Buddy Bison's Buzz - August 2010

Lloyd and his classmates (left) at St. Ignatius Loyola Academy, a Where’s Buddy Bison Been? pilot school, used the National Geographic Mystery books series, set in national parks to enhance their Read Across America program. Lloyd competed in a school-wide essay competition, and he and 12 other kids were awarded one of National Park Trust’s Youth to Parks Scholarships to travel over spring break to For Love of Children’s Outdoor Education Center near Harper’s Ferry National Historical Park.

With that scholarship, he and his classmates were able to spend several days in West Virginia participating in a leadership and environmental education program.

By the time Lloyd and 48 other students from his school joined Buddy Bison for the fortieth anniversary Earth Day event on the National Mall in April, Lloyd had already become inspired to protect the environment in his own community.

In Baltimore, he noticed that the old Warwick Street Park in his neighborhood had become run down and was unusable for play. He talked to his dad and organized a presentation for his local City Council … read more

So many of us watched news coverage of Haiti’s earthquake and wondered what we could do to help. Many kids worked with their classmates to raise money to help rebuild. What some people don’t realize is that Haiti’s forests have been in trouble for a long time.

Ninety years ago, well over half of Haiti was covered in forest. Now just 2% of the land is forested. Some third-graders from The Bullis School recently created Buddy Bison Park dioramas, depicting American and Haitian Parks.

Dioramas made by Paris, Rotimi and Preston were showcased at a special presentation to one 16-year-old earthquake survivor named Ruthnie at the Haitian Flag Day event, at the White House Old Executive Office Building.

Paris’s dioramas depicted “Buddy Bison at Rock Creek National Park” and Rotimi’s featured “Buddy Bison at Yellowstone National Park.” Preston’s piece, entitled “Buddy Bison Dreams of a Reforested Haiti,” was presented along with Buddy Bison to Ruthnie by fifth-grader Alexander, who attends National Presbyterian School, another Buddy Bison School.

In his speech, Alexander said, "We only see the devastation on TV," said Alexander, "but there are so many beautiful things about Haiti, too, and I want people to know that." ...read more

First Lady Michelle Obama recently launched Let’s Move Outside! and is asking kids to do just that—get outdoors and move! You can go to a local park, hike a trail or ride your bike. The Obama family recently took part in all of these outdoor activities themselves on their vacation last week to Acadia National Park.

Tell your parents, the First Lady asked you to get in at least an hour of physical activity a day—so let’s go swimming at a community pool, climb a jungle gym or fly a kite!

Parents, check out local National Parks in your area and plan your own outdoor, family adventure—and remember, FREE Entrance Days are August 14-15!

Buddy Bison has taken to writing haiku poetry. Can you write a Buddy Bison haiku, too?

Buddy Bison quakes
A mighty roar he does make
Support our parks NOW

Sixth grader Matthew W. from Washington Latin PCS did a great job:

A Buddy Bison
Symbolizes something so
Absolutely neat.

Like Matthew, can you give us your creative best? Please send in your Buddy Bison haiku poetry to sarah@parktrust.org. (Remember, haiku poetry is written with five syllables in the first line, seven syllables in the second line, and five syllables in the third line. They don’t need to rhyme!)
Finalists will be featured on www.buddybison.org!