Winter Solstice and the New Year
December 2014 Education Coordinators Report
The month began with a visit to the Nature Center by our local geology expert, Fred Jee. We had a full room and engaging lecture on a day in December where it was below 45 degree’s at noon. Lucky for us, the lights stayed on until just a half hour before Fred finished! Fault lines were on everyone’s minds.
Later in the month we were visited by Resource Defense Council Educator, Ann Baldridge. She came by to understand how we were propagating our Oaks. As they are helping Viejas Indian Reservation to grow Oaks, she was interested in our techniques for growing Oaks. They are primarily growing Engelmann Oaks, along with some Coast Live Oaks.
We had a meeting of the Native Plant Minds, with Steve Tucker of Viejas, Larry Hendrickson of State Parks, Bobbi Thompson of County Parks, Mother Nature (aka Sharyl Massey) and myself. We are coming together several times next year as well, to keep track of our successes and failures with Native Plant propagation. We are hoping to propagate Slender Milkweed in this New Year for the Monarch Migration. Details forthcoming....
On Dec. 5th Sheana and I visited Barnett Elementary School to prep them for their visit in January. There will be 77 students and about a dozen adults!
A visit from Spencer Valley is forthcoming in January as well when they visit the Sky Scope on the Sky Island- they will be our official first for the viewing
The plate for the Sky Scope is being laser printed as I type this letter! Soon we will have a formal viewing of the Sky Scope with Board members.
The Education Committee will meet in the month of January for our seasonal meeting We will generally celebrate a good year past and a great year coming up with the Volcan Map, Watershed Explorer Program, and Sky Scope on the horizon. Kathleen is also developing a Citizen Science Monarch Migration project. Look for that in the New Year!
Don’t forget:
January 17, 10:30am at the Julian Library, Mike Puzzo,“Creatures of Volcan”
January 24, 9-noon Sky Island to the Sky Scope
February 21, 9-noon Sky Island to Sky Scope
February 28, 2pm at the Nature Center with Fred Jee for a trip to the fault lines, as seen from Volcan.
Merry Happy Solstice and beyond…
