How can the recording of events each season and each year in nature make us “see” the earth and climate change?
We write things down to remember and share them with others. Having learned from her father, Nina Leopold Bradley reflects on the importance of writing down and keeping records of the observations of sights and sounds that come with arrivals and changes each season. Learn how participating in phenology can change the way you see the world around you and reveal the effects of a changing climate.
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Questions to consider
In the video Nina talks about keeping records; what did she and her father keep records of? What kinds of natural events do you notice each year (birds returning, flowers blooming, snow falling)? Have you noticed any patterns with when they occur?
What might records collected season after season and year after year be used for? How do the records reveal what is happening with changes in our climate?
Based on what she shares in the video, how did Nina feel about the phenological events she observed and recorded? How do those kinds of events make you feel?
On the map
Baraboo, WI
Baraboo, Wisconsin is home to the Aldo Leopold Foundation, named for Nina’s father and dedicated to conservation and environmental stewardship.
In their words
“The fact that you keep records changes the way you see natural systems around you.”
– Nina Leopold Bradley
For educators
Access the educator guide for this story for extension activity ideas, discussion questions, a background information essay, and standards supported.
Production credits
Producer
Finn Ryan
Videography
David Nevala
Editing
David Nevala
Photography
David Nevala
Audio
Mark Fischer
Captioning
Catie Pfeifer
Essay
Sarah Wright
Images
Aldo Leopold Foundation
Kevin Cole
Peter Gorman
Matt Knoth
Rick Leche
Aditi Raval
Jay Williams
Web Design
Charles Barrows
Web Development
John Vieth
Special Thanks
Nina Leopold Bradley
Trish Stevenson
Kathe Crowley Conn, Aldo Leopold Nature Center
Educator advisory cohort for 2024 updates
Illeana Alexander
Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission
Odanah, WI
Darien Becker
Welty Environmental Center
Beloit, WI
Dolly Ledin
Education Chair, Wisconsin’s Green Fire
Madison, WI
Lisa Johnson
UW Climate Leadership Team and Dane County Extension Horticulture Educator
Madison, WI
Leigh Kohlmann
Retired Middle School Educator and Independent Science Education Consultant
Oakfield, WI
Lynn Kurth
John Muir Middle School
Wausau, WI
Victoria Rydberg-Nania
Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
Portage, WI
Cathy Techtmann
University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of Extension Environmental Outreach and Community Development Institute
Pence, WI
Julie Uram
Nature At The Confluence
South Beloit, IL
Sarah Wright
Eagle School
Fitchburg, WI