District Projects
Education
Envirothon 2010
UPDATE: Teams from Lake of the Woods, Trek North and Park Rapids high schools won the top three spots at the Area 8 Envirothon on April 21 at Lake Bemidji State Park. These teams will go on to compete at the State Envirothon on May 17 at Presbyterian Clearwater Forest near Deerwood. The Park Rapids team of Sophie Shogren, Alex Renner, Brennan Larson, Christian Ridlon, and Danny Pike (pictured below) won 3rd place in the overall competition and also placed first in the oral presentation competition. Their teacher is Kevin Young. Congratulations to all the winning teams!
These Park Rapids teams, pictured above, also competed in the Envirothon on April 21, 2010. (1) Austin Gulley, Rachel Fineday, Nick Pappas, James Kujawa. (2) front--Lindsay Pearl, Sammone Parsons; back--Brad Capistrant, Jeremiah Baker, Ben Hennagir.
Other photos from the 2010 Envirothon...
Thank you to those from Hubbard County who donated to this year's Envirothon: Hubbard County Coalition of Lake Associations; Mantrap Valley Conservation Club Auxiliary; Minnesota Power.
The Envirothon is a nation-wide event that 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 8, the Envirothon is held rain or shine. Registrations begins at 9:00 a.m. Students are served a morning snack and lunch; prizes are given. Donations by organizations, businesses and individuals are encouraged to help with the costs incurred with the Area and State Envirothons.
Teachers and students: To access the website for the Area 8 Envirothon, click on http://sites.google.com/site/area8envirothon
Poster Contest
A poster contest is held yearly for students in grades 5-6 on a rotating topic. For 2010 the theme is "Community Waters."
Winners of the 2010 poster contest are fifth grade students Alexandra Smith from Mrs. Johannsen's class at Laporte School and Olivia Fischer, Jack Bateman, and Drew Hilmanowski from Mr. Prenevost's class at Park Rapids Century School. Each received a cash prize. Congratulations to them and thanks to all the students who submitted a poster. These posters will be entered in the Area 8 competition in June.
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
The 5th Annual River Clean-Up Project was held on August 16, 2009 from 2-4 p.m. Shane Foley, District Manager, Don Sells, Supervisor, and volunteers Tony McKeown and Eric Mickelson walked the river from the dam in Park Rapids to the bridge on Fish Hook Avenue collecting trash. Thanks to all for their efforts!
The 4th Annual River Clean-Up Project was held on August 16, 2008, when eleven volunteers gathered to clean up a portion of the Fish Hook River. Meeting at the Fisheries by the dam at 9:00 a.m., volunteers walked the river or paddled a canoe or kayak down to the bridge at Crocus Hill Street picking up various items of trash along the way. The garbage was then brought to the transfer station. Thanks to those who participated in this event!
