Sierra Outdoor School

Did you know… the United States has less than 5% of the world’s population but consumes 19% of the world’s energy. On average, one American consumes as much energy as approximately 2 Japanese, 31 Indians, or 307 Tanzanians. Source: buff.ly/1hrtNtI   As we fight to slow climate change, our daily choices regarding energy use can make a big difference. In California, about 44% of the total energy consumed is by appliances, electronics, and lighting. Luckily, this is something we have a lot of control over! Here at SOS we reduce our energy consumption not only through our Pig Post program (see our December blog post), but also with a weekly energy competition! Wireless energy monitors located in each dorm record both real-time and cumulative energy use each day. Each monitor is surrounded by a poster explaining how the monitor works and why it is important. Read below! Students learn about the competition upon their arrival and begin participating the first momen...

Great News! SOS has an addition to its Raptor Center. Our newest bird is a female Western Screech Owl (WSO). She has been at SOS for over 200 days now, and a lot of training has been done to get her ready to be seen by kids. She has gotten used to her new home (mew), learned to tolerate her handler, learned to step up on the glove and back to the perch, and learned to be outside on the glove. The next step is for her to be seen by her first class. If all goes well, we are hoping that she will be viewed outside by schools in January. Below are a few pictures of her in her mew and outside with the different perches. The WSO tethered in her mew. Tethering provides a safe environment for her and trainer while she learns to be in a new home.  Two of the perches built specifically for a raptor her size.  Another perch.  Learning how to be perched outside.  Maybe the WSO's first time seeing snow.  WSO with a piece of food to reinforce...

The Sierra Outdoor School has been getting much needed rain showers, and with those showers appear nature’s oddballs—mushrooms.  Mushrooms are part of the Fungi Kingdom and are actually only a small part of a much larger organism. Apples of the dirt A mushroom is much like an apple on a tree—existing to carry and spread seeds.  The mushroom version of a seed is called a spore.   The “tree” a mushroom grows on is called the mycelium , an underground network of hair-like fibers .   The mycelium can be as small as a few square feet and as large as several thousand acres.  Mycelium in yellow.  Found growing under log. What appears to be cob webs is actually mycelium. Mushroom examples and their lifestyles Shaggy Mane—Shaggy Mane mushrooms grow in the forest here at SOS but can also be found growing out of lawns in the suburbs.  They are characterized by a “shaggy” cap growing on the end of a stalk.  The underside ...

Here at Sierra Outdoor School, we do not believe in wasting resources. In efforts to reduce our waste we have many programs including an Energy Competition where students can monitor their energy usage, a kitchen with all reusable materials, reusable water bottles for sale, and finally our cutest way to minimize food waste is our "Pig Post". Some people may compost their food waste at home, here the pigs do that for us: we call this "Pig Posting" (get it? :D).  One of our naturalists, Ed (or Squirrel), has four pigs that live here near the school. These pigs are fed all of the food that students and adults do not eat during their stay at SOS. As a part of a public school system, we are required to prepare a specific amount of food per person per meal, whether they eat it or not, according to California State guidelines. This leads to leftovers at each meal. Our "Pig Post" program feeds the pigs instead of adding to the landfill. After each m...

We have had an amazing first few months of the School year with many incredible schools discovering the wonders and beauty of nature.Our 2014-15 Interns have been working hard learning more everyday becoming proficient Naturalists. As great enthusiasts of nature and science, the interns cannot wait for the rest of this school year to take students out on one of our hands-on classes in the forest. See you soon!

Each year, interns complete projects to improve the school and leave their mark. Past projects have included new trails, additional teaching spaces, and even a stream to keep the pond healthy. This year the interns will leave behind a multitude of helpful and creative projects. A lover of tracking, Devin captured the footprints of many four-legged residents and painted them all over main campus. Since natural tracks can sometimes be difficult to find, the painted tracks are a fun and exciting introduction to tracking. Try to figure out whose prints are whose. Justin and Molly worked to improve a past intern project, a secondary amphitheater closer to main campus. They doubled the size of the stage area, added more benches, and added steps. Upon the completion of this project they dubbed the amphitheater, the Covanshrein Theater, a combination of the last names’ of interns who worked on the project. Now there is another place on campus to learn, sing, and...

Sierra Outdoor School has an exciting new ambassador at the Raptor Center! We received a female Western Screech Owl from Stanislaus Wildlife Center near Turlock, California on Monday. The owl is an adult that was being kept illegally as a pet. Due to being raised by a human, this owl cannot survive in the wild as it did not develop hunting or mating skills from its parents. This is the second bird of our Raptor Center that must be cared for due to being taken in illegally by humans. Remember, if you find a bird or raptor or any other wildlife, you cannot raise it as a pet. If it is healthy, leave it alone. If it is injured, call a veterinarian or wildlife center. Western Screech Owls are one of three Screech Owl species found in North America but this occurred recently when Eastern and Western Screech Owls were classified as different species. Western Screech Owls are nocturnal animals, cavity nesters and carnivores that eat mammals sometimes bigger than they are, such as cottont...