Spotlight on 2009 Wetlands & Wildlife Field Day

MWDI’s role in various educational programs is rising. We expect this trend as we develop our external affairs capabilities. Partnership with the National Wildlife Federation participate is a good example of our expansion. NWF provides funding for box kits annually to be used at various youth events and they provide free subscriptions to their acclaimed Ranger Rick magazine to kids who participate in any MWDI outing.

An integrated wood duck curriculum component with Maret High School (Washington DC) has been finalized and the program initiated. 18 students will develop short form descriptions and interpretive summaries on wood duck characteristics, habits, habitats, nesting behavior, and nest box program best practices.  The class will also assemble 30+ nest boxes, participate in field installation and nest inspection work in Kent Co in February and May. MWDI helped develop the curriculum. MWDI is most grateful to Jennifer Mandeville, Maret’s Environmental Science teacher for initiating this project.

Our continuing role at the Maryland Envirothon competition among high school students where we make a presentation and host an “ice breaker” box building session is another example.

Spotlight on 2008 Maryland Envirothon

The arrangement we initiated with the J.M. Tawes Technology and Career Center in Somerset County with the Maryland Waterfowlers’ Association is yet another “win-win” relationship. MWDI helps Tawes sell boxes their kids make to private program sponsors. In this manner, the school funding for lumber for saw and other assembly tool use is perpetuated and MD private programs obtain high quality, cost effective boxes. MWDI leverages its contacts, minimizes its administrative requirements and we are able to provide a quality product using our design specs as one of our ‘best practices” objectives.

MWDI has supported several Eagle Scout projects by supplying materials and we have benefited from other scout box assembly projects and installation efforts involving more than 100 boxes in 5 counties.

• Washington County - 12 boxes made and donated on 3 project sites in 2008.

• Prince George's County - 18 boxes assembled for the Ft Meade and Jug Bay projects in 2007.

• Somerset County - 15 boxes assembled for the Shad Landing / Pocomoke River project in 2008.

• Montgomery County - 29 boxes being assembled in 2008.

• Fairfax County, VA - 32 boxes assembled by an Eagle scout project in 2007.

MWDI’s field activities and focus are especially well suited to deliver a unique educational experience if we can develop and package it appropriately. Learning components can be quite diverse encompassing box building, field installation / habitat study, nest monitoring and overall wetland experiences, various types of research, journalism and other external affairs activities.

We have “product” that should appeal to all age groups available in all seasons in large and small packages. We can customize educational projects to meet anyone’s needs or niche. With time, we hope to have much to report in this regard if our theme, “A Total Wetland Experience” is to have real meaning.

We are seeking to identify all educational programs in Maryland where wood ducks are involved and where other wildlife / wetland education programs may be suited to incorporate a wood duck component. We will recognize these programs in due course to increase awareness and to facilitate new program creation.

In addition to the recent activities outlined above, we have sponsored or participated in several box building events, made several presentations and coordinated a research study on Freon canister heat buildup with one high school student. We have managed  internships with three students. As we standardize things, increase the awareness of these opportunities and match supervisory volunteers to regional needs, program adoption will grow.

Educational Program Highlights MAEOE Joint workshop presentation with Harford Christian School, Ocean City, Feb.2006    Harford Glen Educational Center. 54 high school students from North Harford, C. Milton Wright, Joppatowne HS, Harford Technical HS, Fallston HS built 89 wood duck boxes for Aberdeen Proving Grounds, September 2006.  Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Box building program for wounded combat veterans. Washington, DC. October 2006. Chestertown Wildlife Exhibition & Sale. Youth fair box building program for Kent Co public lands projects. Chestertown, MD. October, 2006 and 2007.  Heat buildup research project. Donny McKnight, Harford Christian School. Paper to be published. Confirmed that heat buildup inside recycled Freon canisters as nesting structures at Maryland’s latitude is not excessive if placed in shade. See Research Projects.   NOAA Outdoor Experience – Jug Bay, May, 2007. Box building component. Radcliffe Creek School. Chestertown, MD. 2007. Installed two boxes and conducted student inspections and analyses of results. DNR National Hunting & Fishing Day box building event, September, 2007 DNR Wildlife Outing, Izaak Walton League – Rockville Chapter, presentation, membrane counting, box building, April 2008   River Hill High School Honor Society, Clarksville, Md. March 2007 presentation followed by 10 box building program. Maryland Envirothon included a wood duck box construction component in the high school competition. MWDI procured  lumber, cut it into kits, and supervised for the both June 2007 (30 boxes)  and June 2008 (35 boxes) events.