Aileen Dear
Contributing Writer
Newly-arrived, red-winged blackbirds congregate, swooping through the trees and singing just outside of the Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge office and water birds float on the cold ripples of Windmill Pond. The still, white landscape will soon give way to blooming buttercups and rolling grasslands. Next Sunday the Friends of Turnbull will sponsor its annual auction at Northern Quest Casino to benefit the refuge's environmental education programs.
“The excitement on the children's faces when they see the bluebirds sitting on their eggs or the babies in the nest is incredible,” Molly Zammit, a teacher at Discovery School and a member of the Friends of Turnbull said. “They gain a true appreciation of our wonderful and complex environment.”
Proceeds from the auction will pay for stipends for on-going Americorps volunteers and Student Conservation Corps positions. The majority of the students they teach in the community are between 7 to 14 years old. Around this time of year, the volunteers are traveling to classrooms to instruct students about wetlands, animal tracks, habitats, and pond studies. In the spring and fall they will conduct field trips, and in the summer, interpretive programs.
“The kids love it,” said Gretchen Mallari, an Americorps volunteer who traveled to All Saints Catholic School last week to present an “Owls Outreach.” The fourth grade class learned about owl adaptations, and they dissected owl pellets.
“Owls are very hands-on. There's lots of ‘oohs' and ‘aahs,' and a lot of smiles,” Mallari said. The students discovered little bones inside the pellets, because owls eat rodents.
Mallari, who graduated from the University at Buffalo with a bachelor's degree in environmental studies, has found her Americorps position very rewarding and looks forward to conducting field trips. For many of the children, “it may be their first time out in nature. Their idea of the outdoors is their back yard,” Mallari said, who will stay on until Sept. 1.
The programs make a big impact on the children, “A lot of the kids send thank-you notes. They always want to come back,” she said.
Zammit's third and fourth graders are responsible for a riparian project at the refuge. They plant and water native trees and scrubs, and also monitor the trees for growth.
“The Turnbull experience provides the opportunity for our children to be in a safe place where they can see an eagle fly or a porcupine in the tree. They are always asking, ‘Are we going to Turnbull this week?' Their faces light up when I say ‘yes,'” reported Zammit.
The Friends of Turnbull started in 1995 to assist with refuge programs. Helping with biological and wildlife surveys, environmental education, bookstore services, and grounds keeping are some ways the Friends of Turnbull contribute. They also raise funds for the education of the public; one way is through the upcoming auction.
Some novel items will be offered at the auction: Bob Griffith wildlife photographs, an artistic, hand-carved wooden duck by a Chinese artist, baskets by Susan Ellis, an Ellen Blaskie oil painting, and a Charlie Schmidt pencil and ink drawing. Other art pieces, as well as gift certificates, a bicycle, recreational equipment rentals, books, Banff Film Festival tickets, quilts, and plenty more will be offered. Admission is $25 for appetizers, raffle ticket, bid card, and a no-host bar.
“There's a trend for people to stay inside,” Sandy Rancourt, supervisory park ranger at the refuge said. “Turnbull provides a connection with nature. Over 30 years of on-site environmental education programs have been offered.”
Positive feedback received from participants proves the value of the programs. “We usually have a very big return rate,” said Rancourt.
Activities in April at the refuge that are open to everyone include a bird walk, a wildflower walk, and a wolf presentation. Night hikes occur spring through fall. In addition, the Friends of Turnbull provide tours, field trips, and nature hikes to scouts, retirement communities, and other groups.
“Without an educated populace, protection of wildlife resources becomes very difficult,” said Peggy O'Connell, a biology professor at Eastern Washington University, who is also a former president of the Friends of Turnbull.
“The Friends of Turnbull is really doing a critical component for the refuge mission in terms of the environmental education,” O'Connell said.
She suggested that the auction is a great place to buy Christmas presents. “On the little gift note you can say, ‘This was bought to help support environmental education at the local wildlife refuge,'” O'Connell continued, “So people feel good about getting the present, too.”
With warmer weather and wildlife returning to the Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge, the Friends of Turnbull will celebrate with their second annual auction. It's also a reminder to get your hiking boots and binoculars ready, because as Nancy Curry, the refuge manager said, “Another two or three weeks – then bam – we'll have spring.”
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