5th Annual Globe at Night Campaign

Globe at Night, the annual 2-week campaign that helps to address the issue of light pollution is returning in less than a week! The loss of dark skies, caused by "light pollution," is a concern on many fronts: safety, energy conservation, cost, health and effects on wildlife, as well as our ability to view the stars. How can you help?

From March 3 - 16, you can join people all over the world and record the brightness of your night sky. You simply match the appearance of the sky (toward the constellation Orion) with star maps of progressively fainter stars found online. Submit your measurements online with your date, time and location. A few weeks later, organizers release a map of light-pollution levels worldwide.
 
Over the last four Globe at Night campaigns, volunteers from more than 100 nations have contributed 35,000 measurements. To learn more about participating, head over to the Globe at Night website. For children's activities, check out http://www.darkskiesawareness.org/DarkSkiesRangers.

With half of the world’s population now living in cities, many urban dwellers have never experienced the wonder of pristinely dark skies ...and maybe never will. Your measurements can make a world of difference!

Red-tailed Hawk in Rehab

A local Animal Control officer recently brought a Red-tailed Hawk with a shoulder injury into our Wildlife Education & Rehabilitation Program. The large bird was picked up near a Berea home. Wildlife Rehabilitation Specialist Amy LeMonds says the striped tail indicates the hawk is a young bird – first or second year juvenile.

In the photo, you can see Amy, with the help of rehab volunteer Trish Binder, using the red wrap to stabilize the wing and prevent further injury. Rehab staffers have also administered anti-inflammatory drugs to aid in the healing process.

Our hope, as always, is to release this hawk back to its natural home in the wild. You can read more about this protected Ohio resident (and listen to its call) at this Ohio Department of Natural Resources web page on the Red-tailed Hawk.

Take Our Groundhog Quiz

How much do you really know about the wild creature we celebrate today? Take our quiz and find out!

There's a printable pdf version of our Groundhog Quiz posted in our online Kids Corner. You can also find a Groundhog Fact Sheet with all the information you need to verify or correct your answers!



1. In addition to groundhog, I’m also known as a_____________.

a. Giant Squirrel
b. Woodchuck
c. Beaver
d. Prairie Dog

2. One of my nicknames is _______________.
a. The Whistle Pig
b. The Digger Hog
c. The Weather Watcher
d. The Wonder Rat

3. I’m related to________________.
a. Squirrels
b. Mice
c. Beavers
d. Porcupines
e. All of the above
f. None of the above

4. Based on what I eat, I am a_______________.
a. an herbivore
b. a carnivore
c. an omnivore

5. I fall fast asleep all winter, which means I go into________________.
a. extinction
b. insomnia
c. hibernation
d. hypnosis

6. True or False: I like to climb trees!

7. True or False: I can predict the weather.

8. True or False: I live in a nest.

9. True or False: My home has many rooms.

10. True or False: I have my own holiday.

Happy Groundhog Day! (OK, that last question is a gimme.)

Free Public Event Focuses On Climate and Carbon

A variety of distinquished speakers and discussion workshops are open to the public as part of the Sustainability Symposium: Climate and Carbon being held March 1 - 2 at Baldwin Wallace College in Berea. This dynamic two-day event will bring together world-renowned leaders, prominent Northeast government representatives, experts and community members (like you!) to discuss the issues surrounding energy, climate and carbon and how they affect our health and the economic vitality of our region.

 All events listed below and in more detail at the Sustainability Symposium website are free and open to the public.

Monday, March 1, 10 a.m.
Sandstone III, Strosacker Hall, College Union 120 E. Grand St.

Senator Sherrod Brown shares his vision for a clean energy economy in northeast Ohio and beyond.

Monday, March 1, 8 pm.
Kulas Musical Arts Building, 96 Front St.
Keynote by Dr. Susan Solomon, senior scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Earth System Research Laboratory and the lead U.S. scientist for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the UN body that provides scientific and policy analysis on climate change.

Tuesday, March 2
Strosacker-Hall, College Union, 120 E. Grand St.
Concurrent panel sessions will take place in the morning and afternoon.

• It’s Real if We Can Measure It:
   The Metrics of Corporate Sustainability
   10-11:30 a.m. - Sandstone III
• Carbon and Food Systems:
   How One Large Industry Can Make a Difference
   10 - 11:30 a.m. - Quarry Room
• Prospects for a Clean Energy Industry in NE Ohio
   1-2:30 p.m. - Sandstone III
• Small Businesses:How to Get Started
   1-2:30 p.m. - Quarry Room

Tuesday, March 2, 3 p.m.
Sandstone III, Strosacker Hall, College Union, 120 E. Grand St.
Chris Connor, CEO of Sherwin-Williams Corporation will share his company's success producing a line of environmentally preferred paint.

Great Blue Heron In Rehab

One of the largest birds in Northeast Ohio - a Great Blue Heron - is one of the latest patients in our Wildlife Education & Rehabilitation Program. This Heron came in suffering a fractured left radius or wing bone and left foot. It was found in a backyard, where they are often spotted fishing in koi ponds.


We’re working with a local vet to determine the best course of treatment, with the hope of returning this magnificent creature back to the wild. If you want to read more about this bird, take a look at this Great Blue Heron page at the Ohio Division of Wildlife website that’s packed with information. We have more photos posted in an album on our Facebook Page, too.

It’s winter, but the work of rehab is never done! Do you have questions about wildlife? Call our expert Wildlife staff at 440-871-2900 x 204.

Diving Birds Get Help Finding Open Water

Among the wildlife we see more frequently this time of year in our Wildlife Education & Rehabilitation Program are diving birds such as Grebes, Loons, Goldeneyes and Scoters. These birds tend to migrate here from the north during the winter to take advantage of our relatively milder weather. Diving birds have legs that are set far back on their bodies, ideal for propelling them through the water and diving for dinner (as you can see in these photos of our most recent patient.)

While they work "swimmingly" in the water, the placement of these legs are not ideal for walking (some of these birds can’t even walk on land) and they require open water for proper take-off. This time of year, these birds can get stuck on snow-covered land, or in shallow puddles that collect on land and give the appearance of deeper water. Often, all that is required of us is that we get these birds to open water so they can regain their ability to take flight.

In our most recent diving bird case, a Pied-billed Grebe was brought in last week after getting stuck in a water tank. Our rehab staff checked for injuries – these birds can injure themselves as they struggle to get off land. A quick swim in our water tank reassured us that the bird’s crucial waterproofing was intact. Lastly, we confirmed it could gather food.

Wildlife Rehabilitation Specialist Amy LeMonds and Rehab volunteer Christa Sandy were then able to release the bird on Lake Erie last week, in the warm open water near the Avon Lake power plant. By the way, the nearby Miller’s Road boat launch landing is a great place to view these birds during the winter.

You can really see the placement of the legs in the video clips we have posted on our Facebook page and Our YouTube Channel.

Design Wild, Wearable Art For a $100 Prize!

Calling all artists! Use paints or pencils, crayons or collage to create animal-inspired original art for our official, 2010 t-shirt design contest. The winner will receive $100 and the limited edition t-shirt featuring their design! Last year's winning art (seen this photo of the finished shirt) was submitted by A Bay Middle School student, but artists of any age can enter.
Contest rules and guidelines:

• must include 3 or more of the Center’s resident animals
• must be colorful, fun and kid-friendl
• cannot be larger than 8” x 10”
• should be completed on plain, white paper (NO t-shirt outlines)
• official Center logo and name will be added to the t-shirts during production. Please do NOT use Center name, logo (or the “LENSC” acronym) in your design.

Download a printable PDF entry form with complete contest guidelines. Entry deadline: February 28. Artwork will not be returned.

Finalists will be on display by mid March in our lobby, online in the Kids Corner Nature Art Gallery and on Lake Erie Nature & Science Center’s Facebook Fan Page. To vote for the winner, stop in to fill out a paper ballot or click “like” under your favorite(s) once we post finalists in a Photo Album on Facebook. The winner will be notified by March 31.

T-shirt go on sale at our annual Family Fun Fest, Sunday June 6.

StarLab Visit In the News & Disney Volunteer Days

Some nice pictures and a description of our StarLab in action made the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram today. Schuele Planetarium Director Jay Reynolds took the starry sky dome and astronomy lessons on the road to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Lorain County last night.

The story, linked here, centers around a volunteer who helped with our portable planetarium and earned a Disney day in the process. By the way, Lake Erie Nature & Science Center is also participating in the Disney program. (Photo above is from the Chronicle Telegram's Chuck Humel. His complete slide-show is at this link.)