STORY COUNTY CONSERVATION • NATURE PROGRAMS AND NEWS February - April 2020 IN THIS ISSUE. Programs & Events ................. 2-6 Calendar of Events .................... 7 Mushroom Memories ................ 8 The Latest ............................... 10 Photo by Larry Reis Partners Membership ............... 11 — PROGRAMS & EVENTS — Providing people opportunities and inspiration to develop an appreciation and understanding of nature and humans as a part of it Winter and Wildlife FEBRUARY Wednesday, February 19, 7:00 p.m. Ames Public Library, Farwell T. Brown Auditorium Snakes Alive! While spring is a time of renewal, summer a time Saturday, February 1, 10:00 - 11:30 a.m. of plenty, and fall a season of transition, winter is Conservation Center, McFarland Park a challenging time of hardship and adaptation for Midwestern wildlife. Food and shelter that was February 1 is National Serpent Day. Come celebrate and seemingly everywhere most of the year is now in short explore this often misunderstood and feared creature. supply as challenging winter weather often endures. Snakes have been a part of human culture since the first This presentation by Ty Smedes will discuss the many stories were told. Uncover the different symbols snakes challenges faced by wintering wildlife, and we will view have portrayed across the world throughout time. Learn images demonstrating their adaptability and will to about our snake neighbors in Iowa, and meet some real survive. This free program is sponsored by the Outdoor live serpents! This program is free, and there’s no need Alliance of Story County, Story County Conservation, to register. and the Ames Public Library. Participants to this event are invited to record a story inspired by Iowa’s nature Great Backyard Bird Count through the Common Ground project. A facilitator will Saturday, February 15, 9:00 - 11:00 a.m. be available in a study room from 8:00-8:45 to record McFarland Park 10 minute stories on a first-come, first-served basis. Find additional opportunities for participation at Participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) http://bit.ly/CommonGroundProject. with Story County Conservation, Wild Birds Unlimited, and Iowa Young Birders. You will learn about the GBBC and what birds to expect this time of year. We’ll cover different types of feeders and children can make their own to take home. Be a citizen scientist and record birds in the park! This program is open to all ages but is designed for ages 7 and up. A limited number of binoculars will be available; feel free to bring your own! Program fee is $5 per group (groups must consist of at least one adult and no more than four youth) and registration is required by 4:00 p.m. on Friday, February 7. STORY COUNTY CONSERVATION 515.232.2516 56461 180th Street • Ames, Iowa 50010 Monday - Friday • 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. [email protected] • www.storycountyconservation.org 2 MARCH National Day of Unplugging: Friday, March 6 Pause and relearn what life was before there was “an app for that.” According to NationalDayOfUnplugging.com, March 6 is a time to commit to “a 24-hour global respite from technology. It highlights the value of disconnecting from digital devices to connect with ourselves, our loved ones, and our communities in real time.” It is no secret that there has been a drastic increase in personal electronic use. U.S. consumers average five hours a day on a mobile device. And new data shows the average smartphone user checks their device 63 times a day. Visit NationalDayOfUnplugging.com and sign the pledge to make a commitment to reconnect through disconnecting. To show our support, Story County Conservation is offering a series of free programs at McFarland Park to help fill your time and mind during some of the most common times of day that we “plug in.” Without needing to check your phone or computer, there is sure to be some extra time in your routine. No need to register! Community Coffee Lunch and Learn Community Campfire 7:00 - 8:30 a.m. 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. Come enjoy some coffee and A lunch hour is the perfect time Campfires have been bringing people conversation with one of your county to enjoy the outdoors and learn together for centuries and have a naturalists. Recreate a time where something new. Come enjoy a very calming power. We will tell phones were not the centerpiece on discussion about nature unplugged. stories, sing songs, and celebrate the the table. Relax and reconnect while Please bring a sack lunch to enjoy end of the day. You are welcome to watching our bird feeders. Coffee, at the park -- we’ll be outdoors if stay after the event and enjoy the hot tea, and cocoa will be provided. weather permits. night! This program will be canceled if there’s inclement weather. Ames Reads Leopold Luminary Hike Sunday, March 8, 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. Friday, March 20, 7:30 - 9:00 p.m. Ames Public Library, Farwell T. Brown Auditorium McFarland Park Join guest readers as we explore the conservation and Let luminaries light your way around McFarland Lake on land ethic writings of Aldo Leopold. His most famous a special walk to welcome spring. End the experience work, A Sand County Almanac, published in 1949, is with cocoa by a campfire. Walk is self-guided; complete still popular with naturalists and writers alike. Readers luminary loop is about one mile. Dress in layered will share essays from this book, his other books, and clothing appropriate for the weather. Participants must from other like-minded readers. Participants to this event arrive by 8:30 p.m.; event ends at 9:00 p.m. Fee of $5 are invited to record a story inspired by Iowa’s nature with registration is required by 4:00 p.m. on Friday, through the Common Ground project. A facilitator will March 13. be available in a study room throughout the program to record 10 minute stories on a first-come, first-served basis. Find additional opportunities for participation at http://bit.ly/CommonGroundProject. 3 O.W.L.S. Programs Learn to Compost and Vermicompost Thursday, March 26, 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. O.W.L.S. (Older, Wiser, Livelier Souls) programs are held Conservation Center, McFarland Park each month at 11 a.m. at the Story County Conservation Center. These are designed for “boomers” or older -- but Composting and vermicomposting both use natural anyone can attend. An optional luncheon follows the processes to turn organic material into a dark, rich humus program for just $7.50. Register for lunch by 4 p.m. on that is great for your soil and garden. Join Cindy Haynes, the deadline at storycountyconservation.org or call horticulture specialist and Associate Professor at Iowa 515-232-2516. State University, as she provides the information and encouragement needed to start backyard composting and Tuesday, February 4 vermicomposting at home. Fee of $3 per adult (kids can Gym-N-Eat Crickets: The Unlikely Adventure of attend for free) required with registration by 4:00 p.m. on Raising Crickets for Human Consumption Tuesday, March 24. Shelby Smith After moving back home to Iowa in October 2017 and helping on the family farm, Shelby was encouraged APRIL by her dad to find an obscure niche other than the traditional farming markets of corn and soybeans. By Trailgate Party: Adventures in Alaska January 2018 she had ordered her first 10,000 crickets, and the rest is history. Sunday, April 5, 1:30 - 3:30 p.m. Menu: Chicken parmesan with spaghetti, salad, Conservation Center, McFarland Park breadsticks, and cheesecake. Register and pay for lunch by January 31. Celebrate spring trail season at this trailgate party by learning about Alaska. Emily Stone, Cable Natural History Tuesday, March 3 Museum Naturalist and Education Director, Northland The Cats of America: Ancient History and Modern College alumni, award winning writer, and Iowa native Conservation will share her 2018 Alaska road trip sabbatical. She will Dr. Bill Clark, Emeritus Professor, NREM ISU share stories about the flora and fauna of this amazing We’ll cover paleological history of cats that once roamed place. An update on the Story County trails right in your North America, modern cats including endangered backyard will also be provided. This program is free, and and common species, and conclude with conservation there’s no need to register. challenges including habitat loss, climate change, conflicts, and hunting. Menu: Soup (choice of broccoli beer cheese, tomato Geocache Egg Hunt bisque, chili), salad, bread, and mint Oreo fluff. Register Saturday, April 11, 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. and pay for lunch by February 28. McFarland Park Tuesday, April 7 Your family will love this new-age way of hunting eggs. The Brenton Arboretum: Past, Present, and Future Join Naturalist Jess Lancial to learn how to use a GPS, then Melissa Burdick, Executive Director go search the woods to find the Conservation Bunny’s Nestled in the heart of Dallas County farmland, The nests of hidden treasures. Collect prizes and candy, and Brenton Arboretum is one of Iowa’s premier botanical discover some of nature’s wonders along the way. Be sure collections. Join us for an exploration of The Brenton to keep a watchful eye as you may come across a “golden Arboretum from pioneer farming days, to a seed of egg” -- worth a special prize! Spots are limited. Be sure to an idea in founder Buz Brenton’s imagination, to the register early to reserve your spot. Fee of $5 per collector stunning cultural attraction it is today.