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> Bird Hike, EcoLab > Bird Hike, EcoLab > Bird Hike, EcoLab |
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* - detection of flyover only #Acadian Flycatcher American Goldfinch American Robin Baltimore Oriole *Barn Swallow #Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Brown-headed Cowbird Blue Jay Carolina Chickadee *Canada Goose Carolina Wren Cedar Waxwing Chipping Sparrow *#Chimney Swift Common Grackle *Common Nighthawk Common Yellowthroat Downy Woodpecker Eastern Phoebe #Eastern Wood Pee-wee European Starling Gray Catbird #Great Crested Flycatcher Hairy Woodpecker House Wren Indigo Bunting Mallard Mourning Dove Northern Cardinal #Northern Flicker #Orchard Oriole Pileated Woodpecker Red-bellied Woodpecker Red-eyed Vireo #%&Red-headed Woodpecker Red-winged Blackbird Scarlet Tanager Song Sparrow Tree Swallow Tufted Titmouse #Warbling Vireo White-breasted Nuthatch #%&Wood Thrush #Yellow-billed Cuckoo Yellow-throated Warbler Yellow Warbler |
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You have received this monthly e-newsletter as an individual with a potential interest in the Marian College EcoLab or one of its partners. We apologize if you've received this e-mail in error. To remove yourself from our mailing list, send an e-mail to webmaster@marian.edu or update your profile. :: Note from the Director "We should do this for recess every day!” and “This is better than recess!" If you haven't already, pick up a copy of Last Child in the Woods; Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv. In this book, Louv argues that children need time in natural areas to foster creative thinking and play. The fourth graders quoted above certainly bring this idea to life. Perhaps you've seen this dynamic played out in your own children? I have! While my kids played in our summer “backyard” in Glacier National Park, Montana, they pretended to be everyone from Mary and Laura Ingalls, to campers building a shelter, to park rangers on a rescue mission. They made mud pies, climbed trees, collected berries, and picked bouquets of flowers. Not once were they bored! The Marian College EcoLab places children in a natural environment using structured activities. Children take an interactive tour to learn about things like beaver, wetlands, and native plants. Then they work on a service project planting native vegetation, collecting seeds, or removing non-natives. We think this combination of hands-on, service oriented activity with an informative tour serves the needs of students well. Let me know if this sounds interesting to you as a teacher, group leader, or parent and we'll pursue together how to make it work for you. E-mail dbenson@marian.edu or call 317.955.6028. Dr. David Benson, Marian College EcoLab director |
:: Natural History |
| :: Cultural History |
:: Environmental Education
The students from these organizations joined us on 11 separate occasions and participated in educational tours of the EcoLab that included learning about everything from wetlands to birds. Two highlights from these tours were helping the students from Flanner House plant native species around the edge of the beaver pond and performing macro-invertebrate sampling of Crooked Creek with the Core Cadets from St. Florian Center.
In July we hosted the Summer Science Camp here on the Marian College campus, but this time for middle school students and teachers. Just like the high school camp, we used the EcoLab as our outdoor “lab” for part of the camp’s curriculum. We also helped restoration staff finish planting native emergent plants around the beaver pond during the camp’s stewardship day on July 27. In addition, we have begun fall EcoLab programs and are excited about the educational opportunities that await us. Your class or group can participate in these and other projects as well. Check out our web site for information about field trips and to sign-up online at http://wetland.marian.edu. |
:: Volunteer News
Citizen Science
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:: News from our Partners
Amos W. Butler Audubon Society
Indiana Important Bird Areas program
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Last week, while fourth graders from Forest Glen Elementary School (Lawrence Township) were collecting native seeds with me in the EcoLab, I heard the following two quotes: 
This summer, several thousand plant plugs of emergent wetland plants were installed around the main pond and in the smaller, north beaver pond in the EcoLab. Emergent plants root below the surface of a pond or wetland and have stems that “emerge” out of the water. By providing places to hide, these plants act as habitats for some of the secretive wading birds like the Sora and Virginia Rail. These birds have not yet been observed in the EcoLab, but will be a welcome addition to our bird list. This project was partially funded by a grant from the Amos W. Butler Audubon Society. 
In June, the three-week Marian College Summer Science Camp for high school teachers and students was conducted. The participants of the camp performed a variety of educational activities in the EcoLab. During the last day of camp, the students and a few teachers spent the morning planting 500 native emergent plants around the northern and eastern sides of the beaver pond. 
Fifteen volunteers attended September’s conservation work day in the EcoLab. A huge amount of destruction was accomplished—about an acre of honeysuckle was reduced to pieces. Led by EcoLab Director, David Benson and his brushcutter, large honeysuckle was cut in the farthest north portion of the property bordering 38th Street. The stumps were treated with herbicide and volunteers chopped the fallen honeysuckle “trees” into smaller bits so that the area will be accessible for future restoration work. When honeysuckle clearing is finished in the far north portion of the property, we will begin planting trees and shrubs and seeding understory vegetation to give the native plants a leg up on the non-native competition. Also, late fall and early spring, we will return to the area to spray re-sprouting honeysuckle with herbicide.