| Schools
Bird Habitat Recognition Program
Schools/Universities
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| Students install a bird garden
at Springside School in Chestnut Hill. © Audubon
Pennsylvania |
Schoolyards and university campuses in your community may already
provide habitat for common lbirds. By improving the quality
of that habitat, your schoolyard can attract additional birds
and wildlife while providing a healthier, more interactive learning
environment for students. A diverse
schoolyard habitat offers opportunities to fulfill state environmental
standards and ways to enrich classroom curriculum--from developing
literacy and writing skills through nature journaling to strengthening
math skills through the monitoring of bird and insect populations
and analyzing trends.
Perhaps the greatest value in creating
a “bird garden” is the most basic – connecting
children and young people to nature and increasing their appreciation…without
the need for a complex field trip. It’s abundantly clear
(thanks is large part to the publication of “Last Child
in the Woods”) that children of all ages benefit in
profound ways with exposure to nature.
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| A school habitat is born in Fairless
Hills © National Audubon Society |
In addition, the presence of a habitat garden might inspire
students and visitors to take the idea “home” with
them and expand their knowledge and ability to bring human-influenced
landscapes to life! Here are some simple steps to begin the
process:
- Get buy-in: Often it’s one teacher or staff
person who is particularly motivated to begin the conversation.
A plan could see fruition even faster if a select committee
of teachers/professors, parents, and administration staff
(including facilities personnel) gets together and outlines
the goals of a “bird habitat garden” on a particular
site.
- Partner: Employing the resources in the community
(such as Audubon) and creating a partnership early on can
strengthen a proposal.
- Make a plan: Once you get initial buy-in from the
administration and/or district, energy should be focused
on developing a site assessment, planting schematic and
cost breakdown. Here again, community partners can be a
valuable and money-saving resource.
- Get some green: If necessary, a fundraising strategy
should be discussed with timeframes in mind relative to
best planting periods (early spring or fall). Look at grants,
bakes sales, in-kind donations, bird-a-thons, corporate
donations, etc. There may be grants available from the DCNR
(Department of Conservation and Natural Resources), NRCS
(Natural Resources Conservation Service) and others. In
some places, local Audubon chapters might be able to co-sponsor
a schoolyard habitat.
- Show off! During the planting process or after
you’ve planted your garden (and have been recognized
by Audubon Pennsylvania), contact the local press (TV, newspaper,
etc.) and let the community know what you’re doing
on the campus.
Resources:
Web
http://www.audubonathome.org/schoolyard
Audubon Adventures
http://www.audubon.org/educate/aa/
Birds to Help
http://audubonathome.org/birdstohelp/
Books
New! Guide
to Wildlife Viewing and Photography Blinds (4.6
MB PDF) courtesy of www.deborahrichie.com,
www.dgif.virginia.gov,
and www.wildlife.state.co.us
Native Plants in the Creation of
Backyard, Schoolyard and Park Habitat Areas, 1995, published
by Audubon Pennsylvania
Greening School Grounds – Creating
Habitat for Learning, 2001 Green Teacher Magazine, published
by New Society Publishers
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