SEELC 2011 Environmental Education Program
Wild Wednesdays in the Park
Classes held at Saint Edward State Park
Course Title | Instructor(s) | Target Age | Date and Location |
1. Raptor Romp: Birds of Prey. Sarvey Wildlife Care Center. Experience live, but non releasable, birds of prey, learn many interesting things about these magnificent birds and how we can all help to insure a future for them. Sarvey Wildlife Care Center rehabilitates sick, injured, and orphaned wild animals in Washington State with the top priority of releasing them back into the wild, where they belong. 1.5 hour class. | Kestrel Skyhawk | Families | Wednesday, July 6 10:30 am to 12 pm Saint Edward State Park |
2. Poetry in the Park. Join us on a beautiful summer evening to share and create poetry. Bring your poetry, a simple supper, sit out under the trees and spend the evening with poetry and new found friends. First, we will challenge your creative juices with ideas and techniques to get you writing your own poetry. Then, we will share our work. All ages and levels of experience are welcome. If you'd like, bring a food item to share. 2.5 hour class. | Linda Thompson
| Families | Wednesday, July 13 6-8:30 pm Saint Edward State Park |
3. Wilderness Navigation and Orienteering. Learn how to use a map and compass to find your way in the wilderness. 3 hour class. | Bruce McAlister | Families | Wednesday, July 20 9 am – 12 noon Saint Edward State Park |
4. Wild Nature Journaling. Open your nature journal to a blank page, head outside, and get ready to draw, write, and explore! Go on a shape and color hunt. Create a sound map. See the world through animal eyes. Try your hand at wild drawing techniques like gesture sketching, contour drawing, and zooming. Then, build a sculpture out of natural materials to leave behind as a gift to nature. Please bring a pencil or pen, and either a blank-page journal or a clipboard with blank paper. For families with children ages 8-12. Meet at the picnic tables near the ranger office/gym. 2 hour class. | Kristen Bergsman
| Families | Wednesday, July 27 10 am – 12 noon Saint Edward State Park
|
5. Underwater Aliens. You might be surprised to see what’s living in the stream at the park. We will use nets and magnifying scopes to meet the invertebrates that live between rocks at the bottom of the stream. Find out how the hearty stoneflies, delicate mayflies and elegant caddisflies make their living underwater. Learn what these animals can tell us about the health of our streams in Puget Sound. 2 hour class. | Leska Fore | Families | Wednesday, August 3 10 am – 12 noon Saint Edward State Park |
6. Name that Tree. Using a key and the tree characteristics they observe, children and adults will learn how to identify 8 native trees that grow in our Pacific Northwest forests. We will also learn the differences between conifer and broadleaf trees and we will learn how Native Americans used these trees and how they are used commercially today. 2 hour class. | Colleen Ponto | Families | Wednesday, August 10 10 am - 12 pm Saint Edward State Park
|
7. Our Natives' Natives. Discover and name the plants our First Peoples used in their daily lives thousands of years ago. We will walk in the forest and learn more about native plants and their many uses. 2 hour class. | Roxanne Hamilton and Caitlin Chamberlin | Families | Wednesday, August 17 10 am – 12 noon Saint Edward State Park |
8. Invasion of the Habitat Snatchers. Northwest forests are being invaded by aliens. Not little green men from Mars, but plants and animals from other parts of the world that, in some cases, are altering habitats and crowding out our native species. One of these invaders is English holly. Like many invaders, English holly is an amazingly tough species that has a variety of clever tactics for surviving, multiplying, and spreading. We will go on a search of St. Edward Park to find this species in the act of invading the park. We will learn to identify holly, along with other invasive species, learn how it is spreading in the park, and find out what can be done to control it. 2 hour class. | David Stokes and Rachel Phillips | Families | Wednesday, August 24 10 am – 12 noon Saint Edward State Park |
9. Wilderness Navigation and Orienteering. Learn how to use a map and compass to find your way in the wilderness. 3 hour class. | Bruce McAlister | Families | Wednesday, August 24 1 – 4 pm Saint Edward State Park |
10. Historical Tour of Saint Edward Seminary. Join Park Ranger Mohammad as he leads a tour and tells stories about the Saint Edward Seminary. 2 hour class. | Mohammad Mostafavinassab | Families | Wednesday, August 31 Saint Edward State Park 1 – 3 pm |
SEELC Instructors
Kristen Bergsman, M.Ed., has been writing in her nature journals for the past thirteen years and enjoys introducing people to creative nature journaling. She is owner of Laughing Crow Curriculum, a company that designs science education materials, and Vice President of BrightStart Learning, an educational publisher.
Leska Fore, M.S, works as a statistical consultant to translate data into policy decisions that will protect and restore water resources.
Roxanne Hamilton, M.LA., is a lifelong student of nature with careers in teaching of ecological design at the University of Washington and in Landscape Design.
Bruce McAlister, Ph.D., J.D., is a retired professor. He began orienteering 40 years ago while teaching at the University of Oslo in Norway. He has orienteered in many countries, and has prepared many of the orienteering maps used in the Northwest.
Mohammad Mostafavinassab is the Park Ranger at Saint Edward State Park. Mohammad’s career in parks management began with Washington State Parks in 1990 where he served as a Park Aide and then as Park Ranger for many parks in Eastern Washington before coming to Saint Edward State Park in 2004.
Rachel Phillips has a bachelor of arts in Environmental Studies from UW Bothell and is a graduate student in Policy Studies.
Colleen Ponto, Ed.D., has a forestry degree, is Founder and President of the Saint Edward Environmental Learning Center, and is a core faculty member of the Organization Systems Renewal Graduate Program at Seattle University.
Kestrel Skyhawk is the Education Director at the Sarvey Wildlife Care Center located in Arlington, WA. Founded in 1981, the Sarvey Wildlife Care Center provides immediate medical care, food, and shelter to injured and orphaned Pacific Northwest wildlife until they are ready for release back into the wild.
David Stokes, Ph.D., is a professor at UW Bothell, where he teaches classes in Ecology, Conservation Biology, and Environmental Restoration.
Linda Thompson, M.A., is a theater director, high school teacher, and poet.