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Northeast Michigan Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative
Onaway Area High School
Banwell Erosion Education Program
Huron Pines, Little Traverse Conservancy, Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council, Sturgeon Pigeon Area Watershed Network, and the Northeast Michigan Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative have teamed up with Onaway Area Community Schools to offer High School students the opportunity to be stewards and get involved with an important project in their area. banwell_map_1.jpg Huron Pines was contacted by the Mullet Lake Area Preservation Society (MAPS) concerning the effect that erosion on the lower Pigeon River was having on water quality in Mullet Lake. The borders of the Banwell Nature Preserve were identified as an area of concern and selected as a site for the project. On May 26th, 2014, students led the first of many trips out to the Banwell site to begin monitoring the levels of erosion, invasive and native plant levels, conduct substrate pebble counts and stream cross-sections, as well as a benthic macro-invertebrate survey. The relationships between these factors being monitored should give an accurate picture of the impact this project is having, and some indicator of success. A major factor in following up the field days will be students interpreting their data into reports, school newspaper articles, or presentations to be given during a Mullett Area Lake Preservation Society meeting and to the Sturgeon Pigeon Area Watershed Network. Onaway Schools teacher Scott Steensma and Huron Pines hope to repeat this field day next fall and spring, and to continue the project into the future.
Great Lakes Fisheries in the Classroom
Across northeast Michigan, students are raising different fish species in the classroom. Through these projects, they connect with area scientists to help with restoration and stocking projects, and they learn about the needs and characteristics of the fish. They also increase community awareness about our fisheries by developing promotional materials about the fish and/or connecting their project with younger grades at their school. This hands-on learning activity allows students to connect to their area watersheds while benefiting their local community and environment. LAKE STURGEON IN THE CLASSROOM At the beginning of the school year, students receive a fingerling Lake Sturgeon from Sturgeon for Tomorrow and MI Department of Natural Resources to care for throughout the year. Students are responsible for maintaining the tank, testing the water quality, and feeding bloodworms to the Lake Sturgeon. Near the end of the school year, the fish is released, and in 2014, the different fish grew from 5 inches up to 18 inches when released. Prior to its release, the sturgeon is chipped with a PIT tag. This tagging allows future students to stay connected to the fish since with each recapture they will be notified with the location and an update of its growth and health. This project is a perfect example of place-based stewardship education since students are learning about their local watershed a threatened fish species while improving local fisheries with the fish’s release. Lake Sturgeon in the Classroom Involved Schools: Cheboygan Elementary School, Thunder Bay Junior High, Onaway High School, Alcona Elementary, Inland Lakes Elementary Involved Community Partners: Sturgeon for Tomorrow, MI DNR, Michigan Sea Grant, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, MSU Department of Fisheries and Wildlife
Northeast Michigan Earth Day Bag Project
In honor of Earth Day, Northeast Michigan youth participate in the Northeast Michigan Earth Day Bag Project. This project allows students to learn more and raise awareness about the dangers of single-use plastics, like plastic bags, for our Great Lakes and ocean. This project idea originated from the Earth Day Groceries Project, a world-wide activity coordinated online to develop educational activities on Earth Day. Working in partnership with the Northeast Michigan Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative, its community partners, and local grocery stores, students decorate paper bags to convey messages regarding conservation and preservation following a discussion about the dangers of using plastic bags. These paper bags will then be distributed to customers on Earth Day, April 22nd. The students’ campaign aims to lower the use of plastic bags, which have harmful environmental consequences, and to advocate the use of reusable bags. Single-use plastics, like plastic bags, are especially dangerous since they can enter into the ecosystem and break down into microplastics. Microplastics are small pieces of plastic that can absorb pollutants. Confused as food, they are commonly consumed by fish and birds; this consumption can ultimately lead to the animal’s death. This simple learning project allows students the opportunity to provide a great environmental service as well as the ability to take an active role in making a positive contribution to their community. Support these students in this community effort to keep the Great Lakes plastic-free by using reusable bags and refusing to single use! As part of their Environmental Service Learning Class, two Onaway High School students educated students from the Elementary School about the impact of plastic pollution and marine debris. 4th and 5th grade students then decorated paper grocery bags to raise community awareness about these issues. Working in partnership with Tom's Family Market in Onaway, 120 student-decorated bags were distributed to customers on Earth Day.
Onaway High School Service Learning Class
Community Connections: The Onaway High School Service Learning class, led by Scott Steensma and open to all 9-12 graders, has 11 years of experience connecting students with community partners through individual student projects. These student driven projects are passed from class to class with new students select an existing project to maintain and enhance. Each year students work closely with community partners arranging site visits and providing updates. Current projects include the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Salmon in the Classroom project, the Sturgeon for Tomorrow Sturgeon in the Classroom project, using the school's greenhouse to grow plant through the use of raised beds and hydroponics, growing plants, working in the school forest property owned by Onaway Schools, caring for animals that include a rough green snake, rats, gerbils, finches, hamsters, turtles, piranha, angelfish, tetra, goldfish and guppies, the school recycling program, and sea lamprey. Power in Partnership: Through funding provided by Our Fisheries, Our Future the Service Learning class braved cold weather and rain to visit the Swan River weir to collect salmon eggs to raise in their classroom. Their tour was led by Pat Van Daele (Unit Fisheries Technician Supervisor) and Julie Shafto (Great Lakes Creel Clerk and member of Hammond Bay Area Anglers Association and Lake Huron Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee). The students were able to witness how salmon are captured at the weir and eggs collected, learn about careers in fisheries, and ask questions of researchers from Michigan State University's Department of Fish & Wildlife. The class also traveled to the Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians hatchery near Pellston to pick up a live Lake Sturgeon to raise and later release. While there, students were able to tour the hatchery, talk with hatchery personnel, learn about careers related to fisheries, and learn about the heritage of Lake Sturgeon and their cultural and ecological importance. Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences Through Our Fisheries, Our Future and the mentorship of their instructor, students were able to acquire salmon eggs, hatch them, raise them, and release chinook salmon fry into the Ocqueoc River. As part of this project, students were able to visit the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service station in Alpena, MI. They connected with fisheries biologists and had the chance to pilot an ROV (remotely operated vehicle) in the onsite dive tank. Back in the classroom, students learned about aquatic environments through testing water quality biweekly (ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate), performing water changes based in accordance with their collected data, collected and reported temperature, growth and mortality data, adjusted feed amounts based on collected data, learning about salmon life cycle, and sending monthly updates to the Hammond Bay Area Anglers Association. In addition, students shared all they learned with elementary classrooms through outreach presentations. 32 Students are involved in this project. 1 Teacher are involved in this project.