Annual Environmental Field Days held for area 4th graders

MARINETTE – The annual Environmental Field Days (EFD) for Marinette County 4th graders was held Sept. 18-20, with 426 total people attending (387 students, 39 teachers and chaperones) at four different sites throughout the county. It is organized by the Marinette County Land Information Department. Presenting agencies and volunteers include Marinette County Land Information and Extension offices, the WDNR, the aquatic invasive species FLOW program of the Lumberjack Resource Conservation & Development Council, City of Marinette Forestry Department, the Marinette High School Fishing Team and the Wild Rivers Invasive Species Council (WRISC).

This event was first held in 1992 to introduce natural resources to schoolchildren and was originally organized through UW-Extension.
EFD is held in four locations throughout the county: Marinette’s City Park, Peshtigo’s Badger Park, Lake Noquebay Park near Crivitz, and a site on county land in Dunbar. Area schools are assigned a specific location to attend, and the day of the event, small student groups rotate through the stations to learn about the topics. This year’s topics included forestry, fire control, water quality, invasive species (aquatic and terrestrial), insects, soil health, composting, fisheries, fishing tips and a talk with a DNR Conservation Warden. Teachers received quiz questions to review information presented at each station. Water and fruit snacks were provided for event participants. And a special guest – Smokey the Bear – made an appearance at the Dunbar site, where students sang ‘Happy Birthday’ for him (it was Smokey’s 80th birthday in August).