By Denny Olson “The last word in ignorance is the man who says of an animal or plant, ‘What good is it?’ Who but a fool would discard seemingly useless parts? To keep every cog and wheel is the first precaution of intelligent tinkering.” Aldo Leopold   One of the things that my Dad could…

Audubon members are invited to a training to learn about the contents of FAS’s educational trunks. We will share the materials from three or four trunks, the contents of which feature birds, climate and conservation. Participants will learn how to present educational trunks to area groups such as schools, community organizations and senior centers. Another…

by Denny Olson Most of us spend either a little or a lot of time out watching birds. We do it because we like it, and that fact often traces back to our childhood. A lot of us  played outdoors – in my case, quite a bit. I was lucky enough to be where nature…

by Denny Olson Probably the most photographed education activity – maybe the most photographed thing in the entire history of Flathead Audubon – is a little kid in our old standby felt bird costume. It’s pretty cute, especially if it’s your own child, and the “littles” walk away with a good concept of what makes…

by Linda de Kort Six years ago FAS partnered with USFS for a “more kids in the woods” grant. Thanks especially to the genius and perseverance of Teresa Wenum at USFS three rural schools were able to educate students and staff about the value of native plants. Moreover grant money was provided so that students…

by Gail Shay Linne, Education Chair We have had a productive September. Two meetings were held during which we outlined ways to bring educational programs to students and the community. We are considering several grants; funds would help us incorporate climate, conservation, ecology, the value of birds and to add thumb drives of the trunks’…

by Denny Olson, Conservation Educator In years past, there has been a conundrum regarding the field trip access to OSNA. The best birding is always in May and June, and that’s when flooding keeps everyone except the ducks, frogs and fish out. When combined with the parking access limited to about 2 cars, school field…

by Denny Olson Well, it appears that the Birds of Prey Festival is getting to be a “thing”. It’s an odd colloquialism, because I always thought that things were, well, things. But, as I understand it, the modern meaning has an implied “significant” adjective before the word itself. (Don’t get me started on the erosion…

The Value of “Place” in Education by Denny Olson In Montana, we are lucky in that education has always had a tradition of local control. Unfortunately, it has seldom had a tradition of local emphasis. In fact, the primary key to living well politically, economically, ecologically, spiritually and as a community member (on all levels)…