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Halloween Hikes is next week - call for tickets today!
A snapshot of October events & programs through
Hartman Reserve Nature Center
Part of the Black Hawk County Conservation Board The Oak newsletter.
Upcoming Programs and Events
October 3, 4, 5 : 6:00-7:30 PM each day. Halloween Hikes Fundraiser at Hartman Reserve. Advance tickets only - call now to get yours! 319-277-2187 Non-scary walk on a candle-lit trail with costumed actors along the way telling stories about nature. Hot cocoa and cookies after hike, other activities offered in and around the Interpretive Center. Hikes begin at 6:00 and leave every 15 minutes. $5/ticket, age 2 and under free.
November 2 : Under the Harvest Moon Benefit Dinner and Auctions. Reservations only for this popular annual event! Call 319-277-2187. Catering by Moment in Thyme, complimentary wine. Auction packages include a guided canoe trip on the Upper Iowa River, Behind the Scenes Tour at the Omaha Zoo, and an array of hand-made items from local artists. Good people, good time, for a good cause: all proceeds benefit educational programming at Hartman Reserve.
The Outdoors
Leaves are changing around the state and especially in Hartman. This means that many animals are getting ready to survive the winter. Some of those species include reptiles and amphibians--how do they survive without a furry coat?! Because reptiles and amphibians are ectothermic poikilotherms, meaning they gain heat through their environment, their internal body temperature adjusts to external temperatures. So, when winter comes around for these animals, they aren't able to get as warm as they need to be to function properly. For many species, their metabolism slows. Aquatic turtles will move to below the frost line in water so they don't freeze. Many frogs, salamanders, and snakes will either bury themselves underground, or find somewhere underground where they can hibernate throughout the winter.

Some frogs, like Leopard Frogs and Bullfrogs, hibernate under water like turtles. But unlike turtles, who sometimes bury themselves in mud under the frost line, a frog's internal system basically becomes like antifreeze: a high concentration of glucose is produced that will prevent the frog's internal organs from damage during the freezing winter months. The gray tree frog (in the photo) will thaw as temperatures rise in the spring and then hop off like nothing happened! Reptiles and amphibians like to be warm, but they sure are cool (especially in those winter months!).
"October, baptize me with leaves! Swaddle me in corduroy and nurse me with split pea soup. October, tuck tiny candy bars in my pockets and carve my smile into a thousand pumpkins. O autumn! O teakettle! O grace!"
- Rainbow Rowell
Did you know?
Did you know that bats are the only animals capable of true flight? Their wings mimic the structure of a human hand, with long fingers and a thin membrane stretched in between them. 70% of bats eat insects, which means they play a large and important part in natural pest control--keeping bats around your house means less of those pesky mosquitoes! Bats hear really well. They use echolocation, which means they emit sounds that bounce off of objects and back to the bat. This tells the bat how far away the object is, how large it is, how fast it's traveling, and even the texture of the object---all this information is gathered in just a few seconds! Bats may look spooky, but they are super important and great to have around!
Copyright 2018. All rights reserved.
Hartman Reserve Nature Center
657 Reserve Drive, Cedar Falls, Iowa 50613
319-277-2187
hartmanreserve@co.black-hawk.ia.us


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Hartman Reserve Nature Center · 657 Reserve Dr. · Cedar Falls, IA 50613 · USA

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