[Odonata-l] [SoWestOdes] annual odonate surveys

[Steve & Marcia M. Hummel]

Hi all,
This is a bit off subject, but I felt I needed to reply to the 
education comments of Chris's.  It isn't just AZ, but probably most 
states where abadonment of field biology has happened.  The rise of 
molecular biology and its stressing in state (or in IA) and local 
standards, as well as no child left behind, is very much to blame. 
 Additionally, many administrators don't understand the value of 
nature study.  I spent 25 years teaching high school science and found 
it difficult to get permission to take the students out of the 
classroom.  I did finally get to establish an environmental science 
class and made the first quarter of the school year based on an insect 
collection connected to later study of biodiversity.  4 years ago my 
position with the school was cut due to declining enrollment and the 
environmental science class was dropped.

I've worked as a county naturalist for the last 3.5 years doing 
environmental education.  I try to get kids (I'm working with 
pre-school through high school) outside as much as possible.  The 
kids, of course, love it, but we have to be rather creative to connect 
what we are doing to "standards".  My personal feelings is that the 
narrow standards and NCLB is nearly criminal in what they have done to 
the study of the natural world and the consequent lack of 
understanding and appreciation in the younger population of this 
country.

Everyone that is interested in nature should be contacting school 
administrators and science teachers expressing their concern about 
nature study not being an important part of the curriculum.

We need many more young people to have an interest in the natural 
world (and drogonflies, butterflies, etc) and this needs to be started 
in school if they aren't getting it elsewhere.

Thanks,
Steve Hummel
Lake View, IA
DSA board member

On Fri, 3 Nov 2006 08:04:51 -0800 (PST)
  chris kline <kline_at_pine at yahoo.com> wrote:
> Hi Dennis and others,
>   
>  Seems like (in AZ at least) the ode people aren't quite as well 
>organized as the lep people, or maybe there just aren't as many of 
>us.
>   
>  Here at Boyce Thompson Arboretum (Superior, AZ) we do a monthly 
>dragonfly walk from May thru October.  With that, we are able to keep 
>track of what we have flying here locally plus make an attempt to try 
>to get other folks jazzed about odes.
>   
>  In the near future I am wanting to structure our dragonfly program 
>a hair differently, to create more of a "citizen science" atmosphere 
>with the program, and hopefully encourage our participants to travel 
>throughout AZ looking for odes.
>   
>  Something that Rich Bailowitz and I have discussed from time to 
>time is how to get new, young people more involved in looking for 
>odes (and other creatures too).  I'm sounding like a crusty old 
>flatulant here (all of 43!).  Seems like with the advent of "state 
>standards" and their focus on the molecular level of biology (at 
>least in Arizona public schools), there has been a virtual 
>abandonment of field biology.
>   
>  I think all of these tangents relate to your question of whether 
>other states are tracking their odes.
>   
>  chris
>