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Triangle ICO:

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A sampling of our recent trips:

2/22 - Nature Program at Agape Nature Center: The students from Heritage Park Learning Center spent a warm and sunny day at local parks, hiking and learning about wetland birds. We started the day hiking the 1.9 mile unimproved section of trail at Lake Johnson where we saw Herons, Mallards, Geese and Cormorants as well as a variety of habitats and tree species. After lunch we headed to the Walnut Creek Wetlands Center for a staff lead presentation on Wetland Birds, covering the importance of wetlands and how to identify different birds based on their markings and calls. After the presentation we went on a quick walk through the wetlands where the students were quizzed on local waterways and looked for birds and animals. Cardinals, Mourning Doves, Chickadees and Turkey Vultures were just some of the birds we found.

Some great photos from various 2011-2012 trips:

Carolina Beach State Park and Fort Fisher State Park: For the June 2012 outing, ICO went camping outside of Wilmington, NC at Carolina Beach State Park. The weekend was mostly spent on the beach at Fort Fisher State Park, enjoying the sand, waves, shells, kites, and scenery. A few critters including some raccoons and hermit crabs were spotted back at the campsite. The students learned to cook pancakes on a camp stove and enjoyed sitting around the camp fire making s'mores.

Strawberry Picking and Blue Jay County Park: Triangle ICO spent a sunny May Saturday picking strawberries and completing the first ICO Field Day event. The students worked quickly, picking nearly 28 pounds of strawberries. These later got turned into homemade strawberry shortcake for lunch and all the students got to take some berries home with them. While at Blue Jay County Park, ICO organized several field day events, including potato sack races, egg races, and bubble gum blowing contests. The students cooled off with a quick wade in Falls Lake, before returning home.

Anderson Point Park: Triangle ICO's trip to Anderson Point Park on March 10, 2012, was enlightening. Our group from Heritage Park was pleasantly surprised to see such wonderful amenities and natural bird habitats less than 8 miles from their neighborhood. There were long, broad trails leading from the play areas to the nature areas and the sights and sounds of the Neuse River coaxing us to explore!

Sylvan Heights Waterfowl Park: On Saturday, February 11, 2012, Triangle ICO traveled to Scotland Neck in Eastern NC to visit the Sylvan Heights Waterfowl Park, with thousands of birds on display from all continents. The students enjoyed visiting with the flamingo, where they learned that the iron in their diet makes them pink. They also enjoyed feeding the ducks, and seeing the exotic bird section, and hearing the Kookaburras sing. After the birds, we enjoyed a picnic lunch, where we spotted a wild turkey and saw the peacocks flare their feathers. In the afternoon we visited the terrarium, beaver lookout, and tree house.

Scrap Exchange and Duke Forest: Triangle ICO kicked off 2012 with a visit to Scrap Exchange in Durham where we learned about the importance of recycling and reuse in our society. We got to make crafts out of recycled materials, including a house, several musical instruments, Sponge Bob, Spider Man, and several toys. We then ventured into Duke Forest to enjoy a fire, started without any matches!! We roasted marshmallows and then walked the nature trail.

Walnut Creek Wetland Center and Raleigh Winterfest Ice Rink: Heritage Park spent the December 2011 outing making bird feeders and going on a scavenger hunt at the Walnut Creek Wetland Center before braving the downtown Raleigh outdoor ice rink. Everyone had a blast ice skating and falling down in the wintery weather!

Occoneechee Mountain and Ayr Mount Poet's Walk: On November 19, 2011, students from Heritage Park Learning Center and volunteers spent a glorious fall day hiking at Occoneechee Mountain followed by a lunch that ended with rainbow cupcakes! After lunch we wandered the grounds and ran through the fields of Ayr Mount.

Lake Wheeler: On October 22, 2011, ICO spent a fall day at Lake Wheeler Park in Raleigh. We began with a nature scavenger hunt, spotting vines, fish, feathers, quartz, and birds nests among many other things. In the afternoon, we headed out to the canoes for a boat race and to observe the fall colors from the water.

BugFest, Lions Park and Greenway Hike: On September 17, 2011, Triangle ICO enjoyed BugFest at the Museum of Natural Sciences. We started our bug activities with a cockroach race. Then we learned about ant research (www.schoolofants.org) and made hats and book markers that looked like butterflies. We warmed up in the museum and ate chocolate covered mealworms! After lunch and free play at Lions Park, we took a 0.5 mile walk on the Raleigh greenway system over a bog. There we saw beaver dams and egrets!

Camping at Hammocks Beach State Park: On May 21-22, 2011, ICO explored Bear Island at Hammocks Beach State Park in Swansboro, NC. We set up camp in the dunes and spent the day swimming, floating, exploring the shoreline, and watching the pelicans and dolphins! We found many shells and sand dollars along the shore during the day, watched the sunset, and spotted ghost crabs scurrying into the ocean at night.

Earth Day Celebration: On April 16th, 2011, Heritage Park spent a windy day at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences checking out the Earth Day celebration and live animals at the museum. One of our volunteers and Sierra Club staffer, Carina Bartlett-Loro, made the news along with one of our students!

Durant Nature Park: The 2011 annual stream clean-up at Durant Nature Park in North Raleigh was a big success! Youth ages 8-12 collected 5 large bags of litter and spent the sunny afternoon turning over rocks looking for water creatures! Their outdoor education was expanded by the City of Raleigh Nature Reptile Program, where they learned about turtles, saw anoles and petted hissing cockroaches and corn snakes.

Museum of Life and Science: On February 19th, 2011, ICO visited the Durham Museum of Life and Science and got to explore a variety of environmental education exhibits including the butterfly house and insect room complete with spiders, horn worms, and stick bugs. We also explored the dinosaur trail where we learned about extinction and found fossils from ancient sea floors that are now Eastern North Carolina.

International Civil Rights Center & Museum and Gardens: ICO spent Martin Luther King Jr. weekend 2011 in Greensboro. We experienced the snow, ice, waterfalls, bald cypress and waterfowl at the Bog Garden, and explored the sun dials, icicles, and evergreens of the Bicentennial Garden. We then toured the International Civil Rights Museum and Woolworth's lunch counter in downtown Greensboro.

Walnut Creek Wetland Center and Ice Skating: Heritage Park spent our December 2010 trip exploring downtown Raleigh. The new Walnut Creek Wetland Center is a beautiful facility where we learned about the importance of wetlands and how they affect our water quality. The afternoon was spent ice skating at the Winterfest Outdoor rink where all the kids had a blast!

Piedmont Wildlife Center and NC Botanical Gardens: On November 20, 2010, ICO spent the day at the Piedmont Wildlife Center in Durham identifying tracks of deer, coyote, raccoon, and humans! We learned about lichen, spearmint, wild mushrooms, and how to identify different types of trees. We also learned how to hide from the "cougars". Next we ventured out to the NC Botanical Gardens for a picnic and we got to explore the Koi fish ponds and tadpoles and watch the venus fly traps in action.

Ganyard Hill Farm and Falls Lake: Heritage Park spent our October 2010 trip on the farm, visiting the pot-bellied pigs and goats and picking out pumpkins to bring home. Emmanuel got buried in the corn and everyone liked wading in the lake!

Umstead State Park: For the September 2010 outing, ICO spent the day at Umstead State Park hiking, cooking out, and canoeing on the Big Lake! We saw several snapping turtles, great blue herons, ducks and egrets out on the lake and we got in a nice hike on the Sycamore trail.