Ogden Nature Center Winter Photo Contest
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 the Nature Center's deer and other wild critters, in addition to the landscape.
• Photos submitted for judging must be no larger than 8 x 10 inches and mounted on cardboard or foam board (no frames or glass please) with entrants full name, age, phone number, e-mail, street address and entry category on the back of the board.
With frosty trails, winter birds on the braches and vibrant colors in the field, now is a great time to explore the Ogden Nature Center. We cannot wait to see your amazing photos.
For more information please contact our education director, Stefanie Miller at 801-621-7595 or at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Come Walk With Me, Poem by Heide Cottam
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 swallows me
Billowing through my skies
And seeping into my caves
Come, walk with me
Sing to me your songs of pain
While I tend to my injuries
Lay your burdens on me
And I will lay my flowers at your feet
Come, walk with me
You still need me
And I still want you
Protect my waters
And I shall nourish your body
Come, walk with me
Replenish my gardens
Stitch back together my wounds
Save me from your future
I still need you
Come, walk with me
Exploring with Grandma Leads to Busy Bugs and a Wise Owl!
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 looking at him from a small hole in the tree. I climbed up and sure enough there was the little owl with wide eyes looking back at us. Hudson was thrilled with his discovery yet he thought we should leave the little owl alone and go over to the big tree house to eat our lunch.
Another day as we hiked out to the tower at Avocet Pond Hudson’s attention was drawn to a tiny bug that landed on his arm. It walked up and down Hudson’s sleeve and before long became a friend called Alex. Hudson eventually decided that he needed to leave Alex claiming that this is his home. He found a safe place to tuck him then put some water from our thermos on a leaf for Alex. Yes, Hudson is creative, marvels at the diversity of his environment and is gaining a respect and appreciation for nature and the space each living creature deserves.
From Tadpole pond to the beaver lodges, from the bear den to the mouse hole to listening for sounds from the birds and seeing footprints as we trek on the trails Hudson’s senses seem to come alive at the Nature Center. It is truly a place where he can get close to nature to learn, discover and to just be happy.
Ogden Nature Center receives Utah’s Green Business Award
“The green business awards celebrate Utah’s greenest companies, products and people. We are thrilled to be counted among the top organizations in Utah making strides in environmental sustainability,” said Brandi Bosworth, public relations coordinator for the center.
The Ogden Nature Center educates Utah residents about environmental sustainability through classes, workshops and events, and by modeling eco-friendly buildings and making use of renewable energy. For example, the Visitor Center was built in 1994 using recycled timbers from a local, abandoned railroad trestle. The center also has a “living roof” with vegetation that keeps the building cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. The L.S. Peery Center Building incorporates unique building materials including straw bales in the exterior walls, insulation made from recycled denim and newspaper, cabinet panels created from sunflower hulls and bathroom stalls made from recycled milk cartons. The L.S. Peery Education Center also relies on on-demand water heaters, natural lighting and solar energy.
Along with demonstrating cutting-edge building practices, the Ogden Nature Center provides environmental education to more than 27,000 people each year. In a field trip program called “Utah’s Ecosystems” students learn about watersheds, wetlands, forests and deserts while exploring plant and animal life.
The Ogden Nature Center is a 152-acre nature preserve with 1.5 miles of easy walking trails, picnic areas, tree houses and a spotting tower. A main attraction at the Nature Center is its live exhibit of birds of prey and other native animal species that help to teach the citizens of Utah about wildlife and habitat protection.
The Ogden Nature Center was established as Utah’s first Nature Center in 1975 and continues to live its mission to unite people with nature and nurture appreciation and stewardship of the environment.
Acclaimed Nature Photographer James Balog to present at the Ogden Nature Center
James Balog is a National Geographic photographer and the founder and director of the Extreme Ice Survey and Earth Vision Trust. His latest work uses time-lapse video and photography to document the retreat of glaciers worldwide.
Shocked by the changes he saw while shooting the June 2007 National Geographic cover story on melting glaciers, Balog initiated the most wide-ranging glacier study ever conducted. He has since captured images in Alaska, Greenland, Iceland, Canada, Bolivia, the Alps and the northern U.S. Rockies. His work has provided a monumental and stunning look at the impact that climate change is having on the world’s glaciers.
Balog’s presentation is sponsored by Weber State University’s Lindquist College of Arts & Humanities and the Weber State University Provost Office.
The Ogden Nature Center is located at 966 W. 12th Street in Ogden, Utah. For more information about the Ogden Nature Center, please visit www.ogdennaturecenter.org or call 801-621-7595.
