Kirtland's Warbler Festival

Education the goal in KWF-COOR alliance

By JEREMY LAND

ROSCOMMON – Education is the hallmark of the Kirtland’s Warbler Festival, and the college that sponsors the festival takes that part of it very seriously.

Each year prior to the Festival, Kirtland arranges for various, renowned environmentalists to visit area schools around the C.O.O.R. Intermediate School District.

This year, thee presenters will be touring the district, helping to educate youngsters while promoting the festival. They are Joe Rogers, Wil Reding, and Ranger Steve Mueller.

Rogers' show, held at St. Helen Elementary, Roscommon Elementary, and Rose City Middle School and Elementary, was a "teaser presentation" – a shorter version of the presentation he will be giving at the Festival called "Rulers of the Sky - Eagles, Hawks and Owls."

"He is an extraordinarily interesting fella to watch," said Tom Dale, education director of Marguerite Gahagan Nature Preserve and member of the Festival’s organizing committee. "Whenever we can get Joe Rogers up here for anything, we do."

Reding, also known as the Rambling Naturalist, provides theatrical presentations with his wife, Sarah. He presents Yas Ennya Oyaka, a character he portrays as a woodsman in a bearskin cape who tells a thing as it should be told, in Prudenville Elementary School, Collins Elementary School, and Merritt Elementary School. The show will focus on wildlife ethics and Great Lakes mammals, giving children an opportunity to learn how they can help the environment.

Mueller's Grayling Elementary and Mio Elementary presentation featured a discussion on butterflies and dragonflies. He enjoys working with children, and does so through the Howard Christianson Nature Center, which provides presentations year-round.