It's not too early to think about a summer job! Upham Woods is seeking summer teaching naturalists for very busy season.

This year, the summer naturalist position is going to be a bit different. Beginning in 2019, teaching naturalists will be spending a large part of their time staying in the cabins alongside the campers, counselors and chaperones. This will allow Upham Woods to provide support and additional leadership for our camp groups and allow our trained staff to have more time spent directly with Upham Woods campers.

               

Ideal applicants for this position will have a strong interest in teaching and natural sciences. College students are highly encouraged to apply. This position will afford candidates the ability to strengthen their own teaching and group management skills in a supported environment. This will include experiences paddling our scenic stretch of the Wisconsin River and time spent exploring Blackhawk Island with the group. Serving as a teaching naturalist offers education students chance to obtain practical experience working with children in a more informal and recreational setting.

               Anyone interested in applying should send a resume, cover letter, and three references to the Upham Woods Program Coordinator, Caleb Jenks, [email protected] . Upham Woods is looking forward to the next summer, and hoping to recruit the kind of people who will make summer of 2019 the best one yet.              

The Research Accelerator program kicked off with 3 session-packed days in Milwaukee December 12-14. Research Naturalists worked with learners, ranging from elementary to high school, on how to use the scientific inquiry process in creating student driven research projects. Students were engaged in observational activities, with and without modern mobile technology. For students who already had their projects, research naturalists helped the students identify gaps that existed in their projects and guided student to creating feasible goals. For those who had not yet started a project, research naturalists gave the students tips on how to select measurable, falsifiable and meaningful research questions using the scientific method.  Students documented their observations, data, and experiences in scientific stories. The Research Accelerator sessions are focused on skill building and support the annual Milwaukee based community science fair, Science Strikes Back. To learn more about Science Strikes Back visit www.sciencestrikesback.com . More Research Accelerators are scheduled for January 2019!

As we transition to a new year, Upham Woods will also be experiencing changes to our full time staff at Upham. John Celley will be joining the team as the new Upham Woods Facility and Operations Director. John comes from Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico where he was formerly the Conservation Director. John will be coming with his wife and two kids, and we are excited to welcome the whole family to Upham Woods.

We would also like to thank our outgoing Facility and Operations Director, Marc Nutter, for his service and contributions to Upham Woods. Marc was an integral member to the staff team for the last three years and we are grateful for all he has contributed. Marc will be moving to New Hampshire taking a position as Grants Manager for the New Hampshire Audubon Society. 

On December 5th - 6th, members of the Upham Woods staff team attended the University of Wisconsin Extension All Program Meeting. The meeting's objectives included advancing our annual Extension program planning, building our capacity to serve the people of Wisconsin and increasing connections amongst UW colleagues. Justin Hougham, Upham Woods Director, was a co-presenter highlighting the environmental education work happening around the state that connects communities, schools, and youth to the waterways in their area. 

UW Extension has an abundance of resources for the community available all over the state, of which Upham Woods is one. Attending the gathering of Extension colleagues further reinforces how Upham Woods  can be a resource not only as a program partner but also a connection to a larger network of UW colleagues in Extension.  

On Saturday morning, December 8th at Upham Woods Teaching Naturalists Megan and Ariel prepared the Nature Center for Animal Expo Day. It was a public event for nature lovers of all ages to meet the education animals of Upham Woods. During the event, folks were able to observe and explore in some of the rooms that had tables full of animal remains; including, furs, feathers, tracks, scat, bones, skulls, and even insect. Also, there were DOTS (Digital Observation Technology Skills) tools in each room to help guests take a closer look at the objects they examined. Some tools included a digital microscope and a thermal imager. 

Visitors were able to meet Aldo the leopard gecko, Leche the Honduran milk snake, Popcorn the albino corn snake, Squishy the tiger salamander, and of course Larry and Midge the three-toed box turtles. The public was also able to witness a very exciting event: Leche the snake had her monthly meal consisting of one mouse.

Even Beauty our red-tailed hawk had a presentation of her own for the public. We took a family outside the Nature Center to the birdhouse to visit Beauty. Ariel showed the group how Beauty steps onto her hand with a protective leather glove. After Beauty has done that, she gets to have her favorite part of the day: feeding time.

Thank you to all the folks that came out and visited us here at Upham Woods! 

Stay Connected