Gardening Can Lead to a Whole New Level of Health

By D.K. Wright, Digital Journalist, WTRF-TV7– A garden on every corner, and fresh locally-grown fruits and vegetables on every plate–that’s the goal of the Green Wheeling Initiative. This is the subject of the Public Garden Lecture to be presented by the Ohio County Master Gardeners at the Schrader Environmental Education Center at Oglebay Park on Monday, Feb. 27 at 7 p.m.

The Green Wheeling Initiative’s mission is to make healthy food available and affordable by redirecting the flight of Wheeling’s food dollar toward locally-grown foods. People from all walks of life are getting involved in GWI, building a network of community gardens that has attracted the attention of local schools, social service agencies, city planners and area churches. There are now 11 neighborhood gardens with plans for at least five additional sites in 2012.

So far, sites include the East Wheeling Community Gardens on 14th, 15th and 18th streets; The Virginia Apartments Rubble Garden in North Wheeling; the Culinary Arts Garden at West Virginia Northern Community College; the Children’s Victory Garden at 11th and Main streets; the South Wheeling Alive Garden across from Pulaski Park; the Wheeling Island Rats Community Garden behind Madison School; and the Teaching Garden and Garden of the Seven Gates, both at the New Vrindaban Community.

GWI is partnering with West Virginia Northern Community College, the Hess Family Foundation and the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation to bring about a 10 percent shift toward a local food economy. One of the key initiatives is the gardening micro-grant project which provides grant money to people who want to create community gardens in the Wheeling area.

Between mid-April and September, GWI is planning a series of 15 workshops focusing on hands-on gardening skills. They believe the hunger problem in America is one of quality as well as quantity. They say everyone, regardless of economic background, is “nutritionally starving,” because the food we eat is grown in chemically-saturated soil. The GWI has blossomed from an informal grass roots gardening organization to a working collaborative of urban gardens, rural farms, local academic institutions, soup kitchens and food pantries in the Ohio Valley.

Presenters at the Public Garden Lecture will include Danny Swan, founder of the East Wheeling Gardens and graduate of Wheeling Jesuit University; Ken Peralta, GWI consultant, film maker and MBA graduate of Harvard University; and Terry Sheldon, project director for the Small Farm Training Center, with a background in organic gardening.

The program will be presented at 7 p.m., Monday, Feb. 27, at the Schrader Environmental Education Center at Oglebay Park. As always, the Public Garden Lectures are free and open to the public, and refreshments will be served.

Oglebay Institute Helps Wheeling Country Day School Deliver Community Initiatives

Photo Provided--At Wheeling Country Day School, students may be found learning outside of the classroom. For example, here they learn about the habits and habitats of local birds at the Oglebay Institute Schrader Environmental Education Center.

Wheeling Country Day School is embracing the ‘anytime, anywhere, any place’ learning concept that allows students to  experience learning outside of the classroom walls and discover that education is more than just classroom work.

It’s a concept the Schrader Center also implements when delivering programming to local school children and through public programs and community events. We’re proud to partner with Wheeling Country Day School in its effort to provide hands-on, participatory education. Read the full article in the February 21, 2012 edition of the Wheeling Intelligencer/News-Register.

Schrader Center: Kid-Friendly Fun

The thing I find the most meaningful about my day-to-day duties at the Schrader Center is when I get to happily be hands-on. I like being able to not only promote our programs, but to get to participate in them. I like to interact with visitors and ensure they get to personally know the Schrader Center. That’s why, last summer, after a family had come to visit the Center and stayed to let their kids cavort, I was stunned to be told, “I had no idea this place was kid-friendly.”

Sure, our building is a green building and nationally recognized for its sustainable architecture, and that’s a perspective we are proud of. Yes, our history is rooted in A.B. Brooks, Oglebay Institute’s original naturalist and the first person to graduate with a forestry degree, whose nature walks were so wonderful that they drew a capacity crowd. Clearly we have a variety of public programs that cater to kids, but that’s certainly not all we offer. Any time someone stops by just to browse or pass the time, or decides to come in just because we’re open, without knowing what we do or who we are, I try to make their visit personal.

Any time a child comes through the door, I want to show them all we have to see. I don’t want them to just look at the turtle in the tank, but to get to hold him, know his name and never forget that he can live in both land and water. I want them to be able feed him a worm and say, “Wow!”, when he eats it, and then laugh because he’s so shy that once it’s in his mouth he turns his head away from the tank to eat all alone. I want them to find the toad that is hibernating and listen to it sing its song. I want them to feel that a snake is not slimy and to feed the birds. I want them to want to come back.

One particular beautiful little boy that I have the privilege of playing with every week is Marcus. He and his family are new to the area; they came from Colorado, and are still touring the town. The Schrader Center is one stop that they have found to be fruitful for them. Every week Marcus comes and calls out for me. He helps me with all the animals – I get to watch him giggle as the toad uses his tongue to catch the worms we find to feed it, see excitement exude from his eyes when we read the books that populate our kiosk, and exercise his imagination when he plays with the puppets.

We can be called a lot of things: Schrader Center, Nature Center, Environmental Education Center. We can be called a green building. A lot of people even get us confused with the zoo! What I think you’ll find at the top of that list, though is that we’re extremely kid-friendly. Come and see for yourself!

By Sara Fincham, Customer Service Representative and special programs facilitator at the Schrader Center

Schrader Center “REACHes” Out to Ohio County 5th Grade Students

Students at Madison Elementary creating "Madison Square Garden" with the help of Schrader Center educator, Greg Moore

Through a grant funded by the  JP Morgan Chase Foundation, the Schrader Center is “REACHing” out to 5th grade students in Ohio County schools. The REACH grant (Resources for Environment, Arts, Cultural and Humanities) is designed to enhance or fulfill school’s curriculum objectives while focusing on Oglebay Institute’s five areas of discipline: environmental education, dance, museums, performing and visual arts. Eight Ohio County elementary schools are participating in REACH programming including Ritchie, Steenrod, Warwood, West Liberty, Bethlehem, Woodsdale, Elm Grove and Madison Elementary Schools.

Specifically, the Schrader Center has tasked its educators with increasing the amount of hands-on science in Ohio County elementary schools and building a connection between OI staff, classroom teachers and students.

“As a science and natural world educator, it’s quite fulfilling to be able to bring hands-on learning into the classroom and see the excitement as the students are able peer through a microscope or dissect the parts of a flower,” says Robin Lee, M.A., Education Program Coordinator at the Schrader Center. “And, part of the success of the REACH program is that we interwine native wildlife and nature with the overarching themes of the science curriculum that coincides with the teacher’s and school’s objectives.”

Over the course of eight weekly visits to Ohio County elementary schools, the Schrader Center’s educators provide hands-on science lessons covering topics such as earth cycles and processes; decomposers, producers and soil; predators and carnivores; and, the adaptations of endangered species. A pretest is conducted at the beginning of the series, and a post-test is administered at the end to track the students’ progress. 

“I love that the lessons are related to the children’s lives. They are learning scientific concepts in a way that’s specific to them and are realizing that science is all around them,” says an Elm Grove Elementary 5^th grade teacher.

“Mrs. Lee, I’m going to miss you and you are the best science teacher ever!” says Chase from Ritchie Elementary School. “I can’t believe it’s the last day. Your science projects are so fun, and you taught us a lot in just eight days.”

Junior Nature Camp Registration is Open

Camp registration is underway at the Schrader Center! Make sure you send in your registration form and deposit for Junior Nature Camp 2012 to reserve your spot.

Oglebay Institute’s Junior Nature Camp inspires young people ages 10-15 through hands-on nature exploration. Campers actively engage in scientific discovery, recreation, and personal growth in an environment that promotes teamwork, responsibility, and respect. Our alumni are leaders in business, education, science, and the arts. Be part of the tradition…come to camp!

Visit www.juniornaturecamp.org or www.OIonline.com for registration forms and camp information or call us at 304-242-6855.

Calling All Readers…Join the Environmental Book Club!

Are you a nature lover? If so, check out the Environmental Book Club that meets at the Schrader Center every third Thursday at 7:00 pm. Here’s an overview of upcoming meetings and the books that are being read:

February 16:  “Son of the Wilderness: The Life of John Muir” by Linnie Marsh Wolfe

March 15:  Film presentation of Alone in the Wilderness

April 19:  Celebrating Poetry Month, we will read, “Come, Thief” by Jane Hirshfield

Visit our Enviro Book Club blog for book reviews and archives on various other book selections. Call the Schrader Center at 304-242-6855 for additional information.

Bird Seed Sale at the Schrader Center

We sell birdseed at the Schrader Center! And not just any old birdseed. Our seed is made from the stuff birds love to eat! We have premium quality ingredients at the best possible prices. Our seeds do not include fillers or pesticides. Our staff has worked to develop two special mixes that are guaranteed to attract birds to your backyard feeder. Our Oglebay Best is a mix of black oil sunflower, white millet, striped sunflower and safflower seeds. Our Oglebay Divine is a mix of the same seeds, plus peanut chunks. Our specialty mixes will attract birds like blue jays, chickadees, cardinals, finches, grosbeaks, juncos, sparrows, nuthatches, titmice and woodpeckers.

Our Black Oil Sunflower is the #1 choice for backyard birds and is high in quality proteins and essential oils. We also carry Nyjer Thistle, imported from Asia and Africa. This tiny, black seed is heat sterilized to prevent seed germination. It is a favorite of finches with its high calorie count and oil content. Birds love our Striped Sunflower seed for the same reason that it’s popular with humans–high levels of protein, carbohydrates and essential fats and oils. Our Sunflower Chips are the only true no waste, no mess feed available. With almost no shell, you get more feed per pound and no messy hulls to clean up. We also carry suet cakes in peanut, wild bird and woodpecker blends. The suet cakes consist of rendered beef fat and a mix of seeds, grains and vitamins. These are our most affordable feeding option for birds.

Over the years, we’ve learned that the better the seed, the more fun you’ll have watching the birds, and your annual bird feeding costs will be lower. Plus, Oglebay Institute members get a 10% discount! The annual Oglebay Institute bird seed sale has been a tradition for more than 50 years, and the proceeds support environmental education programming for Ohio Valley schools. Stop by and pick up birdseed for your backyard birds.

Schrader Center Teams Up with Carnegie Mellon University’s Entertainment Technology Center

A team from Carnegie Mellon University’s Entertainment Technology Center visited the Schrader Environmental Education Center on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012 beginning a 14-week collaborative project to design and develop applications for engaging the public and enhancing the experience of visitors to Oglebay Park, the Schrader Center, and the A.B. Brooks Discovery Trail System. The team is exploring using QR (Quick Response) codes, where a visitor can scan a QR code with a camera-enabled Smartphone and link to digital content on the web such as a trail map or information on various birds, and an iPhone app that would allow visitors to track animal and bird sitings within the park using geocaching with GPS coordinates, as well as a variety of other ideas.

QR Code Example

Carnegie Mellon’s ETC is a unique Masters program that brings together interdisciplinary student teams with an emphasis on making real things that work. Their graduates are among the most highly sought-after professionals in the interactive media industry. The Schrader Center was chosen by a panel of advisors to participate in a joint partnership with the ETC and is in the company of corporate projects such as Microsoft, the Chicago Museum and Lockheed Martin. The ETC was founded in the fall of 1998 as a joint program between the School of Computer Science and the College of Fine Arts with Co-Directors Don Marinelli, a Professor of Drama, and the late Randy Pausch, a Professor of Computer Science, helping to illustrate the educational and professional mission of the ETC. Randy Pausch gained international fame with his 2007 “Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams” that has more than 14 million views on YouTube.. 

The Schrader Center is constantly seeking to discover innovative and effective ways to engage visitors and members, and the staff is currently working in partnership with the country’s top institutions and foundations to bring new ideas, technology, knowledge, and experiences to the Ohio Valley. Since 1926 when A.B. Brooks lead his first nature walk, Oglebay Institute has been a global leader in public programming, camping, professional development, green building technology, and school-based programs. We celebrate that tradition and look forward to our future. This partnership is made possible by a grant from the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation.

Nature Notes with Greg Park: Red-shouldered Hawk

Is the Red-shouldered Hawk making a comeback in Oglebay Park?

Christmas Bird Counts Past:  In 1950 , there were 2 (where recorded), in 1954 there was 1, in 1988 1 was recorded. Then none for 22 years. Now we have been seeing them in Oglebay Park all year round. CBC records indicate that in 2010 and 2011 respectively, 1 Red-shouldered Hawk was recorded.

Is this is another example of a bird more southern than the Red-tailed Hawk expanding its range north with the milder temperatures?  Tell us what you think.

~Greg Park, Senior Naturalist, Schrader Environmental Education Center

Counting Crows

Counting the American Crows, Corvus brachyrhynchos, which converge between Wheeling Island and Bridgeport, OH has been a Post-Christmas Bird Count tradition for over two decades.  The tradition began when Carl Slater and Greg Eddy, Brooks Bird Club members, decided it would be an interesting challenge to try to quantify this impressive phenomenon. The two birders attempted almost every counting technique imaginable throughout the years; from counting individual birds per tree and estimating the population size multiplying by the number of trees, to estimating the number of crows arriving per minute. Getting a precise count of the crows proved nearly impossible. 

More recently Ryan Tomazin, a Junior Nature Camp alumnus and Brooks Bird Club member, has joined the effort. This year he recorded HD videos of the thousands of crows flying into the roost, and counted the individuals while playing the videos back in slow motion. While he was not able to get a precise count, this year’s estimate places about forty thousand crows in Bridgeport on December 17, slightly less than last year. ~Jacob Francis, Director of Environmental Education at the Schrader Center