Education

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Studying the excrement of owls

Nancy Griffith from Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority (SVCA) lead a session Nature-ology with the Girls Science Club at the Bruce Power visitor Centre on Friday that initially drew many "yuck"(s) from the group.

Griffith, who has worked with conservation authorities for over 30 years, enjoys  "... sharing cool stuff that students find awesome."

"I've collected for years," says Griffith, "from the age that these girls are now."  She started with 'road kill' that she would pick up with a shovel, bring home and bury in the backyard with a marker.  "I would leave it for a year letting the creatures of the soil do their 'cleaning work'," she explained to the class.

The students, Grades 4 to 8 from elementary schools in Saugeen Shores and Kincardine, probed and prodded as they dissected owl pellets in an attempt to determine what owls eat.

They were amazed to find fur and many bones, that once cleaned and placed on charts were found to belong to weasels, birds, moles and other small animals that had been eaten by owls and excreted.

Nancy Griffith display a weasel and mink scull from her private collection

Jennie Franklin and Sheetal Gill

Nancy Griffith demonstrates how a cow's jawbones works

Reconstructing prey by placing bones on charts

(L) Danielle McKitterick, Faith Catalan and Emma Arnold

While some of the girls did not relish the experience, others appeared to be enthralled by it and even expressed that they were considering science or medicine studies.

The program that is held on every P.D. Day (professional development day for teachers where students are off school) has taught over 8,000 students a year.

Following the classroom instruction, Griffith took the students on an outdoor hike in the protected wildlife area.  "We expect to see many signs of deer and other wildlife," said Griffith.

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Sunday, November 20, 2011