National Great Outdoors Month

National Great Outdoors Month is celebrated in June and serves as a reminder to enjoy and appreciate our state parks and wildlife refuges. This observation, begun in 1998, encourages us to explore our parks and enjoy the beauty that awaits us in our natural world.

National Great Outdoors Month is celebrated in June and serves as a reminder to enjoy and appreciate our state parks and wildlife refuges. This observation, begun in 1998, encourages us to explore our parks and enjoy the beauty that awaits us in our natural world.

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Carrick Creek: Overview | RiverVenture
Carrick Creek: Overview | RiverVenture

Video

Grades: 7 8 9 10 11 12

This mountain stream is nestled in the Blue Ridge Escarpment of South Carolina. Carrick Creek flows within the Saluda watershed, the beginning of a river journey moving water from the mountains to the...
Carrick Creek: Glossary | RiverVenture
Carrick Creek: Glossary | RiverVenture

Document

Grades: 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

A abrasion: the process of scraping or wearing something away abundant: having large amounts of something accumulation: the process of gathering something over time acidic: describes substances that...
Carrick Creek | RiverVenture
Carrick Creek | RiverVenture

Interactive

Grades: 7 8 9 10 11 12

This mountain stream is nestled in the Blue Ridge Escarpment of South Carolina. Carrick Creek flows within the Saluda watershed, the beginning of a river journey moving water from the mountains to the...
Condensation and Hydrolysis | RiverVenture
Condensation and Hydrolysis | RiverVenture

Video

Grades: 5 6 7 8 9

The first reaction shown is a condensation reaction. Two molecules combine with the loss of a water molecule (blue and orange). The second reaction is a hydrolysis reaction. A molecule is cleaved by...
Tides | The Salt Marsh
Tides | The Salt Marsh

Video

Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Tides flood into the salt marsh twice a day and bring salty water from the sea. Then twice each day the tide ebbs and leaves the salt marsh high and dry. The tides are at their highest (and lowest)...
Terrapin | The Salt Marsh
Terrapin | The Salt Marsh

Video

Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

The upper surface of the terrapin's shell, called the carapace, is formed of 13 plates, or scutes. Each scute is roughly circular and grooved with rings. Since one ring is formed each year, the age of...
Great Egret | The Salt Marsh
Great Egret | The Salt Marsh

Video

Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

The great egret is a large white wading bird. Unlike the snowy egret, the great egret has a yellow bill and black legs and feet. This bird is the symbol of the National Audubon Society. Their long...
Mud Snail | The Salt Marsh
Mud Snail | The Salt Marsh

Video

Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

The mud snail is black, with a very strong shell, and is about 1/2 inch in length. It is an effective scavenger and hundreds of snails will collect around a dead fish or shrimp bait until they...
Crabbing & Fishing in the Marsh | The Salt Marsh
Crabbing & Fishing in the Marsh | The Salt Marsh

Video

Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

The salt marsh is home to many animals, including some that people like to eat. Blue crabs are often caught in wire boxes called crab pots. Shrimp grow from tiny larvae to big adults while they live...
Male Fiddler Behavior | The Salt Marsh
Male Fiddler Behavior | The Salt Marsh

Video

Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Male fiddler crabs have one large claw, which can be either their left or right. They wave these large claws at other males to frighten them away from their territory. When they wave the claw, they...
Raccoon | The Salt Marsh
Raccoon | The Salt Marsh

Video

Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

It ís a raccoon! Raccoons often feed near water and frequently visit the salt marsh during low tide. Raccoons are omnivorous and eat many different plants and animals. In the salt marsh, they often...
Snow Bunting | Expeditions Shorts
Snow Bunting | Expeditions Shorts

Video

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Patrick McMillan visits the North Slope Region of Alaska, where he showcases two species of bird which reside in this freezing cold region: the Snow Bunting, and the Lapland Longspur. The Snow Bunting...
Snow Buttercup | Expeditions Shorts
Snow Buttercup | Expeditions Shorts

Video

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Patrick McMillan visits Loveland Pass, Colorado, where he shows us Snow Buttercup flowers. These flowers take advantage of the insulation provided by layers of snow. The snow also protects these...
Montezuma Quail | Expeditions Shorts
Montezuma Quail | Expeditions Shorts

Video

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Here at Appleton-Whittell Research Ranch in Arizona, Patrick McMillan and Pedro Chavarria talk about an uncommon species of bird found in Arizona, the Montezuma Quail. This bird is a native of Mexico...
Birch Tundra | Expeditions Shorts
Birch Tundra | Expeditions Shorts

Video

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Here in the Seward Peninsula in Alaska, Patrick talks about tundras: vast open areas without trees, but many species of grass, and woody, shrubby plants, like the American Dwarf Birch, and Arctic...