The PA Ursids students just finished a “beary” great week. This past week our newest Conservation Ambassadors emersed themselves into black bear management, habitat, and forest ecology. As we celebrate this week’s class of Conservation Ambassadors, take a look at the highlights from PA Ursids!
On Tuesday, the Ursids students settled into field school and got acquainted with their peers. They started off with a lecture detailing black bear natural history. They took a forest ecology field walk in the afternoon, collected plant specimens to press and mount later in the week, and received an introduction to nature journaling.
Getting to know each other.
Forest ecology field walk.
Plant collections for herbarium specimen mounting.
The students participated in a necropsy on Wednesday morning to learn the anatomy of bears. Their afternoon featured a lecture on black bear management. The students practiced taking nature photos to be submitted for feedback. They closed out their second day of field school with a team building activity.
Capturing nature photos for critique.
Team building!
Thursday was a favorite amongst the students! They spent the morning learning about how biologists conduct research on black bear populations. The Pennsylvania Game Commission provided a demonstration on how they collect information by trapping and releasing bears. The students practiced tracking bears with radio telemetry equipment, and learned how GIS and GPS can be helpful tools for research studies. Thursday afternoon, the students traveled to a nearby range where they learned about firearms safety, trapping, and archery!
Radio telemetry!
Archery!
Team building!
Friday morning featured a career panel stacked with experts to answer all the questions the students 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 connecting with their surroundings. 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 to share what the newest Conservation Ambassadors accomplished this week! We look forward to seeing their outreach record books next spring. Thank you to all the instructors and volunteers that helped make this week great! We appreciate your support of the next generation of conservation leaders!
PA Ursids – Field School Highlights
Posted: July 27, 2024 by Katie Mace
The PA Ursids students just finished a “beary” great week. This past week our newest Conservation Ambassadors emersed themselves into black bear management, habitat, and forest ecology. As we celebrate this week’s class of Conservation Ambassadors, take a look at the highlights from PA Ursids!
On Tuesday, the Ursids students settled into field school and got acquainted with their peers. They started off with a lecture detailing black bear natural history. They took a forest ecology field walk in the afternoon, collected plant specimens to press and mount later in the week, and received an introduction to nature journaling.
The students participated in a necropsy on Wednesday morning to learn the anatomy of bears. Their afternoon featured a lecture on black bear management. The students practiced taking nature photos to be submitted for feedback. They closed out their second day of field school with a team building activity.
Thursday was a favorite amongst the students! They spent the morning learning about how biologists conduct research on black bear populations. The Pennsylvania Game Commission provided a demonstration on how they collect information by trapping and releasing bears. The students practiced tracking bears with radio telemetry equipment, and learned how GIS and GPS can be helpful tools for research studies. Thursday afternoon, the students traveled to a nearby range where they learned about firearms safety, trapping, and archery!
Friday morning featured a career panel stacked with experts to answer all the questions the students 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 connecting with their surroundings. 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 to share what the newest Conservation Ambassadors accomplished this week! We look forward to seeing their outreach record books next spring. Thank you to all the instructors and volunteers that helped make this week great! We appreciate your support of the next generation of conservation leaders!
Daily Highlight Videos
See the Ursids 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 Walk, and Nature Journaling
Day 2: Bear Anatomy, Nature Photography, and Team Building
Day 3: Field Research Techniques, Archery, and Mock Media Interviews
Day 4: Mock Town Hall Meeting, Tips and Tools of Being a Naturalist, and Trifold Projects
Day 5: Closing Ceremonies
Category: Youth Blog Tags: black bears, featured, field school highlights, PA Ursids