Seus Land Exchange Inc.

Today I came across a blog post about the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection's program No Child Left Inside. It's a fantastic initiative to get kids outside enjoying the outdoors. I recommend this Web site to any state's outdoor recreation department looking for ideas. I love the look of the site and its organization(I'm overlooking the broken navigation). It outlines what makes Connecticut special, and all the possibilities its environment has to offer.

More than any other generation, today's kids spend a great deal of time indoors. No Child Left Inside is a promise, and a pledge... to help Connecticut's children live active, healthier lives while they enjoy the natural treasures of our state parks and forests - and discover the rewards of becoming environmentally conscious citizens.

This very special outreach, education and public awareness campaign was created to encourage families to enjoy all the recreational resources and outdoor activities offered by Connecticut's state parks, forests and waterways.

No Child Left Inside is comprised of several programs:

• The Great Park Pursuit, The Connecticut State Parks Family Adventure
• Park Passes for Foster Families
• Park and Forest Interpreters
• Urban Fishing Program (my personal favorite)
• Through this program, ponds and rivers in cities are stocked with trout; city school children participate in fish stocking events; and volunteers work with students both in the classroom and outdoors to teach them lifelong fishing skills.
• Environmental Education
• State Park Passes at Libraries
• Water Safety

Getting your kids outdoors is a great thing to consider, especially right now. In the South, we're cooling off from Summer and gearing up for some great Fall weather! We're starting to have some great camping, hiking, fishing weather, and I hope everyone will begin taking advantage of it.

The No Child Left Inside Web site got me really excited about the changing weather and spending time outdoors. If anyone knows of a comparable site for Georgia please let me know.

Labels: georgia fall weather, no child left inside, recreational land activities

While bird watching may seem as exciting to you as watching paint dry, it can actually be a very thrilling past time to adopt on your recreational property.

Now is a perfect time to do a little research on bird watching in Georgia. The fall migration season is just getting started.

Bob Zaremba, a birder in Georgia says, "The fall migration season begins in July with the arrival of the first migrants around the 4th of the month. The first arrivals are usually black-and-white warbler, Northern parula and black-throated green warbler. The migration slowly builds over the next few weeks as cerulean and worm-eating warblers begin to pass through. By the end of the first week of August, prairie and hooded warblers are making an appearance. The migration picks up in late August and into September peaking towards the middle of the month."

Non-migratory birds can also be found year-round in the state. Birds that do not migrate are called resident birds. In Georgia, our year-round resident American goldfinch waits until around this time to breed. Apparently there is a relationship between the flowering of thistles and the start of nest building.

Are you wondering, "Where can I find sites about bird watching in Georgia?"

There are many fantastic resources online that point to what Georgia land is best for birding. You can use these sites to bird watch on your own, or sign up for a bird walk.

Oconee Rivers Audubon Society
http://www.oconeeriversaudubon.org/index.html

eBird
http://ebird.org/content/ebird

Georgia Birding
http://www.georgia-birding.com/

Labels: bird watching, bird watching in georgia, fall migratory season, recreational land activities, things to do on recreational land