We are thankful

We are so grateful that you help us share this special place and more with our students.

This is from our final fall week of the year at Tahoe Science Camp, and this is how our students felt about the experience:

THE BEST THING ABOUT GREAT BASIN OUTDOOR SCHOOL IS: that they make it fun to learn, hiking in the forest, learning about animals and making new friends.
THE MOST IMPORTANT NEW THING I LEARNED IS: how to take care of our environment and the world, how different animals use their adaptations to survive, sharing and caring, teamwork makes the dream work and it's easier when we work together.
THE MOST INTERESTING THING I LEARNED ABOUT MYSELF IS: I really like nature, that I can help the forest, that I don't always need to be on my electronics, that I can do a lot of cool challenges, that being outside with my friends for two days makes me really happy.

From songs and skits and astronomy to water quality study, hiking in the forest, team challenges, shared tasks, and life science activities, many first-time experiences enriched our students' lives this fall. Is this what you'd like to share with more children and help keep it affordable for families?

Giving Tuesday is our reminder this season to treat ourselves to the emotional and physical effects of giving. Generosity has ripple effects, and there's real joy in giving. Imagine a world built on shared humanity and generosity.

How will you be generous today?

Click here for our giving page.

The next $1000 received leading up to #GivingTuesday December 2 will be matched dollar for dollar, thanks to a generous donation.

Winter Ecology and Snowshoeing

We have one more overnight winter opening at Tahoe in Camp Galilee's cozy heated cabins January 20-21.

Your classes can join us for day snowshoe and winter ecology trips at Spooner Lake February 3, 4, or 5 and at Galena Creek throughout the rest of February.

See info and registration for overnight Tahoe trips here

and day snowshoe trips at Galena Creek here.

Executive Director Emily will help. Reserve your dates now!

Family Hike at Galena Creek November 8

Bundle up the kids, bring a snack, and we'll do an easy 10-noon hike on the nature trail at Galena Creek and up to Marilyn's Pond where we'll assemble our fun Thanksgiving turkey craft. Please consider a donation to help support our family hikes and programs, and we'll make sure your family gets one of our convenient pocket field guides to over 100 local species. We'll start from Galena Creek South entrance parking lot, not the Visitor Center area.

Details and Registration here.

Recap of October Hike

We enjoyed the most beautiful fall day at Thomas Creek, and students marked what they saw in their field guides and made an aspen tree craft.

Paige from the U.S. Forest Service chatted with our families about trail etiquette, especially the importance of taking responsibility for our pet waste.

A Tree for our National Capitol

Nevada was selected to provide the tree for our nation's Capitol west lawn this year, and a spectacular 53' red fir named "Silver Belle" was cut right across the highway from the Mt. Rose Ski Area. After being in our Nevada Day parade in Carson City, it's heading to Washington, D.C. to be decorated with handmade ornaments including some from Great Basin Outdoor School summer day campers.

For anyone concerned about the tree being cut, ask yourself if you always choose paper towels and tissue with recycled content or from cut trees.

The Magnificant Red Fir

Aptly named Abies magnifica, the Red Fir is indeed a magnificent high-elevation tree reaching 200 feet in height.

Don't look for fir cones on the ground, as they disintegrate on the tree to disperse their seeds.

Needles are short, dark, and curved and densely gathered on the branches.

Mature trees have deeply furrowed reddish-brown bark.

Also known as "silvertips" for their sheen, they are prized as Christmas trees and are also used in construction for framing and plywood.

For the Birds

You can decorate the trees in your yard to give the birds some extra nutrients in these colder months with fresh cranberries, popcorn, and dried fruit.

Here are some tips from NaturePlayTrips.com.

Holiday Cranberry Compote

In the heather family like blueberries, cranberries provide vitamins, antioxidants, and fiber. Enjoy this holiday/any day recipe from Taste of Home that reviewers said became a family favorite, made the house smell wonderful, and is good hot or cold.

Hungry Bears This Month!

As one of our students wrote this season, "The most important new thing I learned is: don't leave food out because bears will come." True! Especially now when they're bulking up for the winter.

Read this poignant article written by Nevada Department of Wildlife Urban Wildlife Biologist Rebecca Carniello in an effort to show the importance of securing attractants and the impact it can have if residents fail to do so. Biologists were never able to locate the cubs mentioned. Prevent this from happening in the future by learning about how you can live responsibly with NDOW's "Living with Bears" tips.

A Stinky STEM Experiment

Use that old Halloween pumpkin to teach about decomposition and the life cycle of plants. See step-by-step instructions from Kelly's Classroom Online along with a review of the children's book Pumpkin Jack. Here are some vocabulary words to go with this STEM activity: life cycle, seed, vine, leaves, roots, stem, blossom, harvest, germinate, decompose, compost, fungus.

Thanks to All Who Care About Kids & Our Earth

Special thanks this month to the Gillemot Foundation for support and inspiration to enhance our STEM curriculum with flight-related lessons and activities. As we develop new curriculum, we are also interested in hearing from you about ideas for activities and guest presenters.

Thanks to the Truckee River Fund administered by the Community Foundation of Northern Nevada for supporting our water quality lessons at Snapshot Day and day camp.

Our Gear Hut friends support our youth programs by selling gently-used outdoor gear and clothing you donate in our name there at 318 Broadway in Reno.