Hi everyone! It’s been a busy and fun few weeks since my first blog post, and I hope everyone has been enjoying their summer and getting outside!
We’ve spent the past few weeks preparing for and running LEAF Academy, a week-long program for teens that BCCDKY runs with Boone County Parks. LEAF stands for Leadership, Exploration, and Fun, and there was an abundance of all three of these the week of July 12-16! I really enjoyed working with this older age group, and I learned countless lessons about environmental education from Susan throughout the preparation process and the program itself. In addition to helping out throughout the week, a few personal highlights were teaching a fire building lesson and running an “each one, teach one” activity where the students were able to teach each other. It was beyond exciting to see the next group of naturalists and conservationists in action!
Wildlife and stream monitoring are another great part of my experience at BCCDKY. From mapping out transects for bird research in Boone Cliffs to helping SD1 with a hydromodification assessment, this internship has been full of exciting opportunities to gain new skills and knowledge. It’s been great to see Stephanie’s bat research develop and to assist with monitoring, including going on a very cool night hike to observe a potential bat roost. I’m currently working on my independent project: a lesson plan on flower-pollinator relationships. My goal is to increase students’ awareness of pollinators outside of just bees. I can’t believe I have less than a month left at the Conservation District, but they say time flies when you’re having fun!
Until next time,
Kathleen Reilly
