pollinators in gardens simply more interesting

Here's a great quote on gardening with pollinators in mind:

“It is the gardeners of the world who can open their gardens to the pollinator refugees, who can provide temporary or permanent shelter until humans refine our outlook on the natural world.

By actively sheltering pollinators, we gardeners remind ourselves that we have the power to positively overcome some of the humankind's more destructive tendencies.

Additionally, our gardens provide a teaching laboratory for young children to connect with an ever-vanishing natural environment.

Our gardens might provide a network of urban and suburban biological corridors that link more protected sites and allow pollinators to move freely from one natural area via our gardens to other natural areas.

And finally, all lofty, Earth-saving notions aside, you might wish to encourage pollinators in your gardens simply because they are more interesting than any television show you can imagine.”

Eric Grissell, author of Insects and Gardens

Thanks to Janet Allen for sharing this quote.

College students

Back in the late 1990s, David Warners was a great friend of the Childrens' Wet Peadow Project at Ann Arbor's Buhr Park.

Now a biology prof in Grand Rapids, his students have been planting trees and creating woodland habitat on campus.

See photos and text on the Calvin College web site here.

Youth in India work to preserve trees for the future

While this blog is mostly focused on youth projects in Michigan, USA, here's an exception.

It's exciting to see that young people around the world are taking action to preserve trees.

Here's the write-up (I discovered it by chance.)

http://ringsofsilverpv.blogspot.com/2009/11/siemens-nizhal-go-green-initiative.html

Monroe, Mich. students planting natives on local TV

Science teacher Russ Columbus continues his great work at the Knabusch Mathematics and Science Center, part of Monroe (Mich.) Public Schools. In November, students planted seeds collected over the past few years to create a prairie on our campus that will be used by future students. They did the planting on school days from 7:30 AM to 9:30 AM during the second week of November, 2009.

Toledo TV WTOL came and did a live story one of the mornings. The video is on their website. Go to WTOL.com and search for "Monroe students learn about planting".

This project has received awards from Wild Ones and the Wildflower Association of Michigan.

Michigan teen researches prescribed fire

A teen from southwest Michigan has won an award for her research project on using prescribed fire to maintain prairies.

See

http://www.amnh.org/nationalcenter/youngnaturalistawards/2009/AH.html

Kids in Lowell Plant 1000 Trees

Elementary school students in Lowell, Michigan, planted 1,000 trees in October 2009. They planted oaks and maples of local genotype at the Wege Natural Area. Photos are available in the newsletter of the Land Conservancy of West Michigan, page 10. Funding was provided by Dell Computer.

http://www.naturenearby.org/Data/Resources/File/Newsletters/LCWM%20Winter%2009-10%20Newsletter.pdf

Joseph Cornell is coming to Ann Arbor in October

Anyone who is interested in kids and nature is probably familiar with the books by Joseph Cornell.

He wrote Sharing Nature with Children and other books. His work and workshops are known worldwide. His work focuses on connecting with nature and his techniques can be used by teachers, naturalists, group leaders – and of course parents.

Joseph Cornell will give a free public lecture Friday October 16 starting at 4pm in room 1040 of the Dana Building on U-M’s Central Campus in Ann Arbor

On Saturday October 17 and repeated Sunday October 18, Joseph Cornell will lead his workshop on Sharing Nature with Children.

This workshop leads participants through his flow learning techniques. Through learning games and active engagement workshop participants will learn activities and ideas used in his books, that really do work with kids. (I have used them for years!) The workshop is for adults that work with kids or want to engage kids in nature and deepening their connection to nature.

Each workshop is 6 hours with an hour for lunch. The same workshop offered Saturday, is repeated on Sunday.

Pre-Registration is essential as space in each workshop is limited.