Chippewa NF Part of Schools Winter Forestry Day

Chippewa National Forest staff from the Deer River Ranger District presented a series of programs at North Elementary School.

Chippewa National Forest staff from the Deer River Ranger District presented a series of programs at North Elementary School for their "Winter Forestry Day" event held on February 4th. The theme for the day focused on environmental changes that occur in our area during the winter. The staff set up four stations for the students to rotate through so everyone could have a chance to attend all of the activities.

Biologist Kelly Barrett's program pertained to a variety of wildlife species and how they cope with winter. For example, the kids were able to feel the heavy fur of a timber wolf pelt and learn how owls drive through the snow to catch prey. Forester Dave Roerick had students pretend to be a "forest" so they could discover what changes trees go through when the freezing temperatures arrive. Travis Jones, forester, demonstrated how to identify various animal tracks and the stories they tell us in the snow. The students were then encouraged to use rubber molds of animal feet pressed into trays of snow to replicate how the track would look outside. Talk about fun! At the fourth station, seasonal forestry technician, Jeff Poenix, presented a program about bird adaptations and birding in winter.

As a follow-up, Kelly returned to the school on Friday. February 13th, to help the 3rd and 4th grade students participate in a nationwide "Back Yard Bird Count". We supplied the school with seeds, suet and extra feeders to develop their feeding station and provide a good location to study the birds. Kelly helped the kinds identify the birds they saw and fill out the survey forms. Students will be submitting a phenology report to local radio station KAXE about their observations. Window feeders were also installed in the other classrooms so that students could continue to observe the birds throughout the rest of the season.

This has been a joint effort between the teaching staff at North Elementary and the Deer River Ranger District. Staff visited the school in the Spring, Fall and now Winter to help students visualize the changes to the environment with each season. The teachers feel that this is a way to capitalize on children's natural curiosity and helps to create a motivation to learn. Environmental Education programs can be a fun way to address a variety of academic standards and reach beyond the science classroom. Hands-on activities such as those presented on "Winter Forestry Day" help kids develop skills across disciplines, like observation skills, problem solving, creativity and critical thinking. Also, we believe that by creating an appreciation for our natural world, the students will develop a sense of personal and civic responsibility to care for the environment.