Red Rock Canyon Conservation Area is great place to explore

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Author and retired educator Terry Lee Marzell recommends exploring Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area near Las Vegas, Nevada. The area is a great place for teachers who are looking for ways to include environmental lessons in their curriculum. Photo credit: Hal Marzell

Teachers are often looking for ways to include environmental lessons in their curriculum. Given the fact that field trips, especially field trips to places far from home, are difficult anytime, but especially during a pandemic, teachers could help their students explore natural environments virtually. A place I recently visited that would make a good lesson for students was Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area near Las Vegas, Nevada.

Red Rock Canyon was designated as Nevada’s first National Conservation Area. The area is visited by more than two million people each year. Administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Red Rock is an area of international geologic interest. The area encompasses 195,819 acres within the Mojave Desert and features a diverse mix of plants and animals, from seasonal wildflowers and wildlife to year round plants and animals.

My husband and I visited the conservation area last month. We took the 13-mile scenic drive, with a couple of stops to take a little nature walk. We took a short hike down into a canyon to explore some rock formations. Rock climbing is also available for those who are interested. In fact, there are 26 different hikes, climbs, and trails of different degrees of difficulty that can be explored, from the deepest canyons to the highest points.

Of course, not everyone can visit the area in person. But you can find a variety of instructional resources online. You can view Teacher Resources, which provide teachers with information and resources about Red Rock Canyon and the surrounding area, and also offers general teaching aids. Also, you can browse these links: Red Rock Canyon A-Z, Wildlife Wednesday, and Flower Friday where you will find articles to learn more.

 

Exploring northern California’s redwood forests with students

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Author and retired educator Terry Lee Marzell recently visited several of California’s redwood forests. She is pictured here at Humboldt Redwoods State Park, located along the famous Avenue of the Giants in Humboldt County. Photo credit: Hal Marzell

Educators who are creating lessons about California’s rich botanical heritage will surely want to include information about the California’s redwood forests. The majestic trees found in these forests are among the tallest and oldest in the world. Groves of redwoods can be found in redwood state and national parks along the northern coast of California. In fact, the state boasts a total of 31 such parks. I had the good fortune to visit several of them on a road trip my husband, our little dog Kurby, and I recently enjoyed.

The average height of a mature redwood is between 200 to 240 feet. Some can even grow as large as 350 feet with a diameter of over 20 feet. These amazing trees can live up to 2,000 years!

If you visit in person, you can explore these forests by walking along  easy, relatively short, well-marked, and well-maintained nature trails. Touring these trails is like venturing into a magical fairyland, complete with towering timbers, lush ferns, colorful mushrooms, spongy floors, and filtered light. I’m sure these forests would be impressive at any time of the year, but in winter, the growth is more green and lush, and because of the frequent insulating fog and the ample rain, over 300 types of mushrooms sprout up.

You and your students can also explore California’s redwood forests online. Here is a link to a six minute educational about the forests, and also a live webcam that shows a river flowing through the forest: Virtual Redwoods. To learn more about the various redwood parks along the Avenue of the Giants in Humboldt County, click on this link. At this website you will find maps, photos, and information about visitor centers.

 

Visit the cabin once inhabited by author Jack London

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Author and retired educator Terry Lee Marzell visits the cabin once inhabited by celebrated author Jack London while he was living in Alaska. The cabin was disassembled, moved, and rebuilt in Oakland, California. Terry is flanked by her little dog, Kurby, on the right, and the famous wolf statue at left. Photo credit: Hal Marzell

Many teachers lead their students through a study of the excellent novels written by celebrated author Jack London. Novels popular for classroom study include Call of the Wild, White Fang, and Sea Wolf. Teachers might be interested to know that the log cabin once inhabited by London while he was living in Alaska can be visited at two  different locations, one in California and the other in Canada.

Jack London’s original cabin was built on the North Fork of Henderson Creek south of Dawson City, in the heart of Klondike territory, just prior to the Gold Rush of 1898. London abandoned his cabin after the area’s Gold Rush fever faded. The small-scale structure was later discovered by trappers who observed the author’s signature scrawled on the wall.

In 1965, the cabin was dismantled and two replicas were constructed from the original logs. One was reconstructed in Dawson City, a town in the Canadian territory of the Yukon. The other was built in Oakland, California, where it was re-assembled at Jack London Square. Why Oakland? Jack London was born and raised there. Today, visitors can visit the cabin where it sits along Oakland’s waterfront at Jack London Square. There is no fee.

To learn more about the cabin, see this article published by the Jack London Museum written by Canadian historian and columnist Kenneth Spotswood.

Covid claims life of Alabama teacher, coach Leo Davidovich, Jr.

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Special Education teacher and coach Leo Davidovich, Jr., of Odenville, Alabama, succumbed to Covid on Sept. 23, 2o2o. Photo credit: CBS 42.

With sadness, we regret to report that Covid-19 has claimed the life of yet another beloved educator and coach. Leo Davidovich, Jr., a middle school teacher in Odenville, Alabama, sucumbed to the disease on Sept. 23, 2020. He was only 47 years old.

Leo taught special education in a small group setting at Odenville Middle School in the St. Clair County School District. He had a reputation for reaching his students with engaging lessons that emphasized the development of functional life skills. He worked tirelessly to make his lessons applicable to his students, and he strongly believed students should be able to use the skills from his classroom later in life. “Leo was beloved by all his students at OMS,” recalled his wife, Cindy, “because his students knew how much he cared for them and loved them.”

In addition to his classroom responsibilities, Leo served as the Assistant Softball Coach for nearby Drew Middle School. He also coached travel softball and basketball. He was the Founder and Head Coach of the Thunderstruck Softball Team.

Leo was born in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, on Nov. 28, 1972. He graduated from Mifflinburg Area High School in 1991. Later he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Lycoming College. Lycoming is a nationally-ranked private college located in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. During his undergraduate college years, Leo was a member of the Tau Kappa Epsilon (TKE) Fraternity. Leo earned his Master’s degree in Criminal Justice at Jacksonville State University in Jacksonville, Alabama.

Leo and his wife also owned a family farm in Lincoln, Alabama. Many of his days off from teaching and coaching were spent working on his farm.

To read more about Leo, click on the story about him at this link to CBS 42.

Olive Mann Isbell taught during the Mexican American War

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Author Terry Lee Marzell shares the remarkable story of Olive Mann Isbell, pioneer teacher who taught her students in a school established in California’s Santa Clara Mission while the Mexican American War raged all around them. Here is a short video that tells a bit more of the story of this remarkable Chalkboard Champion.