Carkeek Campfire Day Camp – August 6
Al Wagar met with three small groups of Campfire youngsters today to talk about butterflies (photos attached). The kids were enthusiastic and responsive; with last group having the most fun because it was time to release the butterflies, and each had one on a finger for a few minutes.
He had caught a cabbage white & some skippers the last couple of days and had them in a cage. By third session, sun had come out and they netted a few more skippers at the park.
August 24 – Riverfest in Bothell
A cage full of butterflies was a hit with youngsters at Bothell’s Riverfest, as were the stickers David Droppers got us last year. And a lot of youngsters were present. Our booth orientation made our exhibits face directly into the sun, making both our quizboard and a laptop almost useless. The laptop worked fine from a GOOD storage battery for a couple of hours before I decided no one was noticing it. Without its game feature, I still used the quiz board to show folks what larvae become what adults. A sprinkling of adults took our brochures, were interested in our programs, etc. A few asked if we gave presentations, or trip, for school groups.
September 12 – Bird Fest in Edmonds
The event, at least the tabling part of it, drew fewer people than I’d have guessed. But, a sprinkling of folks showed real interest and one lady joined us on the spot. I took along bird books left over from WBA book sale and managed to sell two at $5 each. David was there for the morning and is really good at “taking it to them” rather than passively hoping they’re interested. So, he’d start with “Have you heard of us before? and then extol our programs and field trips while putting a brochure in their fat little hands. Paul and Colin were there for the afternoon and we rather much adopted David’s approach. The event had a table set up for kids’ activities and I contributed some coloring sheets and swallowtail cutouts to it. As the day progressed I was pleased to see that a few of the swallowtail cutouts were being used. Overall, I’d say it was well worth doing.
September 20 – Bug Blast at UW Burke Museum in Seattle
WBA was well represented, with Paul & Colin, Jennifer, Steward Wechsler, Ian Young, and David Droppers all participating somewhere in the total operation. We had a good crowd, a fair number of people showing interest in our group, and, we peddled a lot of stickers, swallowtail cutouts, and coloring sheets.
G’num2009Vol10No4
Al Wagar
WBA Member, Former WBA Board President & Photographer/Videographer