Geocaching!!

Geocaching is a worldwide "treasure hunt" game using GPS. People will hide "caches" (not "cashes"... I wish) in various parks and public places for other people to find. These caches usually contain an assortment of odds and ends and a logbook for people to document their adventure. Although you are welcome to take a souvenir from the cache, you must also leave something.

I went on a bike geocache last night. It's a really fun time, even though using gps is pretty difficult while on two wheels. I almost ran over a little old lady and her dog... multiple times...

The good news is that I found a cache! Check out the loot:

(notice the BTW pencil I added!)

Most of the caches you can find are about the size of a pencil box:


Want to get started? All you need is a GPS - ask your teacher if you can check one out from your school. To find caches in your area, create a free account at www.geocaching.com . This website provides maps and GPS coordinates of caches - you'd be amazed at how many there are (many of which might be in places you visit on a regular basis!).

Oh, and if you find the cache that I found above at N 38° 47.916 W 077° 13.890 email me (rfordham@fergusonfoundation.org) a photo of you at the location with the box and I'll send you a FABULOUS BTW PRIZE!!!

Happy Caching!

Becca

Deep Thoughts

Hello there BTW fans,

This is Katrina, your friendly Upper Potomac Educator. Washington County Schools start today, and that got me thinking about the upcoming field study season and how excited I am to get started again. It also has me reflecting on the past years' field studies. Being in a reflective state of mind I thought I would share a few of my favorite reflections from a few of you who came out this past year. So here goes...

Mud crawls on my knees
water dancing across rocks;
underneath, I'm free.
- anonymous Walkersville High student

fun,disgusting, wet, cold,
squishy, eww, interesting, gross,
awesome, swirly, cloudy,
swell, rushing, damp
- anonymous Boonsboro High student

Even though it is a cloudy day,
I shall not run away
For the water is rushing wild
and we swam and swam until we were tired.
Even though it is a cloudy day,
There's always sun on the way
And even though we may grow wary,
There's always sun in Harpers Ferry.
-Carolyn Emily Snyder

That's it for now BTW fans. Happy Reflecting!
Katrina

Growing Native

If you are looking for a great volunteer opportunity this fall, consider collecting native seeds for Growing Native.

Growing Native is a Potomac Conservancy project that grows native trees to be planted in the Potomac Watershed. In case you don't remember from your BTW field study, a watershed is the area of land through which water drains to the same point. Trees are an important part of the watershed, as they help filter out trash and pollutants before they reach our rivers and streams (think: drinking water!).

Growing Native is an opportunity for you to collect native seeds and bring them to the many drop-off points around the DC area. Seeds that are the most highly sought-after by Growing Native are acorns (oak tree seeds), paw paw seeds, beech nuts, black walnuts, and hickory nuts. Seeds should be collected in paper or cloth bags (not plastic!) and brought to your nearest drop-off site.

For more infomation about Growing Native or to find your nearest drop-off site, visit thier website www.growingnative.org. Please note that you cannot pick up seeds at national parks, as these lands have strict regulations against collection of any park resource!

As always, feel free to contact BTW if you have any questions about volunteer projects!

Becca

Fun (and messy!) Volunteer Opportunity

I talked with Alan Spears with the National Parks Conservation Association. He is looking for volunteers to take part in a huge beautification event at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens in the district. I am in the process of coordinating a group of BTW volunteers to come out to the event.

The coolest activity? Removing water lotus from the ponds with kayaks. It's sure to be a good time! Kenilworth also needs volunteers for a wetlands cleanup and for some invasive plant removal. Here's the details:

National Public Lands Day Celebration
Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens
September 26, 2009
8:30am - 1:00pm

Visit www.fergusonfoundation.org/btw/register.php to register for the event. We can use as many students and teachers as we can get for the event, since there is a lot of work to do! We can provide buses for school groups larger than 30 students too, so if you get your classmates to participate there might be a free ride involved!

Never been to the aquatic gardens? Visit www.nps.gov/keaq to learn more about the park.

Oh, and did I mention you get a free BTW t-shirt and free food in addition to your service hours? Seriously.

What are YOU doing on National Public Lands Day?

National Public Lands Day will be September 26th this year. This is a special day set aside for visitors and volunteers to celebrate the national public lands that belong to all Americans. Although I'm sure all of you have plans to visit a local, state, or national park on September 26th (of course!) the tough part is deciding exactly WHICH one!

I have compiled a list of four lesser known public lands around our fine nation that might tickle your fancy:

1) La Brea Tar Pits, Los Angeles California Ever sat on an asphalt road on a hot summer day and gotten covered in black tar? This is just like that, but with mammoths.

http://www.tarpits.org/

2) Heavener Runestone State Park, Heavener, Oklahoma As a native Oklahoman, I just had to send a shout out to my home state. Did you know that before European settlement the Vikings travelled all the way to Oklahoma just to carve their name in a rock? Well, there's a rock with some Viking's name on it (I've seen it myself!) but the jury is out as to whether or not it's real.

http://www.touroklahoma.com/detail.asp?id=1%2B5U%2B5325

3) Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, Colorado If you are interested in not only getting the best exfoliating scrub of your life but also finding sand in every bodily oriface, Great Sand Dunes National Park is the place to go. It's especially fun if your National Lampoon-esque 1980 Oldsmobile station wagon breaks down on the way. Not that I would know...

In all seriousness, this would be one of my favorite national parks if it weren't for all that sand...

http://www.nps.gov/GRSA

4) Atchafalaya Basin, Louisiana Oooohwee! Louisiana has got to be one of my favorite places to visit. This is one of the few places in the world where you can drive a fan boat to a restaurant. Last time I went there I ate the reptile special: frog, alligator, snake, and turtle (no lie). The cook might have slipped a little nutria into my soup as a special bonus. The bridge over the Atchafalaya is pretty scary to drive over, because even if you survive the fall, you are in a swamp full of snakes and alligators...

http://www.atchafalaya.org/index.php?page=heritage

Remember to visit your local, state, and national parks - and not just the mainstream ones! Sometimes the offbeat parks are the most fun!

Got more places? Leave 'em in the comments.

Becca

International Coastal Cleanup

The International Coastal Cleanup will be on September 19th this year. It's similar to our Potomac River Watershed Cleanup, but on a larger scale... alas the "international" part of the name. There are many sites in the DC Metro area that still need volunteers. You can find that information on the Ocean Conservancy's website:

http://www.oceanconservancy.org/site/PageServer?pagename=icc_home

and click on "Register for a Cleanup near you". I think it would especially cool to volunteer at the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. The best part about volunteering for a beach cleanup is that you can get service hours AND have a bit of vacation the process. Not a bad deal.

There's also a bunch of sites closer to the DC Metro area as well, especially on the George Washington Memorial Parkway. Volunteer and get your service hours early in the school year!

Still not sure? Maybe these little fellas will change your mind:



Becca

Warms my little heart...

Sarah Riggen's class came out in May for the Potomac Gorge field study. We got thank you cards. Totally made my day/year/life. We also saw a one-legged goose on the field study that sparked a conversation about the important role of snapping turtles in the ecosystem at the C & O Canal. I believe the geese would think otherwise.

Becca

Bridging the Watershed joins the hip and trendy!

Yes, our Bridging the Watershed educators might not be the trendiest crowd, with our green L.L. Bean shirts and name tags (or flannel shirts... ahem.. WILL!) but we have now officially joined the world of the blog.

In this new-found thing called the "interwebs" we will now be able to describe our adventures in the field study world, post photos, share student reflections, and hear feedback from you, our trusty blog reader! Myself, Anna, Will, and Katrina will be posting the latest and greatest from our Potomac watershed adventures, as well as other information that may interest you.

Have topics that you want us to discuss? Put them in the comments! Got pictures to share? Email them to me at rfordham@fergusonfoundation.org

Happy Reading!

Becca Fordham
(Your favorite Northern Virginia BTW Educator)