Resident Artist

Echo Bluff and Current River Missouri State Parks

June 2019

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     Where do I even begin to express my joy and gratitude for being invited back to these beautiful parks for a third year in a row?  Wow!  It has been an honor and a privilege (again!) to work with the staff helping visitors connect to the Great Outdoors.  This year, I worked with two different school groups and my program theme was migratory birds.  Students had the opportunity to "become" migratory birds in a highly interactive game - learning about all of the challenges that our feathered friends face on their incredible journeys.  They took great interest with my bird journal that I keep when I travel.  Lists of birds and sketches fill the pages.  I also gave two public programs.  One program taught participants some Nature Journaling techniques they could try out with frogs and toads that they caught.  I will never forget the shrieks of the excited children catching their frogs and toads!  In another public program, I taught participants how to sketch backyard birds step by step.  What a delight it was to see them excited about their sketches!  Conducting bird surveys was another activity that I enjoyed.  I also had the opportunity to spend some time Nature Journaling in the parks including a day trip to Peck Ranch Conservation Area.

     Below are some of my Nature Journal entries.  I wish I had time to capture every moment, but at least you can get an insight to some of the rich, natural treasures I was immersed in and the discoveries that I made.

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