Snowshoes break the trail to ecology lesson for kids

Students in Grades 2 and 3 strapped on snowshoes Friday for hands on lessons in winter forest ecology.

The Island Nature Trust led the group of children from Gulf Shore Consolidated hoofed it through the woodsbehind their school in North Rustico,

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P.E.I.Tracks in the soft, melting snow had Nolan Mackay and his chums puzzled.

"Do you guys think this is an American beaver?" Nolan shouted.

"No!" came the reply from Matthew Toombs.

"Red fox maybe," said Maven LaVoie.

The trio consulteda laminated sheet supplied by the Island Nature Trust. It showed pictures of animal tracks.

"Red fox, definitely."

'Look at forests in a different way'

In aclearing among thetrees, Julie-Lynn Zahavich,stewardship coordinator with the Island Nature Trust, explained what the Forest Ecology Program is all about.

"We're hoping studentslook at forests in a different way," said Zahavich. "It can have lots of things attractive to wildlife. We're hoping that they'll see the difference between a natural forest and maybe a single species forest that doesn't have those features that make it more welcoming to winter wildlife."

The nature trust is running the program with a $5,000 grant from the P.E.I. Wildlife Conservation Fund. Staff are offering the program to schools through the end of March.

Connecting classroom learning with outdoors

In an open field, Chelsey Folsom, program coordinator, was teaching students to use a compass and map to track their progress on snowshoes.

Under sunny skies and warm temperatures, the kids opened their winter jackets to stay cool.

"It's definitely good exercise," said their teacher, Michelle DeBlois. "We've been learning to read maps in class. Now they're doing it outside. This experience connects social studies andscience. The students have to work together to solve problems."

Program headed to other schools

Staff from Island Nature Trust will take the Forest Ecology Program to Vernon River Consolidated School in coming days, and to schools in Prince County after that.

Back in the woods, students were examininglow-lying branches of a tree. The bark had been stripped away.

"A snowshoe hare ate the bark," Zahavichsaid, pointing to distinctive, elongated animal tracks.

"We've got snowshoes, too," a student replied.

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