WBC - Edinburg fifth graders
The fifth graders of Edinburg’s Magee Elementary know their stuff.
They know how birds and butterflies spread pollen. They know what pistils and stamens are. They’ve heard of habitat, and why flowers, trees and plants are important to wildlife.
But World Birding Center guide Marisa Oliva stumps them, when she points out a clump of yellow Cowpen Daisies in the hummingbird and butterfly gardens at Edinburg’s Scenic Wetlands. “How many flowers do you see on this plant?”
The kids guess about 20-25. Marisa counters with a description of “composite flowers:” Blossoms that look singular, but actually are made up of hundreds of tiny flowers growing together.
In the months since its opening in March 2003, the Edinburg branch of the World Birding Center has given hundreds of city fifth graders a hands-on experience outdoors in its 40-acre Scenic Wetlands center. The school kids learn about Green Kingfishers, Great Blue Herons and Inca Doves at the center, as well as dragonflies and damselflies, butterflies and native plants.
The center has developed its own mini field guide and checklist, giving the kids experience with tools of the birders’ trade. In addition, each student receives a nature journal, where they can sketch, write nature poetry and record notes of what they see outside.
“One of our goals is to introduce these children to the fantastic resources in their own backyard,” says Amy Winters, director of Edinburg’s Scenic Wetlands. “It’s always been my idea that if you enjoy recreating with nature, you’re going to help conserve it.
So far, we’ve gotten nothing but positive comments.”
Oliva adds: “The kids come back to the center, dragging their families.”
The first of nine WBC sites to open around the Valley, the Edinburg wetlands provide a colorful prelude to what other cities will enjoy as their birding projects develop. Set in the middle of town, the Edinburg center has 2.5 miles of nature trails, a dragonfly pond, waterside observation platforms, and a 6,700-square-foot visitor’s center with floor-to-ceiling windows, interactive exhibits and a fully stocked gift store.
A puppet theater starring Wendy Walking Stick, Maria Monarch and Danny Dragonfly delights younger visitors, while the “Friday Night with a Naturalist” program has explored topics from Texas bats to nature photography.
The 3.5-acre butterfly and hummingbird garden is now mature – a riot this spring of yellow Coreopsis, Blue Mistflower and red Turk’s Cap. Rare and unusual butterfly sightings include the Sickle-winged Skipper and the Ruby Spotted Swallowtail.
Winters says the center has worked hard to make sure its two missions – community education and nature tourism – co-exist in harmony. School tours are not scheduled during major nature tourism events, or when other large groups are visiting.
As a result, this “oasis in an urban desert” has gained an excellent reputation with birders.
“We do get really good birds here. We have a really good habitat,” says Winters, who listed all three species of Kingfisher, and as many as 13 species of ducks, among the center’s special bird attractions. “And we’re getting very popular for our butterfly garden as well.”
Winters noted that former President Jimmy Carter, an avid birder, came by the Edinburg WBC site on a recent South Texas birding expedition.
On a recent spring morning, busloads of Edinburg fifth graders arrived for their introduction to nature. While groups of up to 30 at a time toured the center, split into smaller groups to maintain the peace and quiet, other students played in the nearby municipal park.
One of their first lessons was about coexisting with nature: No running; no yelling; no picking flowers. “The quieter you are, the more animals you will see,” naturalist Kris Meehan tells one group.
The kids from Magee Elementary were attentive and interested. Isadora and Samantha liked the mockingbird for its multitude of voices, while Jonathan and Jhoan especially enjoyed the Diamondback Water Snake that appeared on a half-submerged branch in the dragonfly pond.
All got a chance to see a number of interesting bird species that day, from a Black-chinned hummingbird who posed cooperatively on a tree branch, to several Least Terns diving over one of the wetland ponds. A ground-nesting Killdeer sitting on its eggs – in plain view yet barely visible against the butterfly garden mulch – also gave the students practice in using binoculars furnished by the center.
“I think they like looking at the water, the wetlands and the ducks,” says teacher Terry Vasquez. “That’s what they really enjoyed.”
For more information on WBC in Edinburg, call (956) 381-9922 or visit the World Birding Center on line at www.worldbirdingcenter.org. |
