Dear Friends,2010 has the potential to be the best year ever for all Magnuson Community Center Nature Programs and Projects, including the Bird-Friendly Landscape!
Our first nature event of the year- 'Celebrate Urban Nature' on Saturday, April 10th- was a huge success, drawing over 800 adults and children for fun and educational nature experiences. Attendees met live Owls from Woodland Park Zoo, our own resident Chickadees and Hummingbirds in the Bird-Friendly Landscape, plus the whole gymnasium was filled with interactive booths where they could learn about insects, reptiles, marine mammals, and local environmental organizations. Not to mention the concert by Caspar Babypants, whose delightful songs about birds, bugs, frogs, and other creatures started the day- and this whole event was FREE!
However, this spring has brought some very dark clouds to our horizon. The Seattle City Council is considering the idea of closing some Community Centers in order to balance the budget, and Magnuson Community Center may be vulnerable to the chopping block because of its proximity to other, older and more established Community Centers in NE Seattle.
But Magnuson Community Center is incredibly unique because of its location within this 350-acre park, which is second only to Discovery Park in size, and contains some of the most diverse wildlife habitat in the entire region. (Seattle Audubon Society volunteers have counted 185 different species of birds in the park, which is also home to scores of garter snakes, tree frogs and other amphibians.)
Ever since it opened in 2004, Magnuson Community Center has been creating nature programs to educate children and adults, and it has become an Environmental Education Center is all ways except an official title. Each year, its Coordinators and Advisory Council have continued to dedicate time and resources to keeping Magnuson Community Center on the leading edge of the children and nature movement. Its nature programs have grown to include a wide variety of choices for children ages 4-12, their parents and other adults, and teen service learning opportunities. These programs now comprise a major part of their community offerings, so closing Magnuson Community Center would be a devastating blow to overall nature education in NE Seattle.
Here is some of what would be lost:
- The Bird-Friendly Landscape: a 3000 sq. ft. interactive and vibrant public demonstration garden for how to create bird habitat in an urban-size yard, built and maintained by Community Center recruited volunteers since 2007.
- The Family Explorer Packs: Only $5 per day to rent a backpack full of everything a family needs to explore the park to find the 'Birds of Magnuson' or make "Wetland Discoveries'
- Family Nature Explorers Program: FREE classes and wetland walks each month.
- Jr. Nature Explorers and Nature Explorers Program: affordable camps and classes for children ages 4-12
- BRAND NEW Field Trip Program: affordable and educational, guided park excursions for elementary schools and preschools. scout groups, 4-H and home-schooled children, to learn about the 'Birds of Magnuson' or make "Wetland Discoveries'.
Please help support Magnuson Community Center by contacting the City Council and Mayor McGinn to encourage them to allow Magnuson Community Center to continue all its program offerings. Most especially to be able to continue its expanding and vibrant Nature Programs, which have shown their value by the dramatic surge in public demand during the entire 6 years of dedicated effort and time.
As long as Magnuson Community Center remains open, here is the schedule of the Nature Programs and events in store for 2010!
FREE Magnuson Family Explorer Wetland WalksBring the whole family for an adventure in the new Magnuson Park Wetlands! You’ll see emerging spring growth, the arrival and departure of insects and migratory birds, the seasonal ebb and flow of water in the ponds and swales, lush summer bounty of flowering and fruiting plants, and the quiet times of fall. Each tour will include info on the history and function of the site, but each will also have a different theme with fun, hands-on exploration activities. Binoculars and field guides will be provided, or you can bring your own.
Tour Leader: Children's Educator and Naturalist Emily Bishton, with special guest Wetlands Gardener Miriam Preus.
Starts at this Location: The NE 65th St entry to the Magnuson Wetlands, inside the parking lot just east of Sportsfield Drive. Meet in front of the tall berms at the northeast corner of the parking lot.
Pre-registration requested, but walk-ins are welcome.
Wetland Wake-Up April 10th from 9:00-10:00am (part of the 'Celebrate Urban Nature' event)
Tadpoles and Nestlings May 1st from 10:00-11:00am.
Spring Migration June 5th from 10:00-11:00am
The Growing Season July 3rd from 10:00-11:00am
Songs of Summer Aug. 7th from 10:00-11:00am
Fall Migration Sept 4th from 10:00-11:00am
Autumn Beauty Oct 2nd from 10:00-11:00am
Winter Arrivals Nov 6th from 10:00-11:00am
Family Explorer Pack rental, available year-roundExplorer packs are available at the Magnuson Community Center to check out for $5.00 per day. They are perfect for families, scout troops, campfire, 4-H, and homeschool groups.
Pack #2. NEW! “Wetland Discoveries” Explorer Pack
Explore the new Magnuson Wetlands with everything you’ll need for a fun-filled, self-guided adventure! The pack is stuffed with maps, field guides/charts, binoculars, and other exploration supplies. Includes a delightful activity booklet for each child to keep!
Pack #2. “The Birds of Magnuson Park” Explorer Pack
Explore Magnuson Park with everything you’ll need for a fun-filled, self-guided bird-watching adventure! The pack contains maps, field guides, binoculars. and everything else you’ll need for a bird-watching expedition to Promontory Point, the Community Garden, and the Community Center’s Bird-Friendly Landscape. Includes a delightful activity booklet for each child to keep!
FREE Family Nature Explorer Classes
Bring the whole family to Magnuson Park to learn together! You’ll see and learn easy ways to attract more songbirds and butterflies to your garden, and how to make it more fun for your children to explore and play there. Each class includes free printed materials, and hands-on outdoor activities in either the Magnuson Community Center Bird-Friendly Landscape or the Magnuson Children’s Garden.
Instructor: Emily Bishton
Pre-registration requested, but walk-ins are welcome
Class #1. How to Create your Own Bird-friendly Garden
Date and Time: Fall 2010 TBA
Location: Magnuson Community Center-Windemere Room, and the Bird-Friendly Landscape.
Class #2. How to Create your own Child-friendly Garden
Date and Time: Fall 2010 TBA
Location: Magnuson Brig- Ravenna Room, and the Magnuson Children’s Garden.
For more info on the Wetland Walks or these family-friendly hands-on classes, visit http://jrnatureexplorers.blogspot.com
To register, contact the Community Center staff at 206-684-7026 or visit http://www.seattle.gov/parks/magnuson/
Magnuson Community Center is a proud participant in the annual National Environmental Education Week, and hosted several educational events for children at the Magnuson Community Center Bird-Friendly Landscape and Children's Garden during the week!
For more info on National Environmental Education Week, visit http://www.eeweek.org