With the celebrations of both Earth Day on Thursday, April 22^nd, 2010 and Arbor Day on Friday, April 30^th, 2010, it’s a great time to celebrate our wonderful natural world by getting outdoors and being connected with nature, and Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery is the perfect place to do just that! Yes, whether it’s enjoying a day of fishing with friends and/or family at hatchery creek or making plans for a field trip for you and your students, the entire staff at Wolf Creek welcomes you for a visit seven days a week as our Visitor/Environmental Education Center is open 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. CST daily. Beginning May 1^st, 2010, we will be open 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. CST as well seven days per week too, giving you and yours more time to visit.

 

Are you looking for ways to better connect with nature? If so, Wolf Creek NFH has some great ideas! For families, and others looking for engaging ideas on how to better enjoy and learn about the outdoors, the hatchery reminds the public to remember the new Nature Rocks! Family Nature Club! Beginning in January 2010, the monthly event offers plenty of fun activities, snacks and more for families seeking ways to better connect with the natural world around them. There is no charge to attend, and the next program will be held at the Russell County Public Library in Jamestown, Kentucky on Tuesday, April 20^th, 2010 from 5 p.m.  – 6:30 p.m. 

 

For educators and others working in the field of environmental

education, water wetlands education will be the themes for 3 different

environmental education workshops scheduled to take place at the

hatchery April 16^th, 17^th and 18^th, 2010. On Friday, April 16^th,

2010, the hatchery will serve as host for a Project WET

and WOW! – Wonders of Wetland Workshop. Since 1984, Project

WET, an award-winning 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, has

dedicated itself to the mission of reaching children, parents, teachers

and community members of the world with water education. 

Combined with WOW!, which features over 50 multidisciplinary

activities correlated to National Science Standards, you won’t want

to miss these two wonderful curriculums! Leave this workshop with

activities you can do with your students to better their understanding

of the ecological function and value of wetlands, the importance of

water, conservation, etc and ways to promote informed decision-

making regarding wetlands. It’s sure to be a fun-filled day of hands

on learning and is suitable for a wide audience, including teachers, 4-

H leaders, Boy/Girl Scout leaders, etc. The event will begin at 9

a.m. and conclude at 4 p.m. The cost is $40.00, which includes all

programming, materials, books, lunch and snacks. Please contact

Education/Outreach Specialist Amanda Patrick at 270-343-3797 or

via email at Amanda_Patrick@fws.gov to register for the event. 

 

On Saturday, April 17^th and Sunday, April 18^th, 2010, Environmental Concern, Inc. (based in St. Michael, Maryland) will be at the hatchery to lead a two-day WOW! – Wonders of Wetland Facilitator Workshop along with a POW! – Planning of Wetlands Workshop. By attending Saturday’s event, attendees will be able to serve as WOW! Facilitators, which enables graduates to lead their own WOW! workshops to educators in their communities. In order to register, participants must have completed a

WOW! workshop, so if you have never taken a WOW! course and

would like to become a facilitator, please make plans to register for

both Friday, April 16^th, 2010’s Project WET and WOW!

Workshop along with the Saturday WOW! facilitator event.

 

Adding to the theme of wetlands education, on Sunday, April 18^th,

2010, the hatchery will also offer a POW! – Planning of Wetlands

Workshop. Through this training, you’ll learn the process of creating,

restoring or enhancing a wetland on school grounds or within the

community. POW! incorporates activities that allow students to

fully participate in designing, preparing, and monitoring a schoolyard

wetland and utilizing it as an outdoor classroom. Program times for

both Saturday and Sunday dates are 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. CST, and the

cost for the WOW! facilitator is $40.00 while the the POW! event is

$50.00. All fees include programming, curriculum materials and

snacks. For more information and/or to register, visit

www.wetland.org or call 410-745-

9620.

 

Don’t forget too that in celebration of the natural world, the hatchery will host the annual Earth Day Celebration Saturday, April 24^th, 2010. , Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery (NFH) will be partnering with the Friends of Wolf Creek National fish Hatchery, Inc and the Russell County Soil Conservation District to sponsor and celebrate the arrival of spring and the great outdoors by hosting the hatchery’s annual Earth Day Celebration! The Visitor/Environmental Education Center will open from 8 a.m. CST – 4 p.m. CST, and a variety of organizations and agencies will have booths on hand promoting different ways to get connected to the natural world starting at 9 a.m. CST running through 3:30 p.m. CST. Agencies planning to attend include the following:  Russell County Soil Conservation District; Russell County Middle School PRIDE Club; Friends of Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery, Inc.; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery; Russell County Community Health Coalition; Kentucky Division for Air Quality; and Trout Unlimited. Free tree seedlings will be given away by the Friends of Wolf Creek NFH, Inc along with many other goodies and helpful information and hand outs from the myriad of other organizations on hand. 

 

To learn more about programs at the hatchery, including ways to better connect your family and friends with the outdoors and/or how to become a volunteer, please contact Amanda Patrick, Environmental Education/Outreach Specialist, at 270-343-3797 or via email:  Amanda_Patrick@fws.gov