Hi Everyone!

My guests on July 19 were Sue Ellen Pegg, Recruitment Coordinator for the UNL School of Natural Resources, and Kate, an Environmental Science student. The ladies and I chatted about how important environmental and natural resource professions are now and will be in the future.

Sue Ellen spoke about the many majors available for students to choose from at the School of Natural Resources. Several of the majors are increasing in enrollment; others are just getting started, like Environmental Restoration Science. Kate spoke about all the many interesting classes available for students, and how the Environmental Science major exposes students to a wide range of subjects.

To find out more about UNL School of Natural Resources, or are interested in finding out more about classes and majors, here are the sources:

Email: snrrecruiting@unl.edu

Website: http://snr.unl.edu/

Facebook: Keywords: UNL School of Natural Resources

Next week, July 26, Adam will be the host and his guest will be Jane Kleeb from BOLDNebraska.org and they'll be discussing the proposed TransCanada pipeline.

Thanks for listening!

Chris the Bird Lady

Master Naturalists

Hi all,

Sorry about the late post. Why is it that summer seems to go by at warp speed, while winter crawls at a snail's pace?

We had a great show on Monday, June 19, with Annabel Major and Brandy Lively from the Nebraska Master Naturalist program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Annabel and Brandy told listeners what Master Naturalists are, and how people can become certified. Their first session starts in July, and they hope to have more sessions in the future.

A Master Naturalist is someone who is interested in educating people about natural resources including animals, birds, plants, insects, geology, climate, and many more areas. People are trained in a variety of subjects that will enhance their knowledge so that they may in turn use their knowledge to educate others about our natural world.

To find out more about the program, contact Annabel or Brandy at:

website: http://naturalist.unl.edu

email: naturalist AT unl.edu

phone: 402-472-8689

Thanks for listening. My next show is Monday, July 19, at 6 p.m.

Chris the Bird Lady

Birds, birds, everywhere!

Hello!

On my recent show (May 17), I invited Joel Jorgensen, nongame bird program manager from Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, to talk about migratory birds that travel through Nebraska. Particularly, we talked about the Peregrine Falcons (see photo on right by Joel Jorgensen) that nest high up on the state capitol building. That nest has a live-feed webcam on it, and the website to access it is outdoornebraska.org. Just scroll down the page to the article on Peregrine Falcons. The Game and Parks Commission also has a webcam on an American Kestrel nest.

We also talked about the International Migratory Bird Day, which is held the second Saturday in May every year. IMBD is celebrated from South America to Canada, and it started in 1993 as a way to bring awareness to the importance of the habitat not only where birds nest, but also where they spend the winter months.

This is a great time of year to get out and see birds. Places around Lincoln that have great birding opportunities are Pioneers Park, Wilderness Park, Spring Creek Prairie (near Denton), the old dump north of Lincoln, and city and east campuses of UNL.

If you're interested in where to go in the state to see particular bird species, or are just curious about other great birding spots, visit the Nebraska Birding Trails website at nebraskabirdingtrails.com.

Until next time,

Chris the Bird Lady

Earth2Lincoln 5-3-2010

1. Dona Enriqueta Contreras (0:00-5:08)

2. Stephanie Dank (5:08-26:48)

3. Drew Dillenger (26:48-29:37)

Happy Earth Day!

April 19th we celebrated our first anniversary of Earth 2 Lincoln with a show that included all the present programmers. It was really fun to all be together and tell our listeners about Earth Day and how important it is to live Earth Day every day.

Here are a couple of websites that you can look up for events going on this weekend around Lincoln. http://www.lincolnearthday.org/ and http://www.lincoln.ne.gov/ keyword: earth day

Go out and celebrate Earth Day!

Sustainability and Energy-Use Reduction

Hi all,
Sorry about the late post. My Monday, April 12, guest was Dr. Don Wilhite, Director of the School of Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. We had a nice discussion about how Hardin Hall on East Campus has become a model and leader of campus-wide energy reduction.

Ways that Hardin Hall has reduced energy are: occupancy sensors on all 9 floors of the "tower" in offices and restrooms that not only turn lights off but also turn off heating or cooling; small stickers on all the light switches that remind us to turn the lights off when not occupied; and lowering heating or cooling in the evening and weekends (University-wide).

We talked about the SNR's Sustainability Committee and the great work they have done to accomplish these actions, and UNL Facilities for putting forth some funding to help this happen.

Another area that we touched on was the proposed Outdoor Classroom at Hardin Hall that would be a hands-on teaching lab. This is still in the planning/funding stage so there should be more information about this as it becomes available.

Up next (today) all of the Earth2Lincoln programmers (Adam, Dan, Laurel, and I) will be in the studio for a 1st anniversary party of sorts, and talk about the coming 40th Earth Day.


Thanks for listening, and thank you, Don, for a great session.

Chris the Bird Lady

Nebraska Wildlife Conservation Fund

Hi Earth2Lincoln fans!
Last night I had a great conversation with Kristal Stoner, Wildlife Diversity Program Manager with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. We talked about how the Nebraska Wildlife Conservation Fund (also known as the state tax check-off fund) was essential for non-game species (thoses species not hunted or fished). I learned that only 1% of the state's species are considered game animals and fish.

There are several ways to contribute to the Nebraska Wildlife Conservation Fund:
- if you are getting a refund on your state income tax, you can donate part of that refund, either using the written state tax form or TurboTax.
- you can go to outdoornebraska.com and contribute electronically.
- you can contact Nebraska Game and Parks Commission at 402-471-0641 and ask how to contribute.

For every dollar that is contributed to the NWCF, 3 dollars are contributed by various federal funds. With a $40 contribution, you will receive a t-shirt with a jumping Swift Fox on it.

Kristal and I also talked about the Nebraska Natural Legacy Project. This project, required by the federal government to receive federal funds, was initially written in 2005. The Nebraska Project has become a model for other states. The Nebraska Natural Legacy Project has developed and is implementing a blueprint for conserving Nebraska's flora, fauna and natural habitats through the proactive, voluntary conservation actions of partners, communities and individuals. In 2010, it is time to revisit the Project and make adjustments where needed. There will be a series of public input meetings starting in May. Check the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission website at outdoornebraska.com for more information.

Thanks, Kristal, for being my guest! My next program is April 12, and my guest will be Dr. Don Wilhite, Director, UNL School of Natural Resources. We will be talking about the newly-installed, energy-saving appliances, lights, etc., that are in Hardin Hall, and other energy-saving measures the School is implementing.

Until next time,
Chris the Bird Lady