NATURE | Behind the Scenes of “Hummingbirds” | PBS

Another great bird video from PBS and Nature. This one features hummingbirds!  

Plants & Pollen Resources

Nature Explore Education from the National Arbor Day Foundation: A complete research-based program of fun, effective resources to help educators, families, and others working to connect children with nature. Nature Explore Classrooms are being constructed at schools; nature centers; national forests, parks, and wildlife refuges; zoos; arboretums; and child care centers. They are appropriate wherever […]

Birds Resources

Avian Science Center at the University of Montana: The mission of the Avian Science Center is to promote ecological awareness and informed decision making through the collection, synthesis, and dissemination of science-based information on western birds. The Center provides numerous outdoor workshops and educational events in Montana in the warm seasons. All About Birds from […]

Nests & Eggs

Bird Incubation Period Chicken 20-22 days Ostrich 42-50 days Parakeet (budgie) 27-28 days Pigeon 14-18 days Swan 30 days Toucan 18 days Birds bear their young in hard-shelled eggs which hatch after some time. Some birds, like chickens, lay eggs each day, while others (like the maleo) may go for years between laying eggs. Birds […]

Water Resources

CFWEP World Water Monitoring Day Teacher Resource Guide (pdf format): Designed for high school level lessons, this short guidebook can be useful to any teacher interested in water monitoring. Provides detailed definitions of water monitoring terms, as well as local Montana examples of water quality issues. Indicator Fact Sheet (pdf format): From World Water Monitoring […]

Step 4: Analyze & Communicate Your Data

Was my hypothesis conclusively right or wrong? What next?  At this point, you should be able to tell if your data not only proves or disproves your hypothesis, but whether it does so conclusively. Conclusively means you can say without much doubt that your hypothesis was right or wrong and the reasons why. If you […]

Step 3: Observe, Collect Data & Evaluate Results

Did the data I collected prove or disprove my hypothesis?    We recommend having students keep a science notebook to record their field observations and data points. You should make detailed observations about the study site whenever you visit it. For this module, good things to note would be the presence or absence of vegetation around […]

Step 1: Observation & Research

What do you know about your study site and your watershed? The steps you take in answering this question will lead you toward formulating the questions that you want to answer with respect to water quality (i.e. our testable question) through the monitoring field activity. Check Your Thinking: What watershed is your study site within? […]

How to Create a Water Quality Monitoring Plan

We know what water is. We know what water quality is. Now all we have to do is go out and monitor water quality, right? Wrong. It’s not quite that easy. While we will be putting everything we’ve just learned together to develop a plan to investigate water quality near our school or home, we […]

Water Quality Impacts: Nonpoint Source

In this short video, Matt Vincent illustrates rural nonpoint source impacts to water quality. Right-click or ctrl-click this link to download.   In this short video, Matt Vincent illustrates urban nonpoint source impacts to water quality on Blacktail Creek in Butte, Montana. Right-click or ctrl-click this link to download.