Sept 20, Prairie Day at Jerry Smith Park

From Sue Holcomb - GHF may have a booth....

Prairie Day at Jerry Smith Park
Saturday, September 20, 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM

Prairie fans from Kansas City and beyond mark your calendars for Saturday, September 20 as we celebrate “Prairie Day” at Jerry Smith Park in south Kansas City.

For many years this event has been held at Burr Oak Woods Conservation Nature Center in Blue Springs, but in 2008 we are moving it to the only surviving remnant prairie in Jackson County. This year marks ten years of prairie restoration efforts at Jerry Smith Park and adjacent Saeger Woods Conservation Area, administered by Kansas City Parks and Recreation and the Missouri Department of Conservation, respectively. This tenth anniversary of the rebirth of this prairie will also be celebrated by the expected dedication of a segment of a new hiking trail.

The day will feature exhibits, activities, food and guided hikes on the prairie from 2-6:00pm followed by live music at dusk. Event sponsors include Kansas City Parks and Recreation, Kansas City Power and Light, Kansas City WildLands, Missouri Department of Conservation and the Missouri Prairie Foundation.

For directions and more information contact Burr Oak Woods (816-228-3766) .

RE: Little Green Festival, Lawrence KS, August 2

Kim,

The Grassland Heritage Foundation, the Kansas StreamLink Program, and the Wakarusa Wetland Learners Project would like to work together to provide a “Rolling Prairie Learning Lab” during the Little Green Festival on August 2. I had the event penciled in on my calendar. J

Right now I’m serving as event coordinator for GHF – purveyors of the Rolling Prairie Learning Lab. I also head up the Kansas StreamLink Program and the Wakarusa Wetland Learners Project. StreamLink is a statewide watershed education program. Wetland Learners is primarily known for upper elementary field trips to local wetland areas. Currently these projects are all housed at the Kaw Valley Heritage Alliance office at 412 East 9^th Street. Each parties will have promotional materials available.

The Learning Labs include several activities that should appeal to a range of ages. I’m hoping you can help us out with our table needs.

The activities are likely to be something like this:

1. Plants - A table of fresh plants for people to id, draw, look at with magnifying glasses, etc… I actually divide the plants into grasses & forbs so we need 2 tables side-by-side.

2. Insect Mechanics - An artsy table with odds & ends for kids to create their own insects (this fits in with the library’s summer reading program) I’ve also got paper dragonflies for kids to turn into puppets and paper “pollinator” masks for kids to decorate. (2 picnic tables ideally)

3. Dragonfly Story Tree – I actually don’t have a tree but I do have a large dragonfly puppet that sometimes likes to tell stories from a blanket under a tree.

4. Mammals – touch & feel fur, bones, and maybe even some models of scat…. (need a table)

5. Pollinators - a veritable obstacle course for kids to try out insect vision (need a small table and an area we can rope off – maybe 10’x10’??)

6. Soil Tunnel – a shade tarp with a table of soil samples for kids to match up (need a table)

7. Wakarusa River Valley – Gravity & Clinton Lake (need a table)

These are just my chicken scratches; some of what actually falls into place will depend on the help I recruit.

Please give me a call when you get a chance – 218-5106. Just to say “hi” & so I can sort out a couple of questions I have about setting up.

Many thanks!! -Alison Reber

Grassland Heritage Foundation

Kaw Valley Heritage Alliance, Kansas StreamLink, Wakarusa Wetland Learners

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Final Details for 6/28

Just some quick jots:

> The library seems to have all of the tables & such sorted out.

> Prairie Park Nature Center, as a standard policy, does not share or lend its equipment or materials. (That makes it even more important to recognize the assistance the Museum of Natural of History has provided.) Angie is making a trip to The Toy Store to purchase some of the cheapy insect eye prisms.

> The dragonfly puppet is at the KVHA office. If people have odds and ends to add to the mechanics box it'd be great. I've got sticks and t-shirt ribbon. I've got a collection of toy box curio for heads, thorax, wings, etc... We've also got some line-drawing dragonflies (almost life size) photocopied on bright mixed colored paper & markers/crayons/colored pencils & scissors pulled together.

> I've got a bucket of plants - nothing spectacular but enough to make it interesting. I tried to key them out. Below is a list my daughter made as I was telling her what was there -- I thought people might get a kick out of her phonetics, etc...

Goldenrod, Yellow Sweet Clover, Dasy fleebain, Spiter milkweed, Bbalm, Black eyed susens, Red Clover, Cartrig pee, Bindweed, White sweet clover, Depford pink, Sunflower, Parrie parsnip, Rye grass, Kentucky Bluegrass, Big Bluestem, Smooth Brome, Johnson Grass, Timothy, Pendant Bulrush, Flat-stem Sike rush

> Between Angie & I we've got enough insects to make it interesting.

> I'm not going to worry about the land planning activity until I have a chance to do more brainstorming with Andrea.

______________

Confirmed for tomorrow: Alison, Stephanie, Angie

Jeff isn't able to be there tomorrow.

I'm hoping a few people will be able to stop by between 10 & 11 to help us set up.

6 Rolling Prairie Learning Labs

Right now I don't have information about Schultz grant RPLLs that have already happened.

When does the Schultz grant have to be closed?

Additional Lab Event Ideas:

> Wakarusa River Valley Heritage Musuem (?) has an ice cream social in July; they've also got an event happening there later in June but I don't think there'll be many kids plus we want a prelude promo

> Lied Center Community Event in August 22nd Family Arts Festival

> Mormon Battalion Trek (re-enactment) in August

> Douglas County Free Fair in August

> Quantril's Raid anniversary in August

> River City Reading Festival at Lawrence Art Center in September

> Pendleton's have events in the late summer, also in October there's the Douglas County Farm Tour

I focused on Douglas County. Are any of these more/less desirable??