Did you know …

Nothing captures the imagination of a child quite like learning about and interacting with other creatures — and which creatures are more ubiquitous than birds!”

So begins an article in the February/March 2017 issue of Mother Earth News. And what a great time of year to commence educating and inspiring kids to care for nature and our environment. Our winged summer visitors have been returning to Alaska for a few weeks now and the Kenai River Birding Festival is around the corner: May 18 thru 21, celebrating our area birds through a variety of low cost or free activities for all ages. To get started, you might check out some of the wonderful books on birds at our libraries: On Bird Hill by Jane Yolen, Mama Built a Nest by Jennifer Ward, One Wing’s Gift by Joan Harris, Pandora by Victoria Turnbull, Backyard by Donal M. Silver, and Crow and Weasel by Barry Lopez. Bird Brainiacs is an activity book and journal for young birders that can be downloaded.

Resources for further learning and exploration: American Birding Association aba.org, National Audubon Society audubon.org, and Nest Watch nestwatch.org. From your own backyard to beach, meadow, or woods, there are lots of birds to discover and learn about.

Information provided by ReGroup, a nonprofit educational group, formed in 1989 to develop public awareness of waste reduction, reuse and recycling benefits on Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula. ReGroup meets every third Monday of the month at 6:30p.m. at Hope Community Center on Princeton Avenue off Kalifornsky Beach Road. Find ReGroup on Facebook (look for our logo and Community Organization) or contact at regroupkenaipeninsula@gmail.com.