320 Students Attend Spring Conservation Sensation
May 7, 2009
The Spring Conservation Sensation, an outdoor festival for elementary grades, hosted 320 students from area schools on May 6 at Czechland Lake near Prague.
- Photo Gallery (will open in new window)
- GPS Photo Gallery (photo locations plotted on map using GPS coordinates from camera)
4th, 5th and 6th grade students from 10 local schools attended the 2009 event, which featured hands-on activities designed to teach them about the importance of conserving natural resources. The students rotated through eight 25-minute sessions focusing on a variety of topics.
At "Secrets of Scat," students learned how animal scan can give clues about an animal's diet and did their best to gross each other out by constructing their own realistic-looking "scat" using Tootsie Rolls, Shredded Wheat, crushed mint candy, and other items. "Oh Fish!" had students take on the role of fish in a fast-paced game that taught them about the importance of habitat and predator-prey relationships. At “Wildlife Roundup,” students learned about wildlife conservation and management while getting a hands-on look at pelts (including a mountain lion), turkey legs, elk antlers, rattlesnake rattles, and more.
At other stations, students got to plant trees; practice casting and other fishing skills; hunt for insects, fish, and other parts of a lake ecosystem; compete in a Jeopardy! game focusing on water; and use GPS technology to locate hidden items.
Nearly 6,000 students have attended the Spring Conservation Sensation since it began in 1991. The event is open to schools from Butler, Saunders, Platte, Colfax, and Dodge counties.
Attending the 2009 event were classes from Immanuel Lutheran (Columbus), Logan View Elementary, North Bend Elementary, Schuyler West Ward Elementary, St. John Lutheran (Columbus), St. John Nepomucene (Weston), St. John Neumann (Clarkson), St. Mary's (David City), St. Wenceslaus (Wahoo), and Trinity Lutheran (Fremont).
The event was sponsored by the Lower Platte North Natural Resources District. Additional presenters came from the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, the Lower Platte River Corridor Alliance, and the Lower Platte South NRD. High school students from David City served as group leaders. In-kind services were provided by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission Youth Fishing Program.
- View a photo gallery from the 2009 event here (opens in new window).
- View a GPS Photo Gallery (photo locations plotted on map using GPS coordinates from camera).
- Learn more about the Spring Conservation Sensation here.