Delaware Nature Society

2006 School Programs
Registration, Policies, Program Sites, Scholarships, Teacher Opportunities

To register your school for a program:

FALL RESERVATIONS:
- September 12th, 13th & 14th, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
WINTER/SPRING RESERVATIONS:
- January 2nd, 3rd, 4th, & 5th, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

To reserve programs at Ashland Nature Center or Coverdale Farm, call 302-239-2334:

    - David Pragoff (ext. 133)
    - Judy Montgomery (ext. 127)
    - Michele Wales (ext. 143)

To reserve programs at Abbott's Mill Nature Center, call Jason Beale at 302-422-0847

Please be prepared to provide the following information when you contact the Delaware Nature Society to arrange your program:

Name of the program and location (Abbott's Mill Nature Center, Ashland Nature Center, Coverdale Farm)
Number of participants
Your school name, mailing address and phone number
Advise us at this time about children with special needs

NOTE: Contact us early for best selection of dates and times! Reservations are accepted after these dates depending upon availability.

Reservations - Payment - Cancellation Policy
Please provide the following information when you contact us:

Name of the program
Number of participants
The school's name, mailing address and phone number
Name of school teacher and grade
First, second, and third choices of dates and times
Advise us at this time about children with special needs

School Programs Staff

Delaware Nature Society
    - Helen Fischel, Associate Director, Education
    - 302-239-2334, ext.114
    - E-Mail

Abbott's Mill Nature Center
    - Jason Beale, School Program Coordinator
    - 302-422-0847

Ashland Nature Center
    - David Pragoff, School Program Coordinator
    - 302-239-2334, ext. 133
    - E-Mail

    - Judy Montgomery, School Overnight & Outreach Coordinator
    - 302-239-2334, ext. 127
    - E-Mail

Coverdale Farm
    - Michele Wales, Farm Program Coordinator
    - 302-239-2334, ext. 143
    - 302-658-0450 (Coverdale Education Office)
    - E-Mail

GROUP SIZE:
Minimum 15 participants (Smaller groups accepted but must pay for 15)

TEACHERS/CHAPERONES:
One chaperone for every 15 students required unless otherwise noted, additional chaperones welcome. There is no fee for chaperones.

PAYMENT:
Full payment (non-refundable) for all programs is required 30 days prior to the program; payable by check, credit card or purchase order. There is a minimum charge for 15 students.

CANCELLATION:
If the school group cancels within 30 days of the trip, fees are not refunded.

WEATHER:
Programs are conducted rain, snow or shine. In the event of hazardous or severe weather, the Delaware Nature Society may cancel the program and every attempt will be made to reschedule the trip. If this is not possible, a full refund will be made.

PHOTOGRAPHS:
Delaware Nature Society reserves the right to use any pictures of students to promote the Society's programs unless otherwise notified by parents.

SCHOLARSHIPS:
Through the generosity of the Delaware Federation of Women's Clubs, Glenmede Trust, MBNA, PSEG, Wilmington Trust, Wal-Mart, Delaware garden clubs, and generous individuals, a limited number of scholarships are available for students attending programs. Money is available on a first come basis for individuals needing assistance. Please provide the Delaware Nature Society with the following information:

School and contact teachers' names and date and time of the program.
The number of students receiving free or reduced school lunch. Numbers should be listed separately.

To submit your request for scholarship, mail or fax the information on school letterhead to:

    Delaware Nature Society
    David Pragoff
    P.O. Box 700, Hockessin, DE 19707
    302-239-2473

We will contact you as to the amount awarded.

Teacher Opportunities

Graduate Teacher Courses
Each summer through the University of Delaware, the Delaware Nature Society offers several graduate courses for school teachers. Programs are based at Ashland Nature Center. (All classes are part of an Environmental Education Course of Study).

For more information: 302-239-2334, ext. 114 OR Email.

District-wide programs
The Delaware Nature Society teaches environmental education programs for an entire grade level on a district-wide basis. Through contract programs, the district receives:

Lessons that coincide with topical pathways and science kits that are the outdoor extension of classroom work.

Hands-on experiences provided by trained Teacher/Naturalists.

Pre- and post- materials for the classroom.

A teacher in-service, taking teachers through the program that their students will experience and helping them to better prepare students and tie programs to curricula.

A classroom visit by a Teacher/Naturalist to prepare students for the trip.

Call 302-239-2334, ext.133 for more information or to arrange district-wide programs.

Citizen Action
Your class can help make a difference! Field Studies and Outreach Programs through the Ashland Nature Center are great educational stepping stones that introduce your students to the natural world and lead them down the pathway to environmental stewardship. We offer two stewardship programs - Stream Adoption and Backyard Habitat - that can help your class make a difference by protecting the health of our watersheds.

Stream Adoption provides schools with the tools necessary to adopt and monitor their local stream. After attending an Ashland Nature Center field study, schools are eligible for a free on-site workshop that takes the students through the stream monitoring process. Schools then regularly submit Stream Adoption data sheets based on their findings. The data sheets are shared with the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control and are valuable tools for detecting and remedying pollution problems in our local waterways.

Backyard Habitat and its partner program Schoolyard Habitat can help make your school grounds come alive! Outdoor, living classrooms, Schoolyard Habitats provide valuable sanctuaries for a variety of songbirds, butterflies, and other wildlife while offering enhanced hands-on cross-curricular learning opportunities, on-site Òfield trips,Ó and decreased grounds maintenance costs. The program provides official certification for school grounds that meet the basic needs of wildlife (food, water, cover, and places to raise young), while also taking measures to protect local water quality.

For more information about our stewardship programs, call 302-239-2334 ext. 142 or Email.

Video:
Protecting Our Water: Who's Got the Power?
Changes in land use patterns have dramatically affected the health of our waterways. Through this 30-minute video, discover how our water supply is impacted as a result of these changes to the land and what you can do to help make a difference starting in our own backyards. An excellent supplement to our pond, stream, and marsh programs, the video is available for loan or may be purchased. Also available upon request is a free education packet and complimentary ÒwatershedÓ teabags.

Call for information, 302-239-2334.

Protecting Our Water: Who's Got the Power? was developed through the educational expertise of the Delaware Nature Society and the scientific expertise of Stroud Water Research Center.

Outstanding Environmental Educator of the Year Award
Each year, The Delaware Nature Society honors outstanding Delaware public and private school teachers in the field of environmental education. Teachers may nominate themselves or be nominated by fellow teachers, principals, administrators, university instructors, officials of state natural resource agencies, Department of Education personnel and others. Recipients receive an original, personalized certificate of achievement, $300 worth of Nature Society personal enrichment programs, a one-year membership to the Nature Society, and statewide recognition through press releases, our school brochure and our newsletter. Categories are elementary, middle, and high school. Teachers and their principals will be honored at the Delaware Nature Society's Annual Meeting in April.

For an application, contact David Pragoff at 302- 239-2334, ext. 133 or by Email. Application deadline: Feb. 9, 2007.

2006 Recipient: Connie Euston, Heritage Elementary School

Partnership with ACEER Foundation
DNS supports the ACEER Foundation's school sponsorship program ÁAMIGOS! a Partnership for Education. This unique program supports conservation through education in USA and Peruvian rainforest schools.

For more information on school assembly programs and school partnerships please contact: Marguerite Gould, Director of Operations, ACEER Foundation mgould@wcupa.edu 610-738-0477

Volunteer & Paid Opportunities for Teachers
Have time during the week? Want to teach outdoors and share your love of nature with children? Volunteer Guides are needed to teach school programs at Ashland Nature Center and Coverdale Farm. Part-time, paid Teacher-Naturalist positions are open year-round to teach school programs, scout programs, overnights, farm programs, and summer camps.

For more information, call 302-239-2334, ext. 133.

About our School Program Sites
Ashland Nature Center
Located near Hockessin, Del., Ashland Nature Center serves as the Delaware Nature Society headquarters and the hub for all activities of education and natural resource conservation. The facility is open to the public year round, features an overnight lodge for school and public groups, a seasonal butterfly house, picnic area and four self-guided trails through a variety of habitats. Programs are offered for all ages as well as courses for teachers. The property includes over 242 acres and is owned by the Red Clay Reservation, a private land trust.

Burrows Run Preserve
Located five minutes from the Ashland Nature Center, our 352-acre Burrows Run Preserve features one of the finest quality streams in northern Delaware. The valley is known for its abundant bluebirds, wildflowers, and butterflies. Surveys have revealed 178 bird, 32 butterfly and 115 wildflower species with 13 rare plants. The site contains a pavilion with picnic tables and scientific field equipment.

Coverdale Farm at Burrows Run Preserve
The Coverdale Farm complex at Burrows Run Preserve encompasses an 18th-century stone bank barn, pole barn, pastures and fields, idyllic ponds and woodlands and panoramic views of rolling countryside. Students will help feed livestock, try their hand at harvesting and see hatching chicks. While observing demonstration plots, they will learn about organic gardening, the value of composting, and the sources of food and fiber needed by people and animals. Planned exhibits will promote understanding of the relationship between people and the land and ways to live and garden that are compatible with the natural world. Programs are offered September-November and March-June.

Flint Woods Preserve
In Centreville, (10 minutes from Ashland Nature Center), is the Delaware Nature Society's Flint Woods Preserve featuring the largest remaining old growth hardwood forest in Delaware. Flint Woods is a spectacular resource that provides habitat for Neotropical song birds and rare wildflowers among towering, mature trees and includes a colonial road. Flint Woods has long been designated as one of Delaware's premiere Natural Areas. Natural Areas on the state's inventory are recognized as the finest examples of habitats and contain unique features, which need to be preserved. In addition to owning and managing the 37-acre preserve, the Nature Society has access to an adjacent 155 acres of private land that extends our outdoor "classroom" to 192 acres. Facilities include a pavilion with picnic tables, fire place, and scientific field equipment.