Welcome to Week 5 of our 10-week challenge, designed to encourage new naturalist discoveries as we continue to practice social distancing and wait for the coming vaccinations! As our region digs out from a blanket of snow, pull on your wool hat and head out to explore.
Each week, select one of the 60 total activities designed to delight your senses, stimulate your curiosity, and remind you of the joy that springs up just by being outside in nature. When you’ve completed 10 activities, send an email to Susan (skylinebal@gmail.com) so she can add your name to the list of Coronavirus 2021 life-long learners on the Wenatchee Naturalist website.
Below are six options for Week 5 – find one that brings a smile.
Read
Request and read a library copy of a classic from the canon of American nature writing: Barry Lopez’s Arctic Dreams, Edward Abbey’s Desert Solitaire, Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, Margaret Murie’s Two In the Far North, or Aldo Leopold’s Sand County Almanac.
Great Horned Owl
Listen
Layer up, grab a flashlight, and go out for an evening owl-prowl listening walk. This is owl mating season! Listen to Great Horned Owl calls on the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s All About Birds Bird Guide website. For this species, a female is larger in size with a higher pitched voice, compared to a male. The classic children’s picture book by Jane Yolen, Owl Moon, is a terrific virtual owl walk to take with readers of all ages.
Watch
Watch the Best-of-2020 webcam wildlife camera images of Conservation Northwest’s WA Community Wildlife Monitoring Project. Fishers, wolves, lynx, and more, Oh my!
Journal
The Bloedel Reserve is a 150-acre public garden & forest on Bainbridge Island. It is offering free virtual practices “Strolls at Home” with 12 self-guided prompts to use anywhere. The theme is the restorative powers of nature. Try some of these journaling prompts.
Visit
Go to a new-to-you trailhead along the Apple Capital Loop Trail and take a walk. Find all parking access for trailheads here. These trails are kept snow-free!
Advocate
Engage with Chelan County Commissioners on a natural resource or conservation topic you care about. This webpage link provides all contact information.
Read my recent blog post about Dog Rock Gorge. At the end, I offer several ways you can advocate for policies to protect birds and bird habitat, all from the comfort of your home!
