The REI Foundation awarded the Seward Park Environmental and Audubon Center a one-year grant to broaden the center’s Latino-focused nature programs. Read more here: in English & en Español.

Starting in early June, the Center will begin monitoring coyotes and other wildlife at Seward Park. Using motion-sensitive cameras and bait stations, Center staff will keep an eye on the coyotes over the summer. In the fall, working with several partners, including U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and USDA, we will trap and collar an adult coyote with a wireless GPS collar that will allow staff and others to monitor location readings every hour for 200-240 days. During this time, participants in our Young Scientists and other programs will learn to track the coyotes – both the old-fashioned way and utilizing our GPS software – collect scat, and analyze what the coyotes are eating!

The Center has received an Innovation Grant from TogetherGreen to conduct outreach to diverse audiences using innovative and unusual methods. One of the ways we are doing this is through tattoos! We have created a series of temporary tattoos related to species here at the park and hand them out at various events and with specific programs. Collect all nine, including an owl, raptor, hummingbird, spider, dragonfly, fir, frog, salmon, and bat! We are also presenting programs on birds, bats, owls, old-growth forest, and more to a wide variety of places where it may be difficult for individuals to come to the park, such as senior centers, community centers, and places of worship. More information about this grant is available here.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009
8:30 – 9:30 PM

Our guided Bat Talk & Walk features a presentation on bats of the Pacific Northwest and a guided walk near the Center and Lake Washington to locate and identify these creatures of the night. Come see and hear bats in their natural habitat — flitting through the trees, skimming over the water. It's a fantastic way to explore this magical piece of our local urban environment. Each monthly program is limited to the first 25 registrants and lasts about 1 hour. Occurs the 2nd Wednesday of the month through September. Standard program fees apply. Reservations recommended.

Working with youth from Atlantic Street Youth Center this summer, the Center kicks off a citizen science program to study the bats at Seward Park! No one has ever done a population and diversity assessment of the bats of Seward Park. We know they’re here and we know there are quite a few of them, but we don’t know which bats are here at the park. Using state-of-the-art software and sonar images of the bat calls, we will determine the species here at the park and begin a long-term population monitoring project. Youth will also help assess bat habitat available at the park.

June 29 – August 21, 2009
8 AM – 3 PM

Cost: Varies by camp (scholarships available)

Ecology Camp (weeklong: July 13 - 17 & August 10 - 14) and Art & Nature Camp (daily option: June 29 - July 3) still have a few spaces available, so sign up now! Camps are for ages 10-14. Click here for more information and call today to reserve one of these remaining spots!

Friday, July 17, 2009
6 PM – 8 PM

The Center is excited to present the first TogetherGreen “Go Green” Teen Poetry Slam! This Poetry Slam is a component of a non-traditional environmental outreach campaign put on by the Center and is an opportunity for youth 18 and under to read or recite original environmental poems which will then be judged by our panel. Prizes and awards include a Mountain bike, Visa gift cards, and more. Pizza will be provided to all attendees. Entry Form and complete rules available here.