Lisbon Program Makes Strong Earth Connections As Reported By the UMaine Cooperative Extension

I spent a week in the woods at Beaver Park in Lisbon. It was high adventure, equally for being in a lovely natural area as for being in the company of twelve children, ages nine and eleven. Bob Elliott and I led this Earth Connections program. Bob is our counties' Extension Educator who does environmental education programs for youth in schools, 4-H clubs and other venues such as this day camp. He grew up exploring the Maine woods. His love and knowledge of nature sparked the children's own enthusiasm.

Focusing on the Earth Connections ecological concepts, we took every opportunity to consider how nature, which of course includes humans, operates. Using teachable moments of discovery and questioning, as well as Earth Connections activities, we moved from woods habitat to edge habitat to pond to meandering brook, on a learning quest.

As we thought about how everything is connected, we looked at food chains, food webs, and competition. When we found that everything has to go somewhere, we reflected on life support cycles, energy flow, and the relationship between living and nonliving members of ecosystems. When we saw evidence again and again that everything is always changing, we talked about ecological succession and adaptation.

In our explorations, a broad-winged hawk circled above the trees along the edge of a pond. A great blue heron flew from a tall white pine during a morning walk and in the afternoon we saw a heron fishing in the grassy shallows of a pond. We found moose scat from this last winter or early spring, along with tracks and signs of their browsing on plants. Deer signs were frequent. We even came across signs of coyote.

We heard the singing of a hermit thrush, a white-throated sparrow and a winter wren. Dragonflies and damselflies swarmed at pond edges. A turtle sunned on a log floating in the pond near the beaver lodge. Kingbirds hawked for insects from low perches. A myrtle warbler gleaned insects from tree branches just overhead. Frogs, toads, salamanders and snakes made brief appearances. Eastern tiger swallowtail butterflies glided among the trees at meadow edges.

By the end of the week, everyone could identify white pine, red pine, red spruce, maple and oak trees. We found Indian cucumber root in moist shady locations. We discovered flowering wood sorrel. In many places, Canadian mayflower, bunchberry, starflower, and goldthread grew in community on the forest floor. Wild sarsaparilla became a favorite, for reasons the children best know.

I admired the children for their knowledge and wisdom, which could incorporate new experience so quickly. I thought, what a good job their parents and teachers have been doing. I respected their ability to listen, make their own observations and come to thoughtful conclusions. I was touched as their native compassion for all living things grew with their awareness. Over the five intensive days, their sense of connection with nature and with each other, and respect for both, increased and matured.

Beaver Park is three hundred and thirty-seven acres owned by the Town of Lisbon and managed by Verla Brooks, the Park's ranger, and the town's respected conservationist Jack Arndt. It has been the vision and leadership of these two people that has made Beaver Park the marvelous asset it is today. The children and adults who enjoy the park's fishing, swimming, recreational and nature exploration opportunities can thank Verla, Jack, the town government and staff, and Lisbon citizens for conserving Beaver Park. I most certainly do!

By Nancy Coverstone, University of Maine Extension Educator (2001)http://www.umext.maine.edu/wildaboutnature/0701.htm