Latest Posts
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Breaking the Spiral of Silence: How to Talk Climate Without the Doom and Gloom
Climate Change, Conservation Psychology, Informal Science Education, Inquiry-Based Learning, Non-Profit Leadership, SciCommWe’ve all been there: you want to talk about the environment, but the conversation feels like a one-way ticket to a “Sarah McLachlan commercial” level of sadness. You worry about being too political, too nerdy, or just plain depressing. In this episode, Kevin Matteson sits down with Kait Birghenthal, President and Project Coordinator for NNOCCI…
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Bones, Beaks, Fur, and Feathers: A Barn Owl’s Buffet
By Ashley Pickard’s Sixth-Grade Class, National Cathedral School, Washington, D.C. Editor’s Note: Originally published in the November/December 1996 issue of Dragonfly Magazine, this vintage investigation takes us into the world of an avian predator to see what we can learn from the “leftovers” of its last meal. The Spark How can you tell what an…
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From the Bahamas to the Jungles of Thailand: A Global Fellow’s Journey of Connection and Mindfulness
By Lyndeisha Curry Hi there! My name is Lyndeisha Curry, and I am from the island of Abaco in The Bahamas. I am incredibly grateful to have been selected as a Global Conservation Fellow for 2024. From my first Earth Expedition in Belize to my recent experience in Thailand, the knowledge I am gaining through…
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Air-OO-Planes Away: The Quest for the Ultimate Flight Design
By the Fifth-Grade Students of Ms. Ursula Sexton and Mr. John Lukas, Green Valley Elementary School, Danville, California Editor’s Note: Originally published in the September/October 1996 issue of Dragonfly Magazine, this story follows a class that combined science fiction with serious scientific testing to solve the problems of future space travel. The Spark Our investigation…
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Keeping the Five Alive: “Pragmatic Hope” for Rhinos
When you think of a rhino, do you see a prehistoric tank or a secretive, singing forest dweller? According to Martha Parker, Director of Grants & Partnership Development with the International Rhino Foundation (IRF), the answer is both—and they need our help now more than ever. In this episode, host Kevin Matteson catches up with…
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One if by Air: Mapping the Wonders of the Sky
By the Fourth-Grade Students of Mrs. Claudia A. Katz and Ms. Tamara Somers, Henry Ford Elementary, Hazel Park, Michigan Editor’s Note: This post is a vintage treasure from our archives, originally published in the September/October 1996 issue of Dragonfly Magazine. It highlights a classic inquiry method—KWPDLS—that helps young scientists organize their curiosity about the world…
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Empathy Beneath the Surface
Reflections from Earth Expeditions Galápagos Photo by Cosette De Ferrari Las Tintoreras remains one of the most profound memories from my time in the Galapagos. The small islet, named for the White Tip Reef Shark, Tintorera, is carved with narrow lava channels where these sharks rest. As we moved across the jagged volcanic terrain, the…
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Dreaming of Flight: If We Could Touch the Sky
By the Fifth-Grade Students of Adams Elementary School, San Diego, California Editor’s Note: Originally published in Dragonfly Magazine in the late 1990s, this collection of student reflections and poems captures the timeless “sense of wonder” children feel when looking at the clouds and imagining the impossible. The Spark In our class, we started talking about…
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Beyond “Doom and Gloom”: Why Hope is the New Conservation Currency
Conservation Psychology, Earth Expeditions, Global Field Program (GFP), Zoo & Aquarium ProfessionalsWe’ve all been there: reading a statistic so bleak—like the fact that fewer than 100 Sumatran rhinos remain on Earth—that our first instinct is to look away. For decades, the “knowledge deficit” model assumed that if we just gave people enough cold, hard facts, they would be shocked into action. But as Dr. Kathayoon Khalil,…