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IHRvIGtub3cgCj4gaWYKPiBteSBwYXJ0bmVyIGFuZCBJIGhhZCBsaWZlIGd1YX --2053635335-61344904-1403649946=:4124 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Perhaps the NS Young Naturalists group & their adult leaders, or the NS Mus= eum Of Natural History, might put together a package that could be shared w= ith the NS Dept.of Education?=0ANot sure what age group would be=A0best sui= ted towards, mind you. =0AAm sure there are many on this list, who could ad= vise or suggest. =0AInteresting topic, indeed!=0A=0AGayle MacLean=0ADartmou= th =0A=0A=0AOn Tuesday, June 24, 2014 7:17:41 PM, desolatechair <desolatech= air@gmail.com> wrote:=0A =0A=0A=0ABudding biologists should learn to obser= ve wild animals in their natural habitat, no? =A0Do you really condone this= behavior?=0A=0A=0ASent from Samsung Mobile=0A=0A=0A-------- Original messa= ge --------=0AFrom: David & Alison Webster =0ADate:06-24-2014 6:43 PM (GM= T-04:00) =0ATo: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca =0ASubject: Re: [NatureNS] Miner's = Marsh offleash park... =0AHi John & All,=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0= =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0 June 24, 2014=0A=A0=A0=A0 You have a point.=0A=0A= =A0=A0=A0 Several of us have independently discovered that not having a tur= tle at =0Ahome is more fun and less bother than having one at home.=A0 So w= hy should =0Afuture generations of children, especially if they are budding= Biologists, =0Ahave ts learn such matters by experience ?=0A=0A=A0=A0=A0 S= ome suitable inspirational lectures, starting by the second trimester, =0As= upplemented by officially sanctioned posters in the Nursery should not only= =0Aconfer protection to turtles but snuff out ideas of getting involved in= =0ABiology so that children grow up to do something useful, such as being = avid =0Aconsumers.=0A=0AYt, Dave Webster, Kentville=0A----- Original Messag= e ----- =0AFrom: "John and Nhung" <nhungjohn@eastlink.ca>=0ATo: <naturens@c= hebucto.ns.ca>=0ASent: Tuesday, June 24, 2014 2:37 PM=0ASubject: RE: [Natur= eNS] Miner's Marsh offleash park...=0A=0A=0A> Good commentary about the nee= d for kids to be exposed to nature, but as an=0A> initial part of the expos= ure, kids need to be told to leave nature where =0A> it=0A> sits.=0A>=0A> I= was acquisitive when I was small, as well, and accumulated quite a=0A> col= lection of live amphibians and snakes.=A0 After some of them died, =0A> des= pite=0A> my best attempts, I realized that collecting was not a good idea.= =A0 So then =0A> I=0A> kept paper records, instead:=A0 species, colour, len= gth, ... can't remember=0A> what else I tabulated, but do remember the bigg= est garter snake I ever=0A> caught measured 33 inches from snout to tail!= =0A>=0A> -----Original Message-----=0A> From: naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca= [mailto:naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca]=0A> On Behalf Of bev wigney=0A> Sen= t: June-24-14 12:00 PM=0A> To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca=0A> Subject: Re: [Na= tureNS] Miner's Marsh offleash park...=0A>=0A> On 2014-06-24, at 10:23 AM, = Fred Schueler <bckcdb@istar.ca> wrote:=0A>=0A>> * it's hard to see this as = bullshit - it's one of the fundamental=0A>> problems facing naturalists and= nature in these latter days. Both kids=0A>> and society suffer from Nature= Appreciation Deficit Disorder, and from=0A>> the consequences the grotesqu= e exploitation of the Earth by those=0A>> afflicted with NADD. It's a big p= art of the job of naturalists to=0A>> reverse this, and temporarily holding= Turtles in captivity is one of=0A>> the classic ways of communing with nat= ure and getting started with=0A>> science=0A>>=0A>> fred.=0A>=0A> * I would= like to echo what Fred Schueler has just commented.=A0 While I'm=0A> defin= itely not advocating that parents should capture painted turtles for=0A> sp= oilt children, etc..., I do wonder if there is a natural history =0A> educa= tion=0A> program available at that site (and others as well).=A0 Being clos= e enough =0A> to=0A> observe small creatures is one way of inspiring intere= st and empathy for =0A> the=0A> natural world.=A0 Some will say, "But there= are interpretive signs!" To =0A> which=0A> I will reply, "Those are not en= ough."=0A>=0A> For several years, I conducted volunteer stream surveys in t= he Ottawa =0A> area.=0A> A science teacher at one of that city's high schoo= ls asked if she could=0A> bring her Grade 10 biology class out to spend a f= ull day with my survey=0A> partner and I once each season.=A0 I believe we = did four of these annual =0A> class=0A> outing surveys.=A0 I soon learned t= hat, almost without exception, no child =0A> had=0A> ever held a frog, cray= fish, turtle, fish, butterfly, or dragonfly.=A0 In =0A> fact,=0A> many of t= hese kids were quite afraid and sometimes even terrified of=0A> touching, b= eing touched by, or even looking closely at these creatures.=A0 A=0A> coupl= e of times I had to have talks with kids who screamed and immediately=0A> c= rushed fishing or wolf spiders on sight.=A0 However, by the end of a day of= =0A> survey work, most of the kids were quite comfortable about picking up= =0A> crayfish, netting and releasing minnows, carefully holding a dragonfly= , or=0A> having a frog sit on their hands.=A0 I hope that, out of that hund= red or so=0A> biology students, at least one or=A0 two will have chosen to = pursue some =0A> line=0A> of work in the field of natural history, environm= ental studies, or=0A> conservation management.=A0 I hope that a further few= may have become =0A> teachers=0A> who will=A0 find a way to=A0 transfer th= eir experience that day in some way to=0A> another generation of students.= =A0 I hope that a goodly number of those=0A> students, should they ever hav= e children of their own, will remember that=0A> day spent on a river counti= ng and=A0 measuring crayfish or learning =0A> something=0A> about identifyi= ng frog species.=0A>=0A> Unfortunately, the opportunities for nature encoun= ters are becoming=0A> increasingly few.=A0 As it was, during the four years= of our class stream=0A> surveys, we went from fairly simple arrangements f= or an outing, to=0A> increasingly more difficult arrangements where the sch= ool wanted to know =0A> if=0A> my partner and I had life guard training, re= scue gear, etc... We were=0A> volunteers with one of the region's conservat= ion authorities, so acting as=0A> life guards was not part of our schtick.= =A0 We were working in quiet,=0A> mid-calf-deep streams, so you can see whe= re all of this was going.=A0 As =0A> well,=0A> even locating a suitable stu= dy area - clean water with excellent=0A> biodiversity - became increasingly= difficult as several of the best =0A> reach