This site is based on a new illustrated children’s book Osprey Adventure(Tidewater Publishers, 2008), a heartwarming tale of how a boy and his biologist father save an osprey (that familiar bird that looks like an eagle) from certain death after it becomes accidentally entangled in fishing line. Beautifully illustrated by renowned artist, Marcy Dunn Ramsey, the book was inspired by the work of real-life biologist, Peter McGowan of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Author Jennifer Keats Curtis interviewed Mr. McGowan and his colleagues before joining them on a daylong survey to understand his role in helping these birds. Mr. McGowan, who has studied these fish hawks for years, believes that half or more of all osprey nests on the bay and surrounding rivers contain fishing lines, cordage material, and plastic bags. He regularly surveys nests and removes trash wherever he can.

Can’t find Osprey Adventure? Make a request in your local bookstore or contact the author: jcurtis@cablespeed.com. Or, order it online from any major bookseller, including Amazon.com, Borders.com, and BarnesandNoble.com.

Teaching Activities

Take advantage of your student or child’s interest in reading and in Bay animals. The attached guide will help young readers summarize, learn, and have fun withOsprey Adventure.

Click here to download:
Osprey Adventure Activity Guide

Can’t find Osprey Adventure? Make a request in your local bookstore or contact the author: jcurtis@cablespeed.com. Or, order it online from any major bookseller, including Amazon.com, Borders.com, and BarnesandNoble.com.

Kids’ Pages

Hey, kids, you can do it!

You are an important part of keeping our earth safe for the people and animals that live here. Besides recycling fishing line and picking up plastic, there are many things that you and your parents can do to make important contributions to saving our environment.

Since these are kids’ pages, let’s concentrate on ways that you can help the earth or you can help your parents “go green.” We will be updating this page regularly with your information and ideas. If you want to submit a tip or advice, ask a parent or teacher to help you email me at jcurtis@cablespeed.com.

1. Take a Trashless Lunch to School
   One way to reduce the amount of plastic bags in your area is to use a trashless lunchbox system.

   Laptop Lunches (www.laptoplunches.com) are fun, practical food containers that neatly fit into a laptop-shaped lunchbox.

   This cool product was started by California moms Tammy Pelstring and Amy Hemmert, who were looking for a way to help their own kids eat more nutritionally with less waste of food and of plastic bags and containers. They also donate a portion of profits to schools and environmental organizations. For more information and tips, visit www.wastefreelunches.org.

1. Take Your Own Bag to the Store
   Help your parents make a space in their cars for reusable bags (which are usually made of cloth or recycled plastic). Then, when you go to a store, remind your parents to grab the bags—or better yet, you grab those bags—and bring them into the store with you. That way, you can put what you buy in those bags and you won’t need to take any plastic bags home with you.

1. Make Your Own Bag from an Old Shirt
   Biologist S. Alexandra Siess likes to turn her old shirts into shopping bags through these easy steps:
   • Flip an old t-shirt inside out and lay it flat.
   • Sew the bottom edge together.
   • Cut an inch or two-larger circle around the neck.
   • Snip off the arms.
   • Turn it right-side out and voila, you’ve kept your favorite old t-shirt and you have a strong and comfy bag to tote about!

   She says a heavyweight t-shirt will last the longest and that you may reinforce the seams and wash it whenever it’s necessary.

1. Recycle Paper and Cardboard at School
   Litter and trash is a topic that my friend John Neville, the Supervisor of the Department of Environmental Education in Prince George’s County Public Schools, is passionate about. He likes the ways Osprey Adventure successfully “tangles” litter, trash, the osprey life cycle and the bay together. He is helping schools in his county become “Litter Free” through the Keep Prince George’s County Beautiful (KPGCB), Inc. organization. Students are working with the Abitibi Paper Retriever to collect and recycle tons of paper each year. Abitibi provides colorful bins to schools and organizations to make collecting recyclable paper and cardboard easy. They pick up collected materials and weigh them, and then pay the school or organization for their collections. For more information, please visit www.paperretriever.com.

1. Plant a Tree
   For information on how to pick the right spot and the right tree, click here:http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/feature/backyard/treeptg.html

Help the Osprey

The osprey, also known as a fish hawk since it dines nearly exclusively on fish, is one of the most recognized large birds in the world. Though the brown and white birds are often mistaken for eagles, the osprey is smaller, its black bracelets (marks on its wrists), and crook in its wing as it flies clearly distinguishes it from other birds of prey, explains U.S. Fish and Wildlife (USFWS) biologist Pete McGowan.

Sadly, in the early 1970′s, ospreys were nearly wiped out by the pesticide DDT. Fortunately, the birds have made a rather remarkable comeback since the pesticide was banned. Today, they are found on all continents except Antarctica, proudly perching on the sides of their huge nests of jumbled sticks.

Nowhere is this more apparent than in the Chesapeake Bay, where the abundance of osprey has led to the Bay being called the “Osprey Garden of the World.” (According to USFWS, there are about 3,600 pairs of breeding ospreys in the Bay.) However, trash clearly poses a threat to the well-being of these magnificent birds.

Mr. McGowan, who has been studying osprey for the past several years with colleagues from the U.S. Geological Survey’s Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, recently evaluated the latest data for 156 osprey nests that were surveyed in Maryland tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay. He found:

• 46% of the nests contained fishing line

• 56 % of the nests contained fishing line and similar cordage materials

• 50% of the nests contained some type of man-made trash such as plastic bags, clothing, toys etc.

• In some tributaries fishing line was found in 60-100% of the nests surveyed.

He encourages you to properly dispose of your fishing gear and debris. Here’s how YOU can help the ospreys:

• Safely stow or throw away any unused fishing line, tackle, and other trash so that birds and other animals will not become entangled in these materials.
• Recycle monofilament line when feasible.
• If fishing line is to be discarded, take it home and cut it into small pieces first; then dispose of it in a trashcan.
• Do not throw any plastic-or pieces of plastic-into the water.
• If you find fishing line, balloon ribbon, kite string, rope, or other debris that may harm wildlife, dispose of it properly.

If you see a bird in trouble, please do not try to rescue it. You could hurt yourself or the bird.

In Maryland, Contact:

Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research: 302-737-9543
(answered from 9 am – 5 pm EST daily)
www.tristatebird.org

Wildlife Rescue, Inc: 443-507-0950
www.wildliferescueinc.org

or Call the Chesapeake Bay Safety and Environmental Hotline at
1-877-224-7229

Nationwide Contact:

Search: www.tc.umn.edu/~devo0028/contactA.htm#md, for the wildlife rehabber nearest you.

• Jennifer Curtis and Osprey Adventure illustrator Marcy Dunn Ramsey recently participated in a dual visit to Kent School in Chestertown.
  
• Biologist Peter McGowan of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was interviewed about his role in the bookOsprey Adventure by Michael Buckley for the Sunday Brunch Interview Series which airs on Sundays at 9 a.m. on WRNR 103.1 FM. For more information, visit www.voicesofthechesapeakebay.org 
  
  Peter McGowan of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Michael Buckley
• Contact Author Jennifer Keats Curtis (jcurtis@cablespeed.com) to schedule a school or organization visit; and, stop by to meet her during these scheduled events:
  • Maryland Day, March 30, 2008, HistoryQuest at the St. Clair Wright Center, 99 Main Street, Annapolis
  • Maryland Maritime Heritage Festival, May 2, 2008, Annapolis City Dock
  • Preakness Balloon Glow, May 16, 2008, Turf Valley Resort, Ellicott City
  • Chestertown Tea Party, May 24, 2008, Chestertown

   

• News Items:
  • Children’s Book Highlights Biologist’s Work
    U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service- Chesapeake Bay Field Office

    http://www.fws.gov/chesapeakebay/Newsletter/Spring08/Ospreybook.htm

  • March 20, 2008- Book Aids Campaign To Protect Ospreys
    By David A. Fahrenthold, Washington Post Staff Writer

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/19/AR2008031901222.html

  • March 7, 2008- Nature’s Wonders for Young Readers
    By Gwyneth J. Saunders, Southern Maryland News Staff Writer

    http://www.somdnews.com/stories/03072008/weekboo154758_32096.shtml

  • The Ospreys Are Coming Back
    By Jennifer Keats Curtis

    http://www.windstar.org/knowledge_center_article.cfm?articleID=588

  • Osprey Adventure was named to the National Humane Education Society’s kids’ reading list
• Reviews:
  • January 10, 2008- Let Osprey Live. Amen
    By Anne Stinson, The Star Democrat

    http://sdbeta.timberlakepublishing.com/article.asp?section=142&article=34796

  • March 2008- Osprey Adventure: A book for all ages
    By Caitlin Codd, Waterman’s Gazette

    http://www.marylandwatermen.com/gazette&podium/PDF/march/march08coverstory.pdf

  • April 27, 2008- It’s Only Ink! Osprey Adventure
    By Jennifer LB Leese

    http://www.picketnews.com/articleDetail.asp?cID=8&id=7992

• Would you like to install an osprey platform? In Maryland, platform installation is covered under a permit issued by the Maryland Department of the Environment. However, applications are required.
  • For an application, please click here Osprey Pole Permit Package.
  • Click here to download plans for building an osprey platform: Osprey Platform and Predator Guard
    (Platform information provided courtesy of Biologist Peter McGowan)
• Considering ways to recycle fishing line?
  • Contact Berkley Conservation Institute to learn more about keeping our waterways clean and wildlife safe. http://www.berkley-fishing.com/about_conservation.php
  • Participate in the BoatU.S. Foundation and the BoatU.S. Angler Program to help reduce marine debris. Become part of the nationwide network of monofilament recycling locations by volunteering to install and maintain a monofilament recycling location at a fishing spot near you.
    Click here www.boatus.com/foundation/Monofilament/ for details.
  • Click here to download plans to build a monofilament recycling bin: Monofilament Recycling Bin

• Looking for local environmental news? Try http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/ENV.html. Many of the stories in “Our Bay,” are well- researched and written by Capital staff writer Pamela Wood.

• Enjoy learning about the animals, places and people of Maryland? Visit www.marylandlife.com.

• Are you new to fishing or would you like to learn more about it? Visit the Future Fisherman Foundation (www.futurefisherman.org)

Author Visits

Jennifer Keats Curtis is a Maryland native who passionately helps students learn about the remarkable animals that inhabit our backyards and how even the youngest students play a role in conserving and protecting them. A journalist who serves as editor-at-large for Maryland Life Magazine, Jennifer diligently researches her topics and excels at “kidspeak.” She clearly explains to students how she gathers accurate information and details to write her stories and provides illuminating details to help children understand how language arts and science are combined to write realistic fiction.

Since every school has different needs, Jennifer is always willing to individualize programs for particular students and grade levels. However, she currently offers two “standard” programs based on Turtles in My Sandbox andOsprey Adventure for children in pre-school through 6th grade.

She also offers half-day, full-day, and multi-session writing and editing workshops for children of all grade levels.

Can’t find Osprey Adventure or Turtles in My Sandbox?
Make a request in your local bookstore or, order them online from any major bookseller, including Amazon.com, Borders.com, and BarnesandNoble.com.

About The Author

Author Jennifer Keats Curtis wants to help bring children closer to the animals in their own backyards. By diligently researching her topic and interviewing real experts, including children working to help preserve and protect local wildlife, the former journalist has developed a knack for teaching young children about important ecological issues and what they can do to help.

Her first book, Oshus and Shelly Save the Bay (a paperback about oyster siblings quest to save their beloved Bay from pollution) won an award from the Maryland Council of Teachers of English Language Arts.

Her second book, Turtles in My Sandbox (a hardback based on a headstarting program in which schoolchildren raise diamondback terrapins in the classroom and then help experts tag and release them), a finalist for the ASPCA Henry Bergh Children’s Book Award, has been incredibly well received in the schools and by the public. With pet diamondback terrapin, Rascal, in hand, Jennifer regularly visits schools around the state to teach kids why turtles are laying eggs in sandboxes rather than on their usual nesting site-the beach. Besides combining imagination and scientific facts in page format, Jennifer also encourages students to reach out technologically by visiting www.terrapinbook.com, a unique website that she helped create with partners from Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute, and Maryland State Department of Education. The website, which provides a wealth of information about this elusive animal, also enables students raising terrapins to transmit data online to experts who are trying to learn more about it. Further, the site virtually opens up the popular headstarting program to students who do not have the opportunity to participate in the hands-on program.

Jennifer’s third book, Osprey Adventure, is a heartwarming tale of how a boy and his biologist father save an osprey from certain death after it becomes accidentally entangled in fishing line. Illustrated by Marcy Dunn Ramsey (who illustrated Priscilla Cummings’ Chadwick the Crab series), the book is based on the work of a real Bay hero, biologist Peter McGowan.

Jennifer’s next book, about children who find help for a baby owl, will be the fourth in her animal series. It is scheduled to debut in early 2009.

Most days, this University of Maryland Phi Beta Kappa graduate can be found among students and teachers talking about literacy or conservation. She also regularly presents writing workshops to elementary school students. When she’s not in schools, Jennifer contributes to several magazines and serves as editor-at-large forMaryland Life Magazine.

Jennifer resides in the Annapolis area, with her family, amidst several animals, most of them small.

Can’t find Osprey Adventure? Make a request in your local bookstore or contact the author: jcurtis@cablespeed.com. Or, order it online from any major bookseller, including Amazon.com, Borders.com, and BarnesandNoble.com.