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THE ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION PROGRAM OF THE I.B.R.C.E.
Anywhere in the world, any time of year, any part of the day, birds surround us with their calls and songs. And yet, they go unnoticed by most people. We at the I.B.R.C.E. believe that bringing the existence of birds and their sensitivity to human action and behavior could make a real change towards effective environmental education and conservation. A major conservation project is never complete without an environmental education program for the community around it. So, taking advantage of the knowledge acquired by our long going research station and using the proximity of our preserved area to the town, we developed an educational program that will serve the nearby community, and help us achieve our longer term goals. The program's main goal is to create a society that will understand the human impact on the environment, and will take proper measures to defend it. Worldwide, birds are considered to be the most effective indicator of environmental changes, such as pollution, global warming, and habitat destruction, which all show a major impact on birds' distribution and behavior. When birds and children meet at close range, and the child can touch and release the bird back to nature, an emotional attachment is created. Combining the sensitivity of birds with this emotional connection, we believe that an effective environmental education program can be achieved. We operate in partnership with Keren Karev, to establish two educational programs: "Humans, Birds, and Environment" – Fourth to sixth grades in schools. This program teaches a basic understanding of birds' behavior and biology, in respect to the environment and human activity. "The Birds and Us" – Kindergarten to second grade. A three session program, to create awareness of birds' existence and diversity, and the way in which humans effect them.
City Mouse and Country Mouse – The story of the House Sparrow and the Spanish Sparrow for children
Once upon a time, there was a city mouse, who lived in a rich man's house, and ate only the best food that could be found. One day, his cousin, the country mouse, came to the city for a visit. The city mouse shared all of his delicious food with the country mouse, but the country mouse still wished to return to his home in the fields. When the city mouse asked his cousin why he would not want to live in a rich man's house and be served such delicious food all the time, the country mouse told the city mouse that all the gourmet food in the world was not worth the risk of the dangerous cats, traps, and Jeremy, the new toddler in the house who kept chasing the city mouse and trying to pull his tail. So the country mouse returned to his home in the field, where he could eat his seeds in peace and not worry about the dangers of the city, depending on humans, or Jeremy pulling his tail.
The same story is also true for some birds. Like the City Mouse, the House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) lives in cities, feeding on human leftovers and nesting in holes in the roofs of our homes, or worse. Because they have food year-round, as well as a place to nest, the House Sparrow became dependent on humans, but also sedentary. In England, when humans unexpectedly and systematically sealed the holes in their apartments in order to save energy, the House Sparrow almost became extinct. A close relative of the House Sparrow is the Spanish Sparrow (Passer hispanionlensis) which lives in the country, just like the Country Mouse. Biologically, the two species of sparrows are so closely related that they are able to interbreed frequently. However, unlike the House Sparrow, the Spanish Sparrow chose to remain independent of humans. It survives on seeds in the fields, and nests only in trees. The choice of the Spanish Sparrow not to go into cities, and not to be dependent on humans, also made them choose a migratory strategy, as its food abundancy is seasonally determined. It eats seeds in summer in southern Europe, but must fly to arid areas such as deserts to eat during the winter. |
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