Backyard Ecosystems
This week, in tandem with our study of ecosystems, the Nature Links group began a Nature Journaling project. We looked at the nature journals of Master Naturalist Carol Leonard for inspiration - click here for her full webinar presented by Blue Hill Heritage Trust “Friends from the Field” series (a great resource in these isolated times).
Here is how we began our journaling practice:
Choose a place near your home that you will visit regularly. This could be a walk you take each day, or a place you like to sit. It could be a field, the woods, the beach, or if you live in town, a walk down your street. Try to go by yourself (without your pets) and notice what's around you. Remember, we are practicing science and the art of observation. Document your observation to share with class. This could be a piece of writing, a photo, a video, a drawing, audio recording, or an oral story. Here are the notes from today about preparing and taking your walk:
Preparing to walk:
Dress appropriately for the weather.
Tick prevention - Wear light colored clothing and tuck your pants into your socks. Check yourself after, and shower within 24 hours.
Use bug spray and sunscreen if necessary. A baseball cap also helps keep flies off your face and the sun out of your eyes!
Make sure you have a path, or keep your house in sight.
On your walk:
Look at the big picture - Notice changes in season. Take note of the weather, temperature, colors, tide or moon phase.
Zoom in to smaller details - pick a plant, animal or abiotic feature (rock, soils) to study more closely.
Take a notebook - write down or sketch what you see, feel, hear, and smell.
Take a phone/camera - take photos, videos and audio recordings of anything you find interesting.
Notice how your body feels while walking. Do you have a lot of energy, or are you tired? Take notes about your feelings. If you hear a bird that cheers you up - that’s a great observation! Maybe it will turn into a poem...
To share my own backyard, I made a short video on the vernal pool in my backwoods with Dr. Jane Disney, director of the Community Environmental Health Lab at the MDI Biological Laboratory. (Wondering why we don’t social distance in the video? Jane is my mother!). The video is an invitation to take a walk, maybe with a loved one, into the environment that surrounds your home, and take a closer look. What seems like a puddle in the forest might actually be a diverse, complex and delicate ecosystem!
You can watch my video here:
Check out this amazing resource from Maine Audubon and the University of Maine on vernal pool ecology and conservation, and forestry habitat management (written in part by Aram Calhoun, PhD, mentioned in the video by Dr. Jane Disney).
I’m looking forward to the weeks to come, as the spring unfolds, and our participants progress in their projects. They have very exciting ideas for their journals!
Until next week,
Maddy
Madeline Johnson, Lead Teacher
