Science, Youth, and Integration: The Quest for Mindfulness Through Birding

Abstract

This chapter presents the story of a bird habitat building project in Alaska through the University of Alaska. The meaningful purpose of youth birding in Alaska has to do with building competency in science inquiry but also the arts, which stimulates mindfulness. The logistics of developing a birding program has its own challenges, which are explored through the ways that partnerships materialized for this project. With time, we anticipate this project will serve as a conceptual model for developing inquiry in other states and the world, as birds that migrate to every location on the planet from Alaska and Polar Regions serve as an important indicator of ecosystem health in relation to climate changes and the challenges before humans.