Welcome to the Shaver’s Creek blog! The entries here are posted by staff, interns, and volunteers, and aim to keep you informed about the programs, updates, and natural history happenings here at the Creek. Enjoy!
Barn owl (Tyto alba) populations in North America have been declining rapidly for the past two decades primarily due to limited accessibility of hollow trees, old barns, silos and suitable grassland habitat. Other reasons for declining barn owl populations include: use of pesticides and rodenticides, predation by great horned owls and suburban expansion. The barn…
I have been volunteering at Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center since the summer of 2006. Since then I have had to learn new methods to present programs to the public, especially as Shaver’s Creek has been renovated to enhance the visitor experience. For me, the one thing that has remained constant is my passion for this…
It’s 6:20 am. My day begins to the sound of an alarm and I wake up in a bed that’s not mine. I’m at Outdoor School filling in for a counselor whose paperwork didn’t come in time. I help the kids get ready for the day, making sure they have an extra warm layer, rain…
Major congrats (and thanks) are in order for our Birding Cup teams this year! Although they braved occasional rainy hours, they came through with huge identification lists, totaling 194 species. That’s crazy awesome, and continues to show that citizen science initiatives are a powerful way of gathering data. Not only data, but funds raised for…
Who knew that “real” maple syrup was such a big deal? I mean, I knew that it existed, but it couldn’t be much better than the stuff that Mrs. Buttersworth made, right? At least, that’s what I thought, until I got a taste of the real deal in my later teenage years. Game changer. Big…
Join Shavers Creek Environmental Center in celebrating Earth Day by being outside and getting your hands dirty! This year’s Earth Day Work Day runs from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 14. Our Raptor Center renovation project is complete and there are several projects available to spruce up the grounds and trails. Spreading…
February’s Sweetheart Owl Prowl at Shaver’s Creek was another resounding success! Over fifty people attended the program (thank you to those who attended!). Nobody heard any owls out on the trails or in the woods; however, I did have another terrific opportunity to help teach people how to call out for owls. For those of…
When a new neighbor moves onto your block, it can be appropriate etiquette to welcome them with baked goods and warm regards. Other times, all they may desire is a fresh dish of water and a safe place to rest. The latter may not be something we have all experienced — that is, unless you…
“But why is it like that?,” he asked, pointing to a spider web on our walk around the block. He was always asking, always questioning, always wanting to know the answer even if he didn’t understand. He didn’t get to go outside much, and then only spent time playing on the concrete. When I babysat…
As people, we are bound to who we are by two powerful influences on our lives: nature and nurture. Nature being our genes and chemical make-up and nurture being how we are raised and the environment we are raised in. As we grow up, our lives are shaped by our nature and how our environment…