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PROJECT IDEA: Kirkwood School’s Ultimate Outdoor Learning Lab

All photos provided by Dr. Meredith Spiekerman Byers.

All photos provided by Dr. Meredith Spiekerman Byers.

In 2013, Kirkwood School District’s Keysor Elementary opened the PROJECT IDEA outdoor natural learning space. The nearly one acre of space offers a natural play area and an outdoor lab for enhanced STEM learning. The area is an all-inclusive area for students, families, and the entire community.

Dr. Meredith Spiekerman Byers and husband Derek, kids Wyatt (12), Shiloh (8), and Ryder (7).

Dr. Meredith Spiekerman Byers and husband Derek, kids Wyatt (12), Shiloh (8), and Ryder (7).

 

Dr. Meredith Spiekerman Byers, co-chair of Kirkwood School’s PROJECT IDEA, is the guest on Behind the Editor’s Curtain with Don Corrigan.

Byers shares the story behind PROJECT IDEA outdoor space, the community and professional partners of the project, the learning opportunities for students and the community, the STEM emphasis, and the future goals of the project.

Click “continue reading” to hear the podcast with Byers below.

 

 

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Posted on January 27, 2017 in Environment, Outdoor/Nature, Podcasts

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Advanced Tree Health Seminar

Photo by MDC Staff, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation.

Photo by MDC Staff, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation.

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is presenting a Tree Health Update Seminar tailored for tree-care professionals and advanced enthusiasts on Wednesday, Feb. 15 from 1:30-4:00 p.m. at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center in Kirkwood. (Registration required.)

More from the MDC press release below.

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Posted on January 26, 2017 in Home, Local Events

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The Great Flood Folds The Queen Of Hearts

Queen of Hearts, located along the Meramec River at 731 Larkin Williams Road in Fenton. Photo by Diana Linsley, South County Times.

Queen of Hearts, located along the Meramec River at 731 Larkin Williams Road in Fenton. All photos by Diana Linsley, South County Times.

Queen of Hearts is one of the many casualties of the Great Flood Events of early 2016. Many folk in the Meramec River Valley credit it to extreme weather that may be caused by climate change, along with an overbuilt levee at Valley Park and too much construction in a flood plain. Here is the story on Fenton’s Queen of Hearts.
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Posted on January 20, 2017 in Environment

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January Is National Radon Action Month

hand-1030565_1920Radon gas is a health hazard and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) wants people to learn more about the dangers of radon.  The month of January has been designated as “National Radon Action Month.”

According to the EPA: “Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer deaths among nonsmokers in America, and claims the lives of about 21,000 Americans each year.”

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Posted on January 15, 2017 in Environment

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Cancelled: Eagle Days Festival At Old Chain Of Rocks Bridge For Saturday, January 14, 2017

MDC Eagle Days Flyer.

MDC Eagle Days Flyer.

The Saturday portion of The Eagle Days at the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge Festival has been cancelled due to hazardous weather forecasts.  The event is still scheduled for Sunday from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. if weather conditions allow.

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Posted on January 14, 2017 in Local Events

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Kirkwood Schools “Project IDEA” & Grow Native Team Up For Outdoor/Sustainability Education

Local event on Thursday, January 12, 2017, at the Keysor Gym from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. For more information about “Project IDEA”, CLICK HERE.

Project Idea Flyer

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Posted on January 8, 2017 in Local Events

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Don Robinson State Park Opens

Don Robinson State Park.

Don Robinson State Park.

Gov. Nixon announces the opening of Don Robinson State Park. The land donated to the state in 2012 features sandstone cliffs, diverse forests and a significant tributary to the Meramec River

Read more from Gov. Nixon’s press release below…

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Posted on January 2, 2017 in Outdoor/Nature

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Donate Your Christmas Tree & Help Provide Wildlife Habitat

MDC is seeking donated trees after the holidays for that purpose at Lake 33 at the August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area in St. Charles, and two St. Louis County Park sites in north St. Louis County. Photo by MDC.

Photo by MDC.

Help provide wildlife habitat in local lakes by donating your Christmas tree.

Information from the Missouri Department of Conservation for donations from now to January 16, at the August A. Busch Conservation Area in St. Charles and Blackjack Lake at the North County Recreational Complex and Spanish Lake Park.

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Posted on December 30, 2016 in Outdoor/Nature

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Rudolph’s Nose Knows

Pixabay

Pixabay

That reindeer Rudolph’s red nose is blinking on and off up at the North Pole this season. It’s blinking out a  danger; it’s blinking out a warning; it’s blinking all over the Arctic – as Peter, Paul and Mary might have sung.

Santa is stuck singing the blues. That’s because Rudolph is refusing to pull the jolly fat man’s sleigh. The defiant deer’s red nose is now on the blink – literally. What’s the problem?

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Posted on December 23, 2016 in Environment

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Missouri Gains Three New State Parks

sp-shs-mapMissouri Gov. Nixon released information about three new state parks.

“Missourians are gaining three new state parks in southern Missouri that will have some of the state’s most distinctive natural landscapes and features on their more than 8,000 acres, Gov. Jay Nixon announced today (December 16, 2016.) The addition of Eleven Point State Park in Oregon County, Bryant Creek State Park in Douglas County and Ozark Mountain State Park in Taney County will bring the total number of state parks in Missouri to 91.”

To read the full release CLICK HERE.

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Posted on December 16, 2016 in Outdoor/Nature