At long last! Among the warblers, we've safely migrated to our wintering home in Santa Cruz, California. As light moves lower across the sky and a pending El Niño season mixes off shore, we at the Bird School Project are amidst the flux of major changes. But first, a message from our sponsors...
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| The American Pika, Ochotona princeps |
The National Union of Real Pika Experts (NURPLE) would like to thank Kevin and say, "Nice try, stick to birds!" Kevin worked hard this summer to account for every individual in the Western U.S. He may not have got 'em all, but his efforts were appreciated by an ecologist who is studying populations of the American Pika (Ochotona princeps).
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| The Northern Spotted Owl, Strix occidentalis caurina |
The Glorified Owl Observational Global Litigation Entity (GOOGLE) would like to thank Darrow for five months of bushwhacking and sprinting through recently burned understory to look for Spotted Owls (Stryx occidentalis caurina) and Great Grey Owls (Strix nebulosa). If only he could fly...
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| Kevin from the redwoods in Santa Cruz |
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| Darrow from the hills of Italy |
After much deliberation, the Bird School Project is back for round 2. We have to make many decisions this summer about the path of this budding project and we are excited to keep our followers updated in the coming weeks. For now, just know that the Bird School Project is working hard to make this project a legitimate staple in the environmental education community!
This Fall we will be launching a new model for our lessons, teaching five week units to schools in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties (and beyond!). Though we are still offering our single day workshops, we are increasing our impact this year by revisiting students each week and diving deeper into the world of birds, nature, and most importantly our perception and analysis of the ecosystem around us. Teaching begins next week and we are jam packed with excitement. We will be working with four different schools for our first round of five weeks and are super excited to try out some new curriculum on conservation, adaptations, and migration!
Another new addition this Fall will be our inclusion of a few interns from the Ken Norris Center for Natural History at UC Santa Cruz. In line with our goal to continue building a network of educators, we will be working to develop an ongoing intern program with the Environmental Studies internship office. The Norris Center is a glowing resource for young student naturalists and we are excited and happy to support those who are interested in sharing their knowledge and skill!
What's more to share? Well, quite a bit actually. In the coming weeks this blog will tell tales of the hunt for fiscal sponsorship, meet the wonderful faces of our teachers and interns, and provide peace of mind that at the heart of it all, young minds are being immersed and soaked in the wonderful natural world around them. Be sure to keep up with our Instagram @birdschoolproject, and our Facebook page, as well as this blog! And, if you haven't seen it yet, be sure to check out and share our new website:
birdschoolproject.com
