Eagle Watching — Now and Into the Spring

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Vol. 9, No. 3. The Internet Site for Environmental Information in Oklahoma December 2020 - January 2021 Eagle Watching — now and into the spring. “Take binoculars and a camera to observe a magnificent migration of bald and golden eagles” Lake Thunderbird State Park — “Meet at the Discovery Cove Nature Center at 12:45 P.M. before Eagle Watch Tour Arcadia Lake — Eagle Watch “begin[s] at the Arcadia Lake park office …” Keystone Lake — “A favorite fishing area for migrating bald eagles … the Eagle Overlook Platform in the Brush Creek area be low the dam ...” Chickasaw National Recreation Area — Bald Eagle Watch “begins with a ranger-led program at the Travertine Nature Center and continues with a caravan …” Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge — “winter eagle sightings along numerous hiking trails and observation areas scattered throughout the park.” Eagle Tour and Loon Watch The Bald Eagle from digital-images.net Refuge has a webcam too. Tenkiller State Park — after the eagle tour at Sequoyah stop by Tenkiller for the loon tour at 2:00 P.M. Meet at Driftwood Nature Center. Lake Murray — Tucker Tower Nature Center Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge — Eagle Roost Nature Trail (considered a beginner-level trail) Quartz Mountain Nature Park — “search the tall cottonwood trees l ocated on the northern shore of Lake Altus-Luggert or on the southwest face of Twin Peaks … where eagles commonly Golden Eagle from National Audubon Society roost. In Search of Eagles For more complete information click: Black Mesa State Park and Nature Preserve — While most areas are https://www.travelok.com/article_page/ locations for seeing Bald Eagles, Black Mesa is best known top-10-places-for-eagle-watching-infor the Golden Eagle. oklahoma

In this issue ... Quiz!! Quiz!! Quiz!!

Eagle Watching — Now And Into the Spring Cover We have a current events question for you: Editorial Page 2 In the past month this insect has grown in Quiz!! Quiz!! Quiz!! 2 prominence in a European nation, what 2020 BioBlitz! OK Wrap-Up 3 insect and what nation? Oklahoma sports Proposed Endangered Species Act Listing 3 several species of this insect also. The Oklahoma Recycling Association 4 The Green Scene Newsletter 4 121st Annual Christmas Bird Count 5-6 What About Nativars? 7 Mesonet 8 A Facttale from The EarthTeller 9-10 Not an Endorsement, but … Page 11 Upcoming Events Hackberry Flat Center 2021 12 The Comedy Wildlife Photography Award Winners 13 New Podcast Episodes 13 Oklahoma Envirothon Save the Date 14 Oklahoma Native Plant Society 2021 Plans 14 Free Gardening Guides 14 Water for 2060 14 For the answer to this quiz, fascinating Read For Adventure Challenge 15 facts and more information see page. How to Build a Raised Garden Bed 15 Hunker Has a Fun Quiz for You 15 Bird Academy 16 Mushrooms and Climate Change 16 An environmental education newsletter for Wild Care Foundation 16 the citizens of Oklahoma sponsored by the Oklahoma Blue Thumb Volunteer Training 16 Department of Biology at Oklahoma City University. Items appearing in this newslet- Audubon Prints 17 ter do not necessarily reflect the opinions or BeastBox 17 endorsement of the sponsoring organization.

Oklahoma State Parks and Outdoor Guide 17 Editor: Beth Landon Healthy Soil for Life 17 [email protected]

The EnvironMentor on Facebook 18 Please send any submissions to QuikLIST 18 The EnvironMentor Newsletter Calendar Form 19 or The Calendar to: [email protected]

Published bimonthly each year. Study: The next deadline is January 20, 2021.

Birds Are Linked to Happiness Levels If you wish to receive an email announcing when a new issue has been uploaded, please send an email to [email protected].

Download your EnvironMentor Newsletter in pdf form from: http://www.okcu.edu/environmentor

Visit The EnvironMentor Calendar at http://www.okcu.edu/environmentor/ Regularly updated as information becomes available. Read the article from EcoWatch here!

Wrap -- Up!

BioBlitz! OK 2020 Records 1261 Species!BioBlitz!

Go to https://biosurvey.ou.edu/bioblitz2020/ to view a video, click on the iNaturalist Inventory, and click on the Ebird Checklist, as well as to access online resources and to download a BioBlitz! BINGO sheet for outdoor enjoyment. A note from the BioBlitz! OK Co-Coordinators:

“But just because the weekend is over, that doesn’t mean you can’t still explore our natural diversity. We will be adding new content to the Virtual Nature Center and posting regularly on Facebook throughout the fall and winter about biodiversity and citizen science activities.”

Happy Exploring from the BioBlitz! OK Co-Coordinators! Priscilla Crawford, Oklahoma Biological Survey Angelina Stancampiano, Oklahoma State Parks

Proposed Endangered Species Act Listing Decision for Monarch Butterflies

On December 15, 2020, the US Fish and Wildlife “The US Fish and Wildlife Service defines Service will decide among the following outcomes: an endangered species as ‘in danger of ex- tinction throughout all or a significant 1. Listing is warranted. portion of its range’ and a threatened 2. Listing is not warranted. species as ‘likely to become endan- 3. Listing is warranted, but precluded by other gered in the foreseeable future priority species. throughout all or a significant portion of its range.’” For a fuller explanation of these outcomes see the To read the entire article on the Okies for Monarchs full article, click below. website click here. 3

Subscribe To Our Green Scene Newsletter! Sign up for our eNewsletter to stay up to date about the M.e.t., recycling, the environment, and events throughout the Tulsa area! Click here to subscribe on the pop-up or at the bottom of the webpage.

Audubon Invites You to Celebrate 121 Years

of the Annual Christmas Bird Count

1 8 9

2 11 6 10 12 7 3 13 5 4 18 19 21

22 14 20 17 15 16

# Location Contact Email 1 Kenton (Black Mesa) Jimmy Woodard [email protected]

2 Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge Glen Hensley [email protected]

3 Arnett Bill Diffin [email protected]

4 Washita National Wildlife Refuge Levi Feltman [email protected]

5 Black Kettle National Grassland Dick Zahm [email protected]

6 Sooner Lake John Couch [email protected]

7 Stillwater Timothy O’Connell paynecountyaudubonsocie- [email protected] 8 Tallgrass Prairie Preserve Don Wolfe [email protected]

9 Hulah Reservoir Don Wolfe [email protected]

10 Tulsa Jeff Cox [email protected]

11 Rogers County Richard Stuart [email protected]

12 Spavinaw Frank Houck [email protected]

13 Fort Gibson Reservoir Nadine Varner [email protected]

# Location Contact Email

14 Sequoyah Chad Ford [email protected]

15 Broken Bow Reservoir Mia Revels [email protected]

16 Red Slough Leif Anderson [email protected]

17 Tishomingo National Wildlife Refuge Charles Brown [email protected]

18 Oklahoma City Nathan Kuhnert [email protected]

19 Norman Mark Howery [email protected]

20 Chickasaw NRA Ron Parker [email protected]

21 Stephens County Roma Lenehan [email protected]

22 Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge Michael Husak [email protected]

Below is a short December calendar listing by number the date of the Christmas Bird Count at those locations. If your location is not listed, they haven’t published a definite date. For more information you can email the event organizer or go the following URL: https://audubon.maps.arcgis.com/apps/View/index.html? appid=ac275eeb01434cedb1c5dcd0fd3fc7b4

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednes- Thursday Friday Saturday

14 15 16 17 18 19 (16) Red Slough (20) Chickasaw (7) Stillwater N.R.A. (17) Tishomingo (10) Tulsa

20 21 22 23 24 25 26 (15) Broken (22) Wichita Bow Reservoir Mountain Wildlife Refuge

27 28 29 30 31 Jan 1 2 (13) Fort Gibson (21) Stephens Reservoir County

3 4 5 6 7 8 9 (1) Kenton (Black Mesa) (19) Norman

Many gardeners and landscapers have become inter- ested in growing native plants, as we learn more about the What importance of our natives as hosts and food sources for pollinators and other important insects. But some wild plants grow taller and leggier than we'd like, or have a short bloom- About ing period, or come in limited colors. How can we welcome them in our gardens? Plant breeders are eager to provide us with selectively bred Nativars? “cultivars” (cultivated varieties) of our native plants. These are called “nativars,” not a scientific term but a handy desig- nation on the label at the nursery. You may find its common By Fran Stallings name and sometimes its scientific name, plus the nativar's trade name in single quotes, and sometimes numbers indicating that it has a Plant Patent. For instance, Eastern Redbud Cercis canadensis 'Forest Pansy' (PP#22,297), a nativar with purple leaves. Sometimes breeders work with naturally occurring variants such as the occasional yellow clump of orange butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa), producing a pure yellow line which they have named 'Hello Yellow.' Orange coneflower (Rudbeckia fulgida var sulliventii) often grew tall and floppy; the nativar 'Goldsturm' is more compact, has larger flowers, and a longer bloom time. By crossing different species Cercis canadensis of Echinacea together and selectively breeding the offspring, breeders have produced neatly clumping varieties with red, orange, white, yellow, even pale green petals and nicer shapes. Some are so double they look like pompoms rather than daisies.

Gobotany.native planttrust.org Asclepias tuberosa

Rudbeckia fulgida var sulliventii Asclepias tuberosa at The Daily Telegraph Colorful echinacea from dreamstime.com at monarchbuttergarden.net You can have your natives and your neat colorful garden too! Win/win. But the selectively bred nativars are not always as beneficial to wildlife as the wild types. Researchers have found that pollinators aren't as attracted to the alternate colors of some nativar blooms. Super-doubles, as on E. purpurea 'Meteor,' provide less land- ing room than single flowers. Highly bred varieties may lack fragrance or have less nectar or pollen. E. purpurea “Meteor” at venditaplanteonline.it Meanwhile, the foliage of some nativars can be less appealing to the caterpillars of de- sirable butterflies or to the larvae that song birds need as baby food for their chicks. White-variegated foliage risks being less nutritious than plain green, and red/purple foliage gets its color from anthocyanins, that Doug Tallamy warns are feeding deterrents. So we can appreciate the work plant breeders have done to provide variations that appeal to us humans. But if we're planting with wildlife in mind, we might prefer to select the original wild types. For more details, see https://landscapearchitecturemagazine.org/2019/07/02/whats-in-a-nativar/

http://www.mesonet.org/

Chock full of weather and climate data! “The Oklahoma Mesonet was commissioned on Jan- uary 1, 1994 and consists of 120 automated stations covering Oklahoma. There is at least one Mesonet station in each of Oklahoma's 77 counties.” Get the app Wherever you get your apps! “The Mesonet app brings a host of Oklahoma weather information right to your phone, including data from the award-winning Oklahoma Mesonet, forecasts, radar and severe weather advisories. Get fast access to the same info that the experts use!”

Long ago, the old folks say, all the birds had white feathers. Plain white! Like swans! Very pretty, right? But very dangerous. The birds showed up like crumpled paper trash when they sat in the grass or roosted in the trees. Any hun- gry cat or fox could spot them from far away. Hiding was almost impossible. Identical white feathers also made trouble at mating time. Finding a mate of the correct species was difficult when they all looked alike from a polite distance, differing only by size and perhaps the presence of a crest or long tail. So the birds had an idea. They went to Owl, whose shop sold paints and dyes of all colors. “Please help us to paint our- selves in different designs and colors!” Owl reluctantly agreed to free paint jobs, but insisted that the offer was only good for one week. The birds flocked to Owl's shop. Eastern bluebird chose a reddish vest with a blue back. Robin liked the rusty vest but preferred a brown back. Meadowlark chose a yellow vest! Bluejay took a whole variety of shades of blue. Cardinal outdid them all in shades of red. (You can continue to describe local birds that your listeners should recognize.) Crow watched while his friends flew off with their new, colorful plumages. “That's too gaudy. That one is too dull.” He found fault with every choice. At last, as the free time was running out on the last day, Crow realized he'd better hurry. “Okay, Owl, I want black white and grey like Mockingbird.” Owl started to paint him. 'No, wait. That's too drab. Give me a yellow vest like Meadowlark.” Owl reached for the yellow. “No, not yellow. How about some red as bright as Cardinal?” Owl slapped on layer after layer of paint as Crow kept changing his mind. In the rush as the time ran out, Crow knocked over a big can of black paint. It covered Crow completely! Now it was too late to get any other colors. So ever since, Crows have had black feathers. (Although, if you see them in bright sunlight, you can see rainbows of other colors shining through.) And ever since, Crows have held a grudge against Owls, blaming them for the botched paint job. Owls try to hide during the day to avoid the crows, who will often mob and pester a sleeping owl if they find one. And now you know “why”. From The Earthteller, Fran Stallings Folktale source: “Owl's Paint Shop” pp 3-4 Folktales from the Japanese Countryside told by Hiroko Fujita, edited/adapted by Fran Stallings This traditional tale originally featured Japanese birds and said that kami- sama (one of the Shinto deities) ordered Owl to paint them. I substituted familiar American birds, and had them convince Owl to donate the free paint jobs. I guess the traditional teaching centered on Crow's vanity and procrastination. However, this story provides young scientists with an awareness of the different birds' plumage, and lets them raise questions about how the final colors might provide a mating or survival advantage. (Continued on Page 10) 9

(Continued from Page 9) To illustrate this story, I made props I had learned from Fujita-san. Copying from a field guide to birds, I sketched Robin, Blue Bird, Meadow Lark, Blue Jay, Cardinal, Bald Eagle, and Crow on white paper and glued each to light cardboard (backing from pads of paper). I colored my sketches with markers, then taped a sheet of transparent plastic (do you remember overhead projectors?) over the picture, taping the two long sides and one short side. I used black Sharpie on the plastic to trace the outlines of each bird sketch. Then I trimmed 1/4” off one long side of a sheet of white card stock, and rounded the corners, so that it would be easier to in- sert between the plastic and the colored sketch. Optional: a tape tab on the card stock, to make it easier to pull out again. With the white card in place, all you see is black outlines on white. When volunteers hold up all these pictures, the birds are indeed hard to tell apart! Blue Jay and Cardinal both have crests on their heads; Robin and Blue Bird don't look much different from Meadow Lark and Crow. (Eagle stands out due to size and glar- ing expression.) No wonder they had trouble finding mates! At Owl's paint shop when I pull out the plain white card and reveal the color beneath, it looks like magic. Viewers of all ages are astonished and delighted.

Facttale: Many of our birds have migrated south for the winter, but the ones that stay here (or have migrated here from further north) are a good reason to put out bird feeders so that we can watch them and learn to recognize them by their distinctive plumages. There are excellent field guides in book form (we keep one by the window) and now online. Offer a variety of foods: not just seeds, but also fruit and fat (lard, peanut butter etc) to appeal to a variety of birds. How many kinds can you see?

Sequoyah State Park, Hulbert, OK -- First Boiling Springs State Park, Wood- Free but registration required. ward, OK -- Free. Hike starts at 2:00 P.M. Robbers Cave State Park, Wilburton, OK -- Free, but registration required. Lake Thunderbird State Park, Nor- man, OK -- Free. Hike starts at 11:00 Osage Hills State Park, Pawhuska, OK - A.M. - Free. First hike at midnight, second hike Beavers Bend State Park, Broken at 1:00 P.M. Hikes Bow, OK -- Free. Hike starts at 11:00 McGee Creek State Park, Atoka, OK -- A.M. Free. Starts at 1:00 P.M. Foss State Park, Foss, OK -- Free. Hike starts at 2:00 Lake Wister State Park, Wister, OK -- Free. Starts P.M. at 1:00 P.M. Greenleaf State Park, Braggs, OK -- Free. Hikes start at 10:00 A.M. or 1:00 P.M. Lake Murray State Park, Ardmore, OK -- Free. Roman Nose State Park, Watonga, OK -- Free. Hike Starts at 10 A.M. and 1:30 P.M. Limited to 25-30 starts at 10:00 A.M. guests. Alabaster Caverns State Park, Freedom, OK -- Free. Lake Eufaula State Park, Checotah, OK -- Free. Hike starts at 2:00 P.M. Starts at 10:00 A.M. Fort Cobb State Park, Fort Cobb, OK -- THIS HIKE IS Keystone State Park, Sand Springs, OK -- Free. ON JANUARY 2ND. Free. Hike starts at 10:00 A.M. Hikes at 12:01 A.M. and 10:30 A.M. Great Plains State Park, Mountain Park, OK -- THIS Arrowhead Area at Lake Eufaula State Park, Ca- HIKE IS ON JANUARY 3RD. Free. Hike starts at nadian, OK -- Free. Hike from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM 10:00 A.M. For more information consult this website or The EnvironMentor Calendar!

Editor’s Note: This item has grown from a Not an Endorsement , but ... small patch underneath “In this issue …” on the Editor’s Page to a half-page, and, now, a full page. Please understand that the kinds of entries we have discovered and choose to include may be offered by for-profit concerns, but we believe you might want to know that they exist. We are not advocating them for your support.

CHRISTMAS ARTICLES KISSING BALLS: THE ORIGINAL MISTLETOE “Decking the halls with fragrant, fresh-cut evergreens is a beloved holiday tradition. But one piece of decor that lost popularity over the years is the vintage kissing ball.” To continue reading this article? Click here!

DECK THE HALLS WITH CHRISTMAS PEPPERS?! ...to! If you want to learn the history of Christmas peppers, where they come from and how to use them, Hot Frog click here for the article. Living Capsicum annuum Composter • Indoor Or Outdoor use OR you • Double Walled Construction can • Worms Not Included compost indoors

“Subpod a below-ground worm farm that mimics condi- tions found in nature. … At full capacity, after around three months, it will process up to 15kgs (30L) of food waste per week. … Bury your Subpod in either a raised garden bed or in the ground, with the ventilation above the soil line to maintain a clean smelling, aerobic system, whilst also preventing entry of pests. The secure lid at the top also doubles as a garden seat …”

Check out the Winners of The Comedy Wildlife Photog- raphy Awards for 2020 at the following URL:

https://www.comedywildlifephoto.com/gallery/comedy- widlife-2020-competition-winners.php

Here is just one of the awards for this year: Spectrum Photo Creatures in the Air Award

Tim Hearn This is the award Here is a damselfly With their picture winning photo. to compare to the Hide and Seek one to the left! “As this Azure damselfly slowly woke up, he became aware of my presence. I was lined up to take a profile picture of his wings and body, but quite sensibly the damsel reacted to the human with the camera by putting the Marsh grass stem between me and it. I took the shot anyway. It was only later that I real- ised how characterful it was. And how much the damselfly looks like one of the muppets.”

New

Podcast

from naturespot.org.uk Episodes!

Meet the Experts -- Mark Howery, Ornithologist

Meet the Experts -- Zach DuFran, Moth Expert Ask the Experts -- Go to the Podcasts: Winter Holiday Botany with Adam Ryburn Join the Experts -- https://bioblitzok.buzzsprout.com/ Christmas Bird Count with Tim O’Connell 13

Save the Date: Become a member! There is always 5/7/2021 a lot going on. The staff at the Noble Re- www.oknativeplants.org/ search Institute are looking forward, optimisti- cally, to set the date for the Oklahoma Enviro- 2021 Wonders of Wildflowers Weekend thon for May 7, 2021. Watch for 2021 plans.

The National Conservation Foundation’s Envi- Good news Dr. Caddell has graciously extended rothon Competition will be held at the end of an invitation to ONPS to reschedule July with the topic: Water Resource Manage- next year's WOW here. ment: Local Control and Local Solutions. WOW! the 2021 Wonders of Wildflowers will take place at Teams will be expected to present on this topic the Selman Living Lab. Watch for rescheduled information. at the Oklahoma Envirothon Competition.

Gather your teams and Research! Study! And Practice! Rescheduling Doug Tallamy for a date in 2021 is in the works.

ONPS is still planning on co-sponsoring the native gardening author Doug Tallamy in 2021 with two presentations in OK! Until then check out the video of him speaking about this new book "Nature's Best Hope." Click on the URL above for access to the video archive.

Disclaimer: These free guides are offered Oklahoma Water Resources Board by a for-profit business and will be using your email address for advertising purposes.

Get Access to 8 Guides! Our valuable guides will walk you step-by-step through “We want to what to: sow, plant, and harvest each month! promote public water suppliers, Organic Gardening by Zone industry and

Companion Planting Guide agriculture leaders who Container Gardening Guide save water Flower Gardening Guide through innova-

Harvesting Guide tion!”

Fall & Winter Gardening Guide “If you have a water story you'd like to see on our Water for 2060 webpage, please fill out this form Also included are 2 Kid Guides! to share it with us!” Organic Gardening Activities for Kids https://bit.ly/3mHnjxT Nature Activities for Kids The 2060 website also displays fact sheets: Drought To get these guides, Resilience: Catch the Big Drip and Conserving Water: click here to go to the website. How to Prepare for the Future among others. 14

“[OG&E is] proud to partner Disclaimer: In researching this website we can’t conclude that it is non-profit or not for with Oklahoma City Zoo profit. Be forewarned. and Botanical Garden and its statewide literacy program, Read for Adventure.

This program and new book, Juniper’s Butterfly Garden, (published by Southwestern How to Build a Raised Garden Bed: Stationery, Oklahoma City) Best Kits and DIY Plans helps encourage kids to read Written by Shannon Cowan with an inspiring story of a “So you want to build raised garden beds . . . “ child’s journey as she learns about monarch butterflies. Topics: Learn more about monarch butterfly conservation Benefits of raised bed gardening by checking out Juniper’s Butterfly Garden from a Pre-fab raised garden bed kits participating library (most libraries across Oklaho- DIY home-built raised beds ma are participating and have stocked up with Simplest DIY raised garden bed many copies; there is a list on the OKC ZOO web- design and instructions site or check with your local library). You’ll then receive one voucher redeemable for FREE admis- Getting the most from your raised bed garden sion to the OKC Zoo for up to four people. Vouch- Related Reading (9 Articles) ers are redeemable through June 30, 2021.” To read the article, click here.

Disclaimer: This website seems to be sponsored by Answer to Quiz!! Quiz!! Quiz!! Miracle-Gro and Leaf Group, but the quiz at the URL below is a bit fun and there is a profusion of infor- Danish Mayfly Named mation -- articles and videos -- at the end. You do not need to enter your email address. 2021 Insect of the Year Even though this macroinvertebrate is called the Dan- ish mayfly (Ephemera danica) it was named the 2021 Has a Fun Insect of the Year by a German entomological society. Quiz This is a fun fact, but what for You! does it have to do with Okla- homa? “To date, a total of Find the Ideal Fall Gardening Project for You 92 species in 13 families [of mayfly] have been collected “When the weather cools down, it’s time to bundle up in Oklahoma.” (Grant, 2016) and head indoors, right? Actually, not so Two of the families found in fast. Fall is prime gardening season - whether you’re planting hearty veggies Oklahoma are Baetidae, of which there are about 900 and chill-tolerating blooms, or NC State University simply putting in the work species worldwide, and Caeni- now for a more vibrant and dae, consisting of 5 genera, 26 species. A good way to bountiful garden come remember the Order name Ephemeroptera would be to spring. Take this quiz to find see the ephemeral look of the wings. your perfect fall project, no matter where For Peter M. Grant’s poster from SWOSU, click here. you live (yep, even if your growing season is actually For information on the mayfly family Baetidae, click here. year round).” Click here to take the quiz. For information on the mayfly family Caenidae, click here.

A new era of agriculture: From how soil – and mushrooms – can help solve and the climate crisis

With engaging graphics and vibrant explanations of what has become common expres- sions of environmental condi- tions, the carbon cycle and the web of life using global examples, this article takes you through the soil beneath The omphalotus nidiformis, our feet and fungal roots to aka ghost fungus, is found mainly in southern Australia urge us to become a “fungi and Tasmania, and is known advocate.” for being bioluminescent. Become familiar with the diversity of shorebirds from plov- ers to peeps, and more! Get tips on the best ways to get started identifying them—for shorebirds that means paying “Regenerative agriculture differs from traditional farm- attention to shape, size, and behavior. ing methods. … It increases plant diversity and inte- grates livestock, creating a holistic system powered by Whether you're at home or out in the field, this helpful elements in the environment working together.” shorebird ID guide has full-color photos, ID tips, and a size reference chart. You can download, print out, and bring this To read the full article click here. guide with you when you go birding, courtesy of Dr. Kevin Check out the Oklahoma Soil Health Partnership at the Oklahoma Conservation Commission here. FREE Download: https://bit.ly/33oFIIX

Stillwater Blue Thumb Volunteer Training

January 30 & 31, 2021 Oklahoma State University Saving the intricate fabric of life 164 N Monroe St. Stillwater, OK 74078 … one thread at a time. The WildCare Foundation is a supporting organization with the following mission: “Our mission is to provide people a place to bring native wildlife struggling to survive with the goal of releasing healthy individuals back to nature.” The homepage for the Foundation is: http://www.wildcareoklahoma.org/

Part of what they do is to publish a quarterly newsletter. The issue is available at the following URL: The archive is available at this URL: http://www.wildcareoklahoma.org/index.php?news Visit the Blue Thumb website here at a later date to sign up.

“You can hang Audubon’s prints in your home for free! Browse all 435 vibrant images from Birds of An experience from The America, then Cornell Lab and All download your fa- Be a DJ About Birds. We would vorites in crisp, like to give you more in- clear high resolu- With tion—ready to be printed, framed, and enjoyed.” formation, but there real- Animal ly isn’t any more. You “High-resolution images courtesy of the John just need to click here James Audubon Center at Mill Grove, Audu- Sounds! and then click on PLAY! bon, PA, and the Montgomery County, PA, Audubon Collection. Learn more about the John James Audubon Center.” Roar On!! Click here to go to the image website!

There may be new workshops in 2020 (not posted yet), but in the meantime the website has piles (no pun intended) of pdf resources for your wintertime reading. Order your free Guide  Oklahoma Conservation and free brochures here! Commission -- Soil Health 201  It’s not just Dirt Anymore  McPeak Case Study  Our Shared Journey  Building Your Soil Health Team With more than 30 state parks and the most diverse  Emmons Slides terrain in the nation, Oklahoma is an outdoor lover's  Oklahoma State University paradise. In the 2020 Oklahoma State Parks & Out- -- Soil Health CIG door Guide, you'll find detailed information and photography from each Oklahoma State Park. There Also check out the Oklahoma are also pages highlighting some of the state's top Soil Health Card -- a testing spots for fishing, rock climbing, golfing and other tool for gardeners, farmers, or outdoor activities. The guide's directories for out- anyone who wants to know more about the soil around door activities, campgrounds, cabins and lodges around the state will make travel planning easy. https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/ main/ok/soils/health/ 17

On February 23, 2013 The EnvironMentor dipped a toe into social media. We made this decision because, at this time, there are two to three months between issues of the Newsletter. During this past gap an important event had an application deadline of April 1st so an announcement went out from Facebook. We won’t bother you with anything trivial, so … “Like” The Environmentor on Facebook!!

10301 South Sunnylane Road QUIKList Oklahoma 405-814-0006

Leopold Education Project http:// http://www.aldoleopold.org/Programs/ www.museumofosteology.org/ lep.shtml Monday - Friday 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Type in Oklahoma Saturday 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Sunday 1 p.m. - 5 p.m. Oklahoma Blue Thumb http://bluethumbok.com/

Oklahoma Blue Thumb Association Project Learning Tree (PLT) [email protected] http://www.plt.org/ http://www.forestry.ok.gov/project-learning-tree Oklahoma Envirothon Project WET http://www.oklaenvirothon.org/ (Water Education for Teachers)

http://www.bluethumbok.com/project-wet.html Oklahoma Green Schools

http://www.okgreenschools.org/ Project WILD Oklahoma Master Naturalists http://www.projectwild.org/ https://okmasternaturalist.wixsite.com/website

Oklahoma Native Plant Society As with all hyperlinks in The EnvironMentor http://oknativeplants.org/ Newsletter, these are clickable.

Oklahoma Recycling Association (OKRA) Do you know an environmental group in Okla- http://www.recycleok.org/okra/ homa that should be listed. Send that information to: [email protected]

Most people who remember The EnvironMentor Newsletter know that the pages at the end of the issue were reserved for The Calendar. Being online has some great advantages. When you downloaded your copy of the newsletter you may have noticed the box on the right side of the webpage. This is a conven- ient listing of the next events from The Calendar. This will always be up-to-date because it happens au- tomatically. For more information on the event just click on it and a window will open up with all the details. If you wish, you can access the rest of the calendar from the there.

To have your event posted to The Calendar, copy and paste the following list into an email, fill in as much information as you wish, and send it to: [email protected]

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