It was a short school week because of conferences April 1st & 2nd. However, VPE did manage to come to learn about soil's magical story. OTE braved the cold on Tuesday to come get Down and Dirt with soil.

Eric Kessler's high school class came and took an inventory of the WSC amphibians.

This week blue wing teal were visiting the wetland.

New volunteers were trained this week at the WSC. What a great addition these new volunteers make.

Johnson County Master Gardeners came out in force this Monday. They really cleaned the gardens getting them ready for the spring growth. Of course this weekend it forecasted 6-12 inches of snow.. so much for that feeling of spring in the air.

The week had some very nice weather made it perfect for the 3rd grades from SPE to investigate bird behaviors. By the end of the week the weather had taken a turn for the worse and one class had to be rescheduled.

As thee week progressed the goldfinches kept getting more yellow as their summer plumage became more evident. What a beautiful sight that is. It is evident that the ducks have started their pairing. Two wood ducks were spotted on the Blue River and pair of mallards has claimed the east wetland. Red bellied and downy woodpeckers frequent the bird feeders along with the doves, chickadees, tufted titmouse, red winged black birds, cardinals and robins were all observed either at the feeders or in the forest.

Fifth graders from HES were measuring the forest with OTE fourth grades got Down & Dirty with soil.

That's it for this week at the Wilderness Science Center

This has been a short class week because of district assessment scoring and professional development day plus it begins spring break next week. However, we did manage to finish 1st grade animal classifications classes with the BRE students, get in on 4th grade down & dirty activity with OTE and finish with one more 5th grade measuring activity with CPE.

The frogs were very noisy as the week began but they did get pretty quiet during the cold snap this week. As the week begins to come to a close and the temperature is slowly creeping up one by one the frogs have started their melodious calls!

Wilderness Science Center will be closed during spring break week of March 16-20 but will be in full swing starting on Monday, March 23. On the morning of March 23, there will be a spring volunteer training for individuals that are interested in volunteering at the Wilderness Science Center (WSC).

The WSC needs volunteers for a variety of jobs. We are looking for parents or grandparents that might want to spend some time helping at Blue Valleys outdoor learning center. Jobs range from working with small student groups in the field, trail maintenance, helping with equipment organization and storage, classroom animals and/or clerical work.

All volunteers will be asked to come to three three-hour training sessions at various times throughout the year. The training is intended to familiarize volunteers with all aspects of the WSC, maybe learn new skills or refresh old ones. No matter which job or jobs you might like to volunteer your time, you will be asked to participate in training.

If anyone is interested in volunteering or at least finding out more about the WSC and volunteer give Dee Wilson a call at 239-4399 and come on Monday, March 23 at 9:00-12.

Everyone have a great Spring Break!

Two metal replacement study tables were installed this week and two old falling apart wood ones were hauled off. The new ones should last forever or so we hope. Now we only have 6 old wooden tables left.

Thursday, March 5 the chorus frogs were singing was making their presence know. Their songs filled the air; they could be heard from the classroom building. Ever year I marvel at how loud these little chorus frogs can be. If you can manage to stand on the boardwalk quietly and they begin to safe their calls begin again, it is quite deafening. What a terrific experience!

During 5th class on February 25 one of the groups was lucky enough to have 3 sharp shinned hawks come and land on the trees right around where they were doing their work. It was quite exciting!!

February 26 heard the first frog of spring in the forest.

The week ended with 5th grade in the forest measuring trees as temperatures were falling in anticipation of the forecasted snow fall Friday night.

Thursday was a cold, sunny bright day but it was a beautiful day to learn about the WSC habitats. Thursday, a pair of red tail hawks was sighted soaring around. It appears birds seem to be singing a little more and the goldfinches are beginning to show the first signs of their summer plumage.

It just kept getting warm with every day. What a great week!

A couple of red tail hawks were observed high in the WSC skies. Other than that the WSC was a pretty quiet place this week.

Also this week the chorus frogs were heard for the first time this year. Spring is close!

What a beautiful day to be at the WSC!

Here are some sightings that were reported over the winter break. Raccoon tracks were found along the stream bank. An owl pellet was on one of the paths. Easily identified in the owl pellet were the jaw and ribs. Dabbling ducks were bottoms up in the wetland looking for food. Deep deer tracks were observed in the mud along the path. Several visitors were observed at the bird feeder; these included doves, doves, cardinals, chickadees and a down woodpecker. A red tailed hawk was perched high in a tree overlooking the prairie and the bird feeders. Plus a fresh pile of coyote scat was found at the entrance of the rabbit hole under the deck.

It seems the WSC was quite busy over break.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Also today eighth grade from HMS began their two water testing experiences at the WSC. Students will be studying and continuing to monitor of the WSC water through the chemical analysis part of the lab.

WSC closed while staff goes to conference.

The green snake is very small, delicate often hard to see and usually very secretive. What a treat!

Netti and Bob Biggs long time volunteers at the WSC were honored as Volunteer of the Year at the Board of Education meeting this evening for their serve and dedication to the center.

Nettie has spent countless hours in the butterfly and bird gardens. With her help the gardens are growing and actually looking like gardens. She has made phone calls, made charts and enlisted Bob's help on many projects.

Bob has single handed built a small observation deck for students' water testing projects. He has carried mulch, sawed trees and branches, moved mud off bridges, repaired steps and boardwalks help weed the prairie and helped with the prairie burn plus all those extra projects that Nettie has for him in the garden. Sometimes they would even take a project home to work on. These are the kind of volunteers that make a difference and provide so much support for the WSC. Plus they are just fun people to be around, and I am so grateful that they chose to work at the WSC.

Thanks are not enough but thank you very much!

The first groups to participate in the study were 5th grade classes from MTE and LES.

It was a hoppin great day in the WSC tall grass prairie.

MTE 5th grade enrichment class came looking for monarchs to tag. We walked to WSC and only saw two monarch and weren't able to catch either. Even though we didn't actually tag any butterflies, we all agreed it certainly was a pleasure time to walk the WSC on this beautiful fall day.

Every year small groups of students are asked to help tag monarchs as part of the nationwide collaborative effort to monitor the Monarchs migration. For more information check out www.monarchwatch.com

It is truly a buggy time of year at the WSC!

BVMS eighth graders were making observations and new discoveries in the wetland. Before today not many students knew macro-invertebrates existed. Today they observed and drew an unknown animal's physical properties in order to identify the unknown animal by looking up those physical characteristics in a field guide.

Fifth graders were studying birds and their characteristics. Students learned about the characteristics that help to identify birds. Then they walked outdoors at the WSC identifying birds and discovering which type of habitat each kind of bird appeared to prefer.

What a change in this section of the forest by the passing of this old tree! It opened a large canopy hole which really brightens the forest floor. I look forward to the changes this happening will bring to the forest. Now we have a chance to watch a small example of succession in the WSC forest.