Natural Resources Day, September 29th, 2019

Published: 2019
By Katie Hatlelid

For the 33rd year, MSU Judith Basin County Extension has partnered with the Judith Basin Conservation District and other local USDA entities to host the Natural Resources Day. This event, provides hands on activities to area 4th, 5th, and 6th graders. The day, which moves around the county each year, is centered on understanding and learning about the natural resources we live among in Judith Basin County. The location was the Judith River Ranger Station, on the Middle Fork of the Judith River. This year for Extension Agent Katie Hatlelid, the topic was entomology. A total of 93 youth and adults attended Hatlelid’s workshop. From honeybees and lady bugs to pine beetles and sawflies, the workshop participants were educated on all sorts of different insects. To supplement the presentation, each participant was also able to take a turn with the canvas sweep nets gathering from the forest floor. After the nets were full, they emptied out the nets on large canvas sheets to see what they had collected. Among the contents of the nets were spiders, lady bugs, grasshoppers, lygus bugs, grass bugs and beetles. Once identified, the students determined which were beneficial, which were detrimental to other plants and animals, and which ones to leave alone! Pine beetle bites are quite painful, as was discovered by one participant. This event also provides the instructors an opportunity to network and plan other joint programs through-out the year.