CREW’s Strolling Science Seminars has a new sponsor. The Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program (CHNEP) has awarded the CREW Land and Water Trust a grant of $1327 to partially fund our new adult education program called Strolling Science Seminars.
Because we got news of the grant just one week before our original seminars were to begin, we have changed the schedule a bit to allow time to advertise and register people for all the seminars. We cancelled the Nov. 5th seminar and added one in April 2012 on Pollinators. The new schedule, descriptions of each seminar, and the registration form can be found here. It begins with a strolling seminar on Florida Black Bears on December 2nd. Registration is required.
Each seminar is a field-based, hands-on workshop designed to help adults get more in-depth knowledge and skills related to wildlife monitoring and land management as well as a greater understanding of the watershed as a whole. Our goal is for citizens to return home and feel comfortable engaging in some kind of citizen science on their own.
We’re excited to have CHNEP co-sponsoring this series of adult environmental education workshops with us. We look forward to having many of you join us for one or more of the series.
The CREW Trust is offering a brand new adult environmental education program this season. Called Strolling Science Seminars, these 1/2 day long hike/workshops take place on the CREW trails with professors and land managers – all experts in their respective fields and fun, fascinating people to boot.
The goal is to introduce adults to scientific concepts like how to conduct simple research projects, how to monitor wildlife, and how animals and plants interact with their environment. Once you have some background knowledge and get some hands-on experience in the field with the hike leaders, you will be able to take what you know back home and use it to engage in a citizen science project of your own choosing.
We’ll also provide you with a specially designed Citizen Science website and handouts so you will have support and can get more information if you need it.
This six-seminar series begins November 5th, 2011 with Science in a 1/2 Day. Dr. billY Gunnels, from FGCU will take you through the scientific process – letting you explore, observe, and then pose a question about what you see along the trails. Then you’ll get to collect data and analyze it, finishing with a report back to the group. It’s a whirlwind science project out in the field and it is a fabulously fun day!
On Sept 13, 2012, Deb Hanson gave a presentation about the Strolling Science Seminars at the CHNEP Land Stewardship Conference. You can view a pdf of her PowerPoint here, or view her talk with audio here.
This year, we are excited to be offering a new series for adults only called CREW Strolling Science Seminars. These Strolling Science Seminars are a series of six half-day scholarly hikes for adults at the CREW Trails. Each seminar engages you in citizen science on a specific topic related to the watershed and wildlife of CREW.
Seminar leaders are experts in their fields. Gain in-depth knowledge, hands-on field experiences, and get access to online resources. You’ll be able to go home and engage in a citizen science project of your choosing. Register for one or all six seminars. Participants who complete all six will receive a certificate.
Seminar hours: 9:00 AM — 12:00 PM
Fee per seminar: $10 CREW Members, $15 non-members, or for the whole series $50 for CREW members/$75 non-members
December 2, 2011—Florida Black Bear Ecology, with Kathleen Smith, FFWCC Biologist – Come learn all about black bears – how they live, behave, and interact with their environment. Learn about human-bear interactions, too and how you can help protect this charismatic mammal.
January 6, 2012—Fire Ecology for Species Management— with Ayounga Riddick, SFWMD & Roger Clark, Lee County Land Stewardship – Come see how and why prescribed burns are conducted, learn the importance of fire in Florida’s ecosystems, and get your questions answered by land mangers who use fire as a management tool.
February 4, 2012—CREW Through Animals’ Eyes, with Dr. Billy Gunnels, FGCU – This strolling session will give you a whole new perspective about how animals see the world. Come learn about animal behavior from their point of view and get a heads up on some cool citizen science projects.
March 2, 2012—The Fascinating World of Insects!, with Dr. Clyde Sorenson, NC State University – A master storyteller and teacher, Clyde has been voted a favorite professor by students at NC State University. In the words of his students: “He is extremely interested in insects and he transmits this enthusiasm to his class.” Clyde says: “In terms of species diversity, insects are the dominant forms of life on this planet, with about a million species identified so far, and perhaps millions more yet to find. In terms of biomass- they out-weigh us many fold. It’s not surprising, then, that insects are critically important to the functioning of virtually all terrestrial ecosystems on earth. Come meet some of our chitinous fellow beings and learn about some of the many ways insects impact our lives, for good and for bad, on a CREW Strolling Science Seminar.”
April 6, 2012—Fun with Frogs, with Dr. Win Everham, FGCU – “Dr. Disturbance” will share why frogs are such an important animal to monitor and give you some hands-on practice. He’ll show you how the SW Fla Amphibian Monitoring Network works and help you get started on frog ID and monitoring, too.
April 28, 2012—Pollinators, with Dr. billY Gunnels, FGCU – Learn how flowers trick insects into pollinating and which insects (and other animals) pollinate which flowers and trees. All the spring flowers will be in bloom, so you won’t want to miss this in-depth session on species interactions. You might be surprised at some of the secrets these plants and animals keep!
To register, send your payment along with this SSS Registration Form at least one week prior to the seminar date to CREW Trust, 23998 Corkscrew Road, Estero, FL 33928 or call us for more information.
The Strolling Science Seminars are supported in part by a Public Outreach Grant from the Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program (CHNEP). The Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program is a partnership to protect estuaries in southwest Florida from Venice to Estero Bay.
Other Adult Education Opportunities: The CREW Trust offers other specially designed interpretive hikes and field trips for adult groups – from garden clubs to leadership teams to local businesses. These hikes typically last 2 to 3 hours and include information about the history of CREW, the importance of the watershed to quality of life, water and wildlife issues, and natural history of the land. To schedule a hike for your adult group, email or call the office using the contact information on our home page.
CREW’s Strolling Science Seminars has a new sponsor. The Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program (CHNEP) has awarded the CREW Land and Water Trust a grant of $1327 to partially fund our new adult education program called Strolling Science Seminars.
