Welcome to our new Outreach Coordinator!

Charice Bourdeaux is USEE's newest staff member! She will be with us for the next 10 months or so as the Outreach Coordinator VISTA. Charice started earlier this week and so far is doing a fantastic job getting the Green Bag program off the ground. We are extremely excited to have her here at USEE!

Hello everyone! My name is Charice Bourdeaux and I am the new Outreach Coordinator for USEE. I will be working through AmeriCorps as a Utah Conservation Corp volunteer. I am a senior at the University of Utah majoring in Environmental Education and I will be graduating this spring. What I am most excited about working for USEE is the opportunity to connect with the public and help Utahans enhance their knowledge of environmental concepts through workshops, community discussions, and events. This will be a great learning experience and I am excited to gain many new skills while working here. So here are some quick favorites of mine just to let you know a little bit more about me, ready…. Food: fruit snacks, place: Uintah Mountains and activities: backpacking, running, reading.

Wild About Utah: Gila Monsters

Hi, I’m Holly Strand from Stokes Nature Center in beautiful Logan Canyon.

Turn up your radio and see if you can imagine the Utah creature who makes this sound.

[Sound: Jeff Rice, Gila Monster recorded at Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum]

That was the gasping breathing of a gila monster. It was recorded by Jeff Rice of the University of Utah's Western Soundscape Archive.

Gila Monsters occur in pockets across the desert southwest. In Utah they are found only in Mojave habitat in the southwest corner of Washington County.

Once you get to know them, gilas are not at all monstrous. They are the largest of all lizards native to the U.S. An average gila might be 14-16 in. in length and would weigh about a pound and a half. They have thick sausage-like tails and large heads. The scales on the backs of these lizards resemble a beadwork pattern of black, orange, pink, and yellow.

Of the nearly 4000 lizard species in the entire world, only two are venomous. And one of them is the gila monster. But only a small amount of venom is introduced during a bite—not enough to kill a healthy human. Nevertheless, the bites are notoriously painful.

But gilas are reluctant to strike. Victims of bites have usually provoked the lizard in some way. Before biting, the lizard will hiss, and then back away from its would-be attacker. But if these warning efforts fail, it will latch on with frightening speed and tenacity, for gilas are the pitbulls of the lizard world.

A long-held belief has been that the breath of a gila monster is nauseating and toxic. In fact, it was even thought that gilas killed their prey with halitosis. The truth is that like many other animals, a frightened gila may regurgitate a recent meal when molested. Because gilas have such a slow metabolism, that last meal might be pretty old and smelly. Also, excited or reproductively active monsters can transmit a detectable body odor which some people find offensive.

These days, you’d be very lucky to see a gila monster in the wild. For in many areas their numbers are decreasing though collection and habitat loss. Another reason is that gila monsters are homebodies. They spend up to 97% of their lifetime tucked away in burrows or rock crevices.

Thanks to the Rocky Mountain Power Foundation for support of this Wild About Utah topic.

For Wild About Utah and Stokes Nature Center, I’m Holly Strand.

Credits:

Images: Courtesy & Copyright Daniel D. Beck, Central Washington University
Text: Holly Strand, Stokes Nature Center

Member Highlight: Momentum Recycling

A couple of months ago, I had the opportunity to visit a local glass recycling plant as well as the insulation factory across the road from the glass recycling plant. This trip was part of a tour that Jeff Whitbeck, co-owner of Momentum Recycling (a USEE Institutional Member) and one of our newest USEE Board Members.

Momentum Recycling is a local business dedicated to helping organizations move toward zero waste. They do this by providing waste-stream assessments, helping each organization develop a custom recycling program, and then implementing the customized program. Part of each recycling program is setting up a comprehensive recycling collections procedure for each client. Momentum Recycling also provides educational tools for the employees, clients, residents, and guests of each organization to help them understand the importance of an organization's commitment to zero waste. Once these steps have been implemented, Momentum Recycling also works to publicize each organization's commitment to move toward zero waste.

Momentum Recycling

Different organizations have different recycling plans depending on their goals and the facilities used by each organization, and Momentum Recycling has many different ways to help each organization move toward zero waste. There are mixed recyclables bins, cardboard and white office paper, glass, organic waste, and electronic waste options. In order to manage all of the recyclables generated by organizations, Momentum Recycling works with several government agencies, non-profit groups, and material recovery facilities and recycling facilities across the Wasatch Front.

As part of Momentum Recycling's commitment to education, they schedule some occasional site visits to help inform their clients about where the recyclables are going. One of these visits was to the glass recycling plant and the fiberglass insulation factory. It was fascinating to learn about the different kinds of glass that can be recycled, the history of the plant, and where most of the recycled glass goes when it's done being processed. Most of the glass that Momentum Recycling processes for their clients goes to the glass recycling site near Owens Corning, which is the fiberglass insulation manufacturer across the street. Most of the glass at this plant gets ground back down into sand so that Owens Corning may use the recycled glass in the manufacture of fiberglass insulation. It was certainly a treat to learn about this process. Thank you Momentum Recycling for setting it up!

To learn more about becoming an Institutional Member of USEE, visit our membership page. If you are already a USEE Institutional Member and would like to participate in the member highlight opportunity, please contact Nicole by calling 801-328-1549 or by email at nicole@usee.org.

Backyard Rainwater Use Update

This article was published in the Salt Lake Tribune last month about some changes in the rules of rainwater harvesting. Previously in Utah, all types of rain barrels to harvest rainwater were illegal because of current water rights laws. The current laws, which are still in effect and will be with some exceptions for rain barrels, give water rights to those who applied for them first, rather than to those whose land the water falls upon. Read the full article below to get the details on what might be changing in rain catchment below:

"The Utah Senate advanced a bill legalizing the common but illegal practice of collecting gardening or lawn water in a 55-gallon drum, and opposition from water-rights purists in the House appeared to soften with proposed amendments requiring water users to register with the state.

Senate Majority Leader Scott Jenkins, R-Plain City, introduced the bill and advocated rain collection as a way for garden enthusiasts to both conserve water and save money on water bills.

A similar bill was scuttled last year by fears of undoing Utah's and the West's time-honored tradition of awarding water rights to those who apply first rather than those who own property on which water originates.

"We have thousands and thousands of rain barrels in this state, and I guess right now technically they're not legal," said Sen. Dennis Stowell, R-Parowan, a bill supporter.

The bill, SB32, passed 19-2 in its first Senate floor test and still needs a final vote before going to the House.

Rep. Ben Ferry, R-Corrine, opposed the effort last year but said he may become a House sponsor this year because Jenkins has OK'd amendments he would like. Ferry, a farmer, wants to require rain gatherers to register online with the state Division of Water Rights. That way, he said, in times of shortage the state will know who has drums or underground tanks that may be keeping water from those with established rights.

Sen. John Valentine, R-Orem, asked Jenkins to
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state during debate on the bill whether he intended to change Utah's water-rights law from the prior-appropriation doctrine to one similar to in Eastern states, where landowners own the water that's on their property.

Jenkins said the old rules still apply, with this narrow exception.

Valentine later said he wanted to establish a record of the Legislature's intent, so that no one could argue the bill nullifies existing rights based on seniority.

Jenkins said it makes sense to enable rainwater use because, once applied to a lawn or garden, it seeps into the ground or runs off to supply downstream water users just as the rain would have if not collected.

The bill caps rainwater storage at 2,500 gallons, either in underground tanks or 55-gallon drums that are covered to prevent child drownings."

This article was originally posted in the Salt Lake Tribune on January 27, 2010.

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_14281235?IADID=Search-www.sltrib.com-www.sltrib.com

Photo Credit

Environmental Literacy Included in President's New Education Budget

Last week President Obama made an historic first by including environmental literacy in the president's new education budget. The following article was posted on the No Child Left Inside Coalition's website:

Together with their legislative sponsors, the No Child Left Inside® Coalition today cheered President Obama's budget as a historic moment, noting that environmental literacy has been included in the U.S. Department of Education budget for the very first time.

"This budget takes an important step toward boosting environmental education in the classroom and giving more kids the opportunity to get out and learn about the natural world around them," said Senator Jack Reed (RI). "Environmental education can help raise student achievement in other core subjects like math and science. This is a smart investment in our children's future and the future of our planet."

"The President's budget proposal is a terrific first step for environmental education," said Congressman John Sarbanes, author of the No Child Left Inside House legislation. "I look forward to working with the Administration to more fully incorporate environmental education into school curriculums across the country."

President Obama and Secretary Duncan have made innovation and student achievement a major platform of the Obama Administration, and as a result have included environmental literacy in a new program. The proposed budget includes new funding of $1 billion for Effective Teaching and Learning for a Complete Education program designed to improve instruction to support college- and career-readiness standards, in part through the use of technology to deliver high-quality content. Among those programs eligible for funding are those deemed important to a "Well-Rounded Education," including environmental literacy.

"Advancing the environmental literacy of our students is key to addressing today's increasingly complex environmental and related economic, social, natural resource, and energy issues," said Don Baugh, Director of the No Child Left Inside® Coalition. "It will not only better prepare students for college and the 21st Century workforce, but help to combat childhood obesity and related health problems by getting kids outside to learn about the natural world. On behalf of our entire 1,500 member Coalition, I commend the President and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan for recognizing the critical role that environmental education plays in preparing our students for the green economy."

"The Department of Education took a historic step for the future economy by including environmental literacy under it's 'Well-Rounded Education' budget initiative for fiscal year 2011," said Kevin Coyle, Vice President for Education and Training at the National Wildlife Federation—a founding member of the Coalition. "Having an environmentally literate citizenry is key to increasing interest in the STEM fields and keeping America competitive in the global, clean energy economy."

Representing 50 million individuals nation-wide, the No Child Left Inside Coalition has become the nation's leading voice for environmental education, speaking for a diverse group of Americans from throughout the United States who believe young people should receive a meaningful and robust education about their natural world.

Wild About Utah: Hot Springs

Hi, I’m Holly Strand from Stokes Nature Center in beautiful Logan Canyon.

Cold weather getting to you? Can’t swing a trip to Hawaii or the Caribbean this year?

Fortunately for us, there’s a natural antidote to winter right here in Utah. Hot springs abound in the Beehive State. According to a Utah Geological Survey database, there are 106 known springs with waters above 25 degrees Celsius or 77 degrees Fahrenheit. The hottest temperature recorded in a Utah spring is 91 degrees Celsius or 195 degrees Fahrenheit at Crystal Hot Springs in Salt Lake County.

Hot springs develop when rain and melted snow infiltrate into the ground. This ground water then sinks deep enough to be warmed by the heat contained in the earth's interior. Because hot water is less dense, it is pushed back to the surface by the continued sinking of incoming heavier, cold water. Replenishment through surface precipitation creates a continuous cycle.

Why do some areas have hot springs and others do not? While there is heat in the earth beneath any spot on the surface, in some areas this heat is concentrated closer to the surface. For instance, in and around volcanoes--this is the case in the Yellowstone area.

Luckily, we don’t know of any volcanoes lurking beneath us. But we know that the Basin and Range area of western Utah, southeastern Idaho, Nevada and eastern California, is expanding or spreading. This spreading movement leaves a relatively thin crust. And a thinner crust means heat is closer to the surface. Furthermore, crustal movement create surface faults that allow cold water to seep down and warm water to flow out. Thus with few exceptions, the higher temperature geothermal areas in Utah occur either in the Basin and Range Province or within the Basin and Range-Colorado Plateau transition zone.

Geothermal sources have many practical uses. The Blundell power station at the Roosevelt Hot Springs geothermal area near Milford produces commercial energy. There are several greenhouses and aquaculture facilities in Utah using geothermal resources. But my favorite application of geothermal waters would be the hot spring spa or swimming pool. Soakersbible.com lists 16 of these in Utah. And for those of us in northern Utah, there’s at least ten more right across the border in Idaho.

For maps and sources of information on hot springs and spas, see Wildaboututah.org. Thanks to the Lion’s Gate Manor in Lava Hot Springs for supporting research and development of this Wild About Utah topic.

For Wild About Utah and Stokes Nature Center, I’m Holly Strand.

Credits:

Images: Map by H. Strand, Data from Blackett and Wakefield 2002.
Text: Holly Strand, Stokes Nature Center

Wild About Utah is a weekly nature series produced by Utah Public Radio in cooperation with Stokes Nature Center and Bridgerland Audubon Society. Archives of the program can be found at www.wildaboututah.org.

Let's Move Initiative

Earlier this week, the First Lady appeared on Larry King Live to discuss her Let's Move Initiative, which is the same day that her Let's Move task force on childhood obesity was launched. The Let's Move Initiative has an ambitious, but critically important goal to "solve the epidemic of childhood obesity within a generation."

Let's Move says that "Childhood obesity or excess weight threatens the healthy future of one third of American children. We spend $150 billion every year to treat obesity-related conditions, and that number is growing. Obesity rates tripled in the past 30 years, a trend that means, for the first time in our history, American children may face a shorter expected lifespan than their parents."

As far as I'm concerned, this is a problem of epic proportions with drastic consequences. Especially when it concerns so many quality of life issues. Unfortunately, I haven't seen anything about getting kids outdoors and as an environmental educator, this seems like a natural fit. I would love to see some kind of a partnership between the No Child Left Inside Coalition (which in addition to getting kids outdoors to play and combat obesity, also promotes investigative and integrated learning through environmental education) and Let's Move. But this initiative is definitely a step in the right direction, and I am anxious to see where it will go from here.

Let's Move has identified 4 ways in which to accomplish the goal to "Raise a Healthier Generation of Kids"

1. Helping parents make healthy family choices;
2. Creating healthier schools;
3. Encouraging physical activity; and
4. Widening access to healthy and affordable food.

There is more information on the Let's Move website about how the task force will be moving on these steps for combating childhood obesity. We'll see if anything in the outdoor education world develops along with Let's Move, but for now, check out Michelle Obama's interview with Larry King about childhood obesity:

100 Tips, Tools, and Resources for Every Kind of Classroom

OnlineDegreePrograms.org posted a great article that is essentially a compilation of ways that all kinds of educators can incorporate environmental education into classrooms. The article contains websites about how to do all kinds of things from worm-bins to curriculum resources. Here are the first 24 tips from the article:

Teaching Green: 100 Tips, Tools, and Resources for Every Kind of Classroom

Incorporating ways to help the environment into your lessons is not only good for the planet, but offers plenty of hands-on activities, lessons, and projects for students. So whether you are teaching a kindergarten class or a college-level seminar, whether you are teaching science or language arts, you will find a wealth of tips, tools, and resources below to make your job easier.

Resources for K-12 Educators

Teachers will find these resources helpful for creating lessons and projects that are informative and fun.

1. TeachingGreen. This site offers tons of resources, information, programs, and more to help you teaching about going green.
2. Go Green in the Classroom: 5 Eco-Friendly Teaching Units. Find five projects here that can help your students learn about going green.
3. Classroom Earth. High school teachers will want to check out this site that is designed to help them integrate environmental content in their lesson plans–no matter what subject they teach.
4. ESA Educator Resources. The Ecological Society of America provides resources for K-12 teachers.
5. Society for Conservation Biology. The education section of this resource offers tips on presenting conservation to K-12 students, resources for teaching conservation biology, textbook recommendations, additional links, and more.
6. The Cloud Institute for Sustainability Education. This company sells materials and services to help K-12 schools incorporate sustainability into their curriculum.
7. Facing the Future. This site offers a mix of free and for-fee resources to help educators bring green teaching into the classroom.
8. Roots and Shoots. This organization is a part of the Jane Goodall Institute and facilitates young people getting involved in programs to help communities and the environment.
9. The U.S. Partnership for Education for Sustainable Development. The national listserv for K-12 educators is one of the many resources available from this organization that is dedicated to sustainability education.
10. Ecological Footprint Teacher’s Manual. Download a copy of this manual as well as teachers’ lesson plans they developed around this manual.
11. Project WILD. Project WILD provides wildlife conservation programs for K-12 teachers and students.
12. Project WET. This group helps educators and parents teach children about water and the need for its conservation.

Resources for K-12 Students

Students can get in on the action on their own when they visit these informative sites.

13. Kids Links Teaching Green. Go here for a listing of several sites that provide children of all ages a chance to learn about or participate in going green.
14. AIRNow. Visit the learning center here to find resources teaching about air quality and pollution for both younger and older students as well as for teachers.
15. A Walk in the Woods. Aimed at 3rd through 5th grade, this site takes kids on a virtual trip through the woods and also provides teacher’s guides.
16. I Buy Different. This site helps educate students to make smart choices when it comes to making purchases and how these purchases affect the Earth.
17. Adventures with Bobby Bigfoot. Students can take this quiz to learn how they can reduce their carbon footprint, and teachers have access to teacher’s guides.
18. EcoKids. Kids and teachers each have a section on this site that focuses on environmental education for students.
19. Ology. The American Museum of Natural History presents this site that guides students through biodiversity lessons in a number of different "ologies" such as anthropology and archaeology.
20. Environmental Education for Kids. Also known as EEK!, this site provides 4th through 8th graders with lots of information about the Earth and the plants and animals that live on it.
21. Environmental Kids Club. This comprehensive site offers games, information, activities, and much more for elementary-aged students.
22. EPA Student Center. This is the sister site of Environmental Kids Club, but provides activities and information appropriate for middle school students.
23. High School Environmental Center. The third of the EPA sites, this one is geared to high school students.
24. Home Tour. This virtual home tour from the EPA educates on common chemicals found around the house and which ones are toxic.

There are so many great resources here! For the other 76, visit the original post today!

http://onlinedegreeprograms.org/blog/2010/teaching-green-100-tips-tools-resources-for-every-kind-of-classroom/

Thanks from Whole Foods!

USEE would like to extend a big THANK YOU to the Whole Foods Cottonwood Heights store for allowing us to participate in their Community Building Day last month. Whole Foods donated 5% of their net sales from the whole day to USEE totaling an awesome....

$1,412.42!

Thank you Whole Foods and thank you USEE fans that came out to get some shopping done and to show your support!

Wild About Utah: Cedar Waxwings

For the chance to admire a flock of Utah’s most rakishly handsome songbirds, look to the sky or trees when you hear this call:

[Kevin Colver, Cedar Waxwing, Songbirds of Yellowstone and the High Rockies...]

That high, thin whistle indicates waxwings. All winter long, waxwings stick together in dense, cohesive flocks that fluidly fly and forage as one. Like locusts, a flock will swarm over a mountain ash, juniper or hawthorn, quickly stripping it of the small fruits that constitute their diet. They eat a wide variety of small fruits from berries to grapes to cherries. Cedar waxwings are commonly seen throughout Utah all winter long. They are nomadic; traveling to where ever fruit is abundant.

Cedar Waxwing
photo by David Menke, FWS

Some winters, Cedar Waxwings are joined here by their northern cousins, the Bohemian waxwings. Both waxwings are debonair, with a sweptback crest and an angular black Zorro mask. The name waxwing refers to a line of scarlet waxy droplets at the tips of specialized wing feathers. More likely you’ll notice the bar of lemon-yellow feather tips across the tail. Both of those colors come from pigments in their fruity diets. The body of the smaller Cedar waxwing is more caramel-colored than the grayer Bohemian waxwing. Bohemian waxwings have a distinct rufus patch of feathers beneath the tail.

Bohemian Waxwings
photo by Stephen Peterson

So remember to pay attention when you hear that high-pitched whistle and look around you for trees decorated with these snazzy-looking waxwings. They will surely put some zing in your drab winter day.

Thanks to Kevin Colver for the use of his bird recordings.

This is Linda Kervin for Bridgerland Audubon Society.

Credits:

Bird Recordings: Courtesy & Copyright Kevin Colver, Cedar Waxwing, Songbirds of Yellowstone and the High Rockies
Pictures: David Menke, US FWS Digital Library, Courtesy & Copyright 2006 Stephen Peterson
Text: Jim Cane, Bridgerland Audubon Society

Wild About Utah is a weekly nature series produced by Utah Public Radio in cooperation with Stokes Nature Center and Bridgerland Audubon Society. Archives of the program can be found at www.wildaboututah.org.

Student Voices - Energy Principles and Perspectives

Joe Andrade, who has presented both at USEE Green Bags and at the 2009 Annual Utah EE Conference, worked with 7th and 8th grade students at the Salt Lake Center for Science Education (SLCSE) to produce these videos about Energy Principles and Perspectives. Check out some of the student perspectives below in the SLCSE Energy Videos below!

Appetite for Energy

Green Magic



Induction and Electricity

More SLCSE energy videos can be found on YouTube! We did not have room to post them all here, but check out these other videos by using the links below.

Introduction: SLCSE Energy Videos

Hot Stuff

Sun Fuel

Burn Baby Burn

Diary of Energy

Making of SLCSE Energy Education Videos

7 Spectacular Seed Starting Tips

Here are seven tried and true tips to successfully get your seeds ready to be planted outside this spring! This was originally published in Wasatch Community Gardens' e-newsletter (USEE Institutional Members).

1. Keep a garden notebook. Keeping records from year to year will help you remember which seeds you ordered, which plants you grew and which were successful. You'll thank yourself next growing season.

2. Start with a seed starter mix. Generally, it is best to use a soiless seed starting mix that doesn't contain fertilizer to grow seedlings. It is not recommended that you re-use potting soil or use soil from your garden for starting seedlings because soil will hold too much water and these may contain bacteria or fungal organisms that might be harmful to your plants.

3. Generously and gently water. If you have a ton of plants, a watering can is helpful. However, a simple plastic cup with small holes poked in the bottom is a great, gentle way to water your seedlings indoors.

4. Thinning out. After the seedlings have all emerged, remove all but one seedling in each cell of the cell pack. Cut or pinch the stems of the seedlings you are removing; DON'T pull the seedlings from the soil. Pulling unwanted seedlings will disturb the roots of the seedling you do want. How you know if your seeds are ready to be thinned out brings us to step number five.

5. True leaves. The first set of leaves seedlings sprout are not "true" leaves, so do not thin out at this time. The first set of leaves are called cotyledons and they will wither when the first "true" leaves form (really, the second set of leaves). This step is important to note because the growth of the "true" leaves marks the start of photosynthesis for your plant.

6. Warmth for germination, sun for seedlings. Best practices says to keep seeds that are germinating warm and give your successful seedlings plenty of sun.

7. Toughen up your seedlings. Prepare your seeds for the unsympathetic outdoors by gently running your fingers over your seedlings or placing a fan near your seedlings to simulate wind and to strengthen the stems of your plants.

With these seven spectacular seed starting tips: go, plant, germinate, grow! Do you have more questions or yearn for more information? Are you not sure which seeds to start? Learn so much more at Wasatch Community Garden's Seed Starting and Heirloom Selecting Workshop on February 6th from 10am-noon. Visit their website to learn more or to RSVP for this workshop at wasatchgardens.org today!

Conference 2009 Photos - Finally!

Here are pictures from all of the fun that we had at the 2009 conference. All of these pictures were submitted by conference attendees. If you have photos that you would like to contribute email me at nicole@usee.org!

Heidi Nedreberg kicks off the Shorelands Preserve Field Trip
submitted by Tina Bagley

Vern Fridley and Tim Brown
submitted by Autumn Garrison

The Nature Conservancy's Shorelands Preserve
submitted by Tina Bagley

Hangin' out at the Share Fair
submitted by Jason Taylor

Learning at the Shorelands Nature Preserve
submitted by Tina Bagley

Having fun at the Share Fair
submitted by Jason Taylor


Shorelands Preserve Field Trip
submitted by Tina Bagley

And Autumn Garrison also submitted these videos from the Reperatory Dance Theater's Green Mapping field trip. Enjoy!

Bicycle Path Part 1



Bicycle Path Part 2



Mining Site

Happy Groundhog Day!

Image source

We have all heard about Phil, the groundhog, or have seen the movie Groundhog Day, but what is the Groundhog Holiday all about? I did a little research on the observance and here is what I was able to find out. Information taken from http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/us/groundhog-day. Teachers, be sure to check out the links below for activities and lesson plan you might want to use in your classroom!
Background

Thousands of years ago when animalism and nature worship were prevalent, people in the area of Europe now known as Germany believed that the badger had the power to predict the coming of spring. They watched the badger to know when to plant their crops. By the time the first German immigrants settled in Pennsylvania they probably understood that this was not true but the tradition continued.

Unfortunately there were not many badgers in Pennsylvania so the groundhog substituted the badger. Tradition has it that if the groundhog will sees its shadow on February 2 it will be frightened by it and will return to its burrow, indicating that there will be six more weeks of winter. If it does not see its shadow, then spring is on the way.

Punxsutawney held its first Groundhog Day in the United States in the 1800s. The first official trek to Gobbler's Knob was made on February 2, 1887. It is said that Punxsutawney Phil (the groundhog) was named after King Phillip. He was called Br'er Groundhog prior to being known as Phil. Canada also celebrates Groundhog Day.

Current Observation

Groundhog Day is a popular observance in many parts of the United States on February 2 of each year. Although some states have in some cases adopted their own groundhogs, the official groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, lives at Gobbler’s Knob near Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. The town has attracted thousands of visitors over the years to experience various Groundhog Day events and activities on February 2.

The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club plays an important role in organizing Groundhog Day in the town. Club members, news reporters, locals and visitors meet at Gobbler’s Knob on February 2 each year to await Phil’s appearance and his weather prediction. Pennsylvania’s governor has been known to attend Groundhog Day ceremonies. Many weather researchers questioned the groundhog’s accuracy in predicting the weather but some of the groundhog’s fans may not agree.

The Groundhog

The groundhog, also known as the woodchuck or marmot, is believed to make weather predictions relating to winter and spring according to superstition. Movies, advertisements, cartoons and other media have portrayed the legendary role of the groundhog in popular culture. The term “Groundhog Day” is a phrase that is sometimes used to express if the same events or actions occur repetitively for a period of time.

Teachers, Check out the Links below for activities, lesson plans, etc.

Groundhog Activities
Groundhog Lesson Plans
Groundhog Poetry


More Fun Groundhog Facts

• The average groundhog is 20 inches long and normally weighs from 12 to 15 pounds. Punxsutawney Phil weighs about 20 pounds and is 22 inches long.
• Groundhogs are covered with coarse grayish hairs (fur) tipped with brown or sometimes dull red. They have short ears, a short tail, short legs, and are surprisingly quick. Their jaws are exceptionally strong.
• A groundhog's diet consists of lots of greens, fruits, and vegetables and very little water. Most of their liquids come from dewy leaves.
• A groundhog can whistle when it is alarmed. Groundhogs also whistle in the spring when they begin courting.
• Insects do not bother groundhogs and germs pretty much leave them alone. They are resistant to the plagues that periodically wipe out large numbers of wild animals. One reason for this is their cleanliness.
• Groundhogs are one of the few animals that really hibernate. Hibernation is not just a deep sleep. It is actually a deep coma, where the body temperature drops to a few degrees above freezing, the heart barely beats, the blood scarcely flows, and breathing nearly stops.
• Young Groundhogs are usually born in mid-April or May, and by July they are able to go out on their own. The size of the litter is 4 to 9. A baby groundhog is called a kit or a cub.
• A groundhog's life span is normally 6 to 8 years.
  

Facts taken from http://www.groundhog.org/groundhog-day/fun-facts/

Take a Break - Environmental Quiz

What is your environmental IQ? Take the quiz today - then challenge your friends, classmates, or co-workers to try their hand as well.

This tool has been found to be extremely useful in stimulating discussion about forest and environmental trends. It is a short environmental quiz that was developed at the University of Minnesota in 1991. Focusing on topics from world and U.S. population to raw material
consumption trends, forest growth and harvest, and paper recycling, the quiz actively engages those who participate in filing it out, stimulates comparison of answers and interaction among participants after the quiz is completed, and provides an entrée to informal discussion and further questions as correct answers are shared.

Over 10,000 college and high school students, boy scouts, general audiences of adults, forest industry employees, and even community and legislative leaders have taken the quiz over the past 18 years. Now available on-line as an interactive tool, the quiz is easier than ever
to use. Those who take the online version receive immediate feedback upon completion. The environmental quiz and an associated answer sheet are also available in the form of pdf files for download and printing.

So what are you waiting for? Take the quiz today and see what you know!

I got a B when I took the quiz - How did you do?

http://www.proprofs.com/quiz-school/story.php?title=environmental-quiz_3