Stillwater Refuge Staff is available to come to your school or organization and talk to your students about enjoying the outdoors, and what they might find right here in Fallon. Or, better yet, call to take a tour of the refuge. Contact Refuge Staff for more information at 775-423-5128.

Each year, we take part in bringing you the Spring Wings Bird Festival. We have tours and special activities designed "just for kids".

If you're trying to pry your kid away from an iPod, Hannah Montana video or Webkinz, why not go outside and find birds?  The book, “The Young Birder's Guide to Birds of Eastern North America” suggests grab a book, binoculars and a journal.  Author Bill Thompson III pulls out what he calls the "Wow" factor — or fun facts — about each different species.

Adventures with Jonny is a very unique outdoor children's series that combines three books into one. The book opens with a colorfully illustrated, rhyming children's story to pique the child's interest in the sport of fishing. The second section is a parental tutorial to aid parents in the proper introduction of their children to the sport. The book concludes with a fish identification game and a writing journal so that kids may record their early fishing adventures. Adventures with Jonny has teamed up with Project F.I.S.H. in a combined effort to reach more children and introduce them to the great sport of fishing. 

This summer, the Children & Nature Network is launching a new initiative to help families engage in the growing children and nature movement, the Family Nature Club. We encourage parents, grandparents, and caregivers to get directly involved. How? Create a family nature club. These Do-It-Yourself clubs offer free, low-cost, family-oriented activities – the ones that help kids (and adults) become happier, healthier and even smarter while having fun.

The book, “I Love Dirt!” by Jennifer Ward  provides activities for engaging children in the outdoors.   The book provides 52 activities to help you engage your child in the outdoors and promote his/her imagination and sense of exploration.

Let's Go Chipper is an educational tool that playfully teaches young children about life outdoors.  From what to pack and wear to lessons like "you can play, but don't stray," the DVD activity book uses music, mishap, and adventure to positively reinforce the importance of enjoying and respecting nature.  Offered by IAG.Media.net

Over the past twenty years several native ladybug species that were once very common have become extremely rare. During this same time several species of ladybugs from other places have greatly increased both their numbers and range. Besides being incredibly cool and charismatic, ladybugs are also essential predators in both farms and forests that keep us from being overrun with pests (like aphids and mealybugs). In many areas the native ladybugs are being replaced by exotic ones. This has happened very quickly and we don't know how this shift happened, what impact it will have (e.g. will the exotic species be able to control pests as well as our familiar native ones always have) and how we can prevent more native species from becoming so rare.  The Lost Lady Bug Project website tells how to help, find, and photograph ladybugs.

Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the group that offers eBird, All About Birds, The Birds of North America Online, and more, has a new citizen science project, NestWatch.  Participants visit nests during spring and summer to collect simple information about location, habitat, species, number of eggs, and number of young in the nest and submit their observations online.  The observations can help scientists measure the impact of such things as climate change and habitat destruction. 

The National Wildlife Federation has recently launched a new website.  As a society, we are raising the first generation of Americans to grow up disconnected from nature.  That's the bad news.  The good news is that the steps that got us here are easily traced, and the way to work toward reversing them is clear.  Most importantly, by giving our children a "Green Hour" a day -- a bit of time for unstructured play and interaction with the natural world -- we can set them on the path toward physical, mental, and emotional well-being.

The Marine Photobank and Project AWARE Foundation invite you to participate in the Ocean in Focus Conservation Photography Contest.  Submit your compelling photos that engage viewers in pressing marine issues and solutions that address the rapid decline of our ocean's health.  The deadline for submission is September 30, 2008.  Interesting prizes include carbon offsets through NativeEnergy.

A great attraction for bird watching is how little is required in terms of equipment, comfy shoes, a field guide, and a decent pair of binoculars.  Enjoy a virtual field trip to get some ideas and resources that can help kids “get a grip” on using binoculars.