What's up on the Dr George

I took a moment today to take a stroll around the Dr George Trail (the 1 km trail) in the Sanctuary. It's a busy place, the Dr George, even in December. Here's a little of what I saw:

Squirrel tracks around the Sanctuary sign pillar

Deer track amongst the boot tracks

Snowshoe tracks. We rent snowshoes, if you've ever wanted to give it a try.

Like humans, when one deer makes a trail the rest tend to use it instead of making a new one. Deer aren't the only things that use deer trails -- they can be a good place to look for other tracks.

The tracks are a little melted out, but you can still see the loop this mouse or vole took around the deer tracks.

The frozen Gaetz Lakes become highways for all sorts of animals.

Click on any of the photos to see them larger.

If you have photos of any local winter animal goings-on that you'd like me to post here on the blog, feel free to e-mail them to us here at the Nature Centre (general@waskasoopark.ca). Let us know who you are so we can properly credit the photo, and tell us a little bit about where the shot was taken.

New Tools, to Serve You Better

We just took delivery of four new Discovery Carts. These carts were custom-made by the Central Alberta Woodworkers Guild. Each cart will have a theme and will hold props, games and activities relating to theme.

Each weekend interpreters will set up one or more carts in the Discovery Room. You'll be able to self-guide you and your kids through the activities, take activity packs outside or, have an interpreter lead you through some natural history. At the end of the weekend, the carts will roll under the counter in the Discovery Room; leaving the room clear for Nature Nursery.

Our thanks to Chuck, Denis and Guy for their hard work in building the carts, and to Kaley for her great design.

Watch for the carts to begin duty, this fall in the Discovery Room at the Kerry Wood Nature Centre.

Battery Exchange Results

The table shows the results from the 2010 Red Deer Schools Battery Drive. Our thanks to all the schools who participated and to The City of Red Deer, Waste Management Division for funding the project.

Students in Red Deer collected 600kg more batteries this year than in 2009. Well done everybody.

Also, in support of the 20th anniversary of Earth Day (yesterday, April 22), the International League of Conservation Photographers posted the Top 40 nature photographs from the past 100 years. You can see them at Flikr by clicking here.