RSVP & the Habitat Stewards Program, Spring 2006, Day 1
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Trips:

As a photographer my main interest is landscapes. Because of that, and of course because I live in it, the condition of our habitat has always been important to me. When the Oswego Retired & Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) offered a Habitat Stewards course, I decided it would be a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the natural world around us & what we can do both as individuals and a society to protect it.

The course runs four days, mixing classroom lectures with field trips. Of course, I brought my camera, and documented our experiences.

I received a request today (8/8/19) from Jan Baker to add a link to her page at Angie's List - Creating a Wildlife Habitat in Your Own Backyard, so here it is.

Another request for an added link came today (1/31/24) from Corrine & her project  'Bee a Friend to Pollinators', so here is the link: https://www.bottlestore.com/beesandhoneycreatingpollinatorgardens

We started on Tuesday, May 9th with a lively introduction to the RSVP provided by the director of the program, Ellen Wahl. After that we introduced ourselves to each other, and then spent some time learning about the National Wildlife Federation, sponsor of the program & provider of many of the materials for the course, and the Schoolyard & Backyard Habitat Programs the NWF has created.

After a short break, our 1st guest speaker was Don Cox, Professor Emeritus of Biology at the State University of New York at Oswego. He presented a slide show & lecture on the "Wildflowers of New York".

After lunch, John Weeks who was instrumental in creating the Beaver Lake, Sterling, and Rice Creek Nature Centers, Baltimore Woods, and somehow finds the time to present a weekly radio show "The Nature of Things" on Public Radio's WRVO, presented slides and a lecture on "Butterflies, Birds & Migration"

Our last instructors for the day were Erica Schreiner, District Educator, & Joe Chairvolotti, Forester of the Oswego County Soil & Water Conservation District. Erica talked about some of the educational materials & programs designed for the public schools, and Joe talked about managing Oswego County's woodlands & the identification of trees.

Ellen Wahl, Director, Oswego RSVP	Don Cox, Professor Emeritus of Biology, SUNY Oswego	John Weeks, Creator of "The Nature of Things" Radio Program	John Weeks, Creator of "The Nature of Things" Radio Program

Erica Schreiner, District Educator, Oswego County Soil & Water Conservation District	Joe Chairvolotti, Forester, Oswego County Soil & Water Conservation District	Outdoors with a "Hands On" demonstration of teaching materials

Day Two:

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