Get Muddy for the Environment!

Join the Ecomentors and Pack 57 for the 4th annual Lake Wallace Clean-up and Trail maintenance,

Saturday, October 5th by the picnic tables at 10 - go 'til 2 or 'til we're done  ...
stay the whole time or drop in anytime

part of the Connecticut River Watershed Council's annual Source-to-Sea cleanup

http://www.ctriver.org/portfolio-items/source-to-sea-cleanup/


Dress for the times ... long pants, long sleeves, and your bug-repellent of choice

Bring gloves and shoes that can get (very) muddy.

Adults, bring garden gear:  pruners, rakes, shovels, etc.


Pizza from Saporito's at noon.  The Ecomentors budget can afford the first 3 ... let me know if you can pitch in.


Contact Ms. Levy to register ... Adults sign in at the event, children need a Child Safety Waiver signed before participating.    llevy@belchertown.org

Ecomentors ... let's keep trying!

How about October 10?  Let's see if we can make it happen.

Any parents out there able to help out with the logistics?  Contact Ms.Levy if you can ... llevy@belchertown.org

Clark and WEco once again team up

This time, it's to check out the pond and ponder what makes for a healthy ecosystem and why it matters ...

Yep, that was great.  Thanks for chaperoning, ladies!!

"We screamed for frog jumps and hummed to help them sleep.  We learned a lot."  Clark's 2nd graders

Exploration and digital images

BEST Explorers live up to the name

Belchertown Environment, Science and Technology ...

Off to the pond, scoop, sort, then back to the classroom and microscopes ... excellent inquiry and some creativity, too!

Glass worm  aka Phantom Midge ... we got to watch its' peristalsis through the projecting microscope!

Digiscoping ... it's an art!

Maggie's buddy

Swift River Puddle ... Life on Earth students find that it's not a mosquito-breeder!

yep, that's a smile!

Making those waders look good, ladies!

Yes, Ms. Vigneux, we know all about the dynamics of a healthy aquatic ecosystem!

even tadpoles can make funny jokes

Sunshine and teamwork ... what a combination!

And what did we find, in the final analysis?

That both in April and September, our scoops of the SRE puddle tallied far more predators of the mosquitoes than mosquitoes themselves.  Tadpoles, dragonfly and damselfly larvae, Mayfly larva, along with Daphnia, Ostracods and Copepods.  We even found a Water Scorpion in April.

Now that's the sign of a healthy ecosystem ...biodiversity!

Moth and Mantis visit

This moth decided Ms.Levy's window was the best place to hang out for a day.

This Mantis decided to wait for Ms.Kampe's kids to get a good look!

Smile!

There's the Mantis, in the top left corner of the first window

Clark and WEco team up for a Photosynthesis Seminar

Inquiries abound around the glories of plants and the fabulous features of photosynthesis.

Do plants need Oxygen?  Which one is Oak, which is Maple?

Vote with your feet

Who is faster, the Oak-runner or the Maple-runner?

The group wrapped up the activities with a rousing game of Oak, Oak, Maple!

Hmmm ... looks like we need some trail maintenance here!

Poison Ivy ... thriving in the sun-drenched spots!

Watch your fingers and toes!

Look on the Class page for your vocabulary

over there  .............................................. >

Honors Ecology ... information for interested students is now on the Ecology page

Please click the link on the right side of this page to see the description of Honors Ecology.
The general idea is not that you'd be doing more work, just more in-depth work.

Let Ms.Levy know by Wednesday, Sept 11 ... so we can get the course change) to Ms. Pagos.

Get outside and  Have fun this weekend (properly protected from mosquito bites, of course!)

and    Thanks!