Discovery Southeast is offering a Discovery Day for children ages 7-12 on Monday, April 30th.

**OUR VAN IS FULL**

We're headed to North Douglas to search for sun and signs of spring!

Join DSE naturalist Tom Schwartz and assistant naturalist Christine Amor for a day of exploring, critter tracking, beachcombing, spring edible foraging, bird-watching, and nature-inspired fun and games with friends new and old.

[Binoculars are excellent for checking out migratory birds... and your friend's irises.]

[Tidepooling!]

View all photos from last year's North Douglas spring Discovery Day

What to bring: Children should come with a lunch, snack, water bottle, and weather-appropriate clothing to stay comfortable and happy outside. We can also help outfit your child with rubber boots or other outdoor gear if needed -- please ask in advance!

Prices: $35 per day for Discovery Southeast members, $40 per day for non-members. Scholarships available. Call 463-1500 to inquire.

Transportation & Timing: **UPDATE: the van is now full as of 4/24** We will be offering van transportation. Morning van pickup at Riverbend in the valley at 8:30 am and Harborview downtown at 8:50 am. Afternoon van dropoff at Harborview at 3:30 pm and Riverbend at 3:50 pm.

To register:

 The fastest way to register is to call us at 907-463-1500 or email oed@discoverysoutheast.org. Make sure to download the registration form, print it out, complete it, and return with payment to our offices by fax (463-1587), email or snail mail. Our mailing addres is PO Box 21867, Juneau, AK 99802 and we are located downtown at 416 Harris St. Suite 208.

Call 463-1500 or visit the Discovery Days page for more information!

Live Auction Preview

What are your thoughts on skipping town to Mexico for a week next winter?

[source]

Those who attend Discovery Southeast's annual dinner and auction on April 7th have the opportunity to win an "un-cruise" for two aboard the 86-guest Safari Endeavour in Mexico's Sea of Cortés, which is a World Heritage Site.

Kayaking, swimming, hiking, beachcombing, paddle boarding, snorkeling, wildlife watching and exploring the local environment and natural history are only a few of the adventures the highest bidder will enjoy on this fantastic eight-day excursion. 

View full trip itinerary 

View trip highlights [pdf]

Thank you to American Safari Cruises/InnerSea Discoveries for their support of hands-on nature education through the donation of this trip!

***

 Discovery Southeast's

23rd Annual Dinner & Auction

Saturday, April 7th - 5:30-9pm - Centennial Hall

Support outdoor science education in Southeast Alaska!

Featuring a catered dinner from Abby's Kitchen, no-host bar, and a diverse and unique selection of silent and live auction items, including a cruise to Mexico, rafting trip down the Chilkat river, helicopter glacier walkabout, zipline adventures, whale watching tour, glacier flightseeing tour, gourmet meals, overnight stays at intriguing locales all over Southeast, delicious local foods, and local artwork and jewelry.

Tickets: Call us at 907-463-1500 to purchase tickets, or stop by our office at 416 Harris St., room 208. $30 for adults - $20 for students - $10 for children (under age 5 are free) - 4 tickets for $100 - 8 tickets for $200 (full table).

If somebody walked up and asked you what an equinox is, could you supply the answer?

Here's a run-down:

Twice a year -- in March and September -- the sun shines directly on the equator. This exact moment in time is the equinox.

Discovery Southeast is offering a Discovery Day for children age 7-12 on Friday, March 23 -- the last weekday of spring break!

Care to hazard a guess at the destination?

[A February Discovery Day from 2011]

 That's right, we're headed to Eaglecrest! 

Join DSE naturalist Tom Schwartz and assistant naturalist Christine Amor for a fantastic day of tracking critters, exploring, snowshoeing, and spending time with friends old and new.

[Last year we took a break from tracking to learn about lichens with naturalist Scott Burton]

 Later on in the afternoon, our group will meet up with Rich Mattson of DIPAC, who'll lead us in the scrumptious fine art of making our own ice cream! 

[Working hard for a sweet reward]

What to bring: Children should come with a lunch, snack, water bottle, and weather-appropriate clothing to stay comfortable and happy outside. We can also help outfit your child with rubber boots or snowgear if needed -- please ask in advance.

Prices: $35 per day for Discovery Southeast members, $40 per day for non-members. Scholarships available. Call 463-1500 to inquire.

Times: The day lasts from 9:00 am - 4:00 pm.

Transportation: We are not providing transportation, but the Eaglecrest snow bus may be an option for you. It arrives at Eaglecrest at 9 am and leaves at 4 pm. Check the full schedule with pickup and dropoff points. The roundtrip cost is $8 (cash-only) and children under 9 must be accompanied by a guardian. If this presents an obstacle, talk to us and we might be able to work out an arrangement for one of our staff to ride the bus with your child.

To register:

 The fastest way to register is to call us at 907-463-1500 or email oed@discoverysoutheast.org. Make sure to download the registration form, print it out, complete it, and return with payment to our offices by fax (463-1587), email or snail mail. Our mailing addres is PO Box 21867, Juneau, AK 99802 and we are located downtown at 416 Harris St. Suite 208.

Call 463-1500 or visit the Discovery Days page for more information!

From Ken Salazar, Secretary of the Interior:

"Last week President Obama and members of the Cabinet convened the White House Conference on Conservation to engage directly with conservation leaders from all 50 states to strengthen partnerships and identify next steps in advancing community-driven conservation and outdoor recreation initiatives that are building strong local economies and healthy lands, waters and wildlife across America.

The Conference was part of the President's America's Great Outdoors initiative to establish a community-based, 21st century agenda for conservation, recreation, and reconnecting Americans to the outdoors. The event brought together hundreds of boaters, hunters, anglers, farmers, ranchers, land conservationists, historic preservationists, outdoor recreationists, small business owners, local governments, tribal leaders and other key stakeholders from around the nation to meet with Obama administration officials to discuss issues surrounding conservation in urban cities and rural communities.

People across the country are coming together to protect and preserve the places that nurture our souls, provide opportunities for recreation, and power our economies. We know that an investment in conservation now is a direct investment into our nation’s economy – and one that will benefit generations to come. Last week we heard from the people who are making a real difference in their communities and discussed how we can be better partners in fulfilling a shared vision for conservation in the 21st century."

Watch highlights from the White House conference here:

3rd Annual 

Wild and Scenic Film Festival

Thursday, March 8th at the JAHC

Kids Film Festival from 6:00-7:00pm (doors open at 5:30), with free prizes, booths, activities, and more.

All Ages Festival from 7:30-9:30 (doors open at 7:00). Beer garden, door prizes, sponsor giveaways, food, and fun.

Tickets at the door: $10 adults, $5 students, kids ages 5-17, and seniors. Kids under 5 are free.

View event poster

Visit the Juneau Watershed Partnership for more information!

Peter Fee, math/science teacher at Malcolm Shabazz City High School in Madison, Wisconsin, has spent time in Alaska on a Bears of Admiralty Island Teacher Expedition and also volunteered with the USFS, SEACC, and Juneau Cooperative Weed Management Area's summer 2011 invasive weed clean-up of Whitewater Bay. 

The inspiration he gleaned from his Teacher Expedition and Whitewater Bay trips manifested with his students back in Wisconsin:

"I took students on a field trip where we walked over to a country park and worked with two people from Friends of Lake Hill View Park to collect native plant seeds and spread them to areas where invasive species were removed by hand -- some of which was done by our students the spring before. I like how excited they got about us walking 50 minutes instead of driving. Thought this may be added as good evidence of your outreach benefits and how it positively affects other areas of the country."

Read the blurb about the class's work from the Madison, Wisconsin Northside News.

Peter's next hope is to get a class that spends a week in the fall canoeing down the Wisconsin River while camping and working with the Department of Natural Resources to remove invasive species from natural areas. 

***

Are you a teacher looking to take similar inspiration back to your own community?

Teachers view a brown bear on Admiralty Island during the 2005 expedition.

Registration for the 2012 Teacher Expeditions is still open. Glaciers, climate change, brown bears, humpback whales, natural history, habitat and land management issues, human interactions with wildlife, effects of human use patterns on Alaskan landscapes, and how to incorporate the natural world into your classroom are all topics you may explore on one of these exciting expeditions!

Saturday, March 10th - 2-9pm - JACC

Friends of Admiralty Island is hosting a potluck, art display, and gathering of southeast Alaska's top scientists and most talented writers, artists, and thinkers. Come to be informed, inspired and challenged to add your voice for a brighter future for Admiralty Island.

Be sure to catch featured speaker Hank Lentfer at 7:30pm.

Brown bears search for clams during a 2006 Discovery Southeast Teacher Expedition to Admiralty Island

View the event's official poster for the full list of scientists, artists, and writers who will be contributing their insight and artwork to this event. 

***

PS. Are you an educator interested in learning more about the life history and habitat of Admiralty Island's brown bears? Check out Discovery Southeast's Teacher Expeditions -- this year's Bears of Admiralty Island expedition is from June 4-10.

Thursday, February 9 at 7pm

UAS Egan Glacier View Room 221/222

Richard Carstensen will give perspectives from 3 decades of research on Juneau's most important and controversial fish and wildlife habitat. How can an understanding of succession and developmental changes contribute to better management decisions and to imagine the wetlands future?

Richard has been a Juneau naturalist since 1977 and an instructor and researcher for Discovery Southeast since 1988. From 1996 through 2009, his principle research interest was Tongass-wide forest issues and biogeography. More recently, his focus has been closer to home – a watershed-based study of the CBJ, and a deepening fascination with integrating human and natural history.

Since the mid-1980s, Richard's research projects on the Mendenhall Wetlands have mostly revolved around the Juneau Airport. Just as dairies dominated the wetlands from the 1890s to World War II, aviation has dominated since the Great War.

Oblique view over the developing Juneau Airport in about 1934

Discovery Southeast is offering two separate Discovery Days for children age 7-12 on Tuesday, February 21 and Wednesday, February 22. (Those are both parent conference days for the Juneau School District)

[Last year's March Discovery Day at Eaglecrest]

On Tuesday: We'll head down to South Douglas with naturalist Kanaan Bausler to discover the natural areas there. The day will end with ice skating at Treadwell Ice Arena (we'll cover all the costs of skating/renting gear).

[Last year's February Discovery Day at the Glacier Visitor Center]

On Wednesday: We strike out to Eagle Beach State Park with Kanaan for a day out the road, using the Eagle Beach cabin as a warm-up spot. (Transportation provided!)

[Last year's February Discovery Day at Eaglcrest]

What to bring: Children should come with a lunch, snack, water bottle, and weather-appropriate clothing to stay comfortable and happy outside. Depending on what the weather gives us, children may bring their own snowshoes, although this is optional. Discovery Southeast has 20 pairs of child-sized and 7 pairs of adult-sized snowshoes, which are available on a first come-first served sign-up basis. We can also help outfit your child with rubber boots or snowgear if needed -- please ask in advance.

Prices: $35 per day for Discovery Southeast members, $40 per day for non-members. Scholarships available -- call 463-1500 to inquire.

Transportation: 

Tuesday in South Douglas: No transportation provided. Dropoff at 9am at the Mt. Jumbo trailhead on 5th Street (located next to 319 5th Street); pickup at 3:30pm at the Treadwell Ice Arena. The children will be ice skating -- open skate lasts until 4pm that day, so children are free to stay and enjoy the rest of open skate under parent supervision! 

Wednesday at Eagle Beach: Transportation provided. We have teamed up with SAGA's Eagle Valley Center to offer a shuttle Out-the-Road. Pickup at Harborview at 8:30am, pickup at Riverbend at 8:50am. Drop off at Riverbend at 3:40pm, drop off at Harborview at 4:00pm.

To register:

Download the following registration form, print it out, complete it, and return with payment to our offices by fax, email or snail mail. You can also call us and we'll register your child over the phone or stop by our downtown office to drop forms off. We are located in the ArtiCorp Building at 4th and Harris in suite 208.

Call 463-1500 or visit the Discovery Days page for more information!