RE: [vernalpool] Re: Amphibian Residents for Classroom

This is a topic near and dear to my heart. As a park naturalist, lifelong herper and current wildlife rehabber, I cannot emphasize strongly enough that our society is rapidly disconnecting with nature. It is such a marked decline that the phenomenon was named Extinction of Experience by Robt Michael Pyle. The disconnect is in part being driven by urbanization and technology, in part by schools that now restrict access in nature, and in no small part by naturalists and environmentalists who are now treating 'nature' as if it's a museum, not to be touched by dirty human hands. We have been so busy telling people to stay on the trail and to keep wildlife wild, that now people fear the things we love. And I'd bet many of us learned to love those things by directly experiencing them, and yes, taking small critters home and observing them.

I'm not advocating box turtles badly housed and neglected in the corner of a classroom, but rather responsible and meaningful care of classroom animals and minimal collection from the wild, and of course, avoiding sensitive species. I am going to strongly suggest that when we take the experience of directly observing these animals over time and learning to care for them away from children, we teach them that it's OK to disengage, that those creatures aren't really part of their worlds. And really, why should they care if it's something they've never experienced for themselves? The reality of school budgets in many areas also means that many children are only exposed to 'nature' through video in the classroom-schools cannot afford to give children access to wild spaces, even in organized field trips. Add to that children often aren't allowed outside at school, and their only outdoor experiences are may be organized sports after school, and we have a complete disconnect between kids and nature. And it's not just kids and nature-we're already seeing the shift in young adults; here's a recent article on the topic. http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/young-americans-less-interested-in-the-environment-than-previous-generations/2012/03/15/gIQAGio1ES_story.html?hpid=z7.

So for the love of nature, please let those kids take care of a couple newts or tree frogs!!

Leslie Sturges
Park Naturalist
Locust Grove Nature Center
M-NCPPC, Montgomery Parks
7777 Democracy Blvd
Bethesda, MD 20817
301.765.8660
leslie.sturges@montgomeryparks.org<mailto:leslie.sturges@montgomeryparks.org>
www.locustgrovenature.org<http://www.locustgrovenature.org>

From: vernalpool@yahoogroups.com [mailto:vernalpool@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Bryan Windmiller
Sent: Monday, March 19, 2012 11:43 AM
To: vernalpool@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [vernalpool] Re: Amphibian Residents for Classroom

Hi Jessica,

I have no problem with a few grey treefrogs or newts in captivity in the
classroom for a while. I understand that this is not the position that
many herpers and naturalists take.

However, I know from personal experience, that - if done well, and I know
that Jessica and Kestrel does this wonderfully, keeping captive native
animals in the classroom can be a fantastic vehicle for developing a sense
of connection, knowledge, and most importantly stewardship over the wild
species that live in the same neighborhoods as the students. Conservation
is a human activity and to do it well, we need to do all we can to motivate
our fellow humans to participate or at least support wildlife conservation.

Both the species that you are interested in can be maintained safely and
well in captivity without great difficulty; the treefrogs are especially
easy.

Jessica,
I have a large gray treefrog breeding population right by my house. They
had bred for years in my neighbor's unused swimming pool. Sadly, the pool
was recently filled in but I suspect that many of the males will be calling
from the area for a while fairly soon (sooner than usual given the
ridiculous but beautiful weather). If you'd like, I'd be happy to snag a
male or two for you. Newts are sparse here in the Concord area, though I
can tell you where to find some as well.

My understanding from discussions with Tom French, etc. about this is that
you do NOT need a state collecting permit for gray treefrogs and newts as
long as you take no more than 2 individuals.

Best Wishes,
Bryan

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