What's New at NOS- January 2024

During January 2024, we were able to create, educate, and get individuals outside! 

Just one day after we returned from Christmas Break we jumped back into programming and community skills events! AmeriCorps members, William Neff and Sedric Zimmerman, helped community members build their own eco-friendly do-it-yourself bird feeder! In total we had 12 participants participate. 

Photo: AmeriCorps member William Neff helping participants thread a pinecone onto a piece of rope for their birdfeeder.  

In Elko on January 12th we had a change of plans and instead of going up to the Powerhouse picnic area we met everyone at the Ruby Dome Ranch and took a snowshoe trek from there! Even though it was a little cold and windy, all participants were able to make it to the Lamoille Powerhouse picnic area for pictures to preserve their memories of the experience. 

Photo: Participants and AmeriCorps members pose for a picture before the snowshoe hike. 

January 19th was our first road show of the year. AmeriCorps member, Noah Clymens, traveled to the Reno Convention Center to attend the Youth Wildlife Conservation Experience. We were able to reach about 650 people throughout the weekend. Participants both children and adults spun the wheel of ethics and were quizzed about outdoor knowledge. 

Photo caption: AmeriCorps Member Noah Clymens standing in front of the NOS booth.

January was also the start of our second Young Naturalist Club. This time around we are introducing Science in Nature. During this series of lessons, we will be exploring botany, sounds, kinetic, and potential energy. In our first class, we explored how we could grow our own plant, made cup phones, and rolled down a hill to experience kinetic and potential energy. For our second class, students dove deep into the study of plants and the identification of parts and plant types. With all of the learning of course we played games like tag! Our next class will be focused on sound.

 

On the morning of January 27th, NOS held their largest hunter education course yet! With 21 students and 13 parents in attendance, the class was full of amazing conversations and excitement. Students were taught many different skills and concepts including; safe gun handling practices, Nevada hunting laws, wildlife conservation, hunting ethics, and much more! These hunter education courses are made possible by partnering with the Nevada Department of Wildlife and we look forward to bringing more of these courses to our community!

Photo: Participants and parents listening to NOS staff member, Meghan, during introductions. 

Our final event for this month was Scribes of the Wild: Nature Journaling Workshop. AmeriCorps members Noah D. and Kaneisha discussed mindfulness, took a walk to help ground the participant's thoughts, and got them to start thinking about their surroundings. After a quick talk about what journaling is, students were able to build and decorate their own journals to take home.  During the workshop, students got to practice nature journaling skills, examining different items, randomly pulled from a tote full of objects, ranging from pinecones to small, plastic animals. With their item, they zoomed in to see all of the little details that they may have otherwise missed. They documented the size, colors, and names of their objects in their journals.

Photo: Participant deep in thought while journaling. 

Are you interested in being a part of the NOS experience? Visit our website, Facebook, or Instagram for information on upcoming events!