The Pelican — NNBA's Bird Education Musketeers at Washoe Lake

By Tina Nappe

Another busy, long-time bird education program ended with the school year in May. A cornerstone of our Education Committee's programming, NNBA has sponsored an outdoor, hands-on biology class at Washoe Lake for years. The program prioritizes students in Title I schools. While it initially focused on Washoe County schools, students now come from Carson City, Gardnerville, and, recently, some homeschooled kids.

The Washoe Lake program, ten miles from Carson City and twenty miles from Reno, relies on school bus delivery. School buses, with costs underwritten by a grant NNBA receives, drop off first-, second-, and third-grade students at the picnic area in the park. This May, 13 field trips were completed, educating approximately 539 youth in total.

Alan Gubanich | Chair, NNBA Education Committee

The students first surround a table covered with binoculars and a few scopes. They are asked who has used binoculars before. They receive an orientation on how to use them. Then they divide into three groups. One group is handed binoculars and walks off to find birds. Their first bird is the intrepid robin, who seems indifferent to their presence. Too busy looking for food.

​A second group plays a game of chickadees and scrub jays. The chickadee gathers nuts to hide now to eat in the winter. The scrub jay wants to find them and eat them now.  

The third group takes a drop of dirty water from a bucket and places it under a microscope. They see the algae, but they are looking for copepods, rotifers, or tardigrades. They call out with excitement when they have one.

​An hour and a half; then they are gone. They leave behind volunteers happy to see the student’s joy and enthusiasm.  

The Washoe Lake classes are offered for several weeks and require four to five volunteers per day. Alan Gubanich and Lorraine Hickey took turns leading trips, and Patty Moen helped with all but one. Many thanks to this year's volunteers:

Alan Gubanich

Lorraine Hickey

Patty Moen

Manisha Rohatgi

Julie Ansell

Sheryl Ferguson

Nancy Santos

Linda St-Cyr

Bruce Blackadar

Akai Edwa

Samantha Elfighi

Scott Ferguson

Pat King

Eileen Puterski

Kasey Rodriquez

Mary Ann Bonner

Vickie Clay

Paula Gessler

Steve Gessler

Phyllis Henderson

Aly Lopez

Tina Nappe

Bob Puterski

Becca Serdehely

Valerie Andersen

David Atwater

Martha Hildreth

Jennifer Jay

Sue Stevenson