Nature’s Classroom Homeschool Program

Well, the response to the turtle trapping has been HUGE. In less than 24 hours, we have more than 50 families that have registered. Because of that fact, I am going to close registration.

It may be necessary to reopen registration in a few days or weeks. I will be spending some time putting people into positions and time frames. If I find it necessary to open it to fill some positions, then I will do so at that time.

For those of you that did register, you will hear from me in the coming weeks. I will let you know whether or not you have been accepted, what time you will be going, and what your position will be.

Thanks.

The Nature’s Classroom Homeschool Program is approaching its one-year anniversary. To celebrate, we have decided to incorporate another component into the program: service. We will be providing you, as a Homeschool community, some unique opportunities to give back to wildlife. Some of these will be specific events, while others will be tied in with the regular educational events.

Our first Service opportunity is now accepting registrations. Here are the details:

The entrance pond at the Phoenix Zoo has many turtles. Most of these are invasive species that can cause problems for our native wildlife and habitats. So, we will be assisting with an annual event in which we remove some of these invasive turtles and give them to an organization to adopt them out. This will insure that these turtles do not overpopulate the pond and attempt to establish territories in neighboring areas.

On April 17, we will be trapping turtles in the front pond at the Phoenix Zoo and we need your help. This opportunity is available to anyone 6 years old and above. Participants will be placed in one of four positions based on age and need. These four positions are:

• Boats – places traps in the water from the boat. Navigates the boat with oars. Must be 18 years old or 16 with a parent in the boat as well.
• Identification – helps at the turtle processing station with identification, weighing, measuring, marking, and placing the turtles in appropriate bins. Ages 6 and older.
• Runner – bring turtles and materials back and forth between the boats and the processing station. May fill in other positions as needed. Ages 6 and older.
• Outreach – approaches the public as they are on the bridge. Talk about what we are doing and why. Ages 6 and older.

When you register, you will be asked to select the positions you would not feel comfortable assisting with and which would be your preferred choices. I cannot guarantee your preferences. We will fill the positions as space permits. We have LOTS of room for outreach so your best chance of participating is to at least be willing to assist with this part.

There are three different times available to participate in this event. You can sign up for one, two, or all three. The times for the trapping programs will be 8-10am, 12-2pm, and 4-6pm. Please be advised that the start times for these are certain. It is possible that the ending times could be extended if lots of turtles were being trapped.

All participants of the turtle trapping, are required to attend an orientation session at the Arizona Game and Fish Headquarters in north Phoenix on Wednesday, April 1, from 9am until 11am.

Although the main purpose of this event is to provide a service for the wildlife, we are still including a special reward for your efforts. All participants will be able to receive free admission to the Phoenix Zoo for that day. In addition, you will have the opportunity to get an up close and personal tour of the Galapagos tortoise exhibit at the zoo. This tour will only be available at set times (most likely around noon and around 2pm). Again, this tour will only be available to those who participate.

To register for this event, click here. Please be advised that registering does not guarantee participation. It will be based on a first-come, first-serve basis as positions are filled.

So it goes with wildlife, there has been a slight complication with the turkey release that was going to take place this weekend: the turkeys aren’t there any more!

Apparently, they have stopped visiting the bait site. Therefore, we cannot catch and release turkeys this weekend. Biologists will be setting up a couple more bait sites, in new locations, to plan for a catch in mid-February.

So what does this mean for you?

Well, if you already submitted a registration for the release this weekend, you will remain in the system. You do not need to do anything additional at this time. If you did not submit a registration because you could not make it this weekend but are still interested in participating, you can register now. I will continue taking registrations for the next few weeks or until the projected spots are filled. Once a date is determined, those people that have registered will be provided more information. At that time, if the day does not work for you, we can substitute other people on the waiting list.

This will probably be the last turkey release program offered for a while. We tend to trap them in the winter and I don’t think any more are planned after this.

Click here to register.

The Nature’s Classroom Homeschool Program was recently featured in an article in the January/February issue of the Arizona Wildlife Views, the Department’s full-color magazine. Limited copies of this issue are being distributed at some of the Nature’s Classroom events. For more information about subscribing to this magazine, click here. It is cheap (only like $8 for the year). It has great articles. They even allow me to put an education section in the back.

I know it is not the best day. However, when you deal with wildlife, you often don’t have a choice. So, I will offer this and hopefully we will see some of you out there.

Here are the details as I know them:

• Weather-permitting, on Saturday, biologists will be trapping turkeys in eastern Arizona. If they are successful, those turkeys will be brought to Mingus Mountain, near Prescott to be released Sunday morning.
• So, Sunday morning, we are allowing registered Homeschool families to come out and join us for the release. We will likely be meeting in the Prescott area (most likely Chino Valley) around 8am. If all goes well, we should be completed between 10am and 11am. Some flexibility will be required, however. Delays and changes often occur.
• You will have the opportunity to see the turkeys up close and talk to the biologists about turkey natural history and the release program. You should also have the chance to “lift the gate” and release one of the turkeys.
• All ages are welcome to attend. If any participant needs special travel accommodations (i.e., car seats, etc.), you will need to plan to use your own vehicle. It is likely that high-clearance (and maybe even 4-wheel drive) vehicles will be required for part of the journey. So, if you have one of these and would be willing to drive (and maybe take some others along with you), that would be great.
• A certain amount of waling may be required.
• Space for this event is somewhat limited and registration is required. After registering, you will receive additional information about meeting location, as well as some further educational resources.

How to Register:

• Complete the online registration form at: Turkey Release Registration  
• Registration will be  open until Thursday at noon unless all spots have been filled.

Please note: There is a possibility that this event will NOT take place. If the turkeys do not cooperate and cannot be captured, then we will have no birds to release. Therefore, all accepted participants will be notified by phone sometime Saturday. Therefore, it is best to provide numbers that I can reach you at in the afternoon and evening of Saturday.

Well, the stars have aligned…not only did the Cardinals win, but we are able to open up registration for a last minute Nature’s Classroom Program.

So, here are the details:

• Department biologists will be attempting to capture turkeys near Heber on Tuesday. If they are successful, then we will be bringing a few Homeschool families out to the release site along the Verde River Wednesday morning.
• We will be meeting in Chino Valley (somewhat near Prescott) at 8am on Wednesday morning. If you are accepted to participate more specific details will follow. It will likely last about two hours, including driving time from the meeting location to the release location. However, plan some flexibility in this time because of the nature of the event.
• All ages are welcome to attend. If any participant needs special travel accomodations (i.e., car seats, etc.), you will need to plan to use your own vehicle.
• There are approximately 10 spaces available. Registration information is below. I will contact people as soon as I can. A small waiting list will be created as well, for last minute cancellations.
• Although I will try to arrange vehicle travel, at this late notice, that might be difficult. So, if you have a high-clearance vehicle and don’t mind using it for this event, that would be great.

How to Register:

• Send an email to eproctor@azgfd.gov.
• In your email, include the following information: name, city, number of participants, email address, two contact phone numbers, how late and how early I can contact you on those phone numbers, and indicate if you are comfortable using your own vehicle to drive to the release site (high-clearance needed). In the subject line indicate that it is for the Turkey Release.

Please note: There is a possibility that this event will NOT take place. If the turkeys do not cooperate and cannot be captured, then we will have no birds to release. Therefore, all accepted participants will be notified by phone sometime Tuesday. Therefore, it is best to provide numbers that I can reach you at in the afternoon and evening of Tuesday. If you are on the waiting list, there is a possibility that a call could come later Tuesday evening or early Wednesday morning. Therefore, it is important to be specific on the times you are comfortable receiving a phone call.

Well, I received an email earlier today that seems to indicate that the turkey release may actually take place on Tuesday or Wednesday. Much of it is weather dependent in the area where the turkeys are being captured. I cannot provide any more information right now. I am waiting to get a few more details. I expect to hear some more by the middle of tomorrow. Hopefully, I will be able to post some more information at that time.

In the meantime, I have updated the calendar with some a few of the upcoming programs. Most of these are still in the planning phases so the dates are tentative. I basically provided a range of dates that the events would take place. That way, you could get an idea if the event would even work with your schedule. This is a sneak peek and only those who check the blog will know about this right now.

If you want to check out what is going to be happening, click on the Events tab at the top of this page and check out the calendar. There is new stuff posted in January, February, and March.

FYI…these are not all of the events I am working on. There are at least two more, but I am not confident on the dates yet so I didn’t want to post them. It looks, however, that it is going to be an exciting few months.

Just a reminder that I still have some spots available for the Pronghorn capture on February 11. I understand that the age restriction of 18 or older significantly reduces the number of people that can participate. However, if you know any kids in college or maybe even some seniors in high school, it may be an option for them. For more information, check out the post from a couple of days ago about the pronghorn capture or select the tag to the right labeled “pronghorn”.

Stay tuned for more information.

Many of you should have received the email yesterday afternoon stating that I had heard of a possible last minute opportunity that might take place next week involving a turkey relocation.

I just wanted to update you very quickly. As of right now, there has been no word about the event yet. If I had to guess, I would think that it will NOT be taking place. However, if I hear something else in the next day or so, this will be the first place I will post it, since I won’t be back in the office until Tuesday to deal with emails.

Even if the event does not go this week, don’t worry. I am currently working with the same turkey biologists to do an event at the end of January or the beginning of February. Details should come on that event very shortly.

Thanks for your patience and your interest in participating.

As the new year begins I am excited to say that I am finishing up the details for at least 3 Nature’s Classroom opportunities that will be occurring in the next few months, including a repeat of a VERY exciting one from last year. So stay tuned in the very near future (next week or so) for the information and registration requests. I have no doubt that they will fill up quickly, even within a couple of hours.

In the meantime, I have a unique, but severely limited opportunity. The details are below. However, I ask that if you or your family do not qualify, please don’t ask for an exception to this one. I know it sounds like an exciting opportunity, but because of safety reasons I cannot allow anyone who is not old enough to participate. Yes, I know the eligibility requirements eliminate almost everyone (and the description may keep others out), but that’s just the way it has to be this time around. Thanks.

So here is the event information and how to register:

What:

Nature’s Classroom Pronghorn Capture

The pronghorn in this particular area (near Prescott) are doing quite well. For this project, we will be capturing some pronghorn to relocate them to another part of the state where the population needs some assistance. During the trapping, pronghorn will be herded into a large temporary enclosure. At which time, Department staff, volunteers, and Homeschool participants will enter the enclosure in teams of two and physically catch the animals. Yes, you will basically wrestle the pronghorn to the ground. The antelope will be blindfolded and looked after by trained vets and staff. Appropriate ones will be carried to a transport trailer where they will then travel to the predetermined location to be released. There is a chance of injury. The last time this was done, three people were injured. One sliced open his hand, another broke his thumb, and a third was poked in the bottom. I say this because I want you to be aware of what you are in for. It is a great opportunity, but it is not without risk.

Date:

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Time:

Likely meeting time of 6am. Plan to be gone most of the day.

Who:

Spots are extremely limited. Only 10 spots available. Must be 18 or older to participate. Parents cannot participate by themselves. In order to participate, they must have a child who is eligible (18 or older). In addition, as a participant you should be in good health, physically capable of doing the activities described above. This will best prevent injury to yourself or the animals. It will be a rough, tough, and fun experience.

What you need:

You will need to bring gloves and eye protection. Shatterproof/non-glass sunglasses would be sufficient. You should wear a long sleeve shirt and pants. Since the weather in February can be unpredictable, you should bring a jacket. Please do NOT wear fleece. Antelope hair comes off the animal’s body really easily but is nearly impossible to remove from fleece. You will need to bring your own food and drinks.

Additional Information:

If it rains, there is a possibility that the event will be cancelled. In fact, last year, it did not take place because of weather. Therefore, it is possible that a last minute cancellation may occur. If you are accepted to participate, additional information will be provided.

How to register:

Since this event is happening very soon, registration, whether all the spaces are full or not, will close by 3pm on Friday, January 23. However, spaces are extremely limited so do not wait until the last minute. Spaces will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis according to availability. So, if there is one spot left and the next person to register signs up for two people, then I cannot take them and will move to the next person with only one registration. If all of the spots are filled up, a small waiting list will be started and an additional email will be sent out notifying everyone that spaces are filled.

To register, please send an email to eproctor@azgfd.gov with the following information (please note if you are registering more than one person, you need to include the information for each person):

·         Name

·         Age

·         Email

·         Contact Phone 1 (Please indicate if it is a work, home, or cell phone)*

·         Contact Phone 2 (Please indicate if it is a work, home, or cell phone)*

·         How late to call on each of the phones*

* Note: Most correspondence for this event will take place via email. The phone numbers are being collected in order to notify you of any last minute changes (i.e., cancellation) to the event.

Good luck and hopefully I will see some of you at this event. As I said, if you cannot participate in this one, stay tuned because other registrations are going to open up very soon.