Owl Hoots. E-newsletter of the Rahr Memorial School Forest. Kelly Vorron School Forest Coordinator

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1 Owl Hoots E-newsletter of the Rahr Memorial School Forest Kelly Vorron School Forest Coordinator September/October 2014 NEW REGISTRATION PROCESS Hope you have had time for fun, family and friends this summer. As we kick off another school year, I want to alert you to a slightly altered registration process for your school forest trips. Due to the new MPSD website, the calendar and registration look a little different, but I assure you just as easy to navigate. Follow the steps below to register for your 2014/15 forest trips. 1. Go to the Manitowoc Public School District Website. Click LOGIN found in the black bar along the top of the MPSD homepage next to GUEST. 2. Scroll down to the Or login with Google section located in a box under the username and password section. Click on GOOGLE to register using your google account and password, ie: vorronk@manitowocpublicschools.org When you are successfully logged in, your name will appear in the black bar where it had said GUEST. Once logged into the district website through your google account, you will be able to view the SCHOOL FOREST CALENDAR and check availability. YOU NEED TO BE LOGGED INTO YOUR GOOGLE ACCOUNT TO VIEW THE CALENDAR. If the calendar is not listed under the school forest webpages, then you are not logged into the site with your google account. 3. You will find the School Forest webpages under SERVICES on the school district site. 4. Click on School Forest Calendar to view availability. 5. Once you have decided on a date, fill out the Reservation Request Manitowoc Public School District form. Note there is a second option for Non-Manitowoc Public School District Rentals; make sure to fill out the MPSD form. It looks very similar to the form you used in the past for booking trips. 6. Complete and submit a field trip request form. Send an extra copy to Joan Kellner at Central Office for the School Forest records. 7. Plan your lessons. Lesson plans for 4k-6 th grade can now be found under the Planning Your Trip page on the school forest website. Copies can also be found in the School Forest Lesson Plans binder in your school s library. If you would like assistance planning or have an idea for new activities and would like assistance, please contact Kelly. 8. Gather materials. 9. Notify the S.F. Coordinator if you plan to use any School Forest supplies at least 1 week before visit. 10. Order lunches. 11. Send home and collect permission slips. 12. Do pre-visit activities in the classroom. 13. Plan post-visit activities. 14. Discuss rules and expectations with students. 15. Watch the weather and discuss proper attire with your class. No flip-flops or crocs. They should wear clothing that can get dirty. Long pants are strongly suggested. 16. Gather first aid fanny packs, student emergency information cards, School Forest keys from your secretary, and student medications.

17. Contact Joan Kellner, School Forest Secretary, at kellnerj@mpsd.k12.wi.

If you need to cancel or reschedule, please contact Joan as soon as possible.

I look forward to working with you in the coming school year, Kelly Kelly Vorron School Forest

Dragonfly nymph cases flitting around on July 1. school group while dipping in the swamp.

Shed when larvae of damp wooded areas, become a common house fly, stable fly or emerge as adults.

2 17. Contact Joan Kellner, School Forest Secretary, at or if you have any questions. 18. If you need to cancel or reschedule, please contact Joan as soon as possible. Also notify your school office and Brandt Buses. I look forward to working with you in the coming school year, Kelly Kelly Vorron School Forest Coordinator At the Forest Fun Discoveries Silvery Checkerspots were This fly larvae was found by a summer Dragonfly nymph cases flitting around on July 1. school group while dipping in the swamp. were found floating in the These butterflies are fans Part of the Muscidae family this larvae will pond. Shed when larvae of damp wooded areas, become a common house fly, stable fly or emerge as adults. Nymphs sound familiar? green bottle fly. were found as well. Turkey tracks are a common sight at the forest. Tracks The Ant Lion has been found! See the Sept/Oct 2013 and egg shells were found in the south 40 dune area. Owl Hoots for information. All Owl Hoots are now accessible through the School Forest website.

Summer at the Forest Great times were had at the forest this summer.

A HUGE thank you to the teachers who made these weeks possible.

Wild Side The Bull Frog was one of the highlights of the week. Along with the bullfrog, giant bull frog tadpoles were also found in the pond.

3 Summer at the Forest Great times were had at the forest this summer. Three summer school classes were held, Get to Know Your Wildside and Forest Explorers, as well as a week focused on helping with service projects. A HUGE thank you to the teachers who made these weeks possible. Get to Know your Wild Side Chris Ausprung, Duane Deicher, Michelle Jirikowic and Shari Lipski Forest Explorers Gail Bailey and Gwen Filer Service Week Clayton Nei and Rich Kangas Get to Know your Wild Side The Bull Frog was one of the highlights of the week. Along with the bullfrog, giant bull frog tadpoles were also found in the pond. These tadpoles often take 2 to 3 years to turn into adult frogs, overwintering as tadpoles, they are much larger than tadpoles that mature in one season. Tracking, swamp study, team building activities, birding and journaling also kept us busy during the week. Service Week This year students learned the fine art of cutting down Russian Olive, an invasive shrub prominent in the school forest landscape, planted trees in the areas that were cleared, installed a bird house trail and wooden boards for a salamander survey. They also hauled mulch, weeded and spruced up the nature play area. Forest Explorers Rain or shine, tracking, looking in the pond and hiking through the swamp, spending time on the beach and in the dunes, we had a great time exploring the school forest. A forest explorer doesn t mind if their insert uncomfortable feeling here, feet are wet, being bitten by mosquitoes! And they really didn t, thanks to the fun and learning led by Gwen and Gail.

Citizen Science at the forest Bird Houses and Salamander Survey Citizen Science refers to projects where volunteers perform research-related activities.

Some of the projects available in Manitowoc County are stream monitoring, bat walks, salamander surveys, the Midwest Crane count, as well as other bird-related research.

4 Citizen Science at the forest Bird Houses and Salamander Survey Citizen Science refers to projects where volunteers perform research-related activities. Volunteers may have no scientific training, but their observations and assistance allow scientists to accomplish research that may not otherwise be possible. Some of the projects available in Manitowoc County are stream monitoring, bat walks, salamander surveys, the Midwest Crane count, as well as other bird-related research. These projects are great ways to get kids involved with science. At the school forest we have two new projects your class could assist with in spring. Along the back area of the dunes, ten easily accessed bird houses have been erected. These houses could attract a variety of cavity-nesting birds from house wrens to bluebirds. Kids can check the boxes; if eggs or babies are present, identify the type of bird using the box and record the information on a data sheet. This can be accomplished within an hour block of time during normal station rotations, with the smaller group being divided in half, each group checking five boxes. This activity will require two adults, one to go with each group of kids. Our second project can be found along the coniferous cut trail in the Hemlock Forest. Fifty wooden boards have been placed along the edge of the swamp with flags marking each set of boards. As amphibians, salamanders spend time under logs and forest debris during daylight hours to avoid the drying sun. To check for absence and presence, as well as abundance, students can check under the boards for salamanders. Again, data sheets will be used to record findings. This activity can also be used as a station during a normal rotation. Helping at the forest Please share these service opportunities with interested students. Service hour requirements are 20 hours volunteered between the beginning of 9 th and 12 th grade. School Forest Opportunities 1) Make a wooden cutout of a snowman. 2) Forest Festival volunteers needed. The festival will take place spring Thank You for the generous donations made to the school forest Richard Kangas; refurbished two wheelbarrows Wish list Socks, preferably clean Waterproof (not cotton) mittens and gloves Paper egg cartons Backpacks Pine or Spruce Cones In your classroom The black guards on the posts will (hopefully) keep out squirrels, raccoons and other critters looking for a meal. Ranger Rick Photo Contest Children age 13 and under are invited to enter the Ranger Rick Nature Photo Contest. They may be photos taken with a camera or a phone and are entered online. Every month winners selected will be posted in the Recent Contest Winners slideshow. Recent contest winners qualify for the "Your Best Shots" Magazine Award. Your Best Shots Magazine Award winners will receive a certificate of recognition and five copies of the magazine displaying their winning photo. The contest is held three times per year: December-January, April and August. Complete Details

Nature Notes Goldenrod And the Goldenrod fly The blooming of goldenrod signifies the changing of seasons; its August bloom a reminder that the school season is about to begin.

As you could probably guess, because I am writing an article about them, we have some of those varieties growing in field areas at the school forest.

Ragweed, the real culprit, blooms at the same time and in similar locations as goldenrod.

5 Nature Notes Goldenrod And the Goldenrod fly The blooming of goldenrod signifies the changing of seasons; its August bloom a reminder that the school season is about to begin. There are hundreds of different varieties of goldenrod in the United States. As you could probably guess, because I am writing an article about them, we have some of those varieties growing in field areas at the school forest. Though often mistaken for the cause of allergies, goldenrod is not the cause, and in fact gets blamed by association. Ragweed, the real culprit, blooms at the same time and in similar locations as goldenrod. Where ragweed has windborne pollen, causing allergies to go into high alert, goldenrod pollen is mainly transferred by insects and is not wind borne. Many goldenrod plants meet their demise because of this falsehood. Along with pollination, goldenrod also has an interesting with a few insect species as a host plant. Next time you are near a field with goldenrod, take a close look to see if you can find a plant with a round growth on the stem. These are referred to as goldenrod galls and are caused by insects, the goldenrod gall fly being one of them. The female goldenrod gall fly lays her eggs in the plant stem. When the egg hatches, the larvae begin consuming the plant stem. The larvae s saliva has a chemical that causes abnormal plant growth, creating the gall. A perfect hiding place and food source for the growing larvae. Chickadees and the Downy Woodpecker, are The first two galls and the one open are created by the goldenrod gall fly. During the summer they are green like the plant stem, the galls pictured above are from the fall. The gall with the projections is caused by a midge, and the longer more elliptical gall the goldenrod gall moth. aware of the tasty grub inside. On occasion you can find a gall with a large hole in the side after being raided by one of the birds. Two parasitic wasps, as well as a beetle are also predators; all of these insect lives intricately entwined with both the goldenrod A newly emerged goldenrod gall fly. plant and each other. Ice fisherman have also been known to collect galls to use the grub as bait. When you are with your class, it is fun to tell the story of the fly larvae and crack open a gall for them to see the hidden grub inside. If you really want to create a memory, go ahead and eat it. I have heard from the chickadees they are quite tasty. The life cycle of the fly involves overwintering in the larval stage. If you want to demonstrate the amazing anti-freeze properties this insect has, in late February you can collect a few galls to bring back to the classroom. Show your students the frozen grub and, as it warms, watch it come back to life; this only takes a few minutes. You can freeze it again and watch the process over. Explain to the students that the larvae overwinter inside the gall. As temperatures start to drop in the fall, the grub produces a chemical similar to anti-freeze, which protects it from freezing to death during the winter. The grub needs to be exposed to freezing temperatures for a long period before it pupates, so waiting until late February to bring the gall into your classroom will allow the grub to complete its life cycle, emerging as an adult fly in late spring. Release the fly in a field of goldenrod to start the process again. Check the school forest website planning your visit page for lesson plans, materials list, trail map and building information.

Study Questions. to Splendid Fliers. naturalists. Young

Study Questions. to Splendid Fliers. naturalists. Young Young naturalists Study Questions to Splendid Fliers Multidisciplinary classroom activities based on the Young Naturalists nonfiction story in Minnesota Conservation Volunteer, Sept. Oct. 2015, www.mndnr.gov/mcvmagazine