Last Saturday 33 four- to 15-year-old kids braved the February cold to search for native plants and wildlife just a few blocks from their homes in Mt. Vernon, Wash. Starting from North 26th Street and Kulshan Avenue, they hiked a mile down the Kulshan Trail, crossing Kulshan Creek, exploring the little tributaries along the Nookachamps Creek to Waugh Road.
Mike Brondi from the National Park Service helped youth find snowberry, cat tail, native rose, reed canary grass and cottonwood, and wildlife biologist Don Gay showed the children a hawk's nest, chickadees and evidence of pilated woodpeckers. Roberto Garcia, 7, pointed out an eagle’s nest, and along with Nelly Torrez, 8, was awarded a gift of binoculars for their participation and preparedness for the outing. The most exciting discovery by far was the coyote scat, according to the program director, US Forest Service Koreena Haynes. She said the children used sticks to point out domestic cat claws embedded in the scat.
The group returned to the Catholic Housing Services community room at Villa Santa Maria to make art out of their findings: cutout paper leaves were glued to sticks, real leaves were glued to crayola-colored landscapes and rubbings were made.
The Mt. Vernon Police Department started the Kulshan Creek Neighborhood Program in 2007 with the Forest Service, National Park Service and North Cascades Institute to expose urban Hispanic kids to the outdoors and careers in natural sciences. For more information about the program call Officer Gerondale at 360-336-0630.
Andrea Pantoja and Daniella Becerra find a good use for Reed Canary grass stems, a non-native species brought to the United States for livestock forage.
Michael Choto holds a seed pocket from the dormant cat tails growing alongside the Kulshan Creek trail.
Kids Explore, Discover Wildlife, Native Plants
Last Saturday 33 four- to 15-year-old kids braved the February cold to search for native plants and wildlife just a few blocks from their homes in Mt. Vernon, Wash. Starting from North 26th Street and Kulshan Avenue, they hiked a mile down the Kulshan Trail, crossing Kulshan Creek, exploring the little tributaries along the Nookachamps Creek to Waugh Road. Mike Brondi from the National Park Service helped youth find snowberry, cat tail, native rose, reed canary grass and cottonwood, and wildlife biologist Don Gay showed the children a hawk's nest, chickadees and evidence of pilated woodpeckers. Roberto Garcia, 7, pointed out an eagle’s nest, and along with Nelly Torrez, 8, was awarded a gift of binoculars for their participation and preparedness for the outing. The most exciting discovery by far was the coyote scat, according to the program director, US Forest Service Koreena Haynes. She said the children used sticks to point out domestic cat claws embedded in the scat.
The group returned to the Catholic Housing Services community room at Villa Santa Maria to make art out of their findings: cutout paper leaves were glued to sticks, real leaves were glued to crayola-colored landscapes and rubbings were made.
The Mt. Vernon Police Department started the Kulshan Creek Neighborhood Program in 2007 with the Forest Service, National Park Service and North Cascades Institute to expose urban Hispanic kids to the outdoors and careers in natural sciences. For more information about the program call Officer Gerondale at 360-336-0630.
Andrea Pantoja and Daniella Becerra find a good use for Reed Canary grass stems, a non-native species brought to the United States for livestock forage.
Michael Choto holds a seed pocket from the dormant cat tails growing alongside the Kulshan Creek trail.