Getting to know our owls

Two months ago, out team met some new additions to the FortWhyte fold.

In late September, our new Prairie Partners exhibit opened.   After many months of renovation, our old waterfowl room had been converted into a facility for black-tailed prairie dogs and burrowing owls.  The prairie dogs have settled in to their winter pattern - mostly staying below ground during our short, cold days, but the owls have shown us a different approach to life.

I've not blogged about the owls so far - yet every day, I go home with new owl stories for friends and family.  It is fascinating to watch the social interactions of the eight owls, and observe new facets of their individual behaviour.

These little birds, almost extirpated from their native range in Manitoba, continue to fascinate me day after day. This morning, they reacted vocally to my beaver-fur winter hat - I think they thought it might actually have been a critter on my head.  Yesterday, at the end of the day, I woke up a little female from a nap...again, I'm no owl mind-reader, but her narrowed eyes and drooping lids said "Go away and let me sleep!" loud and clear!

Last month, I was away at a conference in Edmonton for a week.  This was during the run-up to TIMBERR!!!!, so I had registration details to manage from two provinces away.  With a hundred questions and details on my mind, my first question when I called in was consistantly "What're the owls doing today?  Anything new?"

Check out the Prairie Partners exhibit - but be cautious.  I'm finding burrowing owls can be habit-forming!

-Barret

PS:  I promise to share more owl stories on the blog in the near future - the owls certainly do provide stories!

Outdoor Skills For Everyone - Another Perspective

It's a gusty, snowy morning here at FortWhyte Alive.

The conditions are very similar to those last Wednesday evening, when we ran an Outdoor Skills For Everyone session on essential gear, outdoor trip planning, and general, all-season outdoor safety.

With an eager group who braved wintery roads, I demonstrated a basic all-weather survival kit, discussed minimizing risks in outdoor activity, and then put some of our theory into practice - the group moved outside of the Interpretive Centre, and we built a quick "unplanned-overnight" shelter in the snow.

One of my guests was Jacquie Crone, a writer for Unexpected Manitoba, a Manitoba tourism and travel blog.  Check out her latest post for a participant's perspective on the session! Jacquie was also kind enough to let me use the photo attached to this post.

FortWhyte Alive is offering more Outdoor Skills For Everyone on Thursday evenings in January, February, and March.  A big thanks to those who've come out for the sessions already - and a big "come on down!" invite to everyone out there who'd like to build their skills for playing or working outside!

Bundle up and have fun, everyone!

-Barret

 

TIMBERRRRRRR!!!!

SATURDAY, NOV. 27th - Sawdust flew, snowdrifts shattered, and 9 participants got their chop on as the first ever TIMBERRR! Lumberjack Challenge at FortWhyte Alive went into the books.

The nine hardy racers ran a 2 mile course, laden with logs.  Along the way, they identified trees, worked the saw, chopped kindling, living the adventurous life an early-20th century lumberjack - if only for 45 minutes.

Weather conditions were perfect for the event.  The course volunteers (Thank-you Axeman Jack and Sawmill Gord!) were as excited as the racers.

TIMBERRR!!! was the first in a series of similar events happening at FortWhyte Alive before next summer.  the next event - the Second Annual Spears and 'Shoes Atlatl/Snowshoe Biathlon, set for 1pm on February 19th, 2011.

Thank-you to all the participants and spectators who came out on Saturday - and keep looking here for more details on Spears and 'Shoes 2011!

-Barret

Awesome Program!

Yesterday evening, I had my first outdoor program since the snow fell on FortWhyte Alive.  A combination of vacation and a conference had kept me off the trail since the beginning of November...I was starting to get antsy!

The program: an outdoor skills session with staff and interns at FortWhyte Farms.  For readers who don't know, FortWhyte Farm interns are youth at risk, from inner-city Winnipeg, who come and learn agriculture, business, and life skills while working on the farm.

I ran through a basic outdoor equipment kit, and after an explanation of how fires work, and campfire safety, we went outside.  The group was able to get a beautifully small but warm fire going with only one match.  I was incredibly proud...the youth built a skill, I was able to work alongside my Farm colleagues to deliver a good evening, and seeing it come together left me glowing almost as much as the little campfire!

Notes from Norway House

Hi!

It was a packed few days, but my last week's trip to Norway House, MB, was a success!

Welcome to the North!  Norway House Community Airport

Over last Thursday and Friday, I was able to share a bit of the FortWhyte experience with 50+ students, 60 Educational Assistants, and 25 teachers.

I learned as much as I taught - from traditional Cree plant use to local nicknames, I had to work hard to take in all the information flying around!

Balsam Poplar or Aspen?  Answering an EA's inquiry using some twigs.  On the right:, Balsam Poplar; left, aspen.

Thursday morning, I worked with students and teachers to do an ecological inventory of the boreal forest near their school.  In the afternoon, I went out to the same forest with the EA's, and gave them a taste of what the students had done.  The next day was spent with teachers, working on using the newly-inventoried plots as teaching tools, and looking at the local wetlands, jackpine ridges, and spruce hollows not just as landscape, but as teaching resources.

A student field tests a soil sample.

A big thanks to Laurie-Ann, the biology teacher who set up the professional development day for her colleagues, and to Frontier School Division for inviting FortWhyte Alive to look north!

More pictures tomorrow!

-Barret

An Expedition to the Frontier

I am having trouble sitting still at my desk this morning.

It might be my wake-up coffee, or, more likely, it is my barely contained excitement and enthusiasm.  I fly to Norway House, MB (part of the Frontier School Division)  this afternoon, to deliver two days of custom interpretive programming!

-Anything.  Anywhere.  Anytime.:  Not actually Perimeter Air's slogan, but it could be.

Tomorrow, 70 students from the Helen Betty Osborne Inniniw Education Centre will be conducting a "Forest Inventory" - counting and classifying the life in the forest around their school.  This is the beginning of an outdoor "lab" space, where students can encounter their local landscape on many levels.  My plan is for it to be a load of fun, too!

I'm spending Friday with teachers from the school, dreaming and planning on how to best use this new resource.  The hope is students have more class time outdoors, engage more with their local landscape, and see a direct application for their science classes.

Two days of increasing outdoor education time.  Two days of helping students learn and grow as citizens of their local environment.  Two days of playing in the bush...with a purpose.

No wonder I can't sit still!

I'll let you know how it goes...until then, have a good one!

-Barret

Chicken Wrap-up

Hello, Blog Readers!

I must apologize for the chicken story - long story short, with enough duct-tape and willpower, we saved the chickens.  To protect the chickens, the weasel (who is innocent until proven a chicken-eater), etc.  I was not able to finish the story with the level of detail contained in the first two installments.

I hear that the weasel, and at least one of the chickens, have a book deal and have sold the film rights to their story...perhaps the full tale will be yet spun, but not by me.

-Barret