To:       All News Media

From:  Andrew Randazzo, Extension Educator (518-828-3346 X206)

Date:  June 23, 2016

WAJ Science Club Takes Part in Cornell’s Bird Nesting Program

On Monday, June 20^th, students from Windham-Ashland-Jewett (WAJ) got the opportunity to travel to The Willows a Brandow’s Point, managed by Green Land Trust. In partnership with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Columbia and Greene County and The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, students got to learn all about birds and their nesting habits.

Over the past few months bird nests at The Willows have been monitored through a series of citizen science programs.  Last Monday’s program was the final round of monitoring for the nests.  The WAJ Science club got firsthand knowledge on how to partake in citizen science and what the benefits are for nesting birds as well as humans.

The Lab of Ornithology instructors, Chelsea Benson and Robyn Bailey, also helped enrich Deb Valerio’s (science teacher at Windham-Ashland-Jewett) science club thorough a bit of engineering and woodworking.  Participants had the chance to build their own wooden bird nests to take home and were given instructions on the importance of proper bird nest placement. At the end of a hard day’s work everyone involved got to enjoy some pizza and cold lemonade while observing a beautiful, bid friendly grassland and its happy inhabitants!

The WAJ Science Club would not be possible without the generous financial support of The Windham Foundation. This was the last session of the science club during this school year.

Cornell Cooperative Extension is an employer and educator recognized for valuing AA/EEO, Protected Veterans, and Individuals with Disabilities and provides equal program and employment opportunities. The programs provided by this organization are partially funded by monies received from the Counties of Columbia and Greene.

4-H is New York’s only youth development program directly connected to the technological advances and the latest research at Cornell University. 4-H participants learn leadership, citizenship and life skills through hands-on projects in three primary program areas: science and technology; healthy living; and citizenship. To find out more about 4-H and youth programs in Columbia and Greene Counties, contact us at 518-828-3346 or Columbiagreene@cornell.edu or visit our website, www.ccecolumbiagreene.org . You can also “Like” us on Facebook…Cornell Cooperative Extension of Columbia and Greene Counties.

The Art Explorer program runs from July through mid-August. The Windham Foundation provides scholarships for deserving local children to attend.

Animated attitudes and brilliant smiles are painted across the children’s faces during a fun filled week of art in the Art Explorers Program. Each year children of 5-12 years of age eagerly await to be taught by our very best local teachers. These children are taught the elementary levels of art history, allowing them to gain new knowledge of art outside the traditional classroom. The individuality and creativity of every student is brought out through a multitude of artistic mediums.

The children work on a variety of projects. Imaginations run rampant with everything from painting, drawing, ceramics, to fabric design and working with leather. Each morning director Rita Mary Vining’s warm smile greets students. Over half of the children attend more than one week.  “We love the program,” said one parent, “our daughter couldn’t stop talking about her new friends and all the things she did each day.  It’s really special.” As a testament to Rita Mary’s success and the Foundation’s long funded support, the program has been running for over a decade and continues to encourage students to learn, share, and explore their creative sides.

On your mark, get set…READ! This year’s theme for the Windham Library Summer Reading Program attracted many Olympian readers! Children in grades K-4 received reading packets upon registration and tracked the books they read over the 5-week program. Each received a prize after every 10 books read and logged. While the main emphasis of the program was to keep students of all ages reading during the summer months, it also gave them hands on learning experiences. “The Wonderful World of Insects” and “International Cooking” topped the list of fun and engaging. “We learned about so many different insects” said one participant. Another raved about International Cooking and “liked learning new things outside of school.” All hopes are high that students share the same enthusiasm when returning to school in a few short weeks.

On Thursday, April 7^th, students from Windham-Ashland-Jewett (WAJ) Science Club got an exciting opportunity to learn about the fundamentals of mapping. Each of the students was able to learn about the different types of maps, the basics of compass and pacing, and create their own “Treasure Hunt Map.”

As young people become more dependent on technology and GPS for navigation crucial skills such as reading a map are often overlooked.   By creating an interactive experience, educators from Cornell Cooperative Extension of Columbia and Greene Counties are able to get young people excited about important skills for the outdoors.

Science club participants learned about the importance of topographic maps for hiking, how to use road maps to get around and how thematic maps can provide rich data to scientists.   After they learned about some of the basics they began to think about the importance of space and distance when it comes to maps. How can one find the hidden treasure if they don’t know how far to travel?   That’s where the students new found skills of compass bearings and passing came in handy.   Each student was able to find their own hidden treasure, proving the importance of maps!

The WAJ Science Club would not be possible without the generous financial support of The Windham Foundation. The next session of the program is scheduled to take place in May and will cover topics related to spring tree identification.

On Friday, March 18^th, students from Windham-Ashland-Jewett (WAJ) Science Club visited Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) of Columbia and Greene Counties’ Siuslaw Model Forest Center in Acra, NY. The club’s participants were able to get outside and explore the great outdoors while learning about the difficulties of bird migration.

Students spent the afternoon learning about migratory flyways and the important role preserved greenspaces play in bird migration. As birds migrate for thousands of miles, stopovers become crucial to the success of their journey. Land conservation efforts such as grassland preservation are vital to many species of migratory birds. Science club participants used the model forest to set up migratory bird stations that demonstrated both the help and the hazards birds encounter on their lengthy trips.   Participants were responsible for collecting the relevant data for each bird’s journey in their notebooks.   At the end of the day the data they collected was combined as students discussed what the most frequent challenges birds faced when migrating were and how humans can pose a threat to birds. The WAJ Science Club would not be possible without the generous financial support of The Windham Foundation. The next session of the program is scheduled to take place in April and will cover topics related to map and compass.