Students Search for Tiny but Deadly, Woolly Bully; The Hemlock Woolly Adelgid

Holyoke Catholic H.S. students examining the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid closeup 

Students looking for Woolly Adelgid egg sacs

Measuring the section of the Hemlock branch that contains Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Egg sacs

Photos by Lise Letellier

The tiny insect these students seek is not harmful to humans but it is responsible for wiping out large numbers of one of our most common forest trees. Hemlock trees make up almost one quarter of all of Massachusetts' forests, and as such are considered a foundation species of our native forest. Students are tracking this little bug that is sucking the life out of many of our hemlocks, and sharing their findings with Harvard Forest Ecologist,  David Orwig.   

Holyoke Catholic H.S. Teacher Lise Letellier, and her students, along with hundreds of students throughout New England are contributing information about the presence of this invasive Pest, the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid as part of the  Harvard Forest Schoolyard Ecology project: Woolly Bully.  

These images show students searching for the egg sacs covered in white wool -like covering that indicate the presence of tiny insects called hemlock woolly adelgids. Right now, hundreds of students are out investigating their schoolyards and woods as part of the data collection they will contribute to this regional Schoolyard study, led by Harvard Forest Ecologist, David Orwig.  

See which schools are participating and link to their data at: 

Schoolyard Woolly Bully field site map.

See more about Dr. Orwig's Hemlock research at:  http://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/other-tags/hemlock-woolly-adelgid-hwa

See more about the Woolly Bully Schoolyard Ecology project at:  http://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/woolly-bully-invasive-pest-hemlock-woolly-adelgid

TEACHERS, to join this Schoolyard study, complete the registration form at: Schoolyard Eco Summer Registration Form

Museum Institute for Teaching Science (MITS)   Middle School and High School Teachers at Harvard Forest 

               

 Ecologist John O'Keefe and Schoolyard Coordinator Pamela Snow engaged the group in budburst activities and a field walk...See more at:

http://mits.org/teachers-experience-harvard-forest-mits-spring-course-science-next-generation-science-engineering-practices-across-disciplines/

HF Schoolyard at NSTA Boston Conference

Schoolyard Teachers Presented at the National Science Teachers Association Conference in Boston this Weekend

JR Briggs Elementary Teacher, Kate Bennett shared her experience with The Woolly Bully, Buds and Leaves and the Phenocam projects with teachers at NSTA

NSTA 2014 Boston Conference

 

Harvard Forest Schoolyard Ecology will be in the house!

Creating Student Video for Climate Education

Friday, April 4 9:30–10:30 AM

Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, 251

Students use the NGSS and combine climate science, systems thinking, and science communications skills through media production. Using the Climate Education in an Age of Media (CAM) project at the University of Massachusetts Lowell and Harvard Forest LTER Schoolyard Program, Buds, Leaves & Global Warming, students learn to collect data on important long-term ecological issues and processes. They report what they have learned through media.

Presenter(s): Donna Cochrane (North Attleboro High School: North Attleboro, MA) 

GRADE LEVEL: High School

Being Scientists: Involving Fifth-Graders in Real Science

Saturday, April 5 2:00–3:00 PM

The Westin Boston Waterfront, Alcott

Elementary teacher Kate Bennett has been involving her grades 5–6 students in authentic field research for the past seven years in collaboration with Harvard Forest, an ecological research center affiliated with Harvard University. Join us as we share very accessible resources and stories about making science come to life in the classroom.

Presenter(s): Pamela Snow (Harvard Forest: Petersham, MA); Kate Bennett (John R. Briggs Elementary School: Ashburnham, MA)      

GRADE LEVEL: Elementary-High School

Welcome to the brand new HF Schoolyard Ecology Blog

We are trying out this blog as a way to communicate more fully to teachers and students and anyone interested in our field ecology projects.  If you are not familiar with our program, we strongly encourage you to check out our website at:  http://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/schoolyard-lter-program
to find detailed information about each of our Schoolyard projects, including project introductions, protocols, data sheets, lesson plans and our online database.

Here on the blog, we intend to post more updated information about upcoming and recent events,  new publications and resources of note, news about teachers and students participating in our projects, and especially, PHOTOS and audio visual resources. I encourage teachers and students to send me updates and photos for posting on this blog to: psnow@fas.harvard.edu