Educators, Homeschoolers and Families,

Celebrate Earth Day at South Fork Nature Center.  Our highly qualified docents stand ready and able to show your class, organization or family an exceptionally fun and educational day at South Fork Nature Center. Contact us now to set up your field trip.

The 2016 globally coordinated Earth Day is celebrated on Friday, April 22^nd. More than 192 countries each year celebrate Earth Day. Worldwide events are held to support environmental protection.  South Fork Nature Center is committed to providing enhanced, outdoor educational opportunities on a regional basis.

We have several projects ongoing that are aimed at returning SFNC properties to its natural habitats. We are partnering with U.S. Fish and Wildlife on a glade restoration project and a monarch habitat restoration project. Our new weather station includes ground and ambient temperatures and moisture accumulation.

All of these projects and many more offer great opportunities to expose residents of Arkansas to many facets of environmental protection. We offer students the opportunity to experience the natural side of Arkansas and participate in data collection, the study of taxonomy, and to reinforce many concepts covered in the classroom such as the food chain, plant botany and reproduction, natural habitats, human impact on natural habitats, ecology and field study using instruments such as dissection scopes, magnifying glasses and field guides and measurement devices.

Field based study is an important component in the total education package and South Fork Nature Center desires to be on the cutting edge of field-based education in Arkansas.

Contact us at (501) 358-2095 or (501) 626-9914 to schedule your class or organization visit.

The links provided below are great resources for teachers and families to use during the month of April. Please share them with your child’s educators and friends. Help us get the word out about the great educational facility located in Choctaw, AR ……… in “your backyard”.

Check Out the Links!

http://ultimateclassicrock.com/earth-day-songs/ – 20 Best Rock Songs about Earth Day

http://www.dltk-kids.com/crafts/earth/about.htm – What did Earth Day Accomplish?

http://www.ecology.com/2012/04/17/earth-day-videos-kids/ – Earth Day Videos for kids

http://campus.ecology.com/2013/11/19/mobile-technology-enables-biological/ – Activity using “iPad” mini and a “Proscope” microscope attachment for field based study.

http://campus.ecology.com/ – Great blog post for all ecology topics from many of the most cutting edge students in today’s society.

http://www.nea.org/tools/lessons/Earth-Day-Curriculum – The National Education Association produced this resource for teachers, which features seven in-depth lesson plans, Earth Day games, and a list of outside links for students in grades K-5. There are also three entire unit plans as well. Plus, you’ll find even more resources, lesson ideas, and activities in the NEA’s blog.

Bob Hartmann, Little Red River Audubon Society President, Gates Rodgers
Foundation, VP and SFNC Docent

Have you seen your Bald Eagle(s) today? They are here year-round, but not
in the same areas all the time. After years of post-DDT recovery most
populations across North America have prospered and blossomed. Some move
seasonally to new areas where prey and other foods are more available.

Here on Greers Ferry Reservoir scattered pairs, their offspring and ‘loners’
can be commonly seen by a watchful eye. On the South Fork of the Little Red
River arm of the reservoir, in the South Fork Nature Center (SFNC) vicinity,
a nesting pair had consistently occupied a huge pine tree at the edge of a
high bluff that overlooks the water. This parent pair regularly,
successfully produced three eaglets for many years. The nest site and its
users were a popular attraction to Greers Ferry Reservoir’s South Fork arm
boaters.

About four years ago nearby home owners noticed that the female eagle was
new, a smaller bird and not as meticulous a nest keeper as the previous
parent. During that first new parent-year only two eaglets were produced;
they did not grow uniformly and may not have left the nest. During the
second year two eaglets again hatched and fledged but the last one to leave
the nest was weak and did not fully take to the air, spent an inordinate
amount of time on the ground and succumbed to predators.

The nest has since deteriorated and parts of the large pine have died and
fallen. However, Bald Eagles can still be seen in the area of the South Fork
Nature Center and nearby food sources. This time of year Bald Eagles may be
seen to congregate, with Black Vultures and Turkey Vultures, in pastures
where composted poultry parts are distributed as fertilizer.

Learning Resources:

Bird’s Eye View! Watch a real-time nesting camera stream from Berry College in Georgia:

Berry’s Eagles: Live Video & Lesson Plans

Learner.org: Eagle’s Eye anatomy & journaling project

Eagle Habitat Photography Gallery

“Focus on Feathers: Journey North Bald Eagles” Slideshow

Multiple Lesson Plans centered around eagles (printable PDF)