No Matter Where You Live.

    Recently, Earth Spirit has been awarded a grant by the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo that will provide the funding of education services for underrepresented groups in the City of Buffalo. The project under this grant is called “Being a Naturalist: No Matter Where You Live.” The purpose of this grant is to form relationships with these communities throughout the Buffalo metropolitan area through an adult-focused, community group partnership. These adult-focused programs will connect these individuals to the natural world around them in healthy ways and provide access to natural spaces that are challenging to reach for many.

    Earth Spirit will work with three adult groups from the Buffalo area under this grant. The environmental programming with each group will have four main components. This first component will consist of an indoor program that will involve learnings on environmental justice and wildlife. The following will be held outdoors at a local, natural location. The third component will involve three field trips to various locations. These outdoor excursions will be focused on herbalism, snowshoes skills, and birding, with binocular and transportation costs covered. The fourth component and grand finale of this program will be a capstone experience, where all three groups will meet with Earth Spirit staff for the entire day at Letchworth State Park. Like the third component, costs for transportation will be provided, maximizing inclusivity and eliminating financial barriers.

    By connecting people to the natural world through these environmental experiences, they will learn how to see the world as a naturalist. The outcomes of these experiences will also be passed onto others within each group’s circles, perpetuating the outcome beyond Earth Spirit’s direct teachings. We at Earth Spirit are extremely excited to work with these community groups and look forward to similar opportunities in the future.

Recent Earth Spirit Staff Wildlife Sightings

Sandy Geffner

•  Two separate flocks of Golden-crowned Kinglets on hikes in Orchard Park and West Falls.

Jon Roth

•  Two Red-tailed Hawks talking to one another on The Park School of Buffalo campus.
• Countless Grey Squirrels are busy burying nuts across the lawn at Jon’s house.
• A chubby Raccoon was spotted foraging outside of the window at a restaurant in East Aurora.
• A sleeping Raccoon was seen near Beaver Island State Park laying in an old squirrel drey.

Daniel Mlodozeniec

• A red morph Eastern Screech Owl at Reinstein Woods Nature Preserve.
• A Barred Owl at Reinstein Woods Nature Preserve.
• Two Great Horned Owls in Amherst.
• A Bald Eagle at Buckhorn Island State Park.
• A Bald Eagle and an Osprey battling in Depew.
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