PA Bucktails was hot with excitement as students engaged with professionals and immersed themselves in the fascinating world of white-tailed deer and their habitat. As we celebrate our newest Conservation Ambassadors, take a look at the highlights from our first field school of the summer!
On Tuesday, the Bucktails students moved into their cabins, got acquainted with their peers, and jumped right in with a lecture on the natural history of white-tailed deer. The students collected plants to press as part of herbarium specimen project. They then took a field walk to learn about forest ecology and the role that deer play in an ecosystem.
Plant pressing!
Forest ecology field walk.
The students learned about the anatomy of deer with a necropsy on Wednesday along with a lecture about deer health and disease. The afternoon featured a population dynamics exercise, and an intro to Conservation Ambassador training.
Population dynamics exercise.
Thursday was a favorite amongst the students as they traveled to the range to learn firearms safety, see a sharpshooting demonstration by the USDA, and tried their hand at archery. They finished their third day of field school with a team building exercise, mock media interviews, and an introduction to print media.
Archery!
Mock media interviews.
Introduction to print media.
The students started off strong on Friday morning with a career panel stacked with experts to answer all the questions they had about their futures. They then participated in a mock town hall meeting focusing on controversial conservation issues. The afternoon “Tips and Tools of Being a Naturalist” session was a hit as students learned about the importance of documenting their findings in nature and practiced with a nature journaling session. In the evening, students constructed their trifold projects on a topic that they learned this week. They will take these trifolds home with them to use in their future outreach endeavors.
We are so proud of our Bucktails students this week. As Conservation Ambassadors, they will now return to their home communities to conduct outreach projects – sharing what they learned at field school with others. Thank you to all the students, professionals, and volunteers who made this week so special. We can’t wait to see what our newest Conservation Ambassadors will accomplish!
Daily Highlight Videos
See the Bucktails students in action! Check out the highlight videos from each day of field school this week!
PA Bucktails – Field School Highlights
Posted: June 22, 2024 by Katie Mace
PA Bucktails was hot with excitement as students engaged with professionals and immersed themselves in the fascinating world of white-tailed deer and their habitat. As we celebrate our newest Conservation Ambassadors, take a look at the highlights from our first field school of the summer!
On Tuesday, the Bucktails students moved into their cabins, got acquainted with their peers, and jumped right in with a lecture on the natural history of white-tailed deer. The students collected plants to press as part of herbarium specimen project. They then took a field walk to learn about forest ecology and the role that deer play in an ecosystem.
The students learned about the anatomy of deer with a necropsy on Wednesday along with a lecture about deer health and disease. The afternoon featured a population dynamics exercise, and an intro to Conservation Ambassador training.
Thursday was a favorite amongst the students as they traveled to the range to learn firearms safety, see a sharpshooting demonstration by the USDA, and tried their hand at archery. They finished their third day of field school with a team building exercise, mock media interviews, and an introduction to print media.
The students started off strong on Friday morning with a career panel stacked with experts to answer all the questions they had about their futures. They then participated in a mock town hall meeting focusing on controversial conservation issues. The afternoon “Tips and Tools of Being a Naturalist” session was a hit as students learned about the importance of documenting their findings in nature and practiced with a nature journaling session. In the evening, students constructed their trifold projects on a topic that they learned this week. They will take these trifolds home with them to use in their future outreach endeavors.
We are so proud of our Bucktails students this week. As Conservation Ambassadors, they will now return to their home communities to conduct outreach projects – sharing what they learned at field school with others. Thank you to all the students, professionals, and volunteers who made this week so special. We can’t wait to see what our newest Conservation Ambassadors will accomplish!
Daily Highlight Videos
See the Bucktails students in action! Check out the highlight videos from each day of field school this week!
Day 1: Getting to Know Each Other, Forest Ecology Field Walk, and Plant Pressing
Day 2: Deer Anatomy, Population Dynamics, and Nature Photography
Day 3: Archery Range, Team Building and Engaging the Media
Day 4: Radio Telemetry, Mock Town Hall Meeting, and Trifold Projects
Day 5: Closing Ceremonies
Don’t forget to tune in next week on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for field school highlights from PA Bass!
Category: Youth Blog Tags: Bucktails, education, featured, field school recap, wildlife