WindStar Wildlife Garden Weekly
Connecting People
To Nature Through
Education October 31,
2007
Official
Publication of WindStar Wildlife
Institute
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Nature Deficit Disorder 
Most
children today are raised differently from when I was a kid in
the 40s and 50s.
The
first thing we did when we arrived home from school (after
walking a half-mile) was to change our clothes and go outside.
Our activities weren't structured,
other than making sure we did our chores. We romped with
the dogs in the yard, rode our bikes and often walked out
in the timber, exploring the world of nature. Sometimes
we climbed trees. Sometimes we waded in the crick. And,
sometimes we played imaginary games.
On
weekends we occasionally camped out in the woods... at
least until a wolf howled or an owl screeched. We got
dirty...our Mom's expected we would. Most of the time we
stayed outside until dark or she called us in for
supper. Then we did our homework and were in bed by 8
p.m.
Today computers, video games,
television and cell phones are the key forms of entertainment
for kids. Most have no daily connection with nature. Outdoor
activities tend to be structured and controlled such as
participating in sports. It's alarming the large number of
kids who are overweight or obese. Childhood diseases are
rising alarmingly. Researchers have tied many of these
conditions to the lack of exercise.
Studies also show that an adult's affinity
for the outdoors and Mother Nature is directly related to
these unstructured childhood experiences we had. "When the No
Child Left Behind" legislation was enacted, environmental
education funds were cut or eliminated. It's time we do
something about it. And, we are. Read the following
article in this issue. If you agree we need to get our
kids back outdoors, join in our effort.
Tom
Patrick
Founder &
President
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Pushing For
Outdoor Education
By Tom
Ackerman
AS A RESULT of
the testing mania that No Child Left Behind (NCLB) has
driven across the country, fewer and fewer students are
allowed to investigate the natural world as part of
their formal education.
Instead, they
are subjected to two and three extra sessions of math
and reading, and spend educational time learning how to
take tests. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) is
leading a national coalition to reverse this trend and
give every student and teacher the opportunity to "Learn
Outside!"
Over the last year CBF
has built a network of over 110 partners including
WindStar Wildlife Institute, the Sierra Club, National
Wildlife Foundation, Audubon Society, Nation Education
Association and others.
Each coalition
partner believes that every child needs to be educated
about the environment in order to make sound personal
decisions and to grow into a responsible
citizen.
The only way to guarantee this outcome
is to amend the controversial No Child Left Behind law,
which has unintentionally reduced the number of schools
and students who can participate in valuable
environmental education experiences.
The hard work of the NCLI
coalition have led to level of success that some thought
impossible. Two... Read On
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Nature
Quotes
"Reading about nature is
fine,
but if a person walks in the woods
and
listens carefully,he can learn
more than what is in
books, for
they speak with the voice of
God."
--George Washington
Carver
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Alien
Species Face Off In Duel
 THERE ARE horror stories all
around the world of species being introduced into areas
where they didn't evolve along with the ecosystem.
These
include everything from insects to fish to mammals. The
most common scenario for destruction is when these
invasive species can thrive in their new homes--at the
expense of the indigenous plant and/or animal
populations.
From Kudzu, to
Mute Swans, to Zebra Mussels, to the Northern Snakehead
Fish, there are numerous examples of the folly of trying
to fool Mother Nature. But in some cases, Mother Nature
is being put to use in a fighting-fire-with-fire way to
help control or eradicate a destructive introduced
species. Such is the case with an invasive plant that is
wreaking havoc in Maryland. (Mile-a-Minute Weed by Leslie
Mehroff)
A recent story
by the Capital News Service examined how the state is
using one foreign species in an effort to control
another. In this case, the culprit is a native Asian
vine that was introduced in Maryland decades ago. The
nickname given to this vine is indicative of the problem
it poses.
Commonly referred to as Mile-A-Minute
weed, this vine forms masses that grow over native
plants, blocking the sunlight and eventually... Read On
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Wildlife Photo of the Week
What better way to
illustrate global warming than
this wonderful photograph made by Arne Naever
of Norway and runner-up in the Shell Wildlife
Photographer of the Year Contest sponsored by
London's Natural History Museum
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Another
Winged Migration!
FOUR ultralight aircraft and
the juvenile cranes took to the air for the first leg of
the 1,250-mile journey to the birds' wintering habitat
at Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge along
Florida's Gulf Coast.
"This will be our seventh
migration along this route and although we have done it
before, each season brings new challenges and the
weather is always unpredictable," said Joe Duff, senior
ultralight pilot and CEO of Operation Migration, the
WCEP partner that leads the ultralight
migration.
"It has consistently taken us 22
to 23 flying days to cover the 1,250 miles from here to
Florida. However, each year, it seems to take a longer
period to get those 23 good weather mornings and last
season we were on the road for 76 days.
The team works very hard
to prepare these birds for their first migration and
they deserve a break. We are asking everyone to hope and
pray for good weather this year and speed the birds to
their new winter home."
In addition to the 17 birds being
led south by ultralights, biologists from the
International Crane Foundation and the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service reared 10 Whooping Cranes at Necedah
NWR.
The birds will be released in the
company of older cranes in hopes that the young Whooping
Cranes learn the migration route, part of WCEP's "Direct
Autumn Release" program, which supplements the
successful ultralight migrations.
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Easy To Double Your
Power
PUT A DOUBLER
over one eyepiece, and voila! your binocular does double
duty as a mini spotting scope. Several binocular
manufacturers make them for their binoculars. (Epoch doubler)
One of the most
versatile doublers is the Vortex 2x Doubler. It works
with all 32mm or larger Vortex binoculars. It holds on
by friction or pressure, with no threads to match up,
and as a result it works with the binoculars made by
many other manufacturers as well.
It's a nifty gadget, because it
is small enough to carry in a pocket and weighs under 5
ounces. So if you it's not convenient to tote your
scope, for example on a business trip, you can take this
along instead.
And when you really need that
extra magnification for a great bird on the far side of
the lake, you can use your doubler to turn an 8-power
binocular into a 16-power scope. Or, make your 10-power
binocular give you 20-power magnification.
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Have An EXCELLENT Day
in your WILDLIFE HABITAT!
Tom
Patrick
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10072 Vista
Ct.
Myersville, MD
21773
301-293-3351
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