PRAIRIE SMOKE ONLINE
News and Updates
Spring 2009 Prairie Smoke pdf
Fall 2008 Prairie Smoke pdf
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Project FeederWatch
As we come upon the 2009-2010 season of Project FeederWatch, we need your help. This annual monitoring of birds at the Buffalo River Site's bird observatory takes place several times each month from November through March. The 9-11 am observing sessions collect data that is submitted to Cornell University's Lab of Ornithology. Training is available to newcomers to the program. If you are intersted in helping with Project FeederWatch, please call our office at 218-477-904 and schedule your preferred times.
November 17, 18
December 1, 2, 15, 16
January 5, 6, 19, 20
February 2, 3, 16, 17
March 2, 3, 9, 10, 23, 24
Director's Fire
Spring 2009
It is spring!
As I write this essay in middle May, the Red River Valley has begun to dry out after the spring flooding of 2009, and the end of the school year is in sight for valley schools, after dealing with make-up days full of modified activities and projects made necessary by the school days lost due to the high water and at-risk sewage treatment plants. Stress has been our byword since the middle of March.
A great place to reduce this stress is a long walk on the tallgrass prairie and riparian woods of the Regional Science Center's Buffalo River Site and adjoining Buffalo River State Park. Early prairie forbes are blooming now and the forest is thick with the smell of woodland flowers. We invite you once again to spend some time exploring our tallgrass prairie and riparian woods this spring and summer and while on your walk, think about how we might work with you to implement field based instructional activities. Explore the RSC website to see what we offer, then contact us to arrange a time to talk about your needs. We can tailor a program to your specific instructional needs. We have been providing science standards-based programs for Minnesota and North Dakota K-12 schools for over 25 years.
Our offices have moved.
This spring finds the offices of the Regional Science Center moving back to Hagen Hall. Ten years ago we moved out of Hagen and since then the building has been completely remodeled. The MSUM Alumni Foundation will be occupying the Centennial House. Our parking spots for visitors and volunteers remain the same as before. To find us in Hagen come to Hagen 107, the Dean of Social and Natural Sciences offices, Deb's office is there.
We need volunteers for summer bird banding.
Again this summer we are participating in the North American bird banding programs called MAPS. We are in need of volunteers who could work for all or a few summer sessions to monitor mist nets and remove captured birds. These birds are quickly measured, banded and released. If you are interested, check the website for dates and then contact us.
Summer Public Programs
Again this summer we are providing programs at the MSUM Planetarium, at the interpretive site, as well as in Buffalo River State Park. Please check the Regional Science Center website for dates, times and topics.
Director's Fire
Fall 2008
This fall the Regional Science Center is quite pleased to announce the re-opening of a remodeled MSUM Planetarium. During the 2006-2007 academic year we conducted a "New Seats for the Planetarium" campaign among the active and retired staff and faculty of MSUM to begin the first phase of long needed upgrade of the planetarium. The response was excellent! As a result of this response, President Roland Barden awarded us about $100,000 to do the full remodeling of the Planetarium space. In addition, our Dean, Ron Jeppson provided some equipment money for additional equipment work and to buy some additional seats. The remodeling and seat replacement work was done during the summer of 2008. Thanks to Jeff Goebel and his excellent group of craftsmen, the remodeled planetarium opened in time for classes this fall. I have included a picture taken a few weeks ago of a MSUM elementary science methods class getting an orientation in the role of a planetarium for K-12 students from our planetarium coordinator Dave Weinrich to show what the remodeled planetarium looks like.
This remodeling project represents the completion of Phase I of the longer term upgrade of the Planetarium and we are now looking to fund the last phase of the upgrade, more on that in a later issue of Prairie Smoke On-Line.
The fall of 2008 represents the second year of Prairie Smoke On-line. Our on-line version of Prairie Smoke is part of our extensive web site that is designed to provide current information for all users of the MSUM Regional Science Center. Please visit us at www.mnstate.edu/regsci
Spring 2008
As I write this essay in late April, Fargo-Moorhead is recovering from about nine inches of snow, a rude interruption to the warm-up to spring that we had been enjoying for a week or two. However, spring will come, then summer!
Soon the prairie will be alive with the 2008 version of its tallgrasses, and its colorful forbes with the deep green riparian woods along the Buffalo River running through it. Make a point this summer to invite one or more of your favorite people to join you on a walk through the Regional Science Center's Buffalo River Site, Buffalo River State Park and Bluestem Prairie complex just 15 miles east of Moorhead off highway 10. The prairie has a story to tell.
While you are exploring the tallgrass prairie, give some thought, if you are a teacher, to how you might include in your curriculum some of the rich experiences your students might have during a program at our Buffalo River Site. Some knowledge, skills, and understandings can only be gained by your students through a direct total-immersion experience. We would be glad to work with you on developing such a field experience for your class.
If you are a teacher whose classes have come to the Buffalo River Site for years, a walk through the prairie would be a great time to review the field experiences we have provided your classes over the years. What can we do to improve the experience?
If you have an interest in the natural world of the tallgrass prairie or the wonders of the night sky and have some time to volunteer we have deal for you! All you have to do is explore the opportunities using our website. Please go to our website's Volunteer Opportunities tab and explore the volunteer experiences that are available to you.
One volunteer opportunity is with our MAPS Bird Monitoring station. Working with our volunteer banders on one or more banding sessions will be like taking a mini workshop on the study of birds. There is no cost for this experience, except your time. You provide your time and interest, we will supply the rest. Contact us to volunteer.
On our Science Center website is a page that lists the Public Programs for 2008. A number of them are during the summer season. Interpretive center open houses might be a great time to have your walk on the prairie and then come to the interpretive center to get all your questions answered. There is a star party of night sky viewing on August 8th that your family would enjoy. For resources on night sky viewing check the Links/ Astronomy tab on our website.
On May 20th we will close the MSUM Planetarium for about 14 weeks as we complete phase I of our re-modeling and updating. We will install a new heating/cooling system, a new floor, all new seats, and a new handicapped-accessible entrance. We will be ready to re-open for shows by September 14th.
Finally, this year is the 150th anniversary of the establishment of Minnesota as a state. The Regional Science Center will be providing programs by one of our interpretive naturalists in Buffalo River State Park again this summer. See the program schedule on our website. Two dates to keep in mind for a visit to the Park is Sunday June 1, 2008 which is an open house in the Park with no fees to enter. There will be a picnic meal hosted by the Friends of Buffalo River State Park that evening. There will be a special set of programs on June 21, 2008 in celebration of Minnesota's 150 years as a state. A picnic meal will be hosted by the Friends of Buffalo River State Park that evening too. Naturalist lead programs will be available each weekend.
The summer of 2008, gas is $3.50/gallon and probably going higher. Stay close to home this summer and explore the wonderful and educational natural places in our neck of the prairie!
George Davis
Director
Science Center's Planetarium Coordinator Dave Weinrich Working to Help Establish a New Planetarium in Accra, Ghana
Planetarium Coordinator Dave Weinrich has had a special interest in developing countries since his service in the Peace Corps in Liberia and Ghana. Several years ago, he took a sabbatical to do astronomical outreach in Sri Lanka. For the past 2 years, he has served on the governing council of the International Planetarium Society (IPS). On a personal trip to Ghana in 2006, he met Dr. Jacob Ashong who has the dream of building Ghana's first science center. His vision includes a planetarium. The following excerpt is from the December 2007 issue of the IPS journal, the Planetarian. President Susan Reynolds Button writes about the project that Dave and others are undertaking to help Dr. Ashong accomplish his dream.
As part of the Outreach Committee's efforts to assist planetariums in developing countries, David Weinrich reports," We have been talking about ways of helping astronomy educators in developing countries for the past two years. Now we are ready for a pilot project that we hope will lead to future astronomical outreach to many developing countries."
As part of this pilot project a refurbished Mediaglobe digital projector will be donated by Joanne Young at Audio Visual Imagineering, Inc. (AVI) to the Ghana Science Center in Africa. The science center will provide funding for shipping it from Orlando, Florida to Ghana. They will also provide a dome for the projector, identify local science teachers or astronomy enthusiasts who can be trained to operate the system and give shows and provide funding for the training.
Dave explains, "We felt that it is especially important that there be active involvement of personnel and resources from Ghana. They have to be involved in the planning, the implementation and the future operation of the planetarium."
"We believe that it is especially important that local personnel be trained to run the planetarium and that there is adequate documentation of the project for media presentations and for reports to the International Planetarium Society."
Congratulations to David and Joanne for getting this project off the ground. Thank you Joanne for your generosity too, this could not happen without you.
Congratulations also to the Ghana Science Center as the recipient of this gift and for Jacob Ashlong's efforts to make this happen. I eagerly look forward to progress reports about this pilot project and hope that this will be the first of many such initiatives.
Contact Information:
David Weinrich (weinrich@mnstate.edu) Project Coordinator
Jacob Ashong (jacob_ashong@yahoo.com) Ghana Science Center