District Projects
Education
Envirothon
In 2008 the Area VIII Envirothon will be
held at Lake Bemidji State Park on April 23. The Envirothon is an
outdoor learning event for high school students to promote natural
resource involvement and education.
This nationwide event began in Pennsylvania in 1979 and in Minnesota in 1993. It is a unique, hands-on outdoor competition for high school students that challenges students' environmental knowledge and problem solving skills. Teams of 5 visit five 20-minute learning stations based on key areas of the environment. Stations are presented by natural resource professionals in the fields of wetlands, wildlife, soils, forestry and a current environmental issue. Students also make an 8-10 minute oral presentation on the current event. The top three teams from Area VIII will advance to state competition in May. The winner of Minnesota's competition advances to the National Canon Envirothon.
This type of competition allows high school students to showcase their environmental expertise, provides an educational opportunity to expose students to Minnesota's ecology, encourages academic excellence, and recognizes students' outstanding accomplishments in areas beyond athletics.
In Area III, the Envirothon is held rain or shine. Registration will begin at 9:00 a.m. Students will be served a morning snack and lunch; prizes will be given. Donations are encouraged to help with the costs incurred with the Area and State Envirothons.
This year's Minnesota State Envirothon will be held on May 14 at Prairie Wetlands Learning Center, Fergus Falls. The National Canon Envirothon will be held in Flagstaff, AZ at Northern Arizona University.
Poster Contest
A poster contest is held yearly for students in grades 5-6 on a rotating topic. In 2008 the theme will be "Trees--Rooted in Our Future."
5th Grade Education Day
SWCD and NRCS staff yearly participate in 5th Grade Education Day held at Itasca State Park in May.
Rural Rainfall Monitoring Network
Hubbard County SWCD has a rural rainfall monitoring network
throughout Hubbard County that was begun in 1978. Each month
volunteers record rainfall daily and then submit their reports to the
SWCD office who sends the compiled data to the Office of State
Climatology. Monitors are supplied with stamped, self-addressed
envelopes and monitoring forms, so there is no cost to the volunteer.
A rain gauge is also supplied. From time to time a volunteer may
retire from the network, so new monitors are needed. If you are
interested in being a rainfall monitor, please call the office for
more information.
Observation Well Program
The Hubbard County SWCD has been monitoring the state water levels of 30 wells in Hubbard County monthly since 1974. This data provides a good historical picture of the fluctuations in the water table. The static water levels fluctuate according to dry and wet periods as can be seen in hydrographs of the wells.
River Clean-up Project
Volunteers gathered at the Fish Hook River Dam on September 8, 2007 to begin a walk in the water to clean out debris accumulated throughout the year. This was the third year that the river has been targeted for clean-up. In spite of the cool, 40-degree weather, 7 volunteers either walked the river or paddled a canoe to help transport trash to a loading site. The group began at 9:00 a.m. and moved downstream to the bridge on Fish Hook Avenue. Another event is planned for 2008.
