Loess Hills Seminar Prairie Portraits coming
Posted: Monday, May 14, 2007
The 31st Annual Loess Hills Prairie Seminar, "Prairie Portraits," will be held June 1-3 at the Loess Hills Wildlife Management Area near Onawa and at West Monona High School in Onawa. It is sponsored by the Northwest Area Education Agency, the Monona County Conservation Board and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, with support from a variety of educational institutions, organizations and volunteers.
The seminar is for educators, students of all ages, families and all community members. Special programs for children allow parents to fully participate in the rich variety of new and traditional field sessions and indoor evening programs. Some programs are provided at the campground, while others involve a walk, hike, or travel by car. Educators can earn credit if pre-registered through the AEA.
Program highlights for children include the Eulenspiegel Puppet Theatre of eastern Iowa, live reptiles and amphibians, Iowa State University's Insect Zoo exhibit and session, a prairie insect walk, a session about monarch butterflies and bluebirds, habitat hikes, digital cameras and experiences with skull, bones and fur. Older children may join some of the sessions for all ages or adults, practicing archery or writing about the environment.
Adult and older students can choose to learn more about the Loess Hills plants and birds, nature photography, natural or social history of the hills, geology, fossils, ecosystem restoration and management, prairies and woodlands and savannas, environmental writing and organic local agriculture.
If your interest is plants, you can study prairie grasses and wildflowers or woodland trees and wildflowers, or you could attend special sessions on fungi or mosses and liverworts. If your interest is learning more about birds, you might choose to go on the early morning bird walks, take an auto tour of birding hot spots, watch birds being banded, or attend a campground session about birds of the Loess Hills.
The evening programs at the high school include Friday's focus on recent management and special hiking places in the Loess Hills and appreciation of prairie in general, while Saturday evening will focus on history -- the great Iowa conservation leaders and a
special prairie cemetery.
Registration is encouraged but donations will be accepted during the seminar for those who can only attend a small portion and who do not desire to order meals. Meals must be ordered by May 23 through the AEA.
A full brochure outlining the sessions and programs will be provided at the seminar, but most of the information is available now on the Northwest AEA Web site: http://www.nwaea.k12.ia.us/programs/loesshillsseminar/
The seminar is for educators, students of all ages, families and all community members. Special programs for children allow parents to fully participate in the rich variety of new and traditional field sessions and indoor evening programs. Some programs are provided at the campground, while others involve a walk, hike, or travel by car. Educators can earn credit if pre-registered through the AEA.
Program highlights for children include the Eulenspiegel Puppet Theatre of eastern Iowa, live reptiles and amphibians, Iowa State University's Insect Zoo exhibit and session, a prairie insect walk, a session about monarch butterflies and bluebirds, habitat hikes, digital cameras and experiences with skull, bones and fur. Older children may join some of the sessions for all ages or adults, practicing archery or writing about the environment.
Adult and older students can choose to learn more about the Loess Hills plants and birds, nature photography, natural or social history of the hills, geology, fossils, ecosystem restoration and management, prairies and woodlands and savannas, environmental writing and organic local agriculture.
If your interest is plants, you can study prairie grasses and wildflowers or woodland trees and wildflowers, or you could attend special sessions on fungi or mosses and liverworts. If your interest is learning more about birds, you might choose to go on the early morning bird walks, take an auto tour of birding hot spots, watch birds being banded, or attend a campground session about birds of the Loess Hills.
The evening programs at the high school include Friday's focus on recent management and special hiking places in the Loess Hills and appreciation of prairie in general, while Saturday evening will focus on history -- the great Iowa conservation leaders and a
special prairie cemetery.
Registration is encouraged but donations will be accepted during the seminar for those who can only attend a small portion and who do not desire to order meals. Meals must be ordered by May 23 through the AEA.
A full brochure outlining the sessions and programs will be provided at the seminar, but most of the information is available now on the Northwest AEA Web site: http://www.nwaea.k12.ia.us/programs/loesshillsseminar/
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