EE Update January 2025
Ranger Malana Starr at Tucson’s Mesa Verde Elementary.
Malana’s update for January:
I tabled at Mesa Verde Elementary's science night and had a great time! It was a busy event with over 194 families. My table was about fluorescence and how scorpions "glow" under black light. I had a terrarium with scorpion exoskeletons and the students (and their parents) loved seeing them light up under the UV light. I also had an activity where students could color in a scorpion outline using highlighters to see how their scorpion would look under a blacklight.
I was accepted into the Environmental Education Certification Program. I am very excited to start the program and learn new skills to help grow the EE program here at the park! The program will span a year so it is something I will be working on for a while. I should receive the certification in January of 2026.
I also got news that we were accepted to table at the Tucson Festival of Books in their Science City. I applied with the focus of connecting public health and access to natural spaces, encouraging people to get out to their local parks and explore many of the recreational activities that can be done outdoors. If you are attending the festival, make sure to swing by and say hi!
Our first field trip of the year is coming up! Yay! It is a different approach to our Oracle Odyssey program, so I am looking forward to seeing how it goes. Shout out to the fantastic volunteers with the EE program for helping to support field trips and being willing to try new things! Much thanks to Maribeth, David, Nancy, and Don for being willing to help with this Oracle Odyssey variation.
February is calmer with less planned happenings for the EE program. This upcoming month I will be starting the course work for the certification program and focusing on planning/prepping for a busy March which includes the Tucson Festival of Books and 3 field trips!