The McCully Heritage Project offers many opportunities for visitors to learn about the natural world around them.

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The McCully Heritage Project has received a LEAP grant from the Illinois EPA to purchase educational resources related to the study of lakes, ponds and/or their watersheds. LEAP stands for the Lake Education Assistance Program and provides funding to schools and non-profit organizations to enhance lake/lake watershed education.
 
The McCully Heritage Project has purchased a number of books and field guides, a Pondwater Tour educational water quality testing kit, and student field binoculars that are available to area teachers and students to enhance their curriculum and use at the McCully pond.  The goal in purchasing this material is to increase the educational potential of the McCully property and to provide resources for area educators and visitors to the McCully Heritage Project.  The material will enable students and other visitors to learn about the plants and animals that live in and around the McCully pond through research and direct observation.

Interested teachers or parents can contact Michelle at the MHP for more information or to access these resources.

Available resources include:

10 pairs of field binoculars, which will allow students to observe the birds, turtles, plants and other animals that live around the pond.

6 copies of the fold-out pocket field guides, Pond Life and Pondwatchers, for use in with the field binoculars .

A Pond Tour Water Quality Kit, a hands-on curriculum and water quality test kit, with the goal of helping students learn the importance of changes in water quality and how to measure water quality.

The following books:

Pond and Brook: A Guide to Nature in Freshwater Environments by Michael J. Caduto. This book is a good reference on the ecology of still water (ponds) as well as flowing waters (streams).

Woods, Ponds and Fields: Adventures, Projects and Ideas of Exploring the World f Our Familiar Environments. This book features activities from the Children's School of Science in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.

Eyewitness Pond and River Book. Featuring beautiful photographs that bring the pond environment to life.

Birds of Lake, Pond and Marsh: Water and Wetland Birds of Eastern North America by John Eastman. This book is more indepth than a typical birding field guide and provides a guide for those interested specifically in water and wetland birds.