Parks team up to bring new adventures

by Cori Hilsgen

news@thenewsleaders.com

Sartell seventh-graders will visit the Mississippi River County Park, about six miles north of Sartell, Sept. 19-21 for a variety of activities.

Activities will include three rotations of initiative games (teaching communication, creative problem-solving, cooperation and critical-thinking skills), a 34-foot Voyageur Canoe Paddle on the Mississippi River and a 26.5-foot mobile climbing wall.

The organizers are Kory Klebe, Prairie Woods Environmental Education and Shooting Sports coordinator; Brad Harrington, Wright County Parks and Recreation operations manager; and Ben Anderson, Stearns County Parks operations coordinator. They all said the activities are a fun way to teach students about meeting some of the challenges of daily life.

Gina Anderson, Sartell Middle School science teacher, said about 350 seventh-graders will participate in the event.

“The purpose of the trip is to cultivate and enhance individual and team leadership skills,” Anderson said. “It’s also an opportunity for students to appreciate individual differences, while team-bonding with their peers.”

Each student will have a chance on one of the three days to experience the local county park and outdoor activities that will be run by staff from Prairie Woods Environmental Learning Center in Spicer.

The Wright County Parks and Recreation and Stearns County Parks secured a grant through Greater Minnesota Parks and Trails Commission to provide outdoor recreational/environmental education programs throughout both systems.

The programs focus on two pillars of a strategic plan developed through the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment that are connecting people to the outdoors and coordinating among partners.

The Legacy Amendment to the Minnesota Constitution was passed by Minnesota voters in 2008 to protect drinking-water sources; to protect, enhance and restore wetlands, prairies, forests, and fish, game and wildlife habitat; to preserve arts and cultural heritage; to support parks and trails; and to protect, enhance and restore lakes, rivers, streams and groundwater.

For part of the Legacy Amendment, the state legislature requested the Department of Natural Resources develop a 25-year plan in collaboration with other park and trail providers. The request included a strategic plan that identified four pillars. Those pillars or strategic directions include the following: acquire land, create opportunities; connect people to the outdoors; coordinate among partners; and take care of what we have.

The partnership has already coordinated several “Schools in the Parks” events. Some of those include:

• Maple Lake sixth-graders visited Robert Nye Memorial Park Reserve near Maple Lake Jan. 19 to study mammals, to go snowshoeing and cross-country skiing and to learn survival skills. Fifty-five of the 60 students had never skied or snow-shoed before the program.

• Richmond third- and fourth-graders visited Warner Park near Clearwater Jan. 25 to learn about mammals and forest ecology, to go snowshoeing and to learn survival skills.  Of the 56 participants, only two had visited the park before and none of them had every visited another Stearns/Wright County park before.

• Richmond and Rockville fifth-graders visited Rockville County Park in Rockville Feb. 7 to study predator/prey and river ecology (with the Sauk Watershed District) and to experience snowshoeing . Of the 48 students who attended, 42 had never snowshoed before. Six of the Rockville students and 18 of the Richmond students had never visited the park before.

• St. Peter and Paul in Richmond kindergarten through fifth-grade students visited the Rockville Park Feb. 22 to learn about predator/prey and river ecology (with the Sauk Watershed District) to go snowshoeing. Only two of the participants had visited the park before.

• Melrose and North Junior High students (Youth Energy Summit Teams) visited Quarry Park in Waite Park Feb. 27 to study prairie and bat ecology.

• Watertown/Mayer fourth-graders visited Robert Nye Memorial Park Reserve April 12 to learn about the compass, the water cycle, a Native American class and to climb a mobile climbing wall. Of the 137 who attended, one student and two adults had visited the park before the program.

• Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa fifth- and sixth-graders visited Springhill County Park near Melrose April 13 to study mammals, nature journaling (with the Sauk Watershed District) and river ecology (with Middle Fork Crow River Watershed District), climb a mobile climbing wall and to learn survival skills. Of the 94 people who attended, four students and one adult had visited the park before.

• Eden Valley-Watkins sixth-graders visited Quarry Park May 12 to take a nature hike, study a compass and climb a mobile climbing wall. Of the 79 students and four adults, about 27 had visited the park before, one for climbing and the rest for swimming.

• Master gardeners gathered June 5 in Rockville Park for various park presentations.

• Monticello Boy Scouts and friends gathered July 12 at Montissippi Park in Monticello for a 34-foot Voyageur Canoe Paddle on the Mississippi River.

For additional information, contact Kory Klebe, Prairie Woods Environmental Education and Shooting Sports coordinator, at 320-354-5894 (prairiewoodselc.org), Brad Harrington,Wright County Parks and Recreation operations manager, at 763-682-7894 (co.wright.mn.us/132/Parks-Recreation), or Ben Anderson, Stearns County Parks operations coordinator, at 320-654-4725 (co.stearns.mn.us/Recreation/CountyParks).