Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it,” said American journalist, Russell Baker. This statement rings true for me as I remember my own childhood and watch my children and those who have been at Durango Nature Studies’ Summer Camp all summer. For some reason, all the bug bites, scraped knees, scorching days and crawdad pinches are worth it because it is a day spent
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When out in nature, most human visitors quietly move about hoping to see or hear an animal, bird or insect that is elusive unless one can successfully blend into their surroundings. However, the last month at Durango Nature Studies’ Learning Center has brought an entirely different experience. The cicadas that have come out of their shells have begged to be heard or noticed. The constant hum and click is the background of every activity. Almost every shrub, tree or stump has a cicada or its old skin clinging to it, reminding Now that the Easter Bunny has come and gone, we can all turn our thoughts to those important after-Easter questions like, “Who really is the Easter Bunny?” Is it a rabbit or a hare (different genuses of the same family, Leporidae), what does it eat, and what are its characteristics? Except for the die-hard Easter Bunny historians, how much do we really know about this mysterious mammal delivering eggs and candy to our little ones? One of the most popular activities at the Durango Nature Center is called the “Web of Life.” It is a good activity to sum up what we often talk about in all our programs – how everything in nature is connected. Each child stands in a circle as a ball of yarn is passed across the circle from one child to another. As the ball reaches each child, he or she names a part of nature and passes it along to another child who represents another part of nature that the first depends on. With the holidays fast approaching, little ones are on the lookout for all things magical, be it festive lights, glimpses of Santa or lighted trees. Forget the actual presents; the holidays are really about the buildup – the idea of something wonderful approaching. In ancient times, when our rhythms were much more connected to the cycles of the earth, the time A little something for Halloween – This vampire goes for its victims’ big toe, not the neck10/12/2011 With Halloween just around the corner, I am going to indulge myself and write about the vampire bat. Although not found in Colorado, the myths and lore connected to this creature are found everywhere. As youngsters all over Durango design their vampire costumes and bring home artwork from school depicting pumpkins, cats and bats, it’s good to know the real story behind the often-misunderstood vampire bat. Summer takes so long to get here in Durango and then is gone before we know it. For those of us who have grown up in other parts of the country where August is the hottest part of the year, it still feels strange to start feeling coolness in the air in mid-August. For those of us at Durango Nature Studies, summer starts its grand exit as soon as our summer camps end. Our five sessions of Junior Naturalist Field Camp at the Nature Center and one session of middle school backpacking have drawn to a close. Migration is the movement by humans or animals from one area to another. Our ancestors migrated because of the seasons, food sources, competing groups of people and the search for a better place to live. Only recently, in human time, have people migrated simply for pleasure and as a way to escape old identities. The idea of leaving one’s nest and hitting the open road is now part of the rite of passage many people experience as they make the move from children to adults. With migration comes the shedding of old patterns and embracing of new. There is nothing like a move to force a purging of material goods and a re-evaluation of what is important. Earth Day has focused on many things since its inception in 1970. When it began, there was very little concern at a political level about the perils of human impact on the planet. Rachel Carson’s groundbreaking book, Silent Spring, was just starting to raise awareness about the issue of pesticides, but at that time, factories could still spew toxic smog into the air or dump into rivers without regulation. |