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Banding Together

Jun 25, 2009 9:18 PM

Today was one of those experiences I’ll replay over and over again in my mind. When I wasn’t photographing or videotaping the activities, I was participating in them right along with the youth from the Boys and Girls Club of Danville.  I loved being with everyone in the park. 

I learned so much!  I got to hold a goose during the goose banding activity.  By holding it close to your body, the goose doesn’t flap around as much.  The goose I held felt warm and was slightly heavy like my 14-pound cat.  The goose’s feet felt like leather.  The youth were hesitant to touch them at first but all of them did and some of them held them, too.  I got some great video of Brandon releasing a goose.

During the fish shocking (electric spider-like tentacles are dangled in the water to shock the fish and the shocked fish are retrieved in a net when they float to the surface alive but shocked) we were told not to touch the water or we would get electrocuted.  Brandon asked our guide why the shocking doesn’t kill the fish but would kill us.  The DNR instructor told us that since we are so much bigger than fish and so much of our body is water and water is a great conductor of electricity, that the electric current is too much for us but not for a small fish.

I didn’t know that poison ivy can grow up a tree as a big vine!  Jacqueline showed us the three-leafed poison ivy flower on the ground and a huge thick vine that had wrapped itself around the tree. The vine had the green three-leafed poison ivy around it and that’s how we knew that the vine itself was poison ivy.

Both WICD-TV and WCIA-TV came out to interview the youth and Glynnis from Prairie Rivers Network. They all did a great job.  Amy Reiter from the News-Gazette is coming out tomorrow along with a photographer to do a story. 

The youth from the Club did every activity wholeheartedly.  And, to my surprise, they had no problem sitting still for the meditation and breathing exercises from yoga instructor, Mary. I thought for sure they would be fidgety.  They said they enjoyed the calm.  So I get to drop that stereotype that youth can’t sit still!

I am so very grateful for all of the youth and the partners working with us. And John is just top-notch,  he had recruited so many people from the DNR to help teach the youth. And Marc Miller, the new director of the DNR, came by special to welcome the youth.  John told us that this was the first time in 20 years that a DNR director has visited Kickapoo

Tomorrow the youth get to learn gun safety and shoot at clay pigeons, take photographs, canoe and fish!  I am too excited to sleep!

Shocking Day

Jun 25, 2009 7:54 PM

What a fun day! I have been to Kickapoo State Park many times before, but I can honestly say that I’ve never had a day quite like this one - and will remember it for a long time! Many firsts for the kids - and for me—goose tagging, fish shocking (who knew it was such a dangerous activity?!), gigantic minnows, huge poison ivy that looked like a tree, and yoga on the clifftop that was somehow both relaxing and muscle-building. The sassafras plant was yummy - or perhaps I was starving by that point of the hike? It was wonderful to see everyone participate in the activities despite the heat and unknowns - such an adventurous group. I look forward to sharing more adventures tomorrow. Thanks to everyone (and to John for keeping the rain away!)

What I Did I Never Thought I Would Do

Jun 25, 2009 5:58 PM

When we got to Kickapoo it was burning up. TaNasja and I did something I thought me or her would ever do. Well first of all we went what I like to call goose wrangling. This guy asked us who wants to hold it so me and TaNasja said we did. So we both held it took some pictures (the goose was heavy). Then we went fishing in a way you wouldn’t imagine. We electrocuted the fish and got to hold some. Ounce again here’s me and TaNasja daring each other. We each held the fish and had a lot of fun. 

I’m Scared of the geese

Jun 25, 2009 4:00 PM

I have to say that i really enjoyed today at the park. I got a chance to handel the geeseand touch the fish oh yeah and i held it to. It was something new i really hope they keep this goin.

kickapoo

Jun 25, 2009 3:55 PM

first we learned about safety and do’s and dont’s.then we went to where there were geese and we picked them up and petted them i prefered not to. next we watched people shock fish and we got to touch them.finally we went hiking and did yoga on the cliff. it was all very fun

My day atKickapoo State park. 6/25/09 (Alexandra)

Jun 25, 2009 3:50 PM

Today at kickapoo state park, we got to touch geese and set them free after they were tagged. We also watched a trainned expert shock fish(they didnt die) and catch them to see that we have fish for when you go fishing. After that we saw stuffed animals…... very cool. Then, we went for a hike and seen all different types of plants. While we were on the hike, we stopped at a cliff and did yoga…how cool is that..yoga was more refreshing than anything…lol. That was my day at Kickapoo State park.

                            ♥♥Alexandra♥♥

Hello from Massachusetts!

Jun 10, 2009 2:43 PM

I’m at a conference of Directors from conservation groups across the US and Canada. I’ve told these colleagues about our project and everyone is very interested - we’re all trying to find ways to get young people connected with nature and the outdoors so that they will carry that connection through their lives. I’m looking forward to getting back home and working out the final details of our fun outings in the park!

Counting the days….

May 29, 2009 2:38 PM

Met with Rickey, John, Jacqueline, Glynnis and Michelle today at the Club to further plan the activities for the teens’ June 25 and 26 days at the park.  After nearly 30 years working at the DNR, John has quite a few contacts.  He’s lined up people to teach the gun safety/shooting, duck banding, fishing, and more and some surprises that I won’t blog about now!  As project partners, we get to do the activities along with the teens.  That will be fun.  I’m so glad the teens are now blogging on their own.  Most are first time bloggers.  I brought copies of the June Patterns magazine to give to everyone because it has an article in it about the project and photos from the April clean-up day.  We all need and deserve attention. I once heard that children don’t care what you know. They just want to know that you care.

How I Got Started

May 29, 2009 10:54 AM

I wanted to join “Kickin It At Kickapoo” because i thought it would be fun. Some of my friends would tell me stories about what happened there. Like I remember my friend Ta’Nasja Adkisson told me about how a boat got stuck and they had to set out a SOS. Also thouhgt it would get me out of the house in the summer. So,there is my story of how I got started at “Kickin It At Kickapoo”.

My experience at Kickapoo S.O.S

May 28, 2009 3:55 PM

  I would have to say that i had an very enjoyable time at kickapoo. I really would say that i had a great time on the paddle boats. tha chain had popped off and i flip out i thought that i was going to have to get in a very lil boat to get back to shore. every body had a great laugh that day because of me. From that mishap is have a new nickname S.O.S now every where i go that is what many people call me they think its funny.Im so glad that many people had a great laugh.

Now the interview
I have to addmit that i was very nerves going in to that I did wont to say anything that didn’t go wit wat was asked. But overall I do think that it went well. i fell that i could of done alot of things different. But It was fun and something that i will love to do again.