Making nature connections, learning about wild birds and exploring biodiversity are the topics of four upcoming workshops in July at the Red River National Wildlife Refuge.
The professional development educator workshops are free and open to anyone who wants to share information about the topics – from teachers, to scout leaders, to those who may want to volunteer at the refuge or elsewhere.
Terri Jacobson, refuge ranger, will direct the workshops for both formal and non-formal educators. They will be held from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. each day and will offer six professional development hours each. Dates and workshops are as follows:
- July 18 – Making Nature Connections, a program developing and rekindling a personal “sense of wonder” and then helping children make deeper connections with the world around them. It will use the look-move-build-sketch planning tool for arts exploration.
- July 23 – B is for Birds, a workshop about wild birds and their conservation, identification, classification adaptations, habitat niches, life cycles and migration.
- July 24 – Flying Wild, a workshop about planning a bird festival. It and the July 23 workshop combine citizen science, service-learning and common core standards.
- July 31—Explore Biodiversity, a workshop offering interactive lessons that dig deeper into biodiversity issues of habitat loss, invasive exotic species, pollution, pollinators and endangered species. It includes take-home lesson plans and posters.
The Red River National Wildlife Refuge is headquartered off the Teague Parkway Extension in Bossier City at 150 Eagle Bend Point. It is operated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
For further information or to register, contact Jacobson at 318-742-1219 or terri_jacobson@fws.gov. More details can also be found at www.friendsofredriver.org.
