Date: 10/15/09
Contact: Doug Nielsen
Phone: (702) 486-5127 x 3500

FLYING WILD CURRICULUM LANDS IN NEVADA

In August 27, 2009, a group of environmental educators attended the first Flying Wild training held in Nevada. The training was held in Reno and drew about 25 participants. Among their ranks were representatives from the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Lahontan Audubon Society, Sierra Nevada Journeys and other conservation organizations.

Flying Wild is an environmental education program that is part of the Project WILD series and teaches the conservation of birds through many activities, including service-learning projects for children. The program comes with a manual of 44 activities, some led by teachers and some led by children. All activities are correlated to national education standards. They include art activities, reading and writing, scientific research, and even physical education.

“The Nevada Department of Wildlife already offers training in the Project Wild and Aquatic Wild curriculums. They are popular with both teachers and students,” said Margie Klein, wildlife education coordinator for the NDOW. “Though Flying Wild won’t be one of our primary offerings, we will be utilizing some of the material in our current offerings and look forward to assisting where we can with the implementation of the Flying Wild curriculum in Southern Nevada.”

Some of Flying Wild learning activities include the creation of educational displays or even stage performances that celebrate birds. Activities also include community projects such as bird counts. The curriculum encourages the partnership of conservation organizations and local businesses in working with local students.

The Flying Wild program also utilizes bird watching as a way to encourage students’ interest in nature and the outdoors. Emphasis is placed on reaching out to students in urban centers, who might not otherwise have exposure to any environmental education. Much of the focus is on migratory birds.

Piloting the training was the Flying Wild coordinator for Nevada, Robin Powell, director of bird conservation in Nevada for Audubon. Although the intention of the Flying Wild program is to encourage the development of local bird festivals, for now the program in Nevada will tie into the existing festivals in the state – Spring Wings in Fallon and the Wings and Wildlife Festival in Laughlin. For more information on Flying Wild contact Robin at the Audubon Society in Sparks. (775) 247-2798.

The Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) protects, restores and manages fish and wildlife, promotes fishing, hunting, and boating safety. NDOW’s wildlife and habitat conservation efforts are primarily funded by sportsmen’s license and conservation fees and a Federal surcharge on hunting and fishing gear. Support wildlife and habitat conservation in Nevada by purchasing a hunting, fishing, or combination license. For more information, visit www.ndow.org.