In this Issue:
  Summer Explorers
  Essay by Lisa Kahn Schnell

  PA Master Naturalist Program

  Featured Artist:
  C. Fred Lawrenson

  2011 PICE Field Seminars and   Retreats

  Science News for Naturalists
  Swarm Cognition in HoneyBees

  Spotlight on PICE Partners:
  Philadelphia Zoo

  Wildlife Leadership Academy   Celebrates Fifth Year 
 
  Naturalist Rambles:
  Interview with Philadelphia   Master Naturalist Donna Long

“Braedon doesn’t like insects,” Rod told me quietly. “He’s afraid of them, actually.” And Rod—Braedon’s dad—knew just where that fear had come from. But on this morning, Braedon swished his bug net through the shrubs around us, cooling his feet in the nearby river when it all got to be too much. Soon Braedon was happily examining and drawing insects with nearly twenty other children and their families, all members of our group called The Kutztown Summer Explorers. 

Harvard emeritus professor E.O. Wilson has suggested that if children are first encouraged to love the natural world around them, they will be better equipped to deal with the problems of the world they inherit. I remember exploring the outdoors as a child—the magic of a little shrub cave, tromping through streams on camping trips, enjoying the time and space to make “potions” with berries and spring onions. The secret universe those explorations created let my mind escape and expand in ways that continue to affect me as an adult. Now I also treasure the awe and wonder on my children’s faces when they feel the power of the world at their fingertips: discovering tiny ice crystal hideouts under exposed tree roots, watching a caterpillar form its chrysalis, clambering over boulderfields. Continue for Full Essay

C. Fred Lawrenson

All of the art in this issue is the work of C. Fred Lawrenson of Elkland, PA.

"Most of my paintings are not about the gorgeous vistas that tourists travel to see, but instead, are more about the places and things we tend to miss. I would like my paintings to offer the viewer an opportunity to take a visual walk in some of these places and experience a level of interaction that might cause us to slow down, take a closer look and develop a deeper appreciation for the gifts God has surrounded us with."

Originally from Susquehanna, PA, Fred Lawrenson spent 34 years teaching art in the Northern Tioga School District in northern Pennsylvania. He is currently retired and painting full time at his home in Elkland, PA.



www.cflawrenson.com

It has been a very exciting spring for the Institute, especially with the growth and development of one of our key partnership initiatives, Pennsylvania Master Naturalist.  The PA Master Naturalist program promotes awareness, understanding and stewardship of the natural environment by developing a local corps of well-informed citizens dedicated to the conservation of natural resources in their neighborhoods. The program emphasizes a local approach to conservation by forging vital partnerships among community members and local conservation organizations through ongoing natural history education and service activities.  This year-round experience consists of three components: intensive natural history training, continuing education and service hours.  Continue for Full Article 

Passino, K. P., T.D. Seeley and P. K. Visscher. 2008.  Swarm Cognition in Honey Bees. 
Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology; Vol. 62(3)401-414.

Swarm Cognition in Honey Bees

The Natural History Network was established in 2007 to promote the value of natural history by discussing and disseminating ideas and techniques on its successful practice to educators, scientists, artists, writers, the media, and the public at large. They have a very cool project called: From Decline to Rebirth: the Natural History Initiative, where you can listen to dozens of interesting conversations by notable conservationists, philosophers and artists on the personal and civic value of natural history knowledge.

Spotlight on PICE Partners:
                                                   Philadelphia Zoo

In case you haven’t heard, the Philadelphia Zoo is about much more than simply marveling at captive wild animals.  With its emphasis on endangered species conservation, reaching out to local underserved communities, and mentoring young women for leadership in the natural sciences, our nation’s first zoo takes a very modern approach to its mission to advance discovery, understanding and stewardship of the natural world through compelling exhibition and interpretation of living animals and plants.

The Institute teamed up with the Philadelphia Zoo more than five years ago to offer students of the Junior Zoo Apprentice program a nature immersion experience in the Poconos one weekend each year.  This annual group of 14-18 urban youth get the full PICE natural history experience — including nature exploration in the rain, forest night hikes, and lots of laughter by the campfire.  Continue for Full Article

The Wildlife Leadership Academy is celebrating its 5th year uniting Pennsylvania conservation agencies and organizations in the development of youth leadership for wildlife and habitat conservation. This year-round cooperative program started in 2007 with one field school and 20 students. Today, we are in the process of developing our third field school and have mentored 99 students from all walks of life across the state. These 99 exceptional young leaders have conducted 309 conservation education, outreach and service projects, engaged in approximately 1300 hours with the public, reaching over 8,000 people across 39 counties in Pennsylvania. The 2011 summer session is currently underway, bringing 31 new students into the program.

Learn more about the Wildlife Leadership Academy by watching our new video, Stories from the Wildlife Leadership Academy and a public television piece, WLA on WQED. For more details on the program and application information visit our webpage.

Learn more about WLA partnering agencies, institutions and organizations. The Academy would not be possible without this dedicated group of collaborators.

Naturalist Rambles
Interview with Donna L. Long

What experience(s) do you attribute to the development of your passion for the natural world?
My maternal grandparents were farmers before they moved to Philadelphia during World War II. My grandparents rented space on a farm and grew all their vegetables, picked fruit, hunted and fished.
So, I grew up getting lost in cornfields and scaling newly caught fish. I knew where my food came from. I was told "If you take care of the land it will take care of you." And "If you have good land you can eat."

These experiences, coupled with my family's Eastern Cherokee heritage, have instilled in me a deep love, gratitude and respect for the land. All these experiences have led me to focus on gardening with native plants and habitat restoration.

Where do you go to escape the hustle and reconnect with nature?
My garden is my refuge. No matter what stress annoyed me during the day, the moment I step into my garden, my mind instantly clears. I don't think any pills work as well without unpleasant side-effects. I observe birds, gaze at a flower and watch a spider hunt among the coral bells. What more could I want?

The best thing anyone ever taught me is:
How to garden. I learned to garden from my mother and maternal grandparents. Learning how to grow good things to eat and beautiful native plant gardens is interesting enough to keep me busy the rest of my life.

The best thinker(s) in my field:
For me, Lakota thinker and writer Vine Deloria, Jr. Mr. Deloria dared to suggest that Native American ways of thinking about and being in the world had a place along with other great spiritual and philosophical traditions. It is the philosophical idea of giving as well as taking - of keeping balance that drives my participation in habitat restoration and learning about native plants. I take from the land, therefore I need to give back.

Most influential book:
Bringing Nature Home by Doug Tallamy, which gives the scientific basis of the relationship between native insects and native plants and why we should plant them in our gardens. And anything by Vine Deloria, Jr., particularly God is Red and The World We Used to Live In. These two books discuss the philosophical and spiritual foundations of Native Americans.

The principle I wish I could live by is:
To live in accordance with the natural order, with harmony, peace and balance.

Above: Donna tending the native garden she helped install at her local library.

Donna Long is a writer and naturalist living in the beautiful Delaware River Valley in the city of Philadelphia. Through volunteerism, she is very active in helping to restore native habitats in Philadelphia. Donna is a Pennsylvania Master Naturalist, Certified Master Home Gardener, Certified Teacher and Librarian and a Restoration Leader for the Wissahickon Restoration Volunteers.

Check out her blog:
In Season: Nature, Native Plants & Philadelphia; www.donnallong.com