Nature Blog Network

Don’t forget, the NBN board isn’t just for announcing events! If you have contests or promotions, want to share a new project you’re involved in, share a cause you believe in, have items you wish to sell, want to solicit feedback from the NBN community, or anything else that might be of interest to our members, don’t hesitate to send it in!

Submissions can be sent to sanderling [at] symbiotic [dot] ca, with the subject line “NBN Bulletin Board”. Don’t forget to include your blog’s name and URL. The weekly board will be posted every Sunday.

Member participation

There’s a pretty good chance that everyone reading this blog either has children, knows a child, or was a kid themselves once. Remember those years? The foundation for so much of who you are now was laid when you were young. Odds are your school years played a large role, and probably at least one or two of your teachers or classes really made an impression on you. Today’s schools are feeling the pinch of tighter budgets that mean that teachers often have to make do with few or no luxuries, and sometimes even limited necessities. Ultimately, of course, it’s the children who lose out because of this.

DonorsChoose.org is a website borne of the need for teachers and schools to do their own fundraising for specialty projects, and the recognition that obtaining funds, especially in lower-income areas, can be a difficult and frustrating endeavour. The website acts as a giant showcase for needy schools and worthy projects across the country. Teachers submit proposals to the site, and donors can select the particular projects that intrigue them. Whether you’re looking to support local schools, want to encourage an activity dear to your heart, or are simply intrigued by a particular project, you have the ability to select from thousands of proposals and make sure your money goes where you think it’s most needed. DonorsChoose.org then organizes the purchase and delivery of materials and supplies. Donors – whether you donate $1 or $100 – all receive thank-you letters and photos of their donation in action.

In the fall DonorsChoose.org runs a blogger challenge. Last year alone bloggers were able to raise over $127,000 for worthy school projects all across the US. This October the bar has been set, and donors challenged to exceed it. Members of the Nature Blog Network are going head-to-head with ScienceBlogs.com and Discover Science Magazine to see which group can raise the most money for schools. How do you participate? Visit the NBN challenge page where you can either create a giving page of your own (you will need to register and select the NBN from the list of Giving Groups) or choose from one of the many worthy projects already selected by Bug Girl on her giving page. Every project you support through either Bug Girl’s challenge or your own contributes to the overall total raised by NBN members. We can do it – and schoolkids everywhere will thank you.

Amber of Birder’s Lounge reminds us that the International Bird Rescue Research Center’s Dawn dishwashing liquid campaign runs through October 1. Members are encouraged to buy a specially-marked bottle of Dawn, and activate the donation code online by midnight, 10/1/09. Dawn set a $500,000 donation limit, and the total right now is at just over $98,000. There’s still a lot of potential money on the table! Every dollar helps. For more info on the promotion, visit Amber’s blog post.

Member feedback requested

Kirk of the Twin Cities Naturalist Blog has a podcast that runs as a monthly feature complementing the blog. Kirk is looking for feedback on the podcast and suggestions for improvements or future content. You can listen to the September episode here.

“Real-world” Events

The eleventh annual Winter Camping Symposium will be held the weekend of October 23-25th. Traditionally located in Ely or central Wisconsin, this year the event is taking place just 21 miles west of Minneapolis at the historic YMCA Camp Ihduhapi. Participants are welcome to stop for a few hours and attend a couple presentations or camp the entire weekend. Sessions will include warm tent and cold tent camping, solo winter travel in the BWCA, snowshoeing, skiing, dog trips, toboggan pulling, safety, and winter campcraft. Participants may also sign up for special workshops where they can actually build a sled or practice their outdoor culinary skills. Email or visit the website for more information on the symposium, including other speakers and events, location, fees and registration, etc.

Contests and Promotions

Amber of Birder’s Lounge also reminds members that her photo ID challenge and Do Something! (Good) campaign are always ongoing. Some great causes benefit from both of these, so swing by and participate, if you haven’t already!