The students then proceeded to the Nycklemoe water control structure on the north side of Lake Christina. The new sheet piling water control structure will be used to control Nycklemoe marsh and will help to prevent Lake Christina from becoming infested with rough fish again. The students met up with Sadie O?Dell and Steve Allison, who are working on the private lands crew out of the Fergus Falls Wetland Management District office. Steve and Sadie took the students to see a property that they had restored numerous wetlands on and explained the process of building a ditch plug from determining whether the area is a wetland or not, surveying and staking the dike top and spillway, and building the dike with a bulldozer.

The students then moved on to see the predator fence at Morrison Waterfowl Production Area where their high school teacher explained how predator control can allow waterfowl and other ground nesting birds to reproduce more successfully. The students met Stacy Salvevold, a Refuge Operations Specialist from the Fergus Falls WMD, at Pelcian Creek WPA. Stacy explained the numerous management activities that the students could see in progress. The field adjacent to the road the bus parked on had been disked and fallowed in preparation to re-seed the area to native grasses in 2004. The field on the opposite hillside had been burned to stimulate a native seeding, and the water control structure in the center of the unit was entering draw down. The wetland had not been drawn down since the water control structure was installed. The dry weather was finally providing an opportunity to manage the large wetland on this WPA. Stacy explained how and why wetlands are drawn down with water control structures.

From Pelican Creek the group traveled with Stacy to Runestone WPA, where she showed them a new project that had just been completed. Four wetlands that had become very poor waterfowl habitat being either drained or too full were restored with water control structures. The four new structures were installed during September 2003. The students will be able to see the wetland changes happen over time at this site, since some of them will attend the Alexandria Area Green-wing Fair. The Green-wing event will continue to be held at the Runestone County Park immediately adjacent to Runestone WPA. The project is a Ducks Unlimited Green-wing Legacy site.

The students asked many questions of their Fish and Wildlife Service ?tour guides?. Many students wanted to know more about career opportunities. Some asked about management activities that they had seen that day and elsewhere. The students had a big day, but they had a fun time and learned much about natural resources land management. Some of them learned that just like walking on water, you can?t walk on dry-looking slough mud either. Only one shoe was sucked off in the process, but many high schoolers went home with fresh slough mud on their boots.