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The PMA feels that in order to change habits and to
encourage people to practice sound, ecologically friendly
agriculture we must look to the future. Therefore, the goal of the
PMA’s La Vida en Vuelo environmental education program is to
make conservation of migratory and resident avian populations and
their habitats a consistent elementary and secondary schools
educational component throughout the VCTBC. The La Vida en Vuelo
program focuses on hands-on, experiential learning to create a
unique experience that leaves a positive impression on all who
participate. Students, teachers and volunteers all have the
opportunity to literally have a “bird in the hand”. Participants
are able to see, touch and learn the ins and outs of bird monitoring
while learning the importance of conservation and preservation in
the context of migratory and resident avian species in the VCTBC.
Over 100 teachers and school children, along with 20 plus volunteers
participated in the La Vida en Vuelo environmental education
program during PMA’s inaugural year.
The program is open to all regional schools with an
interest in learning more about their local environment. The La
Vida en Vuelo staff and volunteers will open up a new world to
all participants who will gain a wealth of knowledge through:
·
Checking/extracting birds from the mist nets with staff
ornithologists
·
Learning bird characteristics to aid in bird identification and
monitoring
·
Seeing birds up close and in the hand
·
Discovering the difference between resident and migratory birds
·
Observing banding of resident and migratory birds
·
Learning the importance of biological corridors in conservation and
preservation of avian species
·
Discovering and learning actions that are important for conservation
·
Releasing birds back to their environment
The La Vida en Vuelo program monitors six
different habitat types within the CATIE campus. Participating
schools and classrooms can choose from the following habitats:
·
Abandoned coffee plantation
·
Shade coffee plantation
·
Cacao plantation
·
Cane field
·
Live fence in pasture
·
Forest
If transportation to CATIE is a problem, we would be
happy to try and organize a bird mist netting activity in an
alternate location within the VCTBC that is more convenient to the
schools needs. The education program is free to participating
schools that attend the program within the CATIE campus. If an
alternate site is selected, a donation will be requested to cover
costs.
If you are interested in scheduling a La Vida en
Vuelo field trip please contact us at least two weeks prior to
your anticipated visitation date.
Contact us.
Looking
to the Future:
The La Vida en Vuelo program is looking to
expand. In the near future we will be adding two new components to
the program: teacher training workshops and an additional
participatory, hands-on activity section during the field trip.
The La Vida en Vuelo teacher workshop will
utilize a hands-on, thematic, participatory approach to prepare
teachers for participating in the Vida en Vuelo environmental
education program. The objective of these teacher workshops is to
provide elementary and high school teachers in the VCTBC with the
knowledge and materials to integrate conservation of migratory and
resident avian populations with standard reading, writing, and
science curriculum. In addition, trained teachers will be prepared
to bring their students to the PMA’s bird monitoring field trip on
the CATIE campus. Teachers participating in the workshop will
familiarize themselves with wildlife and habitats within the context
of the VCTBC while learning how to use the biological corridor as an
outdoor classroom. Emphasis will be placed on identification and
conservation of migratory and resident avian populations and their
habitats through bird friendly practices based on best science. The
workshop will enable teachers to literally experience a “bird in the
hand” during the mist netting monitoring portion of the workshop as
well as participate in the on-site activities their students will
experience during a La Vida en Vuelo field trip. Each teacher
will receive a workbook with detailed information on VCTBC habitats
and wildlife as well as hands on classroom activities to encourage
awareness and action in the context of conservation within the
corridor, and to prepare their students for participating in the PMA
Environmental Education program. All teachers who complete the
workshop will be invited to participate in one or more La Vida en
Vuelo field trips for their students.
The skills teachers will be able to impart to their
students will include:
1) awareness and sensitivity of migratory bird
species and the habitats and environs they inhabit;
2) acquire an understanding of the importance of
migratory species in the context of different habitat types, both
nationally and internationally;
3) motivating them to actively participate in
migratory bird habitat restoration and conservation;
4) acquire the tools for identifying, understanding,
and solving environmental issues;
5) learn to work together with various interest
groups both within the community and internationally to solve
problems; and
6) to develop a life long enjoyment of birds and to
encourage them to include their families and peers.
The La Vida en Vuelo field trip will be a
unique experience that will focus on hands-on, experiential learning
in the context of conservation and preservation of migratory and
resident avian species in the VCTBC. Teachers who have completed
the teacher-training workshop will be able to choose from a list of
age appropriate activities that will be administered by PMA staff
and volunteers. Once the students arrive at the PMA monitoring
station, they will participate in two distinct activity sections.
In the first section, students will rotate through activities of
their teacher’s choice, which focus on the VCTBC as an outdoor
classroom and impart a greater understanding of their local
environs. The second section will include the current hands-on
participation in the bird mist netting and monitoring program.
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