Greetings from Napa RCD, and welcome to the fourth edition of our weekly activity digests!
Did you know that Napa County is a hotspot within a global hotspot of biodiversity? The real question is this, though: What is a biodiversity hotspot? Check out this week's digest to explore biodiversity here in Napa County and around the globe.
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We have an exciting bonus for y'all this week!
At 10 am this Thursday (April 16), Napa RCD's Education Coordinator, Eric McKee, will be giving a family-friendly Zoom + Facebook Live presentation called "
Uniquely Napa County
" which will highlight the unique nature of Napa County. To register,
RSVP here
.
As always, don't forget to share the things you're finding and doing on social media, tagging @NapaRCD and #WILDnapa. We can't wait to see what you're up to!
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Many thanks to the following education and outreach activity sponsors for their support: NOAA, County of Napa, City of Napa, the Watershed Information and Conservation Council, and Friends of the Napa River.
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Online & Inside Activities
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We've mentioned before that birds are a great connection point to nature- they're everywhere, and we can see them with our bare eyes! We'd like to once again encourage you to visit our friends at
Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology
.
They have amazing resources to help you learn about birds around your neighborhood. Check out the
Urban Birds
page to learn more or, if you want to get really advanced, take a free online course at
academy.allaboutbirds.org
!
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BONUS Online & Inside Activity!
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With schools in Napa County out until the end of the year, we are opening the Water Conservation Video Contest to include all students, families, and all-ages groups in Napa County. Submissions are due by 5 pm on Friday, May 22.
Videos are a maximum of 30 seconds, and should speak to this year's theme: "I save our water because..."
Winners will have their video shown at the beginning of each film for one week when Century Napa Valley Theatre reopens. The winning student/family will also receive a $100 gift card to the movies!
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Online & Outside Activities
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Look to the skies!
The stars have always had that
pull
, inspiring curiosity since the beginning of our time. Looking up at the vast night sky can be a humbling, awe-inspiring experience.
April is a great month for stargazing. For example, the Lyrid Meteor shower will be on show from April 14 - 30 (peak activity will occur on EARTH DAY, April 22).
There are a lot of great resources to learn about the stars, including
Skymaps
(where you can download a monthly guide to your night sky or a starwheel), and the
SkyView App
for real-time exploration!
SkyView
uses your mobile device's screen and location sensors to give you an augmented reality view of what's up in the sky. Once you've downloaded the app, you can just hold it up to the sky and explore what you see! The app can display an object's track in the sky as well as information on select objects, planets, and satellites. There's also a "time travel" feature that allows you to view the sky as it would have appeared in the past, or will appear in the future!
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So far we have practiced recording our observations with words and pictures. Another important way to make an observation is with numbers. Using numbers helps us view things in a different way. Numbers can be used for counting, measuring, and timing in our observations.
For this entry, find an area with a few different natural organisms. Spend some time observing the things around you, trying to find ways to quantify your observations. Try something like counting bird calls during a certain time limit, measuring the distance between leaves on a branch, or timing the speed of a slug.
We'd love to know what you discover as you observe in numbers! T
ag your journal entries, charts, and drawings @NapaRCD and #WILDnapa.
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Finding the Natural Balance
Construct a scale to weigh objects - using primarily materials found in nature! Find a mostly-straight stick, hang it from a strong bar or branch, and then attach two strings to the outside edges. At the bottom of those strings, attach two different nature items and compare! Is that rock heavier than that acorn? What about that pine cone- is it heavier or lighter than your dog's treats?
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Urban Biodiversity
How biodiverse is your block? Let's calculate a diversity index of just the trees around your block!
While on a walk, count the number of trees you see. Make it easy by only counting trees along the sidewalk. Keep track of trees of the same species (remember, you can use the app
iNaturalist
to figure out what species of tree you are looking at if you want to get exact!), so if the leaves and bark are the same, make a note of how many of each species you see. For example: 12 trees with peely bark and spikey seedballs (note: that's a sycamore!); 10 trees with soft needles; 14 trees with sharp needles; 7 oaks - we saw 4 DIFFERENT SPECIES TOTAL.
Which species make up the greatest amount of your count? Which ones were least common? Don't forget to record your observations in your nature journal!
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This week's featured flower was found along the Napa Valley Vine Trail and is called Western Blue-eyed Grass, or
Sisyrinchium bellum
.
You can learn more about this purple-hued beauty on
CalFlora
or
iNaturalist
.
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Napa County Resource Conservation District | 707-252-4189 |
NapaRCD.org
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