Spring 2006
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Spring 2004 || Fall 2004 || Spring 2005 || Fall 2005
On all those long wet, dreary winter days something exciting was happening in our UUSD classrooms! Under the guidance of the RVOEP Educational Team, Helen Menasian and Melissa Wolf, students in 3rd grade were busy investigating skulls to see what they could learn about our local mammals. Upper grade students were eagerly participating in Flight School and learning to identify first-hand some of the adaptations that help birds make a living and perform a myriad of jobs in our natural ecosystems. Others explored life in an oak woodland as they made an oak woodland mural and beautiful rubbings of some of our local oak leaves. Squeals of excitement could be heard from some 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade classrooms as students dissected owl pellets to discover the favorite food of a barn owl and then plotted their results in food chains and food webs. A peek in the window of a 2nd grade classroom might have revealed a circle of forest inhabitants, eagerly played by bright-eyed students, all connected in a giant web of life that demonstrated the interrelationships that exist in our forest ecosystems. Well over 1200 students were engaged in RVOEP hands-on classroom programs this winter. All of these students and at least 800 more will participate in related field trip programs at the RVOEP this year.
In January, a very enthusiastic group of North Coast Striders organized by Andrea and Neil Davis, ran the “Russula Hustle” on the trails of the RVOEP. In a huffing and puffing race to the finish, Sid Maurer and his children set the records for the day. Later in the month, Gordon Stearns class from Redwood Valley School planted native bulbs with the help of Chuck Williams from the Native Plant Society. Chuck taught students about the native uses of soap root, proper bulb planting techniques, and the importance of native plants. Luckily there was even time to take students on a hike to check out the winter birds and see if the Anna’s Hummingbird was still guarding its territory near the vineyard. It was! And, since an early flowering Manzanita stands nearby, it seemed to have plenty of nectar to eat.
Thanks to the hard work of Bill Smith and Duane Wells the trails and facilities at the RVOEP have gotten through the hard winter rains in pretty good shape. Field trip programs officially begin on February 16th and the site is already almost fully booked until the school year ends in June.
Our Spring Workshops are oriented toward encouraging family participation and will include activities at Low Gap Park and the Mendocino County Library, as well as the Redwood Valley Outdoor Education Project. Check out the workshop section of our website to find out more about An Owl Calling Adventure, Forest Friends, Incredible Insects, and a very special Spring Hike With A Naturalist.
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to our members and the businesses and organizations that help fund the Redwood Valley Outdoor Education Project. The RVOEP is a community-supported project of the Ukiah Unified School District. That means that we must raise all of the funds needed to provide a high-caliber outdoor environmental education program at the RVOEP. This year we owe special appreciation to our anonymous donor, the Ukiah Educational Foundation, and Jennifer Harris who all help support staffing needs; to Ukiah Natural Foods, Audubon Society, and the Redwood Region Logging Conference for providing significant transportation funding; and to our school PTO and PTA organizations for helping with on-going costs. We are happy to again provide transportation funding, so that as many UUSD classes as possible are assured of the opportunity for participation in our field trip programs.
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Spring 2004 || Fall 2004 || Spring 2005 || Fall 2005© Copyright Redwood Valley Outdoor Education Program
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