| Mapping and Navigation - Using Global Positioning Systems and Map and Compass to Travel Outdoors Becky G. Carrie L. |
| Using Water Chemistry Tests to Validate Differences in Wetland Classifications Cathy M. Kelsey B. |
| This program would not have been possible had it not been for the generosity of our friends at the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center and The Nature Conservancy at Lulu Lake. THANK YOU! |
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| Project CANOE Crew - Fall 2006 |
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| Project Cross-Age Nature Outdoor Education allows 12th grade high school students of West Allis Central who are interested in pursuing careers as teachers the opportunity to interact with and educate younger students within the district in an outdoor setting. |
| This year, we teamed up with 8th grade students from Frank Lloyd Wright Middle School. Project CANOE was held at the Lulu Lake Nature Conservancy, which is part of the Mukwonago River watershed, one of the few pristine natural areas remaining within a short drive of Milwaukee. |
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| Project CANOE Lead Instructors & Topics Taught in 2006 |
| Biological Indicators of Aquatic Ecosystems - Using Marcroinvertebrates to Determine Water Quality Bird D. Mei C. |
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| Wisconsin's Forests - Tree Species Identification Techniques and the History of Logging in Wisconsin Bits S. Tyler M. |
| There were a total of 23 high school seniors who were part of Project CANOE. In addition to lead educators, we would like to thank guides, photographers, videographers, general assistants, and our canoe load and rescue crew! We would also like to thank the 80 middle school students and 3 middle school teachers who attended the workshop! |
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| Bird and Mei took students on a brief hike down to a stretch of river, where the students used waders, kick-nets, and invertebrate nets to see what little creatures were lurking in the streams banks, under rocks, and in the water column of the shallow creek. They identified the critters using keys and any creatures that utilized the dissolved oxygen from the water were recorded on a biotic index tally sheet. A calculation was made, weighing in the types of macroinvertebrates found. Some were tolerant, others were sensitive, and there were species in between as well. A calculation was made and a range of results on a key indicated what the water quality was based on these biotic indicators. |
| Cathy and Kelsey took the middle school students on a journey across Lulu Lake by canoe and taught about the differences in water chemistry between a lake and a bog. Dissolved Oxygen and pH were the two tests that helped identify the major differences in the two types of water bodies. Students put on rubber boots and ventured out onto the peaty surface of the bog, where they bounced around on the layer of organic material floating atop the water. The girls also showed the students what they might look like in 2,000 years if they fell through the bog by using the famous Tollund Man and pictures of his preserved corpse. Explanations of how pH and a lack of dissolved oxygen in a bog played a role in his preservation were discussed. |
| Bits and Tyler taught students about something that they see everyday and don't really pay much attention to - TREES! The students learned how to use a key to identify common species of trees by using characteristics explained by our instructors. After racing around the dirt roads, classifying ten types of trees, the 8th graders were off to the cabin for a PowerPoint presentation about the history of logging in Wisconsin. The various jobs in the logging industry were explained, as students assumed their roles within the "logging camp." To reward the students for their hard work, Bits and Tyler let the kids try their skills out with some lumberjack games to end the session, which included a 2-person sawlog competition and a chance to light a wood match with a hatchet! |
| Becky and Carrie showed the students how to find their way around by using handheld GPS units to initiate a scavenger hunt, where students put a "go-to" command into the units and were guided to their intended targets with the help of their devices. The fun was backed up with some demonstrations on how satellites communicate with the GPS units and determing precise location on Earth through a process called triangulation. So, what if your GPS malfunctions or runs out of batteries? Yikes!! The girls made sure that the middle school students got a lesson on how to use map and compass to find their way around. Figuring out pace was also a useful activity that students took part in. |