What's Your Nature?
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Just Our Nature - news, updates and insights
Brambleberries: What's the Difference?
By Justin Dalaba on
It's about that time of year to begin harvesting fruits for jams and desserts. From July through September, bramble bushes across the North Country will be loaded with red raspberries, black raspberries and blackberries. You may have no trouble recognzing these berries as edible, but can you tell the difference?
Raspberries and blackberries go by many names, such as brambles, black caps,…
St. Lawrence River Field Day
By Justin Dalaba on
Blog: In the SchoolsOn June 10th 2015, Nature Up North hosted a St. Lawrence River field day for Jefferson Elementary 5th graders. Roughly 55 students came to Robert Moses Nature Center to learn about the watershed, pollution, macroinvertebrates and fishing. There were four total activities for kids to rotate through. The first activity was a nature walk discussing the interactions between water…
Powtoons from Colton-Pierrepont at Conservation Field Day
By Krista Sonia on
Blog: In the SchoolsOn June 4th 2015, Indian Creek Nature Center hosted Conservation Field Day! About 70 students from Colton-Pierrepont, Huevelton and Trinity schools came out to spend a day immersing themselves in the natural environment and becoming biologists for the day. At the event, Nature Up North held a nature scavenger hunt with digital cameras where students photographed their finds ranging from ferns and…
Pond Life Field Day at Indian Creek Nature Center
By Justin Dalaba on
Blog: In the SchoolsOn Thursday June 18th, more than 80 third graders from Norwood-Norfolk had the chance to learn about nature in many different ways at the Indian Creek Nature Center. The help of many environmental educators, each with their own station, made this field day possible. Students cycled through four stations, with themes including a forest hike, birdwatching lesson, and rocks and minerals…
A Tale of Nine Lives
By Paul J. Hetzler on
Blog: Just Our Nature
The two cats at my place have survived many life-threatening traumas such as falls, fights and even the compulsory “devotions” of small children. It’s amazing the hazards they can evade. I think if pets could drive, only dogs would get speeding tickets—cats would always find ways to wriggle out of a citation. Sadly, my contacts in the veterinary field continue to assert that cats have but…
X Marks the Spot! Exploring Nature with Letterboxing
By Krista Sonia on
Blog: Just Our Nature
“There is a park named after Chief Ahanton's daughter--find this park to begin your search,” the clue said. As an eager twelve year old, I could not wait to begin the search for real hidden treasure! Having visited that same park with my family for many summers it wasn’t hard to solve the hint’s riddle. Standing at the entrance, my mother read aloud from the “map”, a little sheet of clues we had…
Funtography Tips
By Justin Dalaba on
Blog: Just Our NatureKnowing Your Resources
There is no lack of access to cameras these days. Many of the electronic devices we carry on our person, including smart phones and tablets, have some sort of camera built into them. This can be to your advantage when you come across something that seems worth capturing. While shooting with a traditional film camera may be a skillful art, shooting with…
Lyme Disease Ecology Part One: A Ticky Situation
By Jacob Malcomb on
Blog: Just Our Nature
All year round we await the North Country summer – when the landscape is green and lush, the days are long, and shorts finally seem like a viable clothing option. In early summer we can easily tolerate a few mosquitos and black flies in exchange for the abundance of outdoor opportunities that our region offers. But over the last decade, Lyme disease has emerged as a serious concern for northern…
Sun Time and Screen Time: Infusing Technology in Outdoor Experiences
By Krista Sonia on
Blog: Just Our NatureTechnology has been around for ages!
The use of a fishing rod can be traced back to 2000 BC1, the first plows were used around 4000 BC, and a granary to store excess food was built in 6000 BC2. Even as far back as the Stone Age there is evidence that humans were applying knowledge and using tools to solve problems3. All of these feats can be filed under the overarching term technology …
Conservation Field Day Scavenger Hunt at Indian Creek Nature Center
By Justin Dalaba on
Blog: In the SchoolsOn June 4th 2015, roughly 70 students from Colton-Pierrepont, Huevelton and Trinity schools came out to spend a day immersing themselves in the natural environment at Indian Creek Nature Center's Conservation Field Day. Each year, 5th and 6th graders from across St. Lawrence County have the opporunity to get the hands-on experience in a variety of field science activities. On a beautiful sunny…