Help Gather Information for Bird Conservation

The 117th Christmas Bird Count starts December 14, 2016 and runs through January 5, 2017. This longest running Citizen Science survey in the world provides critical data on population trends. It is organized into circles, and each circle counts as many birds as possible on one day, either on a predetermined route, or at their backyard bird feeder. Data is compiled, and used to learn about long-term bird trends.

If you would like to participate, check out the searchable map to find a counting "circle" near you.

Check out Project WILD’s “Bird Song Survey” for a great activity about the purpose of counting birds for population information.

Exploring Iowa’s Natural Resources On-line Course (K-12 Educators)

January 15 – May 1, 2017
The goal of this course is to help you utilize a STEM-based approach that incorporates local natural resources as unifying themes to implement Iowa Core concepts in your curriculum. You will work in small groups and individually to create a network of contacts and resources to teach natural resource concepts. Group and individual assignments will build on each other throughout the course.

Participants will build a project-based learning unit for their personal teaching situation, so you can immediately incorporate the course resources and tactics into your teaching, regardless of grade level or educational setting.

Registration deadline is January 9, 2017  - you must register electronically (Activity #: 22007499991702). Registration fee: $305 (3 license renewal credits); $425 (3 Drake graduate credits). This course is being offered by AEA PD Online, a joint initiative by all of Iowa's Area Education Agencies. This course therefore uses AEA PD Online's alternative fee schedule for license renewal and graduate credit. Transcripts and credit will be issued by AEA PD Online instead of Heartland AEA.

For more information, contact: Barb.Gigar@dnr.iowa.gov; 515-494-3891

Iowa Schools Encourgaged to Order Free Seedlings for Spring

Each school building and community may order one free packet of 200 bare-root seedlings, 50 each of four selected species. The seedlings, delivered in April or May, are often used as part of Earth Day/Week celebrations. Orders will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis until 200 packets are requested.

“Most people probably aren’t thinking about planting right now,” says Laura Wagner, DNR Trees for Kids Coordinator, “But because this program and our packets are so popular, we encourage folks to order early to get the best selections.” 

Interested schools and communities must complete a simple application form by April 1, 2017.  Those receiving packets will be asked to email at least one photo of the trees being planted and a short paragraph showing where and why they were planted.

Schools and communities may select from the following specialty packets:

Fall Color –Trees and shrubs with vibrant fall color 

Fastest Forest – Great along streams and wet areas, these grow at least 3 feet per year

Pollinator Packet – Provides vital host species for butterflies and other pollinators

Privacy Packet – Great to use as a visual barrier or along a fence line 

Spring Flowers – Create spring color with these flowering shrubs and small trees 

Storm Resistant Packet – These trees resist breakage from wind and ice storms 

Wild Edible Packet – Enjoy an edible landscape 

Trees for Kids is a DNR program funded by Alliant Energy, MidAmerican Energy, Black Hills Energy, ITC, Trees Forever, Iowa Woodland Owners Association and Iowa Tree Farm Committee, and administered by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Forestry Bureau.

For more information about ordering no-cost Trees for Kids seedlings, contact Laura Wagner, DNR Trees for Kids Coordinator at 515-725-8456 or laura.wagner@dnr.iowa.gov.

Using Local History in Your Classroom

A human community is a group of people who live and interact with one another in a specific region under relatively similar environmental, social, and political conditions. A natural community is a group of plants and animals that live and interact with one another in a specific region under similar environmental conditions.

Our human communities are essential for our daily life. They satisfy our needs for food, and shelter, as well as provide social interactions. Human communities are dependent on the larger natural community which contains the soil, water, air, plants, and animals on which the human community is sustained. The natural community supports itself and our civilizations.

Every community is unique. Each has its own historical background, natural resources, attractions and unique features.

Explore your community’s history with your students. Check out these websites to help get you started.

• Teaching with Historic Places
• Iowa Folklife: Our People, Communities and Traditions
• IPTV Pathways
• Explorations in Iowa History Project
• Making Family and Community Connections

Project WILD is also a great resource. Look under Historical Values of Wildlife in the Expanded Topic Index.

Aquatic WILD suggested activities:

• Watered-down History- investigate the history of a chosen waterway through research methods, recorded personal interviews, and public records
• Where Does the Water Run?- design and implement a field investigation involving relationships between levels of precipitation, runoff, and percentage of impervious ground cover

Iowa’s Tch Team Science Champions

Iowa has the opportunity to establish an on-line professional learning community through the Teaching Channel. The goal is to develop a network of teacher leaders who are working to implement the Iowa Science Standards through three-dimensional teaching and learning. Teacher leaders from across the state representing a range of grade levels from K-12 are invited to participate. 

Iowa’s Tch Team Science Champions will be able to enroll in a 3-credit hour course for re-licensure or for graduate credit.

Criteria for participating as a Tch Team Science Champion:

• At least three years of experience teaching science.
• Currently teaching science at least part-time in a K-12 classroom.
• A strong knowledge of the Iowa Science Standards.
• A commitment to videotape various segments of his/her instruction and to sharing videos and piloted strategies/instructional models, lessons, and units with the grade-band team.
• A willingness to actively participate in on-line discussion boards and a commitment to both providing feedback to team members and to receiving and using feedback from the team.

Timeline:
Applications due on November 20, 2016. 

Team Selection Nov. 20-Dec. 9

Informational Virtual Meeting December 14^th at 3:30

Official “Start” Jan. 9

Spreading our Wings with Science Standards Pollinators, Monarchs, and Conservation Education

February 3-4, 2017
9:00 a.m. Friday - 3:00 p.m. Saturday
Springbrook Conservation Education Center, Guthrie Center, Iowa
2473 160th Rd
Guthrie Center, IA 50115

Join us in learning how to utilize the new standards to promote the protection of natural resources (of monarchs and pollinators specifically) and to advance environmental education as a vital part of the K-12 Education. Educators and natural resource professionals that work with adult and mixed-age audiences will benefit from the opportunity to develop their skills using the best methods for learning and teaching science (at any age).

Learn from cutting-edge monarch and pollinator scientists who will present their research to the group.  

View the detailed schedule for more information about workshop activities and keynote speakers.

Registration Costs? $90 (meals, snacks, and beverages included).  Dorm-style lodging is available at Springbrook Conservation Edcucation Center for $15 per night. Traveling from a distance? You can reserve dorm space for Thursday evening also. See the workshop flyer for other nearby lodging options. A limited number of scholarships are available. If a scholarship would help you attend, please send an email to execicec@gmail.com requesting an application.

Register today!

Happy Bat Week!

Bat week is an annual international celebration of the role of bats in nature. Step outside around dusk and take a few moments to look for bats in your neighborhood.

 

Iowa is home to nine bat species: little brown bat, big brown bat, red bat, hoary bat, silver-haired bat, Indiana bat (federally endangered species), evening bat, eastern pipistrelle, and northern myotis.

Fun Bat Facts

• A small bat eats between 1,000 and 2,000 small insects every night. Bats use sonar to find dinner when it’s pitch black out. Bats make noises, which bounce off the bugs and back to the bats’ ears, where the sound is picked up by the bats’ specialized hearing.
• Bats are our only flying mammals in the state.
• One of Iowa’s few true hibernators, bats hibernate all winter until there are insects to chow down on again.
• Within three weeks of being born, young bats are taking flight. They grow quickly, being full-grown in about a month after birth. Young bats take off for their own roosts once they’re weaned.
• Bats hang upside down because it allows them to roost in places where predators can’t reach them. It also allows them to get into the air faster by falling to achieve flight.

Helpful Websites
Bats Bats Everywhere
Bat Conservation International

BatsLIVE

Project Edubat

Signs of Fall

Lead students on a walk through a wooded area, schoolyard, local park, or neighborhood sidewalk to look for signs of fall and investigate why leaves of deciduous trees change color.

• Point out the differences between deciduous and evergreen trees.
• Ask students to look for signs that indicate winter is approaching and record their observations – encourage students to look for animal signs as well (e.g., birds migrating, squirrels storing nuts).

Encourage critical thinking by asking:

What signs of fall can you see in the trees and on the ground?

How many different leaf colors can you find?

How do leaves change after they fall?

What will happen to the leaves?

 

Why Do Leaves Change Color?

With fall’s colder temperatures and shorter days, the cells of deciduous tree leaves begin to die. The dead cells block water and nutrients from the leaf. Chlorophyll, the green pigment in the leaves, breaks down and the yellow and red pigments begin to show through.

 

Native Americans had legends to explain the fall colors. Invite students to create their own imaginative stories.

For more information about Iowa Fall Colors, visit the Iowa DNR website.

Learning Science in 3 Dimensions

A Workshop for Pre-service and 1st and 2nd year Teachers

October 9
Noon to 5 p.m.
Science Center of Iowa in Des Moines

Join us for an afternoon of learning, building your practice and meeting other teachers new to the profession. Collaborate with and learn from experienced science educators. 

Register at the Iowa Academy of Science webpage. Sponsored by the Iowa Science Teaching Section of the Iowa Academy of Science and SCIowa.

BirdSleuth School Garden Grant

Cornell Lab of Ornithology is seeking 10 dedicated teachers who strive to bring STEM and healthy living from the garden to the classroom. These teachers will receive a $500-$2,000 grant, gardening supplies, and BirdSleuth’s Habitat Connections kit. 

Funds may be used to support the building or revitalization of school gardens. In addition to food gardens, preference will be given to bird, pollinator, native habitat, rain and other natural projects.

School gardens provide the context for lessons across subjects and offer a wonderful opportunity to engage students in hands-on, project-based learning. Students who engage in school gardening are likely to experience academic, physical, emotional, social, and even behavioral benefits.

Application Process & Eligibility
The application is open to all K-12 schools, public and private, within the United States. The online application process opens closes October 3, 2016 at 11:59pm ET. Email birdsleuth@cornell.edu with any questions.

Celebrate the Monarch’s journey at Blank Park Zoo Festival

Come celebrate the monarch’s journey from Canada, through Iowa, to Mexico at the 2016 Monarch Festival on Sunday, September 18 from 12-4 p.m. at Blank Park Zoo, in Des Moines.

Monarch Festival Activities:

• Come dressed as your favorite insect for the 3rd Annual Children’s Bug Parade. Wear your wings, your orange and black, antennae or make your costume at the Zoo. There will be special prizes for First and Second place Best Costumes.
• Polk County Conservation will lead Insect Hunts and a Monarch Tagging event. Learn how to safely catch monarch butterflies to attach a tag. If these special monarchs are found in Mexico, they can help scientists track the migration.
• Numerous Plant.Grow.Fly. partners will offer hands-on activities, demonstrations and crafts for the whole family.
• Los Ninos del Tepeyac - Danza Folklorica, a group dedicated to learning and teaching about the Mexican culture through dance, will perform.
• Explore our Butterfly Garden and experience traditional Mexican music by Mariachi Azteca.
• Families and kids of all ages are encouraged to take part in an interactive performance workshop called Follow That Monarch by Carol Taylor's Patchwork Puppets.  
• Create your own butterfly oasis in your yard with free milkweed seeds provided by Blank Park Zoo and Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge (limited supply).
• Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie and Nevada Mayor Lynn Lathrop will be recognized for signing the Mayors for Monarchs Pledge.

Apply for a GreenWorks! Environmental Improvement Grant

Project Learning Tree offers grants up to $1,000 to schools and youth organizations for environmental service-learning projects that link classroom learning to the real world. Students implement an action project they help design to green their school or to improve an aspect of their neighborhood’s environment.
The projects partner students with their whole school, local businesses and/or community organizations, and provide opportunities for student leadership. The funds can be used by students to implement recycling programs at their school, conserve water and energy, establish school gardens and outdoor classrooms, improve a forest, or restore a natural habitat, for example.

Submit your completed application and W-9 online. Login or create an account, click “Apply for a Grant,” then follow the prompts to complete your submission. You will receive an automatic confirmation email through this system.  The deadline to apply is September 30, 2016 -- Funding will be distributed in December 2016.

Grant Requirements

• Applicants must have attended a Project Learning Tree training either online or in person.
• The proposed project must involve service-learning.
• The proposed project must demonstrate student voice.
• The proposed project must involve at least one community partner.
• The proposed project must secure at least 50% matched funds (in-kind acceptable).
• Grants must be completed in one year

 

Birding with Kids

Bird watching is a great way for kids to become aware of birds. Birds can be found anywhere, all year round. Gather the basic gear—a field notebook, a field guide, and binoculars, if you have them—and go outside.

Bird behavior is fascinating to children and adults. Different species have definite and recognizable behaviors. Some bird behaviors are so species-specific that one can identify a bird on location and behavior description alone.

Weekly migration forecasts are available from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s  BirdCast project to help you know what to look for and which days to go out. Have kids observe and record what they see in several different habitats and make comparisons.

Wildlife professionals inventory wildlife populations to gather information about the number and kinds of wildlife in a given area. Use Project WILD’s “Bird Song Survey” to give your students experience inventory a local bird population.

 

Apps for Birding with Kids

Merlin

Because of the simple, user-friendly interface, birding becomes both easy and fun. To identify a bird, Merlin first asks five questions – when, where, size, color, and activity of the bird observed. Using eBird data, Merlin then gives the most common species around you who fit the criteria provided. It also provides 1,000+ photo resources, tips from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s expert birders, and bird sounds from the Cornell Lab’s Macaulay Library. Cost: Free for iOS and Android users.

 

BirdsEye Bird Finding Guide*

Information and population statistics on 1,000+  birds across North America. View seasonal populations, current lists of birds reported near your location and notifications of when rare birds are observed in your area. Open up the “Browse by Location tab in the app to view checklists that were recently submitted in nearby areas. Cost: Free for iOS and Android users.

 

Useful Websites

Birding with Binoculars

Birding with Kids: Choosing a Field Guide (Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
Bird Song Hero: The Song Learning Game for Everyone

Field Checklist of Iowa BirdsObserving Birds in the Wild Worksheet

Teaching Bird ID (Cornell Lab of Ornithology)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Join the Iowa DNR at the 2016 Iowa State Fair

Stop by the Iowa DNR building to see the Iowa fish in the historic aquarium, have your questions answered, and take in a presentation in the beautiful courtyard.

Check out these presentations (the whole courtyard schedule is available at iowadnr.gov/IowaStateFair):

Thursday, August 11
Get Active, Get Healthy, Get Outdoors!
We’re kicking off our the fair at the DNR Building with a Q&A session with DNR Director Chuck Gipp in the morning, followed by several other events throughout the day. In the afternoon, bring the kids to the DNR courtyard to craft tools for your aspiring nature detectives.

Friday, August 12
Bring Nature to your Backyard
What’s all the buzz about pollinators? Join us on Friday to find out. Whether you’re listening to State Forester Paul Tauke field questions, or making seed bombs to attract pollinators to your backyard, be prepared to learn about Iowa’s little wonders.

Saturday, August 13
Come Fish with Us
Fishing Day in the courtyard begins with a question and answer session with Fisheries Bureau Chief Joe Larscheid, followed by an instructional presentation for kids who want to learn to fish. In the afternoon, you can get the scoop on primitive fish or get a close up look at real Iowa turtles.

Sunday, August 14
Wild in Iowa
With appearances from live trumpeter swans and Iowa’s reptiles and amphibians, Sunday will be a wild day in the courtyard. At noon, join us for an activity teaching kids the best and safest ways to bring wildlife to your backyard.

Monday, August 15
Taking to the Field
Monday is the day of the hunt. Come by the courtyard to pick up information and expertise on a variety of hunting topics. Whether you’re training a new hunting dog, looking for the perfect hunting spot, or hoping to cook wild game of your own, find what you’re looking for here on Monday.

Tuesday, August 16
Iowa’s Habitat Heroes
We have a responsibility to respect and protect our natural habitats. Visit the DNR building for information on the newest and brightest ways of looking after Iowa’s natural wonders.  Celebrate Iowa’s tradition of responsibly managing our resources and hear about the next steps we can take as community to continue this cause.

Wednesday, August 17
Conservation Leaders Past and Present
With a highlight on the Civilian Conservation Corps, Wednesday will honor the accomplishments of Iowa’s great conservationists. At noon, enjoy the presentation of Eagle Scout projects in our courtyard, followed by a presentation on Ding Darling, famed Iowa cartoonist and conservation leader.

Thursday, August 18
Spend S’more Time in State Parks
Pick up some tips and tricks to getting the most from your local state park all day. Starting off with a Q&A from State Park Chief Todd Coffelt, Thursday is for everyone from State Park enthusiasts to future visitors. Don’t miss a dialogue about natural ways of warding off pesky mosquitoes at 1 p.m.

Friday, August 19
Come Fish with Us
The art of fishing is as intricate it is enticing, so come by on Friday for a second helping of fishing guidance and encouragement. Fisheries Bureau Chief Joe Larscheid returns for another discussion in the morning, and be sure to check out the live turtles native to Iowa in the afternoon. Kids are encouraged to join us at 11 a.m. for more fishing basics.

Saturday, August 20
ReusaPalooza!
Junk becomes art! In the morning, take part in a Q&A with Land Quality Bureau Chief Alex Moon. Give old stuff a breath of new life with crafty activities that upcycle junk to treasure for both kids and adults all day until 4 in the DNR courtyard.

Sunday, August 21
EXTREME Outdoors
Our final day will consist of educating the public on the extreme outdoors. Come by at noon to begin your quest to become a citizen scientist for Iowa’s resources. Join us anytime between 11-3 to take part in the adventure of building beautiful birdhouses.

Teaching Environmental Sustainability-Model My Watershed Workshop

The Teaching Environmental Sustainability: Model My Watershed (TES-MMW) project, funded by the National Science Foundation, teaches a systems approach to problem solving through modeling and hands-on activities based on local watershed data and issues. Middle and high school students will act in their communities while engaging in solving problems they find interesting.

Participants and their students will use free portal-based activities that employ maps and models to study their own school’s watershed; teachers will participate in a face-to-face teacher workshop, two online courses for teachers and a 2-3 week unit of study with their students during the 2016-17 academic year, and follow-up 1 day teacher workshop in summer 2017. TES-MMW activities support NGSS and Math Common Core.  Teachers will receive a $1000 stipend for participating. 

This program is for Iowa  middle and high school science teachers whose curriculum includes watershed studies, and who are willing and available to participate in all TES-MMW workshop and online activities that include:

·      2 -1 1/2 day workshop (3 day equivalent) at Heartland AEA in Johnston Friday evening Sept. 23 , Saturday Sept. 24,  the evening of Nov. 4 and Saturday Nov. 5 (travel costs reimbursed by grant, total of 32 hours of work).

·    2016-17 academic year: 2 online courses for teachers (15 hours of time for each course); and a 2-3 week unit of study (9-15 class periods of activities) with your students.

·    1 day of follow-up activities in summer 2017 (date TBD). 

·    Completion of all research activities required for NSF funding

 

Applications are due Sept. 9, 2016. For more information contact Rob Kleinow at rkleinow@heartlandaea.org.

Becoming Wildlife Scientists

Wildlife scientists study wildlife to learn how they live and interact with the environment. These scientists may focus on one wildlife species or a group of species during their studies. They record observations made with their senses and other tools.

Help your kids become wildlife scientists. Lead our students on a walk in the neighborhood around your school or building or a nearby park to look for wildlife. Encourage students that to use their eyes and ears to watch and listen for any signs of animal life (animal movement, calls, tracks, tunnels, droppings, etc.).

Ask students record their observations.

Where do you see wild animals?
What are the animals doing?
How do the animals react?
What signs of animals do you see?

Encourage students to pretend they are trying to observe wildlife in different habitats like wildlife scientists do.

• crawl through a small cave to observe a bat
• wade through a marsh to get closer to a beaver’s dam
• hike through woods thick with trees and vines looking for a woodpecker

Helpful Websites
Famous Wildlife Biologists
Iowa Public Television: The Fisheries Biologist
Missouri Department of Conservation - Conservation Career: Wildlife Biologist
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks: State Wildlife BiologistPBS Kids - Real Scientists: Wildlife Biologist
Wildlife Biologist Profile

Exploring Iowa’s Natural Resources On-line Course (K-12 Educators)

September 18, 2016 – January 15, 2017
The goal of this course is to help you utilize a STEM-based approach that incorporates local natural resources as unifying themes to implement Iowa Core concepts in your curriculum. You will work in small groups and individually to create a network of contacts and resources to teach natural resource concepts. Group and individual assignments will build on each other throughout the course.

Participants will build a project-based learning unit for their personal teaching situation, so you can immediately incorporate the course resources and tactics into your teaching.

Registration deadline is September 11, 2016  - you must register electronically (Activity #: 22007499991701). Registration fee: $175 (3 license renewal credits); $395.00 (3 Drake graduate credits). This course is being offered by AEA PD Online, a joint initiative by all of Iowa's Area Education Agencies. This course therefore uses AEA PD Online's alternative fee schedule for license renewal and graduate credit. Transcripts and credit will be issued by AEA PD Online instead of Heartland AEA.

For more information, contact: Barb.Gigar@dnr.iowa.gov; 515-494-3891.

Celebrating Iowa Catfish

Celebrate National Catfish Day (June 25) by learning more about Iowa’s most abundant and widely distributed sport fish.

Catfish are opportunistic bottom feeders that are active at night. They eat all types of living or dead animal and plant material and are most often attracted to odoriferous or "smelly" morsels of food. They depend heavily on their sense of smell and taste to locate food.

Their characteristic barbels are highly sensitive to touch and contain taste buds as well. Catfish have taste receptors all over their bodies. It has been estimated that an adult bullhead has perhaps 100,000 nerve sensory sites on its body.

Iowa Catfish
channel catfish: abundant in most Iowa rivers and have been stocked in nearly all lakes and reservoirs; spawn in the late spring and summer in secluded, often enclosed, places along the bank or bottom – the male guards the eggs until they hatch; eat at all times, but are most aggressive night; an important part of the commercial fishery catch in the Mississippi River

flathead catfish: one of the largest catfish- commonly reach twenty pounds; a "big-water" fish found mainly in the border rivers and large interior rivers; usually in deep pools with mud bottoms; spawn in secluded hides during June and July – build nests and guard the eggs and young; feed mostly at night; an important part of the commercial fishery catch in the Mississippi River

blue catfish: primarily a “big river” fish; spawn in June and early July – construct nests similar to those of channel catfish; omnivorous and eat everything that is available; adults weighing up to 20 or 25 pounds are common

black bullhead: most common of the three bullhead species; abundant in most natural lakes and some man-made lakes; spawns in May or early June usually in weedy or muddy shallow areas; strictly omnivorous – eating nearly every conceivable thing in the water

yellow bullhead: found in clear streams, rivers, overflow pools, lakes and reservoirs; prefers streams with permanent flow, but avoids strong currents; spawns in May and early June in water from 1 1/2 to 4 feet in depth - nests are constructed by the male and the female deposits 2,000 to 7,000 eggs

brown bullhead: found in swamps, ponds, inland pools, lakes, reservoirs, impoundments, and the backwaters and tributaries of larger rivers; prefers clear, cool, well-vegetated waters with bottoms of sand, gravel or dark muck; spawns early in the spring, usually late April or May - male fish fan out a saucer-shaped nest in the mud or nests in natural cavities where the female deposits eggs; feed eagerly on nearly anything available, either living or dead - travel in schools and feed on or near the bottom; seem to be hungry at all times of the day and night

tadpole madtom: found in large interior rivers and the Mississippi River; females usually mate several times during the June through July breeding period; most active at night – eats insects and occasionally algae and other aquatic plants; have a poison gland at the base of the pectoral fin that secretes a mild but painful venom when danger is threatened

slender madtom: found in major tributary streams of the Mississippi River; live entirely in riffle areas of small or medium size streams

stone cat: largest of the madtoms; found in swift-flowing streams; spawns in the spring in areas of darkness, such as under rocks or in bank hides - builds a nest and guards the eggs and young; prefer stream riffle habitats, but are also found under rocks or weedy shorelines of lakes and ponds

freckled madtom:  an endangered species - added to Iowa’s species list in 1984; prefers medium-sized creeks to large rivers of low to moderate gradient with clear to moderate turbidity and silty-gravel or sand-gravel substrates; often found in riffles and pools where organic debris such as leaves or twigs tend to accumulate