Strategy Share: Environmental Stewardship Through Field-Guide Drawing

While on an expedition in southeast Alaska, I had the privilege of sharing the ship with several young naturalists. These enthusiastic participants in our expedition, ages 6-13, were especially passionate about identifying wildlife. I worked with them to observe, draw, and classify plankton captured with a small trawl net on one of our stops. In my own observations, I was also drawn to our shipboard Sibley’s Guide to Birds, an extraordinary resource for identifying various gulls, puffins, and other birds. Continue reading Strategy Share: Environmental Stewardship Through Field-Guide Drawing

Educator Spotlight: A Student-Led Exploration of Local Species

Andrea Sayler fostered her students’ curiosity of the natural world by holding a BioBlitz in the nature preserve near their school. A BioBlitz is an event that brings together community members to find and identify as many species as possible in a specific area over a short period of time. Andrea’s students used the data they gathered to develop research projects on flora or fauna that interested them. They shared their findings with their school community. Continue reading Educator Spotlight: A Student-Led Exploration of Local Species

Sacred Sites Can Be Hotspots of Conservation

ENVIRONMENT Sacred natural spaces can offer biodiversity and great opportunities for conservation. (Smithsonian) How do spiritual landscapes differ from other cultural landscapes? Teachers, scroll down for a quick list of key resources in our Teachers Toolkit. Discussion Ideas A new study examines biodiversity in sacred natural sites. What are sacred natural sites? Sacred natural sites (SNSs) are locations, natural landmarks, or natural geographic features that … Continue reading Sacred Sites Can Be Hotspots of Conservation

Educator Spotlight: Discovering Biodiversity Close to Home

Judy Joung teaches 9th-grade biology at Schurz High School in Chicago, IL. She took students on a field trip to a state park, where they completed a modified BioBlitz and shared their findings using iNaturalist. A BioBlitz is an event that brings together community members to find and identify as many species as possible in a specific area over a short period of time. Continue reading Educator Spotlight: Discovering Biodiversity Close to Home