My visit to Maui

Well it has been a while since I wrote anything on conservation or my efforts for the Science Centre at Quilchena. Sorry.  :D

My husband and I decided to take a trip to Maui. We just returned and it was truly magnificent. I loved the fact that the state of Hawaii has a really focus on conservation of its remaining species. We swam with turtles which are on the threatened list and shared the Pacific Ocean with its many wonderful fish. I am sure it is not as populated as it should be but it was beautiful... but not bountiful.  One of our trips was a snorkel adventure to Molokini aboard the Sea Cat - recommended by Snorkel Bob's. They were a small but environmentally minded bunch of people.  :D Their hard bottomed Zodiac was jet propelled and safe for surfacing whales, dolphins, and turtles. They served fresh island fruit and recycled all bottles used on board. Really wonderful. If I find their business card I'll update this info. 

We also made a trip to the 'Twin Falls" on the road to Hana. While the mosquito repellent was dry at the entrance to the path was something we were prepared for we were not prepared for the complete lack of signage to the falls / destination. HELLO... there are 3 forks in the road which go every direction. A bit silly.

What was far worse was the conditions of the water at the falls. There was a thick slick of rainbow colored grease on every ounce of it.  I am not sure how these small black tadpoles survive. I have to say it was very distracting from the beauty of the rainforest. We decided not to do any other treks as a result of this colossal disappointment.  Sad but true. 

I guess that what I did see was what was left of Hawaii. A shadow of its former self after  total commercialisation of its culture and land. Too bad because there is beauty there. I loved my trip but will probably not return. 

More action has to take place to preserve what they have in order to filter out the damage.

Perhaps using less chemicals which are found in sun screens and repellants would be a good place to start. 

If people only knew the Dirty Dozen and what they do to the entire animal kingdom.  

What to do next? I guess it is up to each of us individually. 

www.davidsuzuki.org

Salt Spring Island, BC

We just spent a week at Salt Spring Island. What a wonderful diverse marine environment. We will be adding a spider crab and sea urchin to the marine displays at Quilchena Elementary.

We found a wonderful red - orange sea cucumber at the side of some rocks in the kelp. We carefully supported its body in our basin full of water  to observed  before releasing it again. What a beautiful specimen!

Anemone grow freely under docks where urchins dine and star fish cling. 

The kelp and seaweed were teaming with shrimp and spider crabs. Everything was treated with respect and released with love.

The Gulf Islands are full of healthy aquatic animals and a great celebration of life!

We love our trips to our Pacific Gulf Islands.

It is always a great opportunity to get in touch with nature and teach our children the importance of sustainable fishing and living.

Enormous Bull Frogs

We went kayaking at Burnaby Lake last week with the boys and scooped up some interesting things.  :D
LOTS of garbage which when seen must be picked up. It became a 'save the earth adventure' instead of an 'enjoying our environment adventure'.

We also came across some interesting Bull Frog Tadpoles!
Check out the size of these giants! They have apparently been a part of this habitat since 1940.  They are invasive and tend to take over and destroy new habitats when people are no longer able to take care of them. They grow into really enormous frogs which eat anything smaller than themselves. They prey on smaller frogs, fish, snakes and of course insects.

We caught these in a net and put them into specimen jars until we got home. Both kids showed them to their classes and now they will be released back into Burnaby Lake. Releasing them anywhere else would simply devastate that habitat and be really irresponsible.

I have to say though - they certainly were interesting and fun to share.

Ocean Adventure

Well, we decided to take advantage of the wonderful weather. What a great way to connect with nature and the boys. It is our first kayaking day of the season & what everyone wanted to do today... 

Beach bum!

The waves kicked up on our way back to the marina and got us all wet but it was definitely an adventure! Actually he worked very hard to help us all get back to a sheltered area of shore. This is much deserved rest.  :D

Afterwards, we found a couple of crab backs and shells on the beach. Great for our exhibits.

Beach combing

Tomorrow(Friday) is a district closure day for Quilchena and then we move into a long weekend for Victoria Day.  :D Hurray!
The sun is here and we can finally have some warm sunny fun!
I think tomorrow we will go beach combing. We need to pick up some fresh seaweed for our salt water tidal pool anyways.  :D
Indeed we have a tank set up at home and have a hearty group of pacific shore crabs living with us. They are wonderful! We love to watch them climb rocks and eat barnacles and chop the seaweed with their claws. They are amazing creatures! The boys love them!
I will take a few photos of our expedition tomorrow and try to find some large crab shells for the school science centre as well.
Should be fun!

We saved a bee today!

I found a bumble bee trapped in our garage today. Clinging to the window and barely moving, I gently picked the bee up and carried it outside. I brought it to several types of flowers hoping that it might latch on to it and drink and fly away but it hardly moved. this poor bee was dying. I remembered reading somewhere that if you find a starving lifeless bee that you can give it a chance to survive by feeding it. So I brought it into the house and put a tiny amount of natural honey and a drop of water onto a little plate. After gorging itself for about 10 minutes it cleaned itself and rested for another 5. Soon after it flew off my hand, circled in front of me 6 or so times and then flew away!
I actually saved a bee today!
The video is a bit boring but shows how a bee drinks and cleans itself. Quite wonderful! (Unfortunately I can not download my video)

I think i've done my good deed for the day.   :D

Kids love it!

Well,  the kids loved the one exhibit they viewed during the eco fair. I would love to be there when they have more of it revealed. 
We made the lip balm and watched a short on line video on the importance of saving the Bees. The kids soaked it all in and loved looking at the different kinds of bees, honey, honey combs, wax  and paper wasp nests. I was really delighted to see such openness from every child. This video link is the one I chose for the children to base our discussions.

The teachers were thrilled to hear that the entire science centre was an educational gift to the school. In my dedication to the life long legacy of Dr. David Suzuki who inspired me,  I mentioned that we all have a role to play in conserving our environment and my personal hope is that this Science Centre will be the seeds to future environmentalist and scientists.
We went down to the ocean with the boys for dinner to celebrate the end of this chapter in my journey. 
The next chapters will be the caring for and development of future exhibits. As some pieces will break or get lost & I will be there to infuse it with new and interesting specimens & replacement parts.


Thank you everyone who donated specimens to this very worthwhile project.
Jean - Sea World - Florida
Project Seahorse - UBC
Arthur V. Zoologist - UBC 
Menita - Greater Vancouver Zoo
B. McGilvray
Parker Family
Honey Family
Kliner Mann Family
Dr. Ian Low 


& Mme. Rushton the school Principal for being supportive and open minded to such an environmental & educational project. 
I also need to thank the Parents Advisory Council of Quilchena for financially supporting the first $500. required for this $1000 project. Thank you for support!

Last but not least, Thank you to Bep at the Beaty Biodiversity Museum. She gave me advice and answered questions along the way. 
It was a trip to this museum which inspired me to do this for my kids. I really loved seeing my kids eyes light up with interest and intrigue. Scientific displays like these need to be more prevalent in kids education. They can not simply be a one time field trip. Which is why I created this Science Centre not only for my own children but all the children they go to school with. 
I strongly encourage you to find what inspires you and share it with children. They are the future and can make a difference if we allow them to and we believe in them!  :D

 &&& one last BIG & personal thanks to my own family. This project took a great deal of our time. It was all worth it because we got to share a common goal and had a ton of fun in the process!  I could not have & would not have done with without them!!!  :D

Earth Day @ Quilchena tomorrow

As you can tell, I have been absent & busy.
It is Quilchena's 3rd Annual Eco Fair tomorrow and I am gifting the science centre to the school and conducting a info session on the importance of bees.  As Community Leader of the David Suzuki Foundation I have been involved in yearly educational seminars with the children. This year we are making Earth Friendly Lip Balm with local honey, bees wax & cocoa butter. It should be lots of fun. They are going to love it. I'll post pictures later.  :D

Conservation codes

Today we added international conservation codes to the collection. I think it is very important information to give the children. Most of our collection has Low Risk - Least Concern rating but we do have several Low Risk - Near Threatened and Threatened - Vunerable specimens. 
3 days and counting....

Final Ocean & Marine display

Well, I think it is complete. I really did not know how to display all the shells and coral. It took a while to come up with an idea I thought might work. Voila!
This display has several donations from B. McGilvray who was so generous to share shells from Australia and the Indian Ocean.
We also have several Great Barrier Reef specimens including coral and shells from the Parker family which are on loan until June.
Thank you so much for the amazing specimens. We love them and I know the kids of Quilchena will too!

Florida Jean's Exhibit

Here it is!
Jean from Florida Sea World has donated a fascinating array of specimens not typically ever seen by children. I thought they were deserving of their own display case. I am sure the children will be as captivated and thrilled as I was when I received them.
Thank you again Jean - We love them & will take good care of them.  :D

Jean @ Sea World Florida!

A global shout out to Jean Curtice from Sea World Florida!
During our Family vacation to Florida we visited Sea World and had the most memorable and incredible day of our entire vacation. (Honestly!) We connected with one of the volunteers, Jean who was engaging visitors  with her charm and enthusiasm while educating us in conservation and the animals at the facility.
While speaking with Jean about how thrilled we were to actually see the Manatees they rehabilitate (which are on the brink of extinction)... we eventually talked about my project up here in Canada.  Jean then reached into her pocket and gave us some COW NOSE RAY TEETH she retrieved from the tank earlier that day! Amazing right? I know!
We stayed in touch after returning home and she sent me the most amazing surprise today in the mail!!!!

Puffer Fish Spines, a Skate's Egg Casing and some Black Tipped Reef Shark Skin!

Thank you soooo much Jean! Our kids will absolutely love these specimens!!!!

I will prep the labels and post a photo... soon!

Crabs

Completed the 3rd of 5 Ocean & Marine exhibits.  I would like to add a lobster and horseshoe crab to the arthropod exhibit in the summer but for now it is as good as it will get.  :D

Moth balls

Well my goodness as hard as I tried to keep nasty protein eating bugs out of the collection, I found one this morning!
This nasty bug created a tiny hole in one of my seahorse specimens. Time for MOTH BALLS!!!
Honestly, I really have a dislike for the smell but so do bugs... I am told. So, for the sake of this lovely collection, we will all have to endure the 70's piercing smell of moth balls. UGH!
I think a small paper envelope taped to the back of the drawers should keep them out of the kids reach and protect the collection.
If you have any other suggestions, I am all ears.  :D

My Wish List...

I have 3 more displays to complete & post.
2 Ocean & Marine - Crabs and Shells
1 Mammal
I am hoping for some last minute donations but it looks like I will have to do some more cold calls to and cross my fingers.

My future vision for the Science Centre includes the following...

Mammals - Placental Mammals -Fur & teeth samples from animals like bear, rat, rabbit, beaver, moose, seal, deer, coyote, fox etc...
Birds - Eggs & Feathers from animals like seagulls, ducks, blue Jays, Owl, Pigeon, Ostrich, Stork, Robins etc...

Reptiles - Snake eggs & snake skin. It would be amazing to have a skeleton but might be impossible to obtain. Perhaps jar/ specimens.

Ocean & Marine - Sunstar, Horseshoe Crab, Abalone shell, Urchins, Jellyfish in jar, and more varieties of Seahorse - I know the kids will love them & shark teeth... maybe even a baby shark.

Insects - Funnel spider, Tarantula & molts, more scorpions... I know the boys will be thrilled with specimens like these.

Fossils - I would love some more. We have only a few.

I expect to replace items as time passes and kids have accidents with things. It will be a part of the process and is expected. If you think of anything else which will be interesting, let me know.
You can also let me know if you have any donations. I would love to hear from you.  :D

New Starfish

We have a new starfish for our collection. A wonderful addition from one of the families at Quilchena who went to Hawaii during Spring Break. It is the largest one in the collection and I am sure the kids will love it.  :D

Tide Pools

Decided to check out the local tide pools this evening after dinner with my two kids.  We had a great adventure. Low tide was at 6:15 ish and we got to the beach at 6:30. Perfect! We found some barnacles, limpets, cockles, seaweeds, starfish and some crab backs. Great for our specimen displays. We left the starfishes as were clinging to a rock and we respect their lives & their struggle as they await the oceans return. Definitely a great family adventure which effortlessly opens the door to discussions about clean oceans and how the tides are controlled by the position of the sun & moon etc. It is amazing how kids learn and retain information. After all who does not love the thrill of flipping over a big rock to see all the crabs scampering and running in the damp sand, and the squeal of children experiencing the riches of life!

Book Order

Ordered some environmental educational books today from Scholastic - as teacher resources. My kids have those great book order programs where if you purchase books - the class gets books and resources too. Our books for the science centre are - a Clean Air, Clean Water series & Discovering My World set of 6. I think these will be relevant materials for the K-4 grades.

Finished Seahorse display

Our lovely seahorse display is now labeled and complete with seaweed and seagrass for our specimens to rest upon.  Since seaweed and seagrass are a critical part of their natural habitat I think it should be a part of the children's education as well.

We also have 'teachers only' tags on the borrowed retail items which we will be returning to UBC in June.  Thank you once again to Project Seahorse. Our Ocean & Marine collection simply would not be as impressive or attractive without your support!  :D

Labels

Both mobile unit exterior drawers now have labels as well. It should make finding things easier for the teachers.  :D

Oh my goodness... I went to the dentist today and guess what he donated for our Mammal collection? 

I'll post a picture soon.  :D

Arthropods / Entomology

The entomology collection has just received a couple more specimens and labels. Lots of lovely additions.

Finishing exterior drawer labels today or this evening.

2 weeks & counting...

Sent out invitations for a personal viewing to families who have donated items to the Science Centre.

2 weeks to go - Finishing touches.
Created drawer labels and panels for the sides.
Using clear plastic adhesive to affix things... just in case we decide to change things down the road. Thinking long term.

Still have to decide what to do with my Shell collection drawer and the drawer with starfishes, teeth, barnacles, urchins, cuttlefish bones, crab parts, etc.  hmmmm... I'll post a picture when I figure it out.

Conservation

Quilchena Elementary now has a wonderful child oriented biodiversity & conservation board with local community events and eco-club information.  Perfect timing for the upcoming 3rd Annual Eco Fair on April 29th.

Asian Scorpion

Many thanks to the Greater Vancouver Zoo. The scorpion is sure to cause some excitement among the kids. It is a wonderful specimen!
Thank you for saving this one for us.

Amphibian & Reptile

Well I think they look lovely! One Gecko picked up in a local shop, one frog on loan from Project Seahorse at UBC and 3 American Alligator teeth casings from our friend out in the UBC Zoology department.  Thank you so much!

I think the kids will absolutely love these specimens.

As you can see - they are behind plexi-glass to protect them from bugs and critters but, in a hinged frame for the kids to access.

Looking to find more cool things but we will see...

Monarch Butterfly

Welcome to our newest member of the entomology collection!

It is a wonderful male specimen. Picked up completely lifeless in the dirt at the Aquarium last week.

Cruz had a lovely experience with a blue butterfly landing on his shirt and staying with him for a photo before fluttering away. We loved it!

Also, picked up another hinged frame for the amphibians and reptiles. Need to replace the glass.

 I would not want them damaged by bugs or scavengers. The frog is on loan from Project Seahorse at UBC and needs to be returned in June so, we better take good care of it. :D

Frames

This weekend most of the filling, sanding and painting for the bug frame was completed. Still have one coat of paint left and then  reassembly of the frame hinges and plexi cover. Created all the labels for the bugs too. Just have to put it all together now.  :D

Picked up some outdoor bug collecting gear for the boys. Bug cages, tweezers, magnifying glasses and nets. Should be fun!

Project Seahorse...

Many thanks to Project Seahorse at UBC. Advancing marine conservation is a difficult, honorable  and ambitious objective. I had the pleasure of meeting 2 wonderful women from the team this morning and came home with some wonderful specimens and learning resources. I can hardly wait to present the school with these valuable learning tools and fragile specimens. I now have 5 different species!

Thank you again. :D

The frog, tonic and tablet loans will be returned in June :D

I was also temporarily loaned 2 varieties of coral from Australia and some really colourful sea shells. Thank you to the Parker family of Quilchena.

　

New Surprise Donations!

What a wonderful surprise.

Today we had a family from Quilchena donate some fossils including 2 Gastopods, 2 surf clams, 1 Turritella, 1 Crinoid Fragment & 3 shark teeth. They are actually the first for the collection.

Thank you Darcy & Family.

We also had another surprise in our mail box. One of our neighbours and Architect Bob, has graciously donated some cone shells from the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. Thank you so much Bob.

I spent the morning while the boys were at school taking apart a display to deepen it for the insect pins. Mitre saws are so difficult! Also cut more plexi glass and the end of the day should be filling these 2 displays. :D

The not so fun work...

Well Saturday, I spent the day shopping for cases to protect the protein based specimens. Several with glass need to be changed to plexi-glass to protect kids. Several have solid wood fronts which need to be removed and have plexi cut and glued to create a visible hinged box. They all need cork lining too.
Lots of work.
I also had to move the displays, plexi glass, wood and cork to the craft room in the basement so that I can do cutting and the really messy work in the basement.
Today, Sunday was spent writing and researching the new specimens and then printing.

Specimens from Chinatown

Well, today I visited as store in Chinatown. I found some really cool specimens for the kids. The specimens are all used in traditional medicine dating back thousands of years.

Specimens - Sea butterfly, seahorse, cuttle fish bone, octopus, gecko, Rashi and white fungus, and 3 varieties of seaweed - black, green and purple in color. 

Now the fun part of correct labeling & display. 

I also have to make sure the teachers and kids have the ability to pick them up while making it impossible for little bug creatures to feast on them. Hummm should be interesting.

While in the shop I asked the young shop keeper about shark products. I was VERY pleased to hear that shark fins and other products are in much lower demand as North American's become educated about the inhumane harvesting and over fishing of these creatures.

So - education works!

Seahorses!

I am thrilled to say that we are going to receive some very exciting donations for our Ocean & Marine collection. Thank you to some very generous researchers out at UBC. We will have some conservation posters for our bulletin boards, CD’s for teacher resources and some physical specimens. The wonderful thing about Seahorses is that children see them as mystical creatures- similar to mermaids and unicorns. I really want the children to understand how fragile they are and that their existence is reliant on our conservation and respect of our oceans.

They will definitely add a WOW factor to our collection. I will be picking them up next week. :D

How exciting!

Emu Eggs

The boys and I had a wonderful tour and visit with Arthur a Zoologist at UBC yesterday. 

I pulled the kids from school for a once in a lifetime opportunity to pick up specimens for our biodiversity project. The kids had the honour of feeding endangered Green Sea Turtles and viewing American Alligators and Caymens. What a day! When we left we were given several Emu eggs for our science centre and alligator teeth. WOW.

We had fun drilling and blowing the eggs that evening. Who knew that Emu eggs were GREEN? 

The kids will love them!