Early Tuesday morning, even though the world was dark, Susan Snyder and I were up -- literally -- with the birds. It was Susan's day of the week to fill the bird feeders at the Ogden Nature Center for the Wasatch Audubon Society, and she was kind enough to let me come along for the adventure. John Nelson, one of the founding chapter members of the Wasatch Audubon Society, started winter feedings at the Ogden Nature Center in 1983. The goal of these feedings is to ensure that birds living in or around the nature preserve have enough food to get through the winter, since much of their natural surroundings are now used for human purposes. The seed used in the bird feeders, which are spread throughout the Nature Center, is donated by members of the Wasatch Audubon Society and the society itself. The people who come to feed the birds, volunteer their time and sign up for a day of the week to come out to the Nature Center and feed the birds once a week all winter long. There are even backup volunteers to fill-in when a primary feeder cannot make it. Susan, who has been a weekly…

Hi everyone! My name is Whitney Sanchez and I am interning as a blog writer at the Ogden Nature Center. For the next four months I will be posting blogs and keeping you updated on what is going on at this beautiful nature preserve on 12th Street. Though my formal relationship with the Nature Center has just begun, my informal relationship began long ago. When I was very young my parents would take my brothers and me to explore at the Nature Center. I still remember going down birdhouse trail, it felt much longer back then, and admiring the beautiful birdhouses people had managed to create. I always wanted to make one, maybe now I will.  When I was in the first grade I entered an art contest held by the Nature Center and won! I remember painting the trees with my watercolors and being so nervous to submit it. When I won I received a box of cards from the Nature Center that I still have in my memory box. I have always loved coming to the Nature Center and have volunteered for big events like the Earth Day Celebration. I am looking forward to the opportunity to work…

Calling all photographers:  Grab your gear and head out to the Ogden Nature Center to capture images for the “Picture Perfect Winter Photo Contest.” The deadline for entries is Thursday, February 2nd at 4:30 p.m. and winners will be announced in the L.S. Peery Education Center at 1 p.m., Saturday, February 4th.  Utah has beautiful winters and now, with a bit of fresh snow, it is the perfect time to get out to with your camera (film or digital) to see what you can capture.  The requirements for the contest are as follows: • Entries must be shot at the Ogden Nature Center during regular hours Monday-Friday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. and Saturdays 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Closed Sundays and major holidays. • Entrants will be divided into two ages groups: ages 8 - 15 and 16+ • Entry fee of $3 per entry for ages 8 - 15 and an entry fee of $5 per entry for ages 16+ • Entrants may submit photos in two categories (one entry per category): 1- Ogden Nature Center resident animals, including resident birds, reptiles & arachnids in cages and the Nature Center's three wild turkeys. 2- General nature shots, including…

 This blog article is only posted by Brandi Bosworth.   The following poem is written by Heide Cottam --  Come, walk with me Let me tell you the story Of my mountains and my seas Let me slip my vines into your hands, My breath into  your lungs Come, walk with me In and out of shadows Under canopies and under sun Drag your feet through my soft soil And embrace the touch of my dew Come, walk with me Listen to my birdsong And the pounding my ocean heart Listen to the whisper of my white desert And the howl of my rocky cliffs Come, walk with me Paint yourself with wild sage Tangle yourself in my roots Then bathe yourself in my waterfalls And dance frenzied dances with my ancient oaks Come, walk with me Feel how I hurt How your oil slides over me Choking the force of my goodness Hiding the glory of my green Come, walk with me Hear how I cry out From the violence  you have borne From the blood you pour into my lands From the way you tear open my flesh Come, walk with me Taste my desperation As your smoke…

A simple fact that fills me with gratitude is that we can look to nature to meet all of our needs. Food, water, sunlight, clothing, medicine, fuel for warmth and transportation; even beauty for inspiration! When we engage in nature-based crafts we get to hold all these resources in our hands and manipulate them to meet our needs to our particular preferences. Crafting is also an empowering way to save money creating gifts for your loved ones this holiday season! Especially in a desert state, we get scaly in the wintertime. We need lotions and potions to soften us up around the edges and keep us cuddle-soft! This winter, try your hand at making your own bath salts, massage oil, lip balm, and more! Add essential oils for aromatherapeutic and skin-soothing benefits. It’s fun and easy! Making your own natural bath products uses inexpensive ingredients easily found in the grocery store. You can make as much or as little as you want at a time. And, if you make them yourself you know exactly what they contain. In preparation for this Wednesday’s Herbal Bath Products class, I am choosing which recipes I want to share this year. I decided to…

This letter was written by Bonnie Rembacz regarding her grandson, Hudson. We loved it so much, we had to post it to the blog!   “Walking the trails, the tree house and visiting the birds are my favorite things” Hudson told me recently. Hudson is my four year old grandson and each Wednesday we do something together. I plan some of the activities, but when Hudson is given a choice it will most often be a day at the Ogden Nature Center.   It might be a planned activity like Bizzy Buzzy Bugs or Wild Wednesday, but he is just as happy hanging out at the Nature Center picking and choosing what perks his interest. For example a few weeks ago we were making the trek out to the tree house and he was exploring every step of the way. He saw first hand how those wispy puffs of silk move the seeds around in the wind and how fast and far a grasshopper can really jump. At the old tree house he climbed up while I waited below to see that he safely navigated each step. When he reached the top he informed me that a little owl was…