October 2018
The Beaver Broadcast
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Human Behavior and Our Relationship With the Earth
Tolle Causam
The foundation for learning about our world begins with observation of nature. From NASA to local citizen science, people are working for the common scientific principle of the best understanding of what we can observe. Building on this foundation of understanding and utilizing what we learn to promote healthy societies and ecosystems is the current challenge of humanity.
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Upcoming Events
Fun & Learning at Beaver Ponds
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There’s always something fun and educational to do at Beaver Ponds. We are launching new programming to include Nature Immersion and Farm to School. Our winter programming will be beginning soon as well! View our whole schedule
here
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Nature Immersion
New Programming at Beaver Ponds
With the addition of our new Youth Groups Coordinator, Lori Whipple, Beaver Ponds has launched a unique, vanguard programming series called Nature Immersion at Beaver Ponds. This programming allows Beaver Ponds to truly take advantage of our experiential, outdoor learning classroom. Nature Immersion is a great way to authentically connect children with nature. Its child-driven, educational philosophy and resulting emergent curriculum creates a relaxing and fun environment that makes learning more meaningful.
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BPEEC Program Coordinator, Kristin Barrett, and long-time BP volunteer, Diane Ambrose, presented information about watershed protection activities coordinated through Beaver Ponds at the Sustaining Colorado Watersheds conference in Avon, Colorado on October 10, 2018. Many valuable topics were discussed including our data collection methods using an iPad program designed for Beaver Ponds by Diane Ambrose’s husband Greg Ambrose. We also discussed our focus on community involvement using a survey of local land owners which garnered a 20% response rate, very high for any type of survey. People were also interested in how we involved the local schools in watershed activities, which we do on a regular basis. You can find more information on the conference
here.
Beaver Ponds will be conducting water quality testing throughout the winter as weather allows. If you would like to volunteer for these monthly, four-hour events, please contact Kristin Barrett at
kbarrett@beaverponds.org
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Out and About
Explore Colorado
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With winter coming up you may be looking for some snowshoe trail recommendations. Look no further! Beaver Ponds has phenomenal snoeshow trails - contact us for a tour today. We also recommend these other fun trails.
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Give the Gift of Conservation
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The last two months of the year (yes two months left to 2018 – I can’t believe it) are going to be an extremely busy time for Beaver Ponds. We start by welcoming our new Youth Groups Coordinator (YGC), Lori Whipple. Lori comes to us as a previous Nature Immersion teacher, a Montessori Primary teacher, and a Small Center Director. With her impressive teaching background and love for nature Lori is a great fit for the Beaver Ponds team!
Our End-of-Year Giving Campaign has officially begun as well.
You can give the gift of conservation today by supporting Beaver Ponds and its programming. Your donation enables us to continue our Watershed Protection, Environmental Education initiatives, and allows us to raise awareness in protecting the world around us. This is how our #GiveADam hashtag was born - to inspire awareness. We have exciting plans to expand our programming and increase our efforts in 2019 and we need your help. We’ve tried to make it as easy for you as possible by providing several different ways to donate:
· #ColoradoGives day is on December 4th and is our target give day as it qualifies us for special incentives. You can schedule donations for this day as early as November 1st by accessing our donation
site here
.
· Buy a t-shirt
here
and promote our cause #giveadam – Earth Stewards of the World Unite!
· Create your own personal fundraising page
here
and set an individual fundraising goal - we can even provide you tips and materials to promote!
Stay tuned to our
website
for updates and progress!
This would also be an excellent time to launch your family #1WeekPlasticChallenge Beaver Ponds is promoting with their End-of-Year Giving Campaign #GiveADam. The #1WeekPlasticChallenge is a social media knowledge campaign that helps raise awareness on our plastic crisis. Families will collect their unrecyclable plastics for a week (like the majority of candy wrappers) and will then share with their social network by challenging others to also participate. Follow the movement on
Facebook
.
Our organization is extremely grateful for your continued support. It is because of the kindness and generosity of our community that we are able to continue with our mission to create better stewards of the earth.
‘We make the world we live in and shape our own environment.’
- Orison Swett Marden
Until next time,
Amity
#GiveADam #StewardsOfTheEarthUnite
Interim Executive Director
Director of Development
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Protect • Preserve • Educate
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Applesauce Oatmeal
Ingredients:
1 Cup Oats, instant or quick cooking
2 Cups Water½ teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
¼ teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
¼ Cup Brown Sugar, packed
½ Cup Applesauce
Serves: Five (1/2 cup servings)
Preparation:
Boil the water, add oats, cook 7 minutes or until most of the water is absorbed.
Add applesauce, heat through.
Remove from heat.
Add cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and brown sugar.
Mix and serve. Add more spice as desired.
Variations
For Pumpkin Oatmeal, substitute ½ Cup Unsweetened Pumpkin Puree for the applesauce.
To include ½ Cup of dried fruit, such as raisins or dried cranberries, add them after oats have cooked 3 minutes.
Recipe comes from Sandy Grady & Theresa Hafner, Denver Public Schools
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Healing Herbs & Plants
Gentian (Gentiana spp.)
This short little flower has some vibrant blue and purple hues. It does well at a high elevation (i.e. 10,500 feet) and is a well-known gastrointestinal tonic. When I think of an old school tonic for the gut I think of gentian (GI tonic) and scutellaria (a nervine). The root of Gentian is often used and the plant is well known for its bitter properties (most have gentiopicrin a bitter glycoside). This is one the most used bitters served with alcoholic beverages. Is it a surprise that bitters are commonly added to old mixed drink recipes? There is a load of anecdotal evidence for this herb!
Learn More
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Book of the Month
What a Waste! Where Does Garbage Go?
by Claire Eamer with illustrations by Bambi Edlund
Order through Amazon Smiles and a percentage is returned to Beaver Ponds.
What a Waste!
answers the question: when we throw something away, where is away? Ever since cave people cracked open seafood shells for dinner, humans have produced garbage, and we’ve had to figure out what to do with it. What a Waste! explores the history of garbage from earliest times to today, covering subjects including dumps, human waste, water pollution, problem garbage, and a modern throwaway culture. From islands made out of 5,000-year-old garbage in the Florida Everglades and sophisticated waste-disposal systems in ancient Pakistan to fatbergs the size of a city bus in sewers today, What a Waste! delves into the fascinating, weird, and often disgusting world of garbage, and shows why it’s a growing problem. Creative solutions are showcased, like Repair Cafés to fix broken items, grocery stores that specialize in imperfect fruits and vegetables, and filtration systems in Kenya made from discarded water bottles. With an inviting presentation including hand-lettering and humorous illustrations, this book will both educate and entertain young readers.
Activity of the Month
#1WeekPlasticChallenge
For the month of November Beaver Ponds is promoting our #1WeekPlasticChallenge for families to raise awareness on the plastic footprint we are all leaving on the earth. It’s this simple…collect your unrecyclable plastic waste for one week. Post a daily update and tag 1 to 3 of your friends to participate in the challenge. On the 5
th
day share your results with Beaver Ponds on
Facebook
. Then just let everyone know how you can repurpose the plastic you have collected - share pics of your repurposed works of art!
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There are several ways you can support the unique and important mission of Beaver Ponds:
Amazon Smiles
- listed under Beaver Ponds Environmental Education Center.
Volunteer!
We are currently looking for a wide-variety of volunteers to include administrative support that you can do from home!
Spread the word on our mission! Thank you for your continued support!
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