EcoStrides

I spent this morning counting birds for Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count. This annual event occurs throughout the Americas and its purpose is to assess the status of bird populations.

This was a new experience for me, as I haven’t done much bird watching. Four men and I drove around a specified territory and we counted all the birds we saw. We went through cemeteries, trails, wooded areas, busy streets, and residential neighborhoods. We got out and walked at times. I appreciated the opportunity to learn from long-time birders.

What I discovered:

• I can be much more observant than usual if I try.
• I can now identify the dark-eyed junco.
• There are several nearby trails that I didn’t know existed.
• When birders drive a car they don’t keep their eyes on the road!

It was a very snowy day, so the birding supposedly wasn’t very good, but I was impressed with our numbers. We saw (or heard) 17 different species and a total of 369 birds.

Field trip to Interstate Park

I started the year looking for an opportunity to learn more about nature. Signing up for a college-level class was a possibility, but I couldn’t imagine enduring freshman biology. Then I stumbled across the Minnesota Master Naturalist website. Perfect!

For 11 weeks in the spring I learned about Minnesota’s natural history. The idea behind this program is that graduates will volunteer 40 hours per year toward environmental causes (education, stewardship, science, and/or administration). The official slogan is “Explore. Teach. Conserve.” Right up my alley and just the impetus I needed!

There is an article about my class in Mankato’s weekly for farmers, The Land.

Ten fun activities from the Minnesota Master Naturalist course:

1. Searching for delicate spring ephemerals at Interstate Park.
2. Searching for scat at Fort Snelling State Park and learning that rabbits eat their scat.
3. Watching a classmate get dressed up like a beaver to discuss adaptation.
4. Watching a fish dissection and learning that fish have a swim bladder to control buoyancy.
5. Tasting sap straight out of the sugar maple, and then having homemade maple syrup on top of ice cream, thanks to a classmate.
6. Learning to identify trees by their branches and bark before the leaves bud out.
7. Learning about the oak savanna and prescribed burning at William O’Brien State Park.
8. Discovering, by digging through the sludge in Snelling Lake, that lots of tiny creatures live in our wetlands.
9. Collaborating with classmates to create a tree identification guide for a small park.
10. Having that AHA! moment. Why wait until summer to visit our parks? Each season has something unique to offer.

The master naturalist course was a great experience which will evolve with my pledge of volunteer service.

There are prizes such as these reusable shopping bags that fit in your purse

On Saturday night H and I went to the Wild & Scenic Environmental Film Festival. (See my pre-fest blog post.) The event lasted a little over three hours and consisted of 9 films ranging from 2 to 33 minutes each.

I plan to make this an annual event because it seems we are very lucky and win the prizes. This year H and I each won a reusable shopping bag that stuffs into a tiny sack. Last year H won an oversized duffel bag.

But the real reason to attend is that these films are so inspirational and motivational, as well as eye-opening. For a taste, check out the People’s Choice Award, Oil + Water.

While recycling has its merits, it is not a silver bullet. Better yet is to reduce the consumption of things that should be recycled. The New York Times reports Back at Junk Value, Recyclables Are Piling Up:

“The economic downturn has decimated the market for recycled materials like cardboard, plastic, newspaper and metals. Across the country, this junk is accumulating by the ton in the yards and warehouses of recycling contractors, which are unable to find buyers or are unwilling to sell at rock-bottom prices.”

Another strike against recycling is that it is an energy-intensive process. So when we talk about Reduce-Reuse-Recycle, REDUCE is really the first choice.

Easy ways to make a difference:

• Buy items with minimal packaging
• Bring a reusable bag to the store
• Use refillable bottles instead of buying bottled water
• Buy recycled products to create a demand for them

I want to introduce you to TED.com: “Inspired talks by the world’s leading thinkers and doers”

This website features videotaped presentations about Technology, Entertainment, and Design. Among many other topics, there are 33 speeches about the future of our environment. I was going to watch them all and tell you about my favorites, but that is just too big of a task for now. Check it out for yourself!

Midwest Mountaineering is hosting the Wild & Scenic Environmental Film Festival on Saturday, December 6, 2008 at 7 pm. Order your tickets here. I went to this fest last year and found it to be a thought-provoking mix of short films. Here’s a summary of the lineup for this year:

• Carpa Diem - Kids and a fish in the aquarium could mean tragedy…
• Climate: A Crisis Averted - Looks back from the year 2056…
• For the Price of a Cup of Coffee - Follow the life cycle of a paper cup…
• Fridays at the Farm - A family joins a community-supported organic farm…
• Gimme Green - A humorous look at the American obsession with lawn…
• Hybrid Pedal - Biking to draw attention to the endangered wildlands in the West…
• Oil and Water Project - A trip from Alaska to Argentina without a single drop of oil…
• The Good Fight - At 90, Martin Litton continues his efforts of preserving nature…
• Water Loving Doggies - Looks like we’ll end the evening on a lighter note.

If your old shoes are not nice enough to donate to a second-hand clothing store, they can be recycled into a material that soaks up oil spills! Shoes of any type can be dropped off at the Bloomington and Maple Grove REI stores (but not Roseville) or at Wipers Recycling in Maplewood. Another option is Nike Grind, which accepts athletic shoes to make sport and playground surfaces.

Get a canvas bag when you support MPR

Ever since I heard of the continent-sized area of plastic trash floating in the ocean (Wikipedia), I have been disgusted by plastic bags. Plastic trash is killing our birds and marine wildlife because these animals mistake the plastic pieces for food.

I started bringing reusable cloth bags to the grocery store. The hard part is remembering to do so, but it is becoming habit. And as I reach for those cloth bags I also grab my stash of plastic for recycling. Did you know that Cub and Rainbow accept plastic film and bags for recycling?

Find out where and what to recycle at It’s in the Bag. A few things the drop-off locations accept are:

• Plastic retail bags (remove string ties and rigid handles)
• Plastic newspaper bags
• Plastic bread and cereal bags (remove food residue)
• Plastic wrap from paper towels
• Plastic zipper-type bags (remove rigid closing mechanism)
• and the list goes on…

I am amazed at the amount of plastic packaging we go through.

In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan

Farmer in Chief is a thought-provoking article by Michael Pollan in New York Times Magazine. Pollan exposes the consequences of this nation’s food policy and gives practical suggestions to the president-elect on how to turn our food system around. The interconnectedness is clear! Our current food system negatively affects health care, climate change, energy independence, and national security.

Michael Pollan has written several books about our food system, none of which have I read; all of which I would like to read: In Defense of Food, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, The Botany of Desire, and Second Nature.

In the spring I was looking into buying a rain barrel and a compost bin. Then H offered to make them out of faux wine barrels. I found some ideas for him on the internet and he went to work.

A Rain Barrel

Rain Barrel

The wooden barrel is just decoration. There is actually a plastic barrel inside to hold the water. Like most projects, this one required several trips to the store to buy the following parts: faucet, flexible downspout, sump pump hose for the overflow, and a screen to keep out mosquitoes and leaves.

It only takes one good rain to fill it up. I thought I’d be able to use a sprinkler with the rain barrel. Silly me! There isn’t enough water pressure, of course. If the hose is stretched out flat, the water drains out slowly.

A Composter

"Give Me A Spin" Composter

The inspiration for this rotary composter comes from a YouTube video. The barrel lies freely on top of four upside-down wheels which are attached to the top of a wooden frame. It can be easily rolled to mix the contents inside. No pitchfork necessary! Small holes were drilled all over to allow some air circulation. The door has been problematic because the wood expanded and warped.

The contents inside are breaking down into compost, but very slowly. My plan is to fill it up during six months, then stop adding scraps and give it six more months to finish the process. In the spring I’ll empty it out in the garden and start over.