Pam’s Perspective Pam Otto is the Manager of Nature Programs and Interpretive Services for the St. Charles Park District Where do you go for a screamin’ good time in St. Charles? These days, you’ve got lots of options. Pride of the Fox Riverfest is in town for the weekend, so you could hop on something
Black Rat Snake, Elaphe obsoleta, Reptile
Pam’s Perspective Pam Otto is the Manager of Nature Programs and Interpretive Services for the St. Charles Park District When was the last time you played hide and seek? I did for the first time in a long time last Tuesday and, I tell you, I don’t ever remember the game lasting as long as
Critter, Rodent, Vole
One of the great things about moving into a new home is getting to meet the neighbors. You never know who might be living right next door. Take, for instance, the cast of characters that surrounds us at our new naturalist department home, the Hickory Knolls Discovery Center. The fox squirrels that live in the
Animals, Neighbors, New Home
Pam’s Perspective Pam Otto is the Manager of Nature Programs and Interpretive Services for the St. Charles Park District With the grand opening of our Hickory Knolls Discovery Center just around the corner, the park district’s Naturalist Department has been working some pretty long days lately. But you won’t catch me complaining. For one thing,
Bird, Fly, Robins
When I got home from work the other night, I found I had six text messages on my cell phone. Maybe some people are used to getting lots of texts but, for me, a mediocre texter at best, six messages means something big must have happened. Halfway expecting to read that someone was sick, or
Nature, White-Tailed Deer
Pam’s Perspective Pam Otto is the Manager of Nature Programs and Interpretive Services for the St. Charles Park District Remember the old Celozzi-Ettleson car commercial tag line, “Hard to find, tough to beat”? That slogan well-described the car dealership which, as I remember, was near Roosevelt Road in Elmhurst. But it also makes an apt
Reptile, Spiny Softshell Turtle, Swim
Pam’s Perspective Pam Otto is the Manager of Nature Programs and Interpretive Services for the St. Charles Park District Whether you’re a veteran birder or brand-new to the pursuit, or even if you barely give any bird a second glance, I’ll bet at one time or another you’ve uttered the statement, “Oh, it’s a sparrow.”
Bird, Fly, Sparrows
Pam’s Perspective Pam Otto is the Manager of Nature Programs and Interpretive Services for the St. Charles Park District Like most other workplaces, the Naturalist Department here at the St. Charles Park District gets items delivered all the time. Small items arrive in envelopes, large items arrive in crates. And then there are those other
Domestic Rat, Rat, RodentOkay folks, it’s that time of year again. Time to dust off those listening skills, turn an ear toward the trees (and tall grasses, fence posts and reeds) and play a rousing round of our favorite springtime game, Name That Tune: The Nature Edition. As the days get longer, and warmer, all kinds of critters
Killdeer, Song, Tune
Sometimes I feel like I’m the last one to get the memo. You know, the one that says, “Drop everything and get outside. Spring is here! With our new building, the Hickory Knolls Discovery Center, set to open at the end of April, it seems there is no end to the details that need attention.
Spring, Spring Memo