August 20th: The Return of the Great Bee Count!

News from The Great Sunflower Project:
I would bet that all across the country, sunflowers have now finally bloomed. I know ours have here along the foggy Northern California coast, and even those in the Pacific Northwest have opened. We are hoping that both you and the bees in your area take advantage of these beautiful blooms and join us for the Return of the Great Bee Count on August 20th. Of course, you can make your observations anytime, as often as you can, but if you haven’t yet participated this summer, mark your calendars for August 20th now.

If you haven’t been to our web site recently, come by and check out our “Leader Board” on the homepage (www.greatsunflower.org) to see our top data collectors. We’ll update this each week, so you have a chance to get your name on the board. Thanks to all our top collectors, by the way.

Keep up the great work!

July 16th: Join The Great Sunflower Project for the Great Bee Count and Bee-a-Thon

Message from The Great Sunflower Project:
Greetings citizen scientists!

Summer is now in full swing and gardens are buzzing with activity. Your sunflowers have survived birds and slugs, unseasonal rain and dry spells. Some of you have sunflowers in bloom and are diligently sending in your observations. Congratulations to all those who have already had the opportunity to observe, collect and report their data. Well done! Check out our “Leader Board” on the homepage of the Great Sunflower Project website. (www.greatsunflower.org) to see our top data collectors. We’ll update this each week, so keep up the great work.

While we don’t expect everyone to be a data leader, we’re asking all of you to attempt at least one observation this year. Why not join thousands of others across the country in The Great Bee Count and observe on Saturday, July 16th? Not only will you know that you are joining with others to help a greater cause, you can take a few moments from your day to learn about natures benefits.

Even if you do not have blooms on your plants by July 16th, you can still be enjoy, learn and be part of the project by tuning in to the first ever “Bee-A-Thon” - a 12-hour, worldwide online webcast designed to bring you current information about bee conservation. Throughout the day, experts will talk about bee biology and changes in global bee populations and ways to take action. A live, online broadcast dedicated to bees and other pollinators has never been done before, and we know it will be fascinating and informative. Just go to www.yourgardenshow.com and join the fun. You can find more details and RSVP online for the Bee-a-Thon.

Remember: Bees are declining in certain areas, and the more we know about pollinator service in your area, the more action will be able to be taken to preserve and enhance pollinator habitat. Be a part of the solution: Observe and report data for Great Bee Count on July 16th and tune in to YourGardenShow.com from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm PST for the Bee-a-Thon.

We would like as many as possible to observe and report, so if you know of a garden in your area that is accessible to the public where those without flowers can count bees on July 16, please let us know at sfbee@sfsu.edu. We’ve set up a page to keep track of them.

July 27th: Duwamish River Cruise with Woodland Park Zoo and Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition!

Date and time: Wednesday, July 27th from 7:00 to 9:00 pm
Cost: $25 per person for people 13 and up, $10 for kids 3-12 years, kids 2 and under are free!

Join Woodland Park Zoo and the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition for a boat tour of the Duwamish River. Make community connections beyond your backyard to the greater Duwamish ecosystem. You'll learn about the cultural and natural history of the river, pollution hotspots and habitat restoration opportunities with the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition. We'll also search for wildlife such as eagles, ospreys, seals and otters.

For more information or to register, see the Education section of Woodland Park Zoo's website.

July 9th: Second annual Wildlife Habitat Tour in the city of Shoreline!

Where Our Wild Things Are (WOWTA) is a wildlife backyard tour organized by volunteer habitat stewards in the City of Shoreline. They will show you a variety of wildlife habitats and how easy it is to create a wildlife habitat of your own in your backyard, school, and place of worship, business or public building.

Please join WOWTA on Saturday, July 9, 2011 from 10 am to 3 pm.
Free admission: Mini learning experiences at each location!

Starting location to pick up maps on day of tour: Calvin Presbyterian to Briarcrest Elementary, 2715 Northeast 158th Street, Shoreline, WA, 98155

All Participating Habitats are National Wildlife Federation Certified Backyard Wildlife Habitats. Watching wildlife is fun, and creating a wildlife habitat sanctuary is a healthy way to give back to the Earth. It’s easy!

Saturday, June 4th: Grand Opening of Woodland Park Zoo's Backyard Habitat garden!

10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
FREE with zoo admission

Come celebrate the opening of the new Backyard Habitat garden, located in the zoo's Family Farm! You and your family will have the chance to dig in the dirt and plant seeds, observe and identify birds, participate in citizen science, and learn how to create habitat for wildlife in your own backyard, schoolyard or community garden!

The Backyard Habitat garden, generously funded by the Boeing Company and the Pendleton and Elisabeth Carey Miller Charitable Foundation, shows visitors how to bring wildlife closer to home, from providing food, water, shelter and places to raise young to reducing the use of chemicals in your yard. The garden also serves as a programming space to learn how to attract birds and other wildlife to your backyard, select and care for native plants, place feeders and bird houses, and get your garden certified as a Backyard Habitat.

Saturday, May 14th: Tukwila Backyard Wildlife Festival!

The 11th Annual Backyard Wildlife Festival is this Saturday! You’re invited to find out how to enhance your outdoor space to create a wildlife and environmentally-friendly backyard habitat at this FREE family-friendly event! You can also hear our keynote speaker Ciscoe Morris talk about how to attract hummingbird to your yards and gardens!

Backyard Wildlife Festival
Saturday, May 14 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Visit the festival website at www.backyardwildlifefair.org

Popular highlights of the festival include the Guided Bird Tour along the Duwamish River and the Certified Backyard Habitat Garden Tour. Kids will enjoy the new Kids Garden Party featuring events and activities especially for kids. There will also be an arts and crafts marketplace, native plant sales, educational booths, scheduled speakers, a pancake breakfast, recycled art show and more!

The festival is held at the Tukwila Community Center at 12424 42nd Ave S, Tukwila 98188. We hope to see you there! For more information, please call 206.768.2822.

Wildlife University in Edmonds starts this week!

Wildlife University is a series of courses that teaches you how to attract a wide variety of wildlife to your backyard, to a schoolyard, or to an area in your community. There are seven courses to be covered in four week nights. Each course contains online presentations, down loadable study guides, and recommended activities. The course outline is the following:

• Habitat Basics is the best place to start! This course teaches you about basic concepts that are used throughout the other courses. You will learn about many different topics, such as the importance of native plants. (TUESDAY, May 10th, 7:00-8:30PM, Edmonds Public Library)
  
  
• Providing Food for Wildlife discusses the food chain and how you can provide food for wildlife species in your area.(TUESDAY, May 24th, 7:00-8:30PM, Edmonds Public Library)
  
  
• Providing Water for Wildlife teaches you the importance of water for your habitat and identifies easy ways to provide it appropriately.(TUESDAY, May 17th, 7:00-8:30PM, Edmonds Public Library)
  
  
• Providing Cover for Wildlife gives you practical ways to provide cover and shelter for a variety of different wildlife species throughout the seasons.(TUESDAY, May 24th, 7:00-8:30PM, Edmonds Public Library)
  
  
• Providing Places to Raise Young introduces you to the importance of spaces for wildlife to mate and bear young and offers some suggestions for creating these spaces in your habitat.(TUESDAY, May 17th, 7:00-8:30PM, Edmonds Public Library)
  
  
• Sustainable Gardening Practices is all about things you can do that are good for your garden and for wildlife. Topics include organic gardening, composting, and water conservation.(TUESDAY, May 10th, 7:00-8:30PM, Edmonds Public Library)
  
  
• Overview of the Backyard Wildlife Habitat^TM and Schoolyard Habitats® programs provides you with information about each of these national programs and the resources they can offer as you learn more. You will want to know all about these programs, because creating places for wildlife can become a hobby that you enjoy with your friends and family.(TUESDAY, May 24th, 7:00-8:30PM, Edmonds Public Library)

• In Addition we will cover topics such as: Western WA Butterfly gardening 101, Bats in our Gardens 101, Bees in our Gardens 101, Carpentry for Critters,Top 25 Birds in our Backyards ID.

This course is free but space is limited. Please register through the Sno-Isle/Edmonds Public library at:

http://host5.evanced.info/sno_isle/evanced/eventcalendar.asp

or by phone at: (425-771-1933)

The courses will all be held each Tuesday night at the Edmonds Public Library located at 650 Main St, Edmonds, WA

Note: National Wildlife Federation is the sponsor & creator of these courses. One you sign-up for a course you will be credited by NWF. For more information go to their website at:

http://www.nwf.org/wildlifeuniversity/creatingplaces.cfm

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!