MONROE — Six classes of eager fifth grade students from Juda and Monroe’s Northside, Abe Lincoln, and St. Victor’s Schools participated in the Green County Land and Water Conservation’s biannual Youth Conservation Day. The event was held at Honey Creek Park on Monroe’s west side on Wednesday, May 7. Classes rotated through stations set up around the park.
In the morning, students learned about wildlife calls and other conservation musings from Jim Bauman, Norman Williams and Bob Blankenhorn, long-time Green County Conservation League Members. At the next station the students were detectives in the Barry Prairie looking for six keystone prairie plants under the guidance of Paul Roemer, who tends natives at Taylor Creek Nursery and a retired teacher from Brodhead. Learning about incredible invertebrates was the theme of the third station hosted by Xereces volunteer, Mike Iacomini. Susan Lehnhardt, Lower Sugar River Watershed Association volunteer, showed students the importance of thinking bigger and impacts the community has on others in watersheds with a watershed model. The students enjoyed to see what happens if it rains on certain practices in the watersheds.
The effects of the Emerald Ash Boerer are very obvious in local parks. Josh Trame, Monroe’s City Forester and Parks Supervisor, shared with students what the little insects look like and the remaining infested trees in the park by the playground. To round out the morning loop, Wisconsin DNR personnel, Cassandra Young and Elle Maculan showed the students tools they use for prescribed burning and explained why this management is used.
After lunch the group was split into two and enjoyed learning about homing pigeons and the Land and Water Conservation’s drone. Cal Wasserstrass has a unique hobby that he shared with attendees — raising and racing pigeons. He trains them to return to their pen. He released several for the kids to see and said they’d be home in about 10 minutes (he lives about 8 miles north of town).
LWCD’s newest employee, Mason Jarosinski, was recently certified as a drone operator showed the attendees the County’s drone and some if it’s capabilities. Students and teachers were impressed with this technology.
As the sun rose higher and hotter, the afternoon loop began with students rotating between another six stations. Mason teamed up with Chelsea Starr of the Green County NRCS and showed kids the marvelous macroinvertebrates that are found in the surface waters and how certain ones indicate healthier water. Students learned how invasive plants impact our waters and lands from Jasmine Wyant with the Upper Sugar River Watershed Association.
Todd Bollenbach, a representative from Pellitteri Waste Systems, gave students information about household recycling and how everyone can do better. Students participated in demonstrations about soil erosion and saw and learned how healthy soil is more resilient from a station from Tonya Gratz with the Green County LWCD. A soil pit was dug by the city beforehand so that the students could get a closer look at what is below their feet — soil layers. The students also learned about soil properties and touched sand, silt and clay (their favorite was clay). Jason Thomas and Kristin Day, Green County NRCS, were the professionals at the soil pit.
The final station was looking at fish of all sizes that were stocked in Honey Creek, the stream that runs along the park. Camille Bruhn and Marco Scarasso from the WI DNR explained that certain fish indicated certain water conditions like poor habitat or good habitat.
The Conservation Day is a joint effort from the Green County Land and Water Conservation Department, Green County Conservation League, WI DNR, City of Monroe, Watershed Associations and local citizens that support the day with presenters. These groups also appreciate the school districts and teachers that prioritize conservation education for area youth.
