HARRISBURG – With summer recess for schools just around the corner, the Pennsylvania Game Commission is announcing a series of exciting wildlife education workshops for educators and scout and youth group leaders in June. The three programs, which are Act 48-approved for educators and include standards-based activities to help address the Environment and Ecology Standards, are Wild about Owls, WILD about Watersheds and WILD about Schoolyard Habitat.
Dress is causal for all three workshops, and participants should bring a lunch. Following is a summary of the three programs.
WILD About Owls: June 11, from 9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m., at the Game Commission’s Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area along Hopeland Road, two miles south of Kleinfeltersville, Lebanon County. This one-day workshop will examine owls in Pennsylvania, and feature Game Commission biologists. Participants also will watch agency biologists banding barn owls nesting at Middle Creek. For more information or to register, contact Theresa Alberici, Game Commission Wildlife Conservation Education specialist, at talberici@state.pa.us. There is no charge for this workshop.
WILD about Schoolyard Habitats: June 19, from 9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m., at the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Nolde Forest Environmental Education Center in Reading. This one-day workshop explores ways to utilize large and small schoolyards as outdoor classrooms, and identifies methods and specific plants to help attract birds, butterflies and other wildlife to schoolyards. Workshop participants will even have an opportunity to apply for a small grant to start schoolyard projects! For more information, contact Theresa Alberici, Game Commission Wildlife Conservation Education specialist, at talberici@state.pa.us. There is no charge for this workshop, which is sponsored by the Game Commission, Nolde Forest EE Center and DCNR’s Bureau of State Parks.
WILD about Watersheds: This two-day workshop will be held June 25, from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the Olewine Nature Center at Wildwood Lake Sanctuary, off Industrial Road, in Harrisburg, and June 26, at 8 a.m. at the Fish and Boat Commission Boat Launch north of the Fort Hunter Mansion on Front Street, and conclude by 4 p.m. The first day will include classroom and hands-on activities that can be done indoors or outdoors to help students learn about watersheds. The second day will “immerse” participants in the watershed as they canoe the Susquehanna River, making stops at different locations to learn about Native Americans along the river, and about the reintroduction of American shad, bald eagles and peregrine falcons to the watershed. Participants also will survey aquatic insects to evaluate water quality. Pack a lunch and plenty of drinking water and dress for outdoor activities. Pre-registration is required, and arrangements can be made by calling the Wildwood Lake Sanctuary at 717-221-0292. There is a $25 per person fee, which covers two days of instruction, educational materials, canoes, paddles, life jackets and shuttle service.
