maintenance issues, developing curriculum for the space and adjusting the mindset of the school to see learning spaces outside of the walls of the school.  Even with all of this in place the sheer thought of actually implementing a school garden can be daunting.  This is not a project that can or should be run by one person.  This is a project that will help build the community of the school as it works together with each other and hopefully outside partnerships.  Many times a school will consider the idea of building a school garden, develop a small team to look into the possibility and then for one reason or another the idea will evaporate. 

School gardens should be a staple in schools.  One major road block is not being able to all the information that is needed in a convenient area.  We have begun to develop a collection of helpful websites and organizing them through Symbaloo.  To visit our Symbaloo page click here.

We have organized the information in 5 general categories: general information, specific projects, networks, curriculum already developed, how to get started.

Happy gardening.

November is....

    MANATEE AWARENESS MONTH

Manatees are marine mammals.  Have you ever wondered to which land mammal the manatee is most closely related? The tips of the flippers are a good hint.  Also think about how the manatee moves its large lips to grab things.  They are rather slow moving and have a similar color to their relative.  Their relatives are HUGE and can lift very heavy objects with their trunks.  Yep your right, they are closely related to the elephant. 

Manatees are found in shallow warm salt and fresh water.   They are found in coast areas of southeastern United States down to Brazil, in the Amazon Basin and off the coast and in the rivers of Western Africa.  Their populations are on the decline as they are slow moving and so are easily hunted and injured by high speed boats. 

The manatee are prodigious herbivores which consume algae and water grasses.  A manatee can eat one tenth of its body weight in one day.  This consumption of a massive amount of hard to digest material causes the manatee to produce a lot of gas which helps give the manatee extra boyance which mitigate the exceptionally dense bones of the manatee. 

For more fun facts about the manatee visit:

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/manatee/
http://www.defenders.org/florida-manatee/basic-facts
http://www.floridawildlifeviewing.com/florida_animals_wildlife/manatees-elephants.htm
https://www.fws.gov/northflorida/manatee/manatees.htm
http://cincinnatizoo.org/blog/animals/florida-manatee/

NATURE HIKE

Campbell County Environmental Education Center is going to host a FREE nature hike THIS Sunday, November 13th, 2016 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Description: Curious about what those trees are along the trail? See animal tracks and wonder what made them? Join Aubree Forrer, Campbell Environmental Education Center Assistant, for an interpretive hike of the trail to find out more about the plants and wildlife in this area.

Location: Campbell County Environmental Education Center

1261 Race Track Road

Alexandria, KY 41001

Certifications Galore Fast Approaching.  

Kentucky Association of Environmental Education has TWO workshops coming up.  Each workshop will allow the attendee to be certified to use or become a facilitator for  TWO program curriculum.

Project Wet covers diverse water topics including watersheds, water quality and water conservation.

Project Underground  focuses on cave management, karst and groundwater resources, and underground ecosystems.   

Project Learning Tree uses the forest as a microcosm to enable students to investigate the environment and ecological processes at the micro and macro levels.  This activities are constructed so that the student can apply these concepts to larger phenomena so that the student increases his/her environmental literacy and can make  informed decisions on environmental issues.

Project Wild takes an interdisciplinary approach towards environmental and conservation topics with a strong emphasis on wildlife and natural resources.

Did you know that Project Learning Tree offers online courses for their activities?

Project Learning Tree is an award winning program that offers educators activities that address environmental issues in a multi-disciplinary and engaging format. The students are given the opportunity to apply STEM skills to real world scenarios and activities.

The workshops are self paced and divided into separate course for Early Childhood, Elementary and Middle, and Secondary educators.

Guides are in printed and electronic formats.

For more information go here.

There is a very COOL program being offered through The 2016 Teachers in Nature Workshop Series.

This series joins Greater Cincinnati area organization in a collaborative series of free workshops which are designed to provide "relaxing, enriching, empowering experiences in nature for teachers" according to their website.   They are aiming to encourage teachers to incorporate  nature-based experiences into classrooms. 

Winter Animal Survival

We'll share some fun school yard activities that will inspire you to take your students outside no matter what the season and discover how animals survive the winter.

When:  4:30 - 6:30 p.m.,  December 1, 2016
Where:  Great Parks of Hamilton County
              Farbach Werner Nature Preserve
Who:  Public and Private School Teachers
 For more information and register contact Julie Stubbs at jstubbs@greatparks.org