How did your mom give you the gift of nature?

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Here are more details about the mother-child stories featured in this video:

Dan Siemann, Washington

Dan works in the Pacific Regional Office in Seattle for the National Wildlife Federation on global warming and water issues.

“I really wanted to experience being an explorer and not being on the trail, not being bound by the trail. We were driving along and I asked my mom to stop and explore the woods. So she indulged me. She stopped and we got out of the car and we probably didn’t go more than 30 or 40 feet. I’m not sure we even got past the point where we couldn’t see the car anymore, but I remember for me it was totally exciting to be walking on the logs, and in the grass, and just going where the animals went, maybe walking in places that nobody else had ever walked. I remember just feeling like I was in the woods and free, kind of exploring things that nobody else had explored. Maybe I was the first person walking there or something like that. I just remember thinking this is the coolest thing. It made me want to go back and see it over and over again.”

“I wonder with my own son if like he said, “Dad can we stop and go walk into the woods?” If I hadn’t done that myself with my mom, I wonder if I would be as indulging or not. But it was such a cool experience for me. The ability to just walk off and go wherever and not be bound by the trail and experience the freedom of the woods.”

“She was a cool mom. And she loved travelling and she loved seeing new places. That was something that she instilled in me, is this sense of exploration and wonderment of the world, and going and experiencing things.”

Deji Akinpelu, Michigan

Deji is a member of National Wildlife Federation’s Youth Advisory Council. He is a student at Wayne State University. He attended National Wildlife Federation’s Earth Tomorrow program as a young man.

“I remember my mom used to always let me go outside and let me play in the backyard. And I think she even started, or attempted to grow a couple of crops. She grew some okra, spinach, tomatoes, also bell peppers. I just remember going outside and always having a great time, seeing so much greenery, and just exploring the outdoors, and just being at one with nature, even at a young age of seven or nine, I really had a great time doing that.”

“We had a playground. We always had time to play with the sand and look at the different invertebrates or vertebrates that were in the ground. We also made dirt pies. We saw cool creatures, what we call the roly poly. You touch it and it rolls up into a ball. Other than that, just looking at the different plants and seeing the vibrant colors. Just kind of like having that sense of security and tranquility when you are outdoors in nature.”

Beth Pratt, California

Beth is the Director of National Wildlife Federation’s California program.

“What I remember most about my mother – we lived near the woods. We were at the end of this road. I grew up in the woods. And she would just walk as much as we wanted and take us through the woods and down to the Concord River. So I think my early memories of my mother were always outdoors. I don’t remember being indoors with her as much.”

“She would go to the library and get those wildlife books for me. She would buy the wildlife encyclopedias at the supermarkets when you could still do that so I could look at them.”

“For me, mom is the encourager. She still is. My mother, on Saturday accompanied me to National Junior Ranger Day in Yosemite, where Ranger Rick was making a appearance. She stickered Ranger Rick books. She was handing them out to kids. You could tell she was just as encouraged as I was of all the little kids getting sworn in by park rangers and Ranger Rick – the new Junior Rangers. She was the one who took me to state parks and all the great wildlife areas in New England so she’s just been forever associated with being outdoors and not only being outdoors but encouraging me to be someone who works for the environment.”

Ivy Simmons, Georgia

Ivy participated in the National Wildlife Federation’s Great American Backyard Campout in Atlanta last summer.

“I’m one of those moms who makes sure my kids get outside every day, just to get their energy out. Even before the whole nature deficit phenomenon research had been done and really been proven, I was very much aware of the benefits of being outside just to activate their mind and creativity because my mother grew up on a farm and always sent us outside. No matter rain, shine, snow – she grew up in Michigan – no matter how cold it is, you are going outside. I really think it helps them, just like I said, activate their creativity.”

“As my mother is from the country in North Carolina, you know we made everything from scratch. We were always out in the yard taking care of things. We didn’t waste things. If we cooked it, we ate it, even if we didn’t like it that much that time. And then we let go of it and we didn’t get excess. It was about not having excess and too much. Like even when the superstore started being popular, my mother is like, “But do you need all of that, and how much space does it take, and all this packaging.” As soon as recycling was available we did that.”

“It was naturally embedded in who she was because how she was raised, that really informed who we were. It’s the little things that you teach children. We don’t litter when we go out for walks. We’re going to clean up after ourselves. We’re going to make sure the fire is damped out. If you want to leave something for the birds, leave this type of thing, that’s not healthy for them. So that was really given to me young.”

Like Ivy, you can register to attend the Great American Backyard Campout on June 23, 2012!

Tim Brady, Pennsylvania

Tim is a philanthropy officer for National Wildlife Federation in Pennsylvania.

“When I was four years old, my mom got me a subscription to Ranger Rick magazine. We had no money at the time. We were poor. But she got me this subscription, or at that time it was a membership in the Ranger Rick Club. I can remember every month that mail would come to my house, and it was for me, it had my name on it. I was so excited. Because we didn’t have much. The main thing I remember is the tin badge that I got from the Ranger Rick Club, and then looking at the pictures. I’m not sure if I could read yet, but just looking at these great pictures of animals.”

“So that was my first contact with National Wildlife Federation. So fast forward to about five years ago, I was working in development for a college, and the VP of development at NWF recruited me to come and work for NWF. Well, it wasn’t until I was sitting in the lobby of the headquarters here that I saw Ranger Rick magazine and connected the dots that NWF was Ranger Rick. So while I had gotten away from it for so many years, I had never forgotten Ranger Rick magazine. It had been burned into my memory as a wonderful experience as a kid to get Ranger Rick magazine.”

“My mom got divorced when I was about a year old and took me and my brother on this wild adventure across the country, kind of running from my dad. We would go to the Rocky Mountains, Utah, California, Washington, the state of Washington. Animals and wildlife were what she loved the most. She connected with animals better than she did people I feel, and sometimes I feel the same about myself. She was the one that really instilled in me the interest in animals and the love of animals. I can remember as a kid I would have fought to the death to protect an animal probably before a person because they were helpless and they needed us to help protect them. So it fits very well with Ranger Rick and with NWF, and I know if my mom were alive today, she would be so proud that I work for Ranger Rick.”

“It has been a life-changing experience to work for NWF because it got me re-introduced to the outdoors. I had gotten away from outdoor recreation in my twenties and thirties, with being busy and starting a family and everything else. Since coming to the NWF, I have picked up 10 or so new hobbies – kayaking, mountain biking, nature photography, gardening – the list goes on and on and it’s all because of the NWF that I do those things. And I just live for that these days. I’m introducing my son and my wife to them and they have become lovers of the outdoors as well because of that. And it’s all due to people that I work with here at NWF that I have been introduced to those hobbies.”

Like Tim’s mom, you can purchase a subscription to Ranger Rick magazine for your child!

Here’s a quick, fun way to get families outside this spring. Invite your neighbors for a community clean-up!

In our neighborhood, folks shared their yard tools and gave each other gardening tips, while parents and kids cleaned up trash from the nearby stream. Find out three tips to improve your community clean-up by watching my video diary:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Some photos from our clean-up:

Here's all the trash we collected, including this baby stroller and styrofoam grave from Halloween - all in a nearby stream!

Daughter and father cooperate on trash pick-up

Have you organized a community clean-up in your area? What worked for you?

If you enjoy organizing community events, you might enjoy our Community Wildlife Habitat program where you encourage your neighbors to garden for wildlife.

National Wildlife Federation’s Storytelling Video Diary Series shares the candid tales of nine NWF staffers from around the country; armed with their cameras in the Great Lakes, California, South Dakota, the Pacific Northwest, Northern Virginia, and Washington, DC, these nine staffers will share with you their individual trials, epiphanies and stories as they unfold in their daily adventures.

While the kids were out exploring the mud and observing frogs, I taped this video diary:

Click here to view the embedded video.

So to summarize, here are five ways to embrace mud this spring:

1. Show your kids that you are totally okay with them getting muddy.
2. Have a mud mat and hose handy.
3. Bring inexpensive nets and shovels.
4. Have easy snacks pre-made by the door so they don’t have to go inside to eat.
5. Write a specific goal for an outdoor place you want to explore with your children.

And here’s a bonus tip if your kids are small and you need to stay handy. I bring a book or magazine to pass the time while I sit nearby. My husband brings his MP3 player and Sudoku. I’m trying to give them a true free hour without adults telling them how to play or how to learn, but I do want to keep them safe. So if I can keep my hands busy, I’m more likely to sit quietly and just let them do their thing.

Hopefully this video inspires you to be okay with mud and let the kids get knee-deep in it. They are learning and celebrating life!

Here are some resources to enhance your spring nature explorations:

• Wildlife Watch – Get a customized list of wildlife for your area and report which wildlife you see.
• Nature Find – Find muddy places near you.
• Certify Your Yard for Wildlife – Invite frogs to your yard by gardening for wildlife.

Suggested Tweet:

5 Ways to Embrace Mud This Spring – Makes Kids Happy! - http://blog.nwf.org/2012/03/mud/ @nwf

National Wildlife Federation’s Storytelling Video Diary Series shares the candid tales of nine NWF staffers from around the country; armed with their cameras in the Great Lakes, California, South Dakota, the Pacific Northwest, Northern Virginia, and Washington, DC, these nine staffers will share with you their individual trials, epiphanies and stories as they unfold in their daily adventures.

My daughter and I went to see the “sky dance of the American woodcock.” Here is a video about our adventure:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Sky Dance Made Famous by Aldo Leopold

Conservationist Aldo Leopold wrote about the sky dance of the American woodcock in his book, A Sand County Almanac. He called the “meep” sounds “peents.” Here is his description of what we saw:

Up and up he goes, the spirals steeper and smaller, the twittering louder and louder, until the performer is only a speck in the sky. Then, without warning, he tumbles like a crippled plane, giving voice in a soft liquid warble that a March bluebird might envy. At a few feet from the ground he levels off and returns to his peenting ground, usually to the exact spot where the performance began, and there resumes his peenting.

Facts about the American woodcock

• Its Latin name is Scolopax minor and some people call it the timberdoodle.
• It looks like a sandpiper – very short and round with a very long beak.
• It lives in swampy areas where it can easily pick out earthworms from the soil.
• The naturalists said its large eyes are located behind its ears, which allows it to see all around.

Thank you to the Environmental Studies on the Piedmont and the Bull Run Mountains Conservancy for hosting this event! An extra special thank you to naturalist Dr. Tom Wood, who is in this video. He was very patient with the children and made them feel at home in nature.

Look for naturalist-lead events near you with our Nature Find tool.

Report your wildlife sightings with our Wildlife Watch program.

National Wildlife Federation’s Storytelling Video Diary Series shares the candid tales of nine NWF staffers from around the country; armed with their cameras in the Great Lakes, California, South Dakota, the Pacific Northwest, Northern Virginia, and Washington, DC, these nine staffers will share with you their individual trials, epiphanies and stories as they unfold in their daily adventures.

I read to my kids each night, but this week, we read a book that really made a difference to us.

Wild Wings by Gill Lewis

My friend Helen took this photo near Sanibel Island, located off the west coast of Florida.

How an Osprey Brought Our Family Together

I started reading this book to my daughter Nora. Nearby, my husband and son worked on a puzzle. Often I read one book to Nora and one to my son Russell because they like different topics. But this time, the book was so interesting; soon I could see that all of them were listening.

The evenings passed. It has never happened that all four of us were completely enthralled with a book, and it felt very cozy. We would sit in the living room with only a few lamps on, feeling warm in the winter night.

We came to the final chapters. There was a part that was particularly moving (which I won’t give away) and I felt tears come to my eyes. I looked up at my husband and there were tears in his eyes too. I cry easily, but it was surprising to see this on my husband’s face. My kids were looking back and forth between us. I managed to read the book to the end.

When we looked at each other, this pause felt like a different type of “wildlife moment.” Our family spends time outside and cultivates our love of nature. But I realized this moment was special in its own way. Children remember and internalize values when their parents show vulnerability or pause. Life can be a rush of tasks and decisions. That look across our family told the perfect unspoken story.

Here is a related quote that I love:

“There are two lasting bequests we can give our children. One is roots, the other is wings.” — Hodding Carter, Jr.

I would suggest reading the book Wild Wings, or more importantly, slow down with those you love. It’s winter, it’s time to snuggle.

Osprey Activities for Your Family

• Purchase Wild Wings through this link and support National Wildlife Federation.
• Download this coloring page and fact sheet about ospreys.
• Check out this Ranger Rick Adventure comic when he learns about ospreys in the Everglades.
• At my kids’ school, the grade five class is watching osprey migrations via the DFYI Osprey project.
• Get tips on watching birds of prey during Hawk Watch each fall.
• Download this activity worksheet about birds of prey.
• Purchase a bird watching kit from National Wildlife Federation and support our work.

How NWF is Helping Ospreys:

• Chesapeake Bay- NWF works to protect water quality in the Chesapeake Bay, home to many ospreys.
• Gulf of Mexico – NWF works to address the BP Oil Spill in osprey habitat such as Bon Secour Refuge.
• Michigan – NWF works to address the Enbridge oil spill, which affected osprey habitat.
• North Carolina – NWF certified a Community Wildlife Habitat where they built osprey platforms.
• Tribal Lands – NWF’s Tribal Lands program works with tribes to protect osprey habitat, such as the White Mountain Apache.

What You Can Do for Ospreys:

Ospreys rely on healthy waterways for their diet of fish. Take action to protect America’s waterways for ospreys and other water-loving wildlife.

Information about Ospreys:

• Read this National Wildlife article about the status of ospreys in North America.
• The Red Lake Band of the Chippewa has made conserving wildlife and habitat one of its top priorities, including osprey habitat.

Osprey Photos from the 2011 National Wildlife^® Photo Contest

See more osprey photos from the photo contest.

When terrible things happen in the world, it is challenging to know what to say. In 2010, National Wildlife Federation prepared a guide for parents and caregivers on how to talk with kids about the Gulf Oil Spill. It continues to bring thousands of people to our website because the tips are relevant for other events as well.

Waking up to an Oil Spill

When Susan Connolly woke up to find an oil spill in her community in July 2010, she first had to help her own children. They got sick, and then they had questions. In the video below, Susan says:

My son was only four at the time and now he’s just over five. We don’t talk about it in front of the children but he knows. Just last week they went on a class trip to a fire department and they must have crossed over the Kalamazoo River. The first thing he says to me is “Mommy we went on a class trip today and I saw the oil spill.”… It’s always going to have an impact for him because when we talk about going on a nice river walk, he says, “Mommy are we going to walk in the oil?” That’s how a five-year-old child thinks of his river, as oil.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Becoming a Pipeline Activist

Susan is a busy working mom of two young children, but when the Enbridge oil spill happened right in her community, she could not stand by. Any moment she can after work, after the kids go to bed, she is researching, attending meetings, preparing speeches, getting interviewed by the media and encouraging others in her community to speak up.

Susan came to Washington DC in October 2011 to testify at the Keystone XL hearings about the impact of a tar sands oil spill on a community. She described what it did to her home town of Marshall, Michigan. Houses that were near the river were purchased, but home owners a little farther on were left without compensation, and in a half-empty community. This created tension in a small community.

There are a lot of people who have had settlement agreements with the oil companies, so they can’t speak. It’s pretty much a gag order that once you settle, you can’t say anything. A lot of people with their health are tied up in lawsuits, so of course they can’t speak because of their current litigation. So I have no lawsuits, I’m not going to sue anyone. But I care about the environment. I care about the people. And you just need someone to be able to communicate for everyone, but not be accusatory and not be threatening.

There are events in our lives that change everything. There are moments when we know we must step up because we are the right person in the right time. Certainly Susan would wish that there had never been an oil spill that filled her local stream and river with thick tar sands oil. But she made a choice in how she responded – a courageous choice.

She continues to collaborate with people in her community and the National Wildlife Federation in the hopes of bringing good from this terrible event, whether that means standing up against the Keystone XL pipeline, or helping other communities maintain their pipelines better. This month she attended a conference about pipeline safety, one of the only attendees who was not from government or the pipeline industry. As Susan says:

I’m doing this now because my children were harmed. My children were hurt, and we’ve been dismissed… And because of that I’m not going to go away, and I’m not going to stop.

Show Your Support

If you’d like to send best wishes to Susan, please comment on this blog post, tweet about it or like it on Facebook.

Suggested Tweet – Courageous mom stands up for her children & community after oil spill http://bit.ly/v1AsMh via @nwf

Another way to show your support is to donate to National Wildlife Federation’s work on to stop dirty fuels and the Keystone XL pipeline at our Choose Your Cause website.

Environmentalists are relieved to hear that the Obama administration has delayed the decision regarding the Keystone XL pipeline.

But most Americans probably do not know that pipelines already criss-cross our neighborhoods and countryside.

For Susan Connolly of Michigan, pipelines were not a concern before July 26, 2010. That was the day a pipeline burst near her town, spilling oil in the Kalamazoo River.

Here she re-counts what it was like that day and how the river looks today. Thank you to Michelle Barlond Smith for sharing her photos.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The first night, my son was throwing up. Within a few days, my daughter had a strange rash on her body. A lot of the kids had headaches. There were nose bleeds, migraines, sore throat. Since the kids were younger, it hit them fast…

You could see the oil-covered geese, the deer. People were pulling muskrat, turtles. Another response that they did other than just capture the animals, for weeks you could hear guns being fired, just killing all the deer because they couldn’t rehabilitate them. So you heard that for weeks, day and night…

The entire Kalamazoo River, the whole 40 mile stretch, still needs moderate to heavy work done still. There’s a no contact order that you can’t go anywhere near the river.

Hear more of Susan’s story, such as why she speaks up for those affected by the spill, in an upcoming blog.

Support National Wildlife Federation’s work on to stop dirty fuels and the Keystone XL pipeline at our Choose Your Cause website.

Inspecting Insulation

It has been on our family’s “honey-do” list for years – a home energy audit. With few dollars to spend, and limited understanding of home construction, we wanted to know what investment would give us the greatest return. We want both lower energy bills and a more comfortable home.

Then we learned that the state of Virginia is offering $250 to any Virginia homeowner who hires a Virginia home energy audit company. This program started June 20 and lasts until the funds run out. This incentive program was our “tipping point” that pushed us beyond home energy audit procrastination. We hired a company named ecobeco. Their audit costs $450, so the $250 incentive covers more than half. Many states have incentive programs. See a list of Department of Energy energy savings incentives.

Are you a Virginia homeowner? At the Virginia Home Efficiency Rebate Program, it took about 15 minutes to make an account. Our home energy audit incentive request was approved in less than a day.

How do we choose a home energy audit company?

In the past, I surfed home energy audit company websites and tried to do a side-by-side comparison of services, but it got overwhelming. I talked to companies at local green and Earth Day events, and asked them “how would you choose a company?” The most common advice was to choose a company that did not have another product, like solar panels or insulation, because they would be motivated to push you toward that product. But honestly, I chose ecobeco because that’s where I learned about the Virginia incentive in the first place – in their monthly e-newsletter.

What is in a home energy audit?

Our home energy audit lasted just under four hours. Our energy auditor was Jonathan Ferree. When I asked if I could take photos and blog about it, he responded with a great sense of humor. He was excellent at explaining what he was doing and finding with each test. After reviewing our energy bills and hearing our concerns, Jonathan did three activities:

1. Worst Case Depressurization Test
2. Attic Inspection
3. Blower Door Test

What is a Worst Case Depressurization Test?

Checking for carbon monoxide and draft

This test ensures your natural gas appliances are working so you would not have carbon monoxide poisoning, and that any fumes are being expelled out of your house.

This involved closing windows and doors, turning on the blower fan over the stove, and testing our natural gas appliances (water heater and furnace). He drilled small holes in the flues that come from those appliances, and stuck a device in there to test the wind speed inside, as well as look for carbon monoxide. He lit a small flame to ensure the smoke was sucked up into the flue.

Our systems passed, although Jonathan noted that we only have one carbon monoxide detector, and it’s on  our second floor. He said that by the time that detector would sense carbon monoxide, it would be too late – our house would be filled with carbon monoxide because it’s heavier than most air. He recommended a carbon monoxide detector on each floor. According to the Center for Disease Controls and Prevention, about 500 Americans per year die from carbon monoxide poisoning.

Batts in the Attic

Inspecting the attic insulation

Throughout the attic, there was yellow insulation. Some was blankets or “batts” on the walls. Some was fluffy and loose along the floors. There seemed to be plenty but Jonathan taught me how to look with an energy auditor’s eyes. We saw:

• Stained insulation – In joints where the roof met a wall, the insulation was dark gray instead of yellow. Jonathan said this happens when there is air flow, and air flow means a leak.
• Visible floor joists – The wood that forms the skeleton of our house, or joists, is only about four inches thick. So if I can see the floor joists, that means the insulation is four inches or less. You are supposed to have about eight inches of insulation for the best energy saving. Or if you are talking about a gap between two sections, the insulation should fill it. We had gaps that were 14 inches wide in some places, with only an 11 inch batt.
• Gaps between insulation and wood – Especially with the batts, there were often gaps. Sometimes the gap was only about an inch. I can imagine if I was a building contractor, I would want to put those batts in place and get the heck out of such a hot space. But even one inch gaps allow a lot of energy waste. I think you’d have to be a perfectionist to lay insulation batts perfectly. That’s why Jonathan says that blown insulation is usually better.
• Insulation should lie evenly – For the best energy saving, insulation should lay like an untouched blanket of snow. Mine looked like someone had a snowball fight. The insulation was non-existent in some places and piled up in others. Jonathan said that sometimes contractors who are laying wire will smoosh insulation around – compressing it and moving it – making it ineffective.

Insulation discolored by an air leak

Jonathan suggested hard-sided insulation or blown cellulose would likely be the best investment we could make to reduce our home energy use. It would address our worst comfort issues, that our upstairs is much hotter in summer and colder in winter. Effectively, that poorly insulated attic was cooking or freezing us in our bedrooms!

We also talked about attic fans. Attic fans are supposed to be attached to a thermostat. When the attic hits a certain temperature, the fan should automatically turn on and blow the hot air out through a vent.

Our attic fan is actually attached to a light switch, and that same switch controls a fan inside our bedroom. That’s not helpful! There is nothing automated at all. We would need to hire an electrician to separate these two fans, and make sure the thermostat part of the fan is working. 

Blower Door Test

Door blower test

This was the part I had been waiting for – the “finale” of our audit. I had seen photos of blower door tests before – where the auditor puts a cloth covering on your front door, then puts a big fan in that blows air into your house. Jonathan said it was like a 55 mile an hour wind blowing on every window and door of the house. This allowed us to walk around and put our hands near any opening to feel for drafts. We also looked at everything with an infra-red device that showed temperature differences.

I was surprised to find our windows and doors were in great shape. In the winter, my family has felt drafts from the windows, so I thought the first recommendation would be to replace our windows – at great cost. But Jonathan said replacing windows rarely is the best plan to cut your energy bill. Windows conduct heat and cold, that’s a fact, and while a more energy efficient window may cut a draft – often you won’t see a difference in your energy bill. If we wanted to cut down drafts, we should replace the windows for that reason, but we should not be disappointed if our energy bills stayed the same.

We were pleased to find few gaps in insulation as we toured the house – until we got back to that leaky attic. There we found areas where the temperature was higher than 110 degrees Fahrenheit.

Making the Best Home Ever

It is likely that insulating and sealing our attic will be the next step. As I think about all the attics around the world with messy ineffective insulation, and all that leaked cooled and heated air – what a huge waste! For all the effort it takes to teach my children to turn off the lights, there is this huge unseen space that quietly wastes energy. Imagine if we all just smoothed out our insulating blankets? How lovely to fix something once and know it keeps working without any reminders!

Jonathan will now prepare an in-depth report that will estimate how many years it would take to make back that investment. Like any home improvement project, I have a greater appreciation of this structure we call a home. Spending time in the attic felt therapeutic. It was like digging into the deeper recesses to understand how things work behind the scenes – and how to make things work better every day.

Stay tuned to hear about the final recommendations and our next steps!

My Double Rainbow Halloween costume

A few days ago I blogged about my recycled Halloween costumes from past years. And at the end, I said I would reveal my 2010 costume after the National Wildlife Federation’s Halloween party. Well, here it is!

*drum roll*

A Double Rainbow!

About half the people who saw me thought, “Oh how nice, a rainbow, or two, I’m not sure, that’s a bit confusing.” 

The other half broke out laughing because they were familiar with the YouTube video that went super-popular earlier this year.

You might be wondering, “What does it mean?”

What is the Double Rainbow video?

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Double Rainbow video shows a person who is completely amazed when he sees two full rainbows in the sky. He video-taped the rainbows and his very exuberant reaction. As a person who is prone to extreme shows of excitement, I really loved this video.

People around the world reacted to this video with huge amounts of creativity. They composed songs and incorporated it into comedy acts. They video-taped their children acting out the scene, because in a way, kids get exactly how this person was feeling.

For some reason, watching this video makes us want to laugh and tell others about it. Who knows why? But it is a human reaction that I have seen replayed over and over – and at least 18 million people have experienced some version of it online.

I chose to dress up as the Double Rainbow because I was so impressed by how one person’s video could kick off so much creativity.

Unfortunately, now my children run around yelling “What does it mean?” and other choice quotes from the video.

How did I make this year’s costume?

It’s a very large cardboard box, folded almost in half to create a space for the arm straps. Those are made from orange cotton. The box was painted, mostly by my husband.

Glued on the box are lots of plastic caps. At the National Wildlife Federation’s staff recycling center, we gather plastic caps from bottles for Aveda’s Recycle Caps program. I felt the caps added ”zing” to the costume. They are glued on with a hot glue gun.

A small speaker system hanging from my neck played a variety of double rainbow songs. The speaker system glowed with rainbow lights.

This costume won the award in the recycling category of our Halloween contest.

Halloween costumes at National Wildlife Federation

How did other people dress up?

Seamus won the “traditonal” costume category. Seamus is the pet pug of Em Gaziano. He was a banana split. I’m so sorry I did not get a photo of him! I’ll ask Em for one.

Aislinn Maestas won the “work-related” costume category by dressing up as a lion with a big moustache. She portrayed Jim Lyon, our Vice President of Conservation Policy.

In our team costume category, the prize went to a group that dressed up as our Hike and Seek program.

Great representation from lots of people who contribute to our web presence and blog!

So enjoy your Halloween and here’s a thought: ”May I never miss a sunset or a rainbow because I am looking down.” — Sara June Parker

Painting my bat house in 2004

Have you ever wanted to build a bat house? Apparently, LOTS of people are interested. How do I know?

Many years ago, I wrote a page on how to build a bat house on National Wildlife Federation’s website. I write lots of content on the site, but this activity was extra fun. I had not really used power tools before, and I am certainly not a wood worker. But I wanted to give it a try.

Building the Bat House

I went to Bat Conservation International’s website. This is a very cool organization which does amazing things to help bats. I downloaded their instructions on how to build a bat house. First I was quite surprised by how big the bat house was going to be. Most bat houses I had seen in local stores were quite small. Perhaps people didn’t want to think they were hosting a HUGE amount of bats. But BCI was quite clear, this was the minimum size for an optimum bat house.

So on September 24, 2004, I managed to build my bat house without much fuss, experimenting as I went along, and taking lots of photos.

People Just Love the Bat House Website

Since that time, the bat house page has consistently been a very popular page on www.nwf.org. All the time, all the seasons, no matter what the issues are, ever since.

We have thousands of web pages on our site, and thousands of people visit the site. But this page just keeps plugging away. We have changed the outside wrapper on it probably four times since then, along with the URL as it moves around in the site.

So far in 2010, it has been viewed 37,297 times and it’s the 52nd most popular page. This may sound low, but we have thousands of pages. The top 50 pages are all higher in the site, or donation pages, or job pages, or relate to the oil spill. This page is way down in the site.

In 2009, it was the 35th most popular page with 87,858 views.

My colleagues featured this article on the National Wildlife Federation’s Facebook page two days ago and already 213 people have liked the article, and 33 people wrote comments. Kristin Johnson, NWF’s Online Editorial Manager, told me that is a very high response, about double from similar articles.

So anyhow, I just think it is fascinating that a bat house page is by far the most popular page in our Garden for Wildlife website, beside actually certifying your yard. People think bats are creepy? I don’t think so. They seem to LOVE them.

So What Happened to the Bat House?

Sawing grooves in my bat house

If you read the article about how to build at bat house, at the end I say “I’ll need to get more information about how to hang it up which I’ll add to this website as soon as possible.” So that was in 2004 and I haven’t added instructions about that to the website. Sorry about that.

I built this bat house back when I had little babies, and as any young mother knows, hanging a bat house doesn’t really reach the top of the “to-do” list. So I gave the bat house to a friend at National Wildlife Federation in the hopes it might get put up here. Unfortunately we don’t know what happened to it. We looked all over, but it’s now been six years and there’s no sign of it. I’m hopeful it is up somewhere in the yard of a keen gardener helping bats. So I should really update the content… as soon as possible.

Good luck with your bat house efforts!

Feel like helping a furry, flying mammal in need? You can symbolically adopt a bat today!