Tag: state parks

Educator Spotlight, Main

Educator Spotlight: Discovering Biodiversity Close to Home

Judy Joung teaches 9th-grade biology at Schurz High School in Chicago, IL. She took students on a field trip to a state park, where they completed a modified BioBlitz and shared their findings using iNaturalist. A BioBlitz is an event that brings together community members to find and identify as many species as possible in a specific area over a short period of time. Continue reading Educator Spotlight: Discovering Biodiversity Close to Home

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Exploring Public Lands

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Last weekend, I tried (unsuccessfully) to attend an
astronomy event.  Long story, short, we
failed to read the Northern Virginia Astronomy Club’s website correctly and
landed at a different astronomy event than the one we had had in mind, at a
different state park, which had closed 15 minutes before my compatriots and I
arrived.  Feeling dejected but not
entirely discouraged, we meandered through the roads of rural Virginia, looking for
a place to stargaze.  What we found was a
lot of open country, surrounded by a lot of locked gates. 

2012-10-17_0000099.JPG

Sky Meadows State Park, our unattained destination.  Photo credit: John Cushing, MyShot, 12/02/2009.

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Classroom Ideas

Five for Friday: Five ways to get OUTSIDE and HAVE FUN

Biketouring.jpg                                Riding a bicycle across America?
                                                            
1.

This summer I’m going to be riding a bike from Portland, Oregon to Portland, Maine. Why? Well… first off, why not?  Second, I want to see the country from a bicycle- – which is to say: I want to really see the country, not just from a TV screen or from an airplane. How much gas is this going to take me? Barring the plane trip to my starting destination and the road trip home… NOT A WHOLE LOT. Can you think of ways to travel that have a relatively small impact on the earth?

2.

To do this bike trip, of course, requires a LOT of gear, so I was thinking about heading to REI this afternoon to look at some pannier bags for my bicycle. While discussing this with my editor, we reflected on how it’s pretty hip to dress like you are a serious outdoor enthusiast, while not actually being an outdoor enthusiast. This fashion style shall henceforth be referred to as “wilderness chic.” I say, if you are sporting your North Face jacket but haven’t gotten out to a local park to do some hiking yet, this spring is your chance to ‘walk the walk’ and ‘talk the talk.’

 

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