By Ryan and Jessica Peterson
This article originally appeared in Wisconsin Waterfowl Association’s April, 2023 Newsletter edition.
Are you in middle school? Do you know someone who is? Do you visit a nature center regularly? How about a school forest? Are you a teacher, scout leader or do you ever do anything with learners outside in the spring? Do you like wood ducks? You almost have to have answered yes to one or two of those questions. Have we got a deal for you!
We are two WWA members who happen to be teachers and have written a curriculum about wetland ecology viewed through the lens of wood ducks. The material has been used in our school successfully for three years and beta tested in a few others. In early March, WWA sponsored a booth at the state convention of the Wisconsin Society of Science Teachers to give the materials away to anyone who was interested in using it. We even gave away some wood duck boxes to teachers who told us they had a good location close to their schools.
Because of the wide range of settings in which they might be used, the lessons are written to be highly adjustable to meet varied time constraints and available materials. At the heart there are five highly-interactive lessons on wood duck identification, the wood duck calendar, cavities & cavity nesters, nesting behavior and predation. Any of the lessons could be done in as little as twenty minutes but they include enough enrichment materials and ideas that each could also take a few hours to complete.
WWA has also leveraged its partnership with Tactacam to secure special pricing for schools that manage nest boxes and want to bring their hens into their classrooms with cellular cameras inside the box. This idea is currently being tested but early indications are promising. Stay tuned for updates about our prototype boxes this spring and for opportunities to set up one for your school next winter.
You can help WWA and your local youth leaders access these free materials by simply sharing this link or scan the QR code. It will take you to a short form to collect some basic information about folks who are using the materials. You will receive instant access to the curriculum when you click “Submit”. It is high-quality. It is free. Getting it is easy. If you have any questions please contact us and we’d be happy to help.
Questions? Reach out to Ryan rpeterson@brillionsd.org or Jessica jpeterson@brillionsd.org to learn more!