Teton Science Schools' Graduate Program
Online Faculty and Student Forum
You are currently browsing the monthly archive for March 2007.
On Tuesday, March 27th, Kevin Haspela’s graduate team and their student groups found a great gray owl at the Murie Center in Moose, WY. Several faculty members went back and photographed this bird. This species is able to locate small rodents under the snowpack by sound and catch its prey using auditory clues alone.
Title: The History and Creation of Grand Teton National Park
Show Description: Like the Snake River, the human history of Jackson Hole and Grand Teton National Park, is entwined through the landscape.
How do we know if the values we want to impart as environmental educators are reaching our students? How do we want to live and manifest our values in our daily lives? What are we actually doing everyday that is in line with our values, and why or how do we justify if they don’t line up? Heck, what are our values and how do we clearly articulate them? These are a few of the questions I thought about as guest speaker, Teton County Commissioner, Benn Ellis, joined the graduate class in an evening discussion about “Action” last night. Benn shared some of his amazing Read the rest of this entry »
The bird(s) of the day are back. Today we will meet Red Crossbills (RECR) and Pine Grosbeak (PIGR). These species are being introduced together because they look fairly similar and are both found in the 
same, coniferous habitats. Both species nest in open cup nests in conifer trees, or sometimes shrubs. Both have a similar diet of primarily seeds, buds, and fruits. The pictured birds are males in both cases and the adult females of both species are yellow in the same spots that the males are red (why not yellow grosbeak and crossbill??? must be sexist). To tell them apart use size (pine grosbeaks are notably Read the rest of this entry »
Title: Bison
Show Description: Bison, commonly called Buffalo, are an entrenched symbol of the American west. They are essential to both the history of change in America and the natural hisotry of grasslands that are so rare today. Jackson Hole is an important refuge ofr these amazing creatures and the National Parks work to ensure that bison continue to roam through parts of the United States.
Meet the Clark’s Nutcracker (four letter acronym CLNU). Found only in the Rocky Mountains, it’s name comes from William Clark of the Lewis and Clark expedition who were the first scientists to describe 
and collect this species. The Clark’s Nutcracker is a member of the Corvidae family that also contains ravens, crows, and magpies etc. They are one of the most common avian species on the Kelly Campus. They breed in cup nests, usually on horizontal branches of pine trees, and should be beginning to breed right now. Their diet is composed primarily of pine nuts but they are omnivorous and also eat arthropods when they are available and Read the rest of this entry »
I don’t fancy myself a particularly coordinated person. In fact, walking on the snowy paths around campus I frequently find myself tripping and have even body planted in the snow a time or two. Needless to say, I was a little apprehensive about trying climbing at the new rock gym. But, how could I pass up the opportunity to learn from some of my knowledgeable classmates?
So, last Friday Kate and I headed to the climbing gym where she wowed me with her amazing patience and instructional skills. That girl is TALENTED and Read the rest of this entry »
Half of the graduate class started our academic rotation in “Instructional Strategies” with John Haskin and Kevin Haspela last week. The previous two weeks I was teaching for my Outreach practicum in
Pinedale, WY and Lander, WY. During those two weeks my team (composed of Anne, Megan, Heather T., Heather J, myself, our fearless leader Robin, who busted her knee, and Rob, who unexpectedly took Robin’s place) went into various public schools and gave classroom teachers ideas on incorporating Place Based Education into their curriculum. It was amazing to work with such a diverse Read the rest of this entry »
I’ve been meaning to start sending out bird of the day e-mails and have finally gotten to it. I know that complete field guide to North American birds can be intimidating with its 700+ species so I am going to introduce you to a few of the birds that are likely to be seen in Jackson Hole one at a time. This, coupled with the ornithology portion of the advanced elements of field natural history course, and the voluntary morning naturalist walks that I will start in April, should help to familiarize you with the local birds at a more friendly pace and hopefully help you to gain a love (or at least a like) for birds.
Most days I will cover one bird at a time but in some cases, like today, I will cover two because of their similarity. Today, I would like each of you to meet the Black-capped and Mountain Chickadees. Ornithologists use 4 letter codes that usually include some version of the first two letters in the first part of the name and the first two letters in the second part of the name to help them rapidly take notes in the field. The abbreviations for these birds are BCCH (Black-capped Chickadee) and MOCH (Mountain Chickadee).
Both of these species are year round residents of the Kelly campus and are cavity nesters. During the non-breeding season (fall, winter, early spring) they are almost always in flocks, sometimes single 
species, but frequently in mixed species flocks. Their diet consists mostly of insects that they glean (foraging term) off of bark and foliage.
Chickadees are onomatopoeia bird, meaning that their name sounds like their vocalizations (it sounds like chick-a-dee dee dee), which are nearly identical but if you see them, they can easily be separated by the white stripe above the eye on the head of the Mountain Chickadee.
Black-capped Chickadee image from Learn Bird Songs.
Mountain Chickadee image from Utah Birds.
Big news is circulating since last Friday’s announcement that Jackson Hole is slowly becoming, well, less of a hole. A seventeen year study using global positioning system satellites to measure the slightest movement of the land found the valley rose 1.7 inches. I was concerned about becoming an alarmist, but this could have implications for the Teton Science Schools. What if the valley rose so high the Tetons completely disappeared? Should we be entering into strategic organizational planning to prepare for a loss-of-namesake contingency plan?
My rusty math skills quickly quieted my racing heart. All other rational geologic thought and Read the rest of this entry »
John, Liz H., and Dale headed to Lander, WY for the weekend (Feb. 23-25) to teach students from local elementary schools. Liz H. had the little kiddies, grades K-1, John with the 2-3rd graders, and Dale with 4-6th grade. We met at the Children’s Museum in town and then headed out to the field for most of the day Saturday, and then Sunday morning. Lessons focused on animal and plant adaptations to winter and were spent on the trails at Sinks Canyon State Park.
My (Liz H.) kids were adorable! Most of their parents tagged along as well and were able to spend the field-time with the group. Saturday was spent Read the rest of this entry »
The week of February 19-23 brought in local seniors from Jackson Hole High School for the Art and Literature program, which has been a tradition at the Teton Science Schools for over 30 years. It is a change from the typical snow science curriculum of winter Residential Eduction programs at the Teton Science Schools Kelly Campus. Instead, the students receive a bound journal, colored pencils, watercolors, and micron pen, and are engaged in activities focused on solo time, journaling, literature from writers such as Aldo Leopold and Barry Lopez, sketching, watercolor painting, drawing, poetry, story-telling, naturalizing, reflection, and sharing their work throughout the week. Morning and evening programs were run by Matt Daly (focusing on writing and literature) and Greg Houda (focusing on art techniques). Field instructors were able to embrace these techniques and journaling skills during field-time skis around campus, and a showshoe at the Bradley/Taggart area. Students also spent an afternoon at the National Museum of Wildlife Art, spending one-on-one time with paintings and sculptures and adding inspiration to their journal work. For Jaime’s teaching team (Kirsten, John, Joel, Colleen, Nancy, Liz H.) it was their last Residential Education teaching week of this semester!
The work these students created in their journals was amazing! They are so talented and were continuously engaged in making the most of this experience as an escape from college applications, school routines, and stresses of senior year. At the end of the week, students created a group book as a reflection of their experience this week, filled with art and writing, and visually represented as a group totem pole. There was also a chance for students to build snow sculptures along the entrance of campus.
Thanks Jackson Hole High School for an inspiring week, and a special thanks and recognition to Matt and Greg as visiting teachers!
