Environmental Education Kits
Naturalist Notes
Nature Alerts
Student Resources

Environmental Education Kits
The Portage Park District is committed to serving the county by providing education opportunities. With 12 miles of trails and 435 acres of diverse woodlands and wetlands that support an abundance of wildlife species, the park is the ideal classroom. While we are aware of this, we understand the difficulties involved in actually bringing students out to such a resource.

In an attempt to serve educators and students we have acquired funding from the Portage County Environmental Awards Dinner and Ruth Meade Memorial Fund to develop Environmental Education Resource Kits that will be available on loan through the County District Library system.

These kits will enhance any elementary or middle school classroom discussion, covering various topics and issues such as wetlands, forests, farming and farmland preservation, environmental action projects, and Native Americans. Our mini kits cover owls, bats, butterflies, and biomes. Each kit contains various brochures, posters, hands-on activities, audio or vidiotapes, and other such items.

We have also developed programs and hikes to go along with these materials. Please call your library or contact Program Coordinator Dawn Alber at the Portage Park District at 330.297.7228 for more information.

Naturalists Notes:  January, February and March 2008

JANUARY: This January keep your eyes out for woodpeckers. These fascinating birds will be here for even the harshest parts of Winter. Take special note of the pileated woodpecker (North America's largest). Pileated woodpeckers have a signature red crest on the top their heads and two white lines on their throats. Take care to minding your feet as well; although you may not see them, meadow voles welcome the snow in fields and meadows. This is where they will make their tunnels and homes until Spring.

FEBRUARY: Look out for skunks in February. Our favorite foul-smelling mammal will be waking up in droves and looking for food after using their fat stores while slumbering away the past few months. By the fourth week of February, the red-winged blackbirds should be back.

MARCH: March is the perfect time for wilderness exploration. The great blue herons start their return; first along the Cuyahoga and then, as the ice melts, they will fish in ponds or lakes. The spring peepers will "peep," signaling Spring's arrival. By this time, most of the bucks will have lost their antlers. If you keep an eye out, you just may see a few still wearing them!


Nature Alerts
• Beavers are active in Lake Pippin, check out their work on the Bigtooth Aspen along the Lakeside Trail at Towner’s Woods.Naturalist’s recommendations for a good read –
“Winter World – The Ingenuity of Animal Survival“by Bernd Heinrich, HarperCollins Publisher ISBN 0060957379

Student Resources

Ask A+ Locator, The Virtual Reference Desk

eNature.com

Online Field Guides

National Association of Conservation District's Internet Resources

National Audubon Society

National Park Service

Ohio Division of Wildlife's Wildlife Resources

The Nature Conservancy

US EPA Student Center

US Geological Survey's "The Learning Web"

US Fish and Wildlife Service

New American Dream

Groundspring

GreenCityBlueLake - The future of Northeast Ohio

email - phone 330.297.7728 - 128 N. Prospect St. Ravenna, Ohio 44266