Abbey Brook Expedition
Naturalists in an Urban Park
Many Springfield students have made personal connections to nature, fearing to encounter prickers, poison ivy, mud, bugs, and even ticks! To learn to observe and make sense of the natural world, we used a STARS grant to work with Mass Audubon naturalists and educators to explore an urban park to connect to the natural world and care about how humans affect it.
Our explorations were informed (and made more familiar and accessible) with a mobile app called iNaturalist, where students could upload photos and get species identified automatically or later by other observers in the system.
Supports for Park Expeditions
Environmental science and climate adaptation fieldwork is not just a "walk in the park". Students drew upon four different strands of previous study to make the most of their fieldwork.
LT 1: Sense Writing
Connecting to our senses in a nature setting and writing using sensory language.
LT 3: Fieldwork
Exploring an urban watershed preserve and surrounding neighborhoods to connect to natural and built habitats.
LT 4: Partner Work
Connecting across the climate justice divide to see how an island territory is impacted and responding to the climate crisis.
LT 5: Projections
Understanding what changes are happening, likely or possible on a global and regional scale, depending on mitigation levels.