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Mineral County

“Cooperate to Mutual Advantage of All”

Published: 2019
By Dave Brink
Mineral County Extension serves its youth development role not only through the familiar 4-H program but other cooperative efforts as well. For many years, Extension has participated with the Mineral County Conservation District to encourage environmental education in area schools. The annual Fifth Grade Conservation Tour brings students from all three elementary schools in Mineral County together for a day of hands-on learning about the rich, natural environment in which we live. This year, cooperators from the US Forest Service, US Natural Resource Conservation Service, Trout Unlimited, the Bitterroot Conservation District, and Mineral County Extension manned stations through which approximately 60 participants rotated. Each station covered a topic related to watershed health; ranging from riparian buffers and soil erosion prevention to non-point source pollution and runoff. The site for this year’s tour was the beautiful Big Pine Campground up Fish Creek, southwest of Alberton, Montana. Cool weather in the morning gave way to clear, sunny skies and students eagerly participated in active-learning throughout the day. Dave Brink, MSU Extension Agent, led students through a station on collecting aquatic life as an indicator of water quality and overall stream health. Aquatic insects are relatively easy to sample and evaluate as indicators of water quality. Healthy riparian environments have many different kinds of aquatic insects whereas polluted environments often do not. Active learning and engagement in real-world issues on a local level help stimulate students and encourages them to explore opportunities in science that benefit their communities. The fifth-grade students aren’t the only ones gaining new knowledge though. Hands-on learning activities help teachers better understand these environmental issues and systems. High-quality environmental education helps people make connections in their own life, incorporate different perspectives, and become engaged problem solvers.