Wonder – Explore – Discover
The Highlands Center, a Prescott nature center, is a hub for lifelong learning, designed to invite discovery of the wonders of nature.
Events and Calendar
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The James Family Discovery Gardens
Highlands Center Hiking Trails
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Volunteer Opportunities
Fall brings changes out at the Highlands Center for Natural History's campus in the Prescott National Forest, which inspires this image and poem by Sonya Wood Mahler, our Membership Database and Volunteer Coordinator:
"Scarred by the fires
But still standing unabashed
She proudly wears
Her crimson sash."
The crimson sash that causes a rash
Woodpecker tongue
A woodpecker tongue is up to 4 inches long depending on the species, and it wraps around the skull when it is retracted. Many woodpecker tongues are barbed to help the birds extract bugs from trees and holes. Woodpeckers can lick up sap and insects, and will also use their agile tongues to sip from nectar feeders for hummingbirds and orioles.
#conservation #conservationist #education
www.audubon.org/news/listen-sweet-soft-warble-common-ravens-sing-their-partners?fbclid=IwAR3tM1wG...
Listen to the Sweet, Soft Warble Common Ravens Sing to Their Partners
Suspected to mate for life, Raven pairs serenade each other with these gentle "comfort sounds" while bonding.I loved this!
"Over the past generation, we have witnessed a massive indoor migration. The average North American child now spends seven to ten hours a day gazing at screens and closer to seven minutes playing outdoors..."
"In this presentation, Scott Sampson offers three simple tools that any caregiver can use...to connect the children in their lives with nature and reawaken a deep sense of amazement. It’s time to balance screen-time with green-time!"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mn4ve9fLsuA&fbclid=IwAR2ejmXMoe4jXi4k4Ebxfd3kJA1p2PfgBC9omZBGKogqrfyVJQZs...
Highlands Nature Camp is full swing this fall break! Exploring and playing at the creek is always a favorite activity with our campers, and the fall colors are amazing!
Come hike our trails in the Prescott National Forest or stroll through our accessible James Family Discovery Gardens! neurosciencenews.com/nature-cortisol-stress-11001/
20 Minute Contact with Nature Reduces Stress Hormone Cortisol - Neuroscience News
Taking a 'nature pill' of spending twenty minutes a day outdoors can help to lower cortisol levels.www.sciencenews.org/article/connecting-our-dwindling-natural-habitats-could-help-preserve-plant-d...
Connecting our dwindling natural habitats could help preserve plant diversity
As pristine habitats shrink worldwide, a massive, 18-year experiment suggests that linking up what's left with natural corridors could help ecosystems retain plant diversity.
Garden gently to see more pollinators!
Gently rake your leaves and twigs into your "wild area" or leave the leaves where they fall if you can.
Information about the moths and butterflies pictured can be found here:
LINK: www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Callosamia-promethea
LINK: www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Papilio-polyxenes
LINK: www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Agraulis-vanillae
#FeeFree Wednesdays are the perfect days to fit in one of the Highlands Center for Natural History's Hiking Spree hikes that are on @PrescottNF! You have until 12/8 to do 8 of 12 hikes, but why wait? highlandscenter.org/hiking-spree-2/ #PrescottTrails #HCNH
UPDATE on today's Highland Center Geology Field Trip to Sedona and the Verde Valley: We are already underway on our journey of discovery with geologist extraordinaire, Wayne Ranney, to Montezuma Well, the Verde Valley, and Sedona. Wayne is the author of “Sedona Through Time” and “Ancient Landscapes of the Colorado Plateau.” Our tour group is comprised of 20 people who all happen to be members of the Highlands Center for Natural History (HCNH)! Don, our bus driver, has introduced himself and has made our group comfortable for travel. HCNH Education Director, Felipe Guerrero and Sonya Wood Mahler, HCNH Membership Database and Volunteer Coordinator are traveling along with our field trip participants. Here are some images we have captured along the way.
PlayCore Plant Database | PlayCore
Utilize a unique NEW TOOL to Promote Richer Play and Recreation Experiences with Plants
ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/pop-up-adventure-playground-gives-kids-a-taste-of-playing-the-o...
Pop-up adventure playground gives kids a taste of playing the old-fashioned way
Five-year-old Elyzah is trying to figure out what she needs to put on a piece of wood to make it balance. More wood? The weight of her own body?Her mother, Hafsa Khan, waves her off. “I trust…
Public Lands Day-use Fee Free Day!Happy #NationalPublicLandsDay! All @PrescottNF day-use sites are FEE FREE today! go.usa.gov/xPAjr #GetOutdoors #GoPlay
A one eyed Red-Tailed Hawk with a message.
She was hit by a truck one day hunting for food, now why would a hawk we always see soaring the sky’s be hit by a truck?
When we humans throw garbage on the road, especially banana peels, apple cores, fast food, ect. that trash attracts rats and other small creatures that raptors prey on. When the hawk swoops down, they often get hit, injured, and sometimes die.
Luckily, this bird is alive and well but she asks you to kindly throw your trash, biodegradable or not, in the garbage.
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#wildlifeconservation #creaturecatalog #wildlifephotography
#natgeo #natgeowild #nationalgeographic #animals_captures #marvelouz_animals #wildlife #your_bird_capture #elite_raptors #bird #birds #bestbirdsofinstagram #birdsofinstagram #birds_captures #birdsoflongisland #sweetbriarnaturecenter @sweetbriarnaturecenter #redtailedhawk #hawk #eagle #raptor #birdsofprey #natureismental @natureismetal #audubon #audubonsociety #ebird
thanks for the share!❤️🙋🏼♂️spread the awareness
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Everyone brought great enthusiasm and generous hearts to this year's Wander the Wild live auction and dinner yesterday - an event which directly benefits our youth education programs. The Highlands Center for Natural History provides quality, creative, hands-on, outdoor, science-based education to over 10,000 children annually and introduces them to the wonders of our Central Arizona Highlands. Many thanks to our generous sponsors, our spirited attendees, the very accommodating Windmill House in Chino Valley, and our dedicated Wander the Wild Committee members. It was a truly fun party for a great cause!Everyone brought great enthusiasm and generous hearts to this year's Wander the Wild live auction and dinner yesterday - an event which directly benefits our youth education programs. The Highlands Center for Natural History provides quality, creative, hands-on, outdoor, science-based education to over 10,000 children annually and introduces them to the wonders of our Central Arizona Highlands. Many thanks to our generous sponsors, our spirited attendees, the accommodating Windmill House in Chino Valley, and our dedicated Wander the Wild Committee members. It was a truly fun party for a great cause!
Autumn Ambience
In the Mogollon highlands of central Arizona, each season displays its own unique character. Fall is no exception: one day we are enjoying the warmth and activities of summer, then suddenly, without warning, it is autumn. The ambience of this season is a subtle...
The Highlands Center for Natural History
Prescott Nature Center
In our classroom without walls you will discover Ponderosa Pine covered mountains, deeply shaded riparian habitats, chaparral and woodland, remarkable geologic formations, and amazing vistas, in addition to all manner of forest inhabitants. With educational programming, hiking trails, and a botanic garden, our Prescott nature center has activities for all ages.
1375 S. Walker Road, Prescott, AZ 86303
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