It would be difficult to find a better way to spend a sunny March day than time spent at Good Earth Village (GEV) near Spring Valley, Minn. Add to that a delicious lunch, and a speaker as knowledgeable and witty as Al Batt and you have a trifecta.
The Lunch and Learn event, held at Good Earth Village (GEV) on Tuesday, March 19 was titled “Birding with Batt,” giving a hint as to what was going to be discussed although the topics and stories were certainly varied.
Batt is well known around the country, including the Fillmore County area, as his weekly column is published in the Fillmore County Journal and is anticipated and enjoyed by our readers.
Batt is active in the world of birding as he also does weekly radio shows, writes syndicated cartoon strips, and is a columnist for “Watching Backyard Birds” and “Bird Watcher’s Digest,” along with performing speaking engagements and other activities. Batt received a high honor from The Minnesota Ornithologists’ Union, as he was presented with the Thomas Sadler Roberts Award for birding.
Many people attending the Lunch and Learn had heard Batt speak previously, but for others it would be their first experience hearing his personal brand of humor.
“We enjoy birds and feeding birds, and since we moved in to town we have quite a collection of birds now,” states Janice Mensink of Spring Valley, which is why she and her husband Marlo were interested in hearing Batt speak. “I would like to see how much difference there is from what I do,” explained Marlo.
Batt provided a wide range of useful information on many birds in the area including bald eagles, red-tailed hawks, robins, great horned owls, screech owls, turkey vultures, juncos and many more. He described the birds characteristics, behaviors, sounds they make, what they eat, etc.
His favorite birds are chickadees and he describes them as “the best birds on earth” for many reasons. He tells a story about when he was a boy and he figured out a way to get chickadees to land on his gloved hand. “It was incredible,” remarks Batt.
About blue jays, Batt noted that a group of them is called a party; but he feels a group of them should be called a “scold” because “they are always after somebody or something… they are so smart,” and suggested that if you want blue jays to visit your property just put out peanuts in the shell and they will appear almost instantly.
Batt’s fondness of birds began as a child when his dad had feeders and they fed the birds scratch grain. He gets his love of nature and living things from his grandma. “I talk to flowers, I talk to everything; I talk to trees, I talk to birds, I talk to my ancestors when I pay my respects; I talk to everything,” he notes. He goes on to say that people say that’s crazy, but “it’s genetic,” he says with a smile.
He also talked about other animals including dogs, cats, raccoons and more. “Somebody said the earth is flat; I said no it’s not because if it was there would be nothing on the earth yet – the cats would have knocked it all off,” jokes Batt.
The audience thoroughly enjoyed the presentation by Batt with smiles and laughs filling the space. Nate Johnson, new program director at GEV was pleased to see everyone enjoying themselves at Lunch and Learn, as was the entire staff.
“I just love when Al is here,” states Diana Parks, executive director at GEV. “He tells stories that really touch people’s memories as well as gives us things to look forward to… we always talk about him in relation to birds, but his stories are really about life and how we connect with each other and how we connect to this creation and we are just so grateful,” she adds.
“Al is always a big draw wherever he goes so it’s always exciting to get him out here,” comments Tyler Anderson, director of Retreat Services at GEV.
Attendees also savored a meal and dessert prepared by Rhonda Musel, the new dining manager at GEV. This was Musel’s first Lunch and Learn meal preparation and diners were certainly impressed.
There is so much to see, do, and appreciate at Good Earth Village, whether you have spent time there in the past or not. Improvements have been made to various cabins and for any readers that had no idea about Old Town at GEV (like this reporter!) it also has a new look. Old Town resembles a traditional pioneer village which includes main street cabins with historical looking store fronts but with modern amenities. Cabins include the General Store and Valley Bunk, as well as authentic structures Mahood’s Cabin, Homestead, and Schoolhouse. For further information on Old Town email info@goodearthvillage.org.
To learn more about GEV and all that it has to offer, visit goodearthvillage.org or phone (507) 346-2494.
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