The Environmental Center

Two-Eyed Seeing: Hawai'ian Indigenous Astronomy & NASA Moon to Mars
2021-03-12 | Deschutes Brewery Public House, 1044 NW Bond St, Bend, OR, 97701, United States
Join for an exciting live show on Hawai’ian Indigenous Astronomy including the revitalization of Wayfinding and traditional Hawai’ian methods of navigation. Students from the Volcano School of Arts and Sciences will present their research which will include a place-based activity, “Make Your Own Hawai’ian Star Compasses” and essential understanding of the Hawaiian Star Families. Also an important discussion on the parallel between the Indigenous Hawai’ian process of choosing a crew and the NASA process used for the Artemis Moon mission (2024) and later the Mars mission (2030’s), both grounded in similar missions of exploration but employing different technologies.

Virtual Lecture: Equinox and the Seasons
2021-03-20
Celebrate the spring equinox with Sunriver Nature Center & Observatory while learning about the seasons and humanity’s ties to the Earth’s relationship with the Sun. Discover how ancient cultures created calendars and marked significant dates such as solstices and equinoxes, and how modern society studies seasonal changes and natural cycles of the Earth and Sun.

Red Planet Mars
2021-04-13
Mars and Earth have much in common. They’re both small rocky planets, and although Mars is smaller, both planets have a similar length of day. Both planets have ice at the poles, and Mars may even have water flowing like Earth. Mars also may have quakes and similar geologic features. Scientists have been gathering evidence that Mars, too, may hold ancient life, in the form of microbes. This lecture will be given by Jim Todd, Director of Space Science Education at the Oregon Museum of Science & Industry (OMSI).

Bring Back the Pollinators: What you can do to help support bees
2021-04-14
With the arrival of spring, many of us living in Oregon turn our thoughts toward flowers and gardens and the plant lover’s favorite friend: the bee!
Get a glimpse into the amazing diversity of bees and other pollinators. Debbie Schlenoff of the Lane County Audubon Society and Aimee Code of the Xerces Society, will discuss the unique needs and behaviors of the hundreds of bee species that inhabit Oregon. They’ll describe the alarming decline in bee species and also let you know about the many opportunities to help bees survive and thrive. You’ll learn about everything from pollinator-friendly gardening to community science, and much more.

Virtual Workshop: Looking Out for Neonatal Wildlife
2021-04-25
One of the most exciting parts of spring is the arrival of baby season. Baby birds, squirrels, rabbits, deer and other wildlife can be easily observed in the landscape. Some animals are fiercely independent within a few days of life while others need longer term care by a parent. This virtual workshop will review the development and behavior of commonly encountered wildlife in our area to help you better recognize when a baby animal may need help and intervention from humans.

Virtual Lecture: Reaching for the Sky: Lessons on Forest Canopies from Science
2021-04-27
Looming right above our heads is one of the last unexplored frontiers on earth: the forest canopy. During this virtual lecture, Dr. David Anderson, ornithologist and founder of Canopy Watch International, will share recent efforts to grow the art and science of canopy access methods.

Virtual Workshop: Living with Flickers: A Homeowner’s Guide
2021-06-16
Join Sunriver Nature Center & Observatory for a virtual workshop to explore how to live with birds such as flickers and nuthatches who want to turn our homes into theirs. Local wildlife rehabilitator, Elise Wolf of Native Bird Care Rescue, will discuss simple ways to either exclude or adapt to our flighted friends and why even the pests, are well, extraordinary.

Back to School Commutes Webinar
2021-07-20
The Fall 2021 return to school presents a crucial opportunity to encourage students and families to use wellness-boosting ways to get to and from school, while helping reduce traffic congestion around schools.
Join the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) and the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) for “The Back to School Commutes Webinar”
What to expect:

Education and transit leaders throughout Oregon will share examples of ways they are innovating on SRTS.
Participants will have the opportunity to connect with coordinators to learn more about new resources to share with educators and school familes.

Augmenting Tribal History/Shared History Curriculum with Project Learning Tree Activities
2021-12-02, 2021-12-07
In this workshop, you will look at examples of how Project Learning Tree (PLT) activities can support students’ learning of the SB13 curriculum (Tribal History/Shared History Curriculum).
Participants will explore how PLT activities can support the interconnectivity of traditional knowledge with scientific understanding. We will include a brief overview of the Tribes of Oregon, and give examples of how to use PLT activities and SB13 together. Participants will have an opportunity to do some research on SB13 curriculum local to their areas and identify PLT activities that support those lessons and vice versa how SB 13 curriculum can support the understanding of PLT activities. All participants will receive a copy of the PLT Explore Your Environment: K-8 Activity Guide.
Registration required. Offered at no cost to formal and nonformal Oregon educators. PDUs available. Substitute reimbursement available on teacher workdays.
Registration closes approximately 2 weeks prior to the workshop.

Virtual Lecture: Assessing Arctic Health with Gyrfalcons
2021-12-14
As predators and arctic specialists, Gyrfalcons are excellent indicator species for how climate change may be impacting habitat and food webs in arctic environments. During this virtual lecture, Michaela Gustafson will share her work with the Peregrine Fund to identify what landscape features are important to Gyrfalcons as they choose nesting sites and how climate change may impact this species and others over time. Michaela is a graduate student at Boise State University and has spent the last seven years conducting field research on raptors and other birds from Puerto Rico to Alaska.

Virtual Lecture: Astronomy Frontiers
2021-12-16
Astronomy is always on the move, a constantly changing landscape of knowledge, mysteries, questions and answers. In this virtual lecture presented by Dr. Shane L. Larson, research professor of physics at Northwestern University, we’ll discuss the tapestry of astronomical technology and knowledge 30 years ago, examine how our perceptions of the Cosmos have changed dramatically in the short time since then, and speculate wildly on what the future may hold.

Oregon's Fisher and Marten
2022-01-19
In your travels across Oregon, you may have seen a marten. Or was it a wolverine? Or…maybe it was a fisher?
Well, if these questions ever crossed your mind, this is the webcast for you!
On January 19th join guest biologist Dr. Katie Moriarty, a research scientist with the National Council for Air and Stream Improvement (NCASI), will be digging into what, exactly, are fisher and marten, how to tell them apart, what their current habitats are, and why they’re so important in the ecosystem. You’ll also learn about some of the threats they are facing today and what can be done to help.
Make sure to RSVP to learn more about these ferocious and fuzzy mammals and their role in Oregon. You won’t want to miss this webcast!

Virtual Program: NASA’s Lucy Mission
2022-01-20
Join SNCO’s very own JPL/NASA Solar System Ambassador Paul Poncy for a special virtual program on NASA’s LUCY Mission. Paul was in Florida at the historic launch of the probe. NASA’s Lucy mission is the first spacecraft launched to explore the Trojan asteroids, a population of primitive asteroids orbiting in tandem with Jupiter.
SNCO members receive 15% off registration
