This April, thirty high school teachers will find themselves in a wooden blind watching the courtship displays of Wisconsin�s threatened prairie chickens. In a project funded by a 2002 Wisconsin Environmental Education Board (WEEB) Grant, the Becoming an Outdoors-Woman (BOW) program is offering a "Prairie Chicken: Conservation and Courtship" workshop April 25-27.

The BOW prairie chicken workshop is designed to expand teacher knowledge about prairie chicken ecology, habitat, and the history of early conservationists. Ultimately, BOW wants to give teachers the confidence to infuse these ideas into their own classrooms. In addition, participating teachers will have an opportunity to see and hear, first-hand, the males make their loud booming call as they jump, flutter and square off against one another, all trying to attract a hen.

"The interest in our prairie chicken workshop track has been phenomenal," says Mindy Brown, Wisconsin BOW graduate assistant. "We have already filled the workshop and have quite a few teachers on the waiting list. I think this really shows the interest that local teachers have in gaining new knowledge and experiences that can be used in their classrooms, and the prairie chicken population is a fantastic local resource from which to learn."

One past participant remarked about the prairie chicken viewing, "It was a great and rare experience, one that allows you to see up close some of the beauty of the species and why we need to protect the environment."

Another viewer said, "More people need to connect with such an incredible natural wonder." Bringing that connection to teachers and their students is the goal of the BOW prairie chicken workshop, a fun, educational experience for all involved, said Brown.

While the teacher workshop is full, others may experience this breathtaking performance by visiting an observation blind from April 1-30. Viewing of the greater prairie chickens begins before dawn, and lasts approximately two hours. For more information please contact Brown at the Wisconsin BOW office at (715) 346-3259.

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