Free Project WILD Teacher Workshop in Miles City Aug. 14

Participants can shadow biologist in field mist-netting for bats

MILES CITY – Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks will provide a rare opportunity on Aug. 14 for teachers and outdoor educators to accompany a wildlife biologist into the field to mist-net for bats in Miles City.

The evening field trip is part of a free Project WILD Teacher Workshop during which attendees will participate in several hands-on lessons focusing on birds and bats, while earning continuing education credits. On the workshop agenda are: “Interview a Spider,” “O Deer Activity/Dropping in on Deer/Deer Dilemma,” “No Water off a Duck’s Back/Egg-stravaganza,” and “Bat Blitz and Migration Madness Activity.”

Dinner is included in the workshop, which will begin at 5 p.m. at FWP’s Miles City regional headquarters. The curriculum activities will conclude at 9 p.m., after which participants will have the opportunity to accompany non-game biologist Brandi Skone on an outing to mist-net for bats. Mist-netting, which involves suspending a fine net across areas frequented by bats, is a non-harmful method used to capture bats and collect biological data from them.

Workshop attendees will receive a Project WILD curriculum guide and several other FWP educational resources and activities. They will also earn seven Montana Office of Public Instruction renewal credits. Travel reimbursement and lodging are provided if needed.

Project WILD is an award-winning wildlife-based conservation curriculum in which more than 1.5 million teachers in the United States have been trained. This workshop will enable teachers to bring the lessons into their classroom and share with other educators. The 500-plus-page Project WILD K-12 Curriculum & Activity Guide is packed with classroom activities on a wide variety of wildlife species.

Participants are asked to register by Friday July 21 to secure a spot. To register, contact Ryan Schmaltz at 406-444-9946 or email rschmaltz@mt.gov.

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