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New staff, new space, and lots of well-adapted river critters!
Welcome to the Team, Maddie!
Exciting news - WE HAVE A NEW STAFF MEMBER!!! Maddie Fernandez joins us as our new Community Outreach and Programs Manager:
“Hey! I'm Maddie Fernandez, I am a bilingual environmental science communicator. I have a strong passion for community science, conservation and cultural work. I am happiest when I am working with groups of people in nature and believe we all have a lot to learn from each other. I am also an avid birder, with the green heron being one of my all time favorites. Cant wait to explore local ecology with y'all!”
It’s always great to have another green heron fan on the team. If you see Maddie out and about on the river, say hi!
New Year, New Room
We acquired an indoor educational space!! After a full decade of running hundreds of programs per year with zero backup plan for poor weather, we FINALLY have a room that can hold 40 exuberant middle-schoolers. In addition to field trips, we’ll use it for movie nights, socials, and extra working space for our many summer interns. The new room will also be our hub for research and community science as we explore more partnerships in 2026!
What the duck is going on here??
Waterfowl can be found nearly everywhere this time of year, perfectly happy and healthy despite being literally crusted in ice. They have a few key adaptations that allow them to keep warm and dry in these conditions!
A downy layer of feathers provides insulation, preventing heat loss, and helping with buoyancy.
The veins and arteries in their legs and feet are very close together, creating a “countercurrent exchange system” whereby heat transfers from the outgoing blood to the incoming blood before it reaches the bird’s feet. That means they’re losing less of their body heat to the cold environment!
Waterfowl preen themselves by spreading oil on their exterior feathers, from the uropygial gland located by their tail. This keeps their feathers waterproof as they dive for food!
Photo credit: Black People Outside, @blk.people.outside on Instagram!
Funder Feature: Arc’Teryx
Did you know Arc’Teryx has a grantmaking program? Well, they do! Their team supported our programming work last year through their No Wasted Days initiative, which helps make outdoor spaces welcoming to people who have historically faced barriers to access. Their support culminated in a collaborative event with Black People Outside, where all three organizations gathered on the Wild Mile for a workshop on nature education! It’s always cool to make new connections through grantmaking programs - and we’re pumped to continue these relationships in the coming year!
February Events Calendar
The usual winter schedule! Event descriptions and RSVP links can always be found on the events page of our website. Remember, the walking tour and s’mores night are subject to cancellation in the case of very poor weather - make sure to RVSP so we can keep you posted!
Wild Mile Walking Tour: February 7th, 11 - 11:45am
Wild Mile S’mores Night: February 25th, 6 - 7:30pm
River Ranger Social: February 18th, 6 - 7:30pm
South Side River Ranger Social: February 11th, 6 - 7:30pm
Office Insights
It’s nearly valentines day, which means love is in the air… and also in the water! We asked the team which river romance (real or hypothetical) they’re most excited to see unfold in 2026:
Phil:
“Whatever the fish have got going on. As I learned at my last conference, all the green sunfish, pumpkinseed and bluegill see each other, shrug their fish shoulders, say 'close enough' and hybridize right then and there.”
Phil:
“Whatever the fish have got going on. As I learned at my last conference, all the green sunfish, pumpkinseed and bluegill see each other, shrug their fish shoulders, say 'close enough' and hybridize right then and there.”
Sage:
“Last year we saw a lovely same-sex mallard couple step up to adopt some abandoned goose eggs! Those eggs weren’t viable, but I hope that couple finds some form of fulfilling parenthood this year.”
Nick:
“Coyote and domestic dog. Any dog that’s willing to accept the coyote for who it is, faults and all.”
Maddie:
“Ida Beav and her presumed mate! I’m excited to see if the marriage produces any more kits this year…” *mate not pictured
Stephen:
“Two of the herons that stick around all winter and shiver in the cold instead of migrating to Tampa. They could keep each other warm!”
Maya:
“Chonk and Stagg - they had a love triangle article last year that I thought was messy and fun”