BRDC News

On Tuesday, October 18th, Jesse Pope (Director of Education) and Katie Gray (Chief Naturalist) from Grandfather Mountain, gave a presentation on birds for two classes at Mountain View Elementary, Ashe County, NC.
This event was orchestrated by Doug Smith, of Blue Ridge Birders, and Ruth Turnmire, teacher. I, on behalf of BRDC, was there as facilitator and support. 90 kids from 4th grade and 5th grades, 180 in total, were treated to live owls, an informative talk, and then participated in a number of activities demonstrating various aspects of birds.

At the discovery table, the kids were given nests, skulls, feet, feathers and even a couple of stuffed birds to handle and compare.

Other activities included sound demonstrations and building birds to fit a given habitat, from parts.

On Thursday, the 20th, I gave a talk to a dozen Cub Scouts, based on conservation and the role naturalists play in our understanding of wildlife and habitat.

Two of the boys had participated in a summer Fish Bugs survey, so it seemed fitting to use a small slide show to illustrate that program and talk about the quality of our streams and the food chain related to the riparian environment.