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K-12 teachers, nature lovers, birders, and the general public are invited to Anne Springs Close Greenway in Fort Mill SC on 7 February 2004 (9 a.m.-1 p.m.) for an exciting and informative hummingbird workshop.

Here's your chance to learn all about attracting hummingbirds and to get certified so you can make scientifically important observations about their behavior and ecology. You'll also be able to submit your data as part of scientific research being conducted by "Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project" (www.rubythroat.org) and The GLOBE Program (www.globe.gov).

Educators, youth leaders, gardeners, nature enthusiasts, and individual homeowners are welcome to attend! The workshop will be led by Bill Hilton Jr., executive director of Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History (www.hiltonpond.org) in York SC and principal investigator for Operation RubyThroat. The workshop is co-sponsored by the Anne Springs Close Greenway in Fort Mill SC, just over the border from Charlotte and easily accessible from I-77.

NOTE to folks working on North Carolina Environmental Education certification: This workshop counts as four of the 30 hours needed in Category III (Knowledge of Environmental Education Resources).

GLOBE is a cooperative effort sponsored in the U.S. by the National Science Foundation, in partnership with Colorado State University and more than 140 colleges and universities--plus K-12 schools and non-government organizations. Internationally, GLOBE is a partnership between the U.S. and 95 other countries.

Through the innovative partnership between GLOBE and Operation RubyThroat, hummingbirds become a "hook" to excite K-12 students--and adults!--about science learning and environmental research. In the process, participants collect real data about hummingbirds and share their findings with peers and practicing scientists across the GLOBE network.

Participants--especially students--at GLOBE-certified locations make scientifically valid observations about behavior and ecology of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds (Archilochus colubris) and submit them to the GLOBE Web site via on-line forms. Observers in countries where ruby-throats breed (U.S. and Canada) or overwinter (Mexico and throughout Central America) also may submit data about more traditional GLOBE protocols, including atmosphere/climate, hydrology, soils, land cover, and phenology. All this information can then be examined on-line for possible correlations, perhaps allowing observers and cooperating scientists to see the impact of environmental factors on hummingbird activities.

The workshop runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and the registration fee of $25 includes all materials and snacks. Participants receive GLOBE certification in the hummingbird protocols and may begin submitting hummingbird data when the ruby-throats return in Spring 2004. For more information or to register, contact Dottie Metzler at Anne Springs Close Greenway via e-mail or by phone at (803) 547-0234. Registration closes on 4 February.

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Directions to Anne Springs Close Greenway Nature Center:

--Take I-77 to Exit 85. Go east toward Fort Mill on Rte. 160 for approximately .7 miles
--Turn left onto SC 21 Bypass (at the Peach Stand).
--Go 1.5 miles. Look for white fence and sign. Entrance is on right.
--Take gravel entrance road and park in lot ahead. Nature Center is white farmhouse on left.

All text & photos © Hilton Pond Center