EDUCATION

HARMONY NATURE SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR

Audubon Dallas Education Chair, Mariana Griggs, judged the Harmony Nature School Science Fair on December 3, 2011. The judges for the fair were treated to breakfast and lunch, and the library was set aside for them to interact with each other. Judging was done with a rubric created by the school, and each judge provided feedback to approximately 15 participants.

Participants in the Science Fair were from various grade levels. Harmony Nature School is a Charter School in the Mountain Creek area of Dallas and currently hosts approximately 600 students in K-8. The school’s goal is to expand their grade levels to include K-12. Areas of interest at the new and yet unfinished campus include trails and a terraced vegetable garden. This year, students and teachers joined in working in the garden. Volunteers are welcome to visit or work in the garden on Thursdays at 3:00 pm.

Projects in the fair ranged from average to above average understanding of the scientific method. Highlighted was information related to dependent and independent variables in experiments. Students gave presentations that showed very creative and attractive three-fold boards for their projects.

Volunteer Claudia Meyer provided maps of Cedar Ridge Preserve and showed education materials at a table provided by the school. Students and parents took home maps of the preserve and won water bottle prizes for correctly identifying the specimens present.

Some of the most interesting projects included:
The Effect of Smoke on Plants
Energy from Trash
Reusing Laundry Water in the Garden
Solar Power projects

These kids are on the right track to lead us into an energy revolution!

SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE
Audubon Dallas honors Ned Fritz, long-time member of Audubon Dallas, by sponsoring the Ned Fritz Audubon Dallas Scholarship. Mr. Fritz knew as a child that he loved the natural world. At 8 years old he wrote, and the Tulsa, Oklahoma newspaper published, the following poem.

I wish I were a Robin,
All over I would go,
From Alaska's cabin,
To sultry Mexico.

He grew up to be an ardent conservationist who was not afraid to take a strong activist position when he felt it was the only way to protect the environment. Please help us reach applicants by sharing this announcement with professors, teachers and parents of budding scientists

More information about Ned Fritz at
http://www.saveamericasforests.org/Ned%20Fritz/index.html

Ned Fritz Audubon Dallas Scholarship Application
The Ned Fritz Audubon Dallas Scholarship is open to members of Audubon Dallas who have a demonstrated interest in the environmental and /or natural sciences. Candidates must be residents of Dallas County, Texas. One scholarship up to $2000 will be awarded annually for a project, class, work shop, or camp that will benefit nature or the environment and support the mission of Audubon Dallas.
New Application Deadline is February 14, 2012.
Download Application Here.

Audubon Dallas Student Scholarship Application
The Audubon Dallas Student Scholarship is open to high school students (grades 10-12) with a demonstrated interest in the environmental and/or natural sciences. Candidates must be residents of Dallas County, Texas and planning to major in environmental studies or the natural sciences in a two or four year college. One scholarship up to $500 will be awarded annually for a project that will benefit nature or the environment.
New Application Deadline is February 14, 2012.
Download Application Here

Waterfowl Identification
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Location: John Bunker Sands Wetland Center
Time: 7:15AM-10:30AM
FREE
Dabbling duck or diving duck? Goose? Heron? Egret? Join us at the amazing John Bunker Sands Wetland Center for a morning of waterfowl adventure with naturalist Dr. Bob Stone. Dr. Stone is a board certified orthopedic surgeon who helped to develop arthroscopic surgery worldwide. A former Dallas Audubon Board member, Dr. Stone has birded on all continents except Antarctica and is currently at 2030 on his World Bird List.

We will meet at the Rock Church at the intersection o f 175 and Combine Road. (If travelling South on Hwy 175, take the Combine Rd exit south of Kaufman County Line sign.) Turn right from the Combine Road exit into the church parking lot. It is
immediately to your right after you get onto Combine Road from Highway
175. After meeting in the church parking lot, w will take you to the JBS Center.

THIS CLASS IS FOR EXPERIENCED BIRDERS. Due to use of advanced identification terminology, beginning birders are discouraged from attending. Please bring a Sibley Guide for classroom reference. Class size is limited to 12 participants. Please RSVP to Stephanie Timko at stimko@audubon.org.
Participants must sign a liability waiver.
PLEASE visit www.wetlandcenter.com to learn about this wonderful wetland.

Warbler Identification with Jim Peterson
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Location: Dogwood Canyon Audubon Center
Time: 8:00AM-11:30AM
FREE
The Warblers are coming! Are you ready? Warblers are colorful and extremely active birds, which flock in large groups during spring and fall migrations. They can be gray, olive, or green; many are patterned with bright yellow, red, orange, blue or black and white. There are many species of warblers with many names to describe their appearance. Learn to identify these amazing birds with ease and confidence.

Jim was Curator of Ornithology at the Dallas Museum of Natural History and is now Director of Technology at the Episcopal School of Dallas. He has compiled the Dallas County Christmas Count for the last 21 years, and currently maintains bird records for North-Central Texas at http://www.nctexasbirds.com

THE OLDEST EXISTING BIRD SPECIES IN THE WORLD!

The mysterious Mississippi Sandhill Crane belongs to the oldest existing species of bird on earth. Now only one flock remains. What clues to the puzzle of these peculiar birds can be observed in the Wet Pine Savanna of Southern Jackson County?

Fossils over six million years old were found in Nebraska, making the sandhill crane the oldest living species of bird in the world. Ninety-nine percent of sandhill cranes are migratory. As for the three nonmigratory species, the Florida sandhills can be seen across southern Georgia and northern and central Florida, and are doing fine. However, the Cuban and Mississippi sandhill cranes are endangered. Cuban sandhills are restricted to the Isle of Pines. The future does not look bright for these two subspecies. The Mississippi sandhill crane (grus canadensis pulla) was recognized as a separate subspecies in 1972 and in 1973 was placed on the endangered species list by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge is located in the city of Gautier, Miss. The refuge was established in 1974 and is one of nearly 500 national wildlife refuges administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The Gautier, Ocean Springs and Fontainebleau land units make up the refuge's massive nesting range of 19,000 acres; about 12,500 acres can be used by cranes. The refuge's main purpose is to provide protection and management for the cranes, to protect and preserve the savanna and to provide environmental education, interpretation and wildlife-oriented recreation for refuge visitors. In January and February, people can call and arrange a free excursion with a crane biologist who will take them out early Tuesday or Saturday mornings to an observation blind. These expeditions are offered only in those two months because they are the coolest, and the birds are more likely to come out to visible feeding areas.