Environmental Stewardship Impacts Start at a Young Age

Photo By Frances Candelaria | A group of students from an Environmental Science class at Bettendorf High School (Bettendorf, IA) joined several employees from the Rock Island District and Fish and Wildlife Services on a trip to the Keithsburg Habitat Rehabilitation and Enhancement Project (HREP) along the Mississippi River in Keithsburg, Illinois. During their trip, students had the opportunity to expand on ecosystem and restoration concepts they have been learning about in the classroom. After some instructional and safety messages, the students loaded into kayaks and canoes and observed wildlife and vegetation and had the opportunity to test the water for different nutrients.  

ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, IL, UNITED STATES

06.12.2023

Story by Frances Candelaria 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District

The U.S. Army’s Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District, along with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Port Louisa Division, welcomed a small group of Bettendorf High School students to the Upper Mississippi River Restoration (UMRR) Program’s habitat rehabilitation and enhancement project site at Keithsburg, Illinois, in late May. The students, ranging from grades 10-12, were part of an Environmental Science course taught by Spencer Mesick.

Environmental stewardship is an important mission for the Corps of Engineers and its Fish and Wildlife Service partners. The students kayaking field trip was a unique opportunity for stewards of the land and water to pass along their knowledge to potential future custodians.

“Ecosystem restoration is a continually growing field for USACE and remains an important mission,” explained Kara Mitvalsky, Environmental Engineer for the USACE Rock Island District. “Sharing the story with our community at large will inspire students to understand and pursue a variety of career paths that could continue to improve the world around us. Providing information and availability of work in our local area could inspire students to remain in the [Quad Cities Area] and potentially work for us in the future.”

The high schoolers experienced the Keithsburg HREP up close as they kayaked from the Port Louisa boat ramp through the side channel of water feeding into the Mississippi River. The trip allowed the students to have a one-of-a-kind learning connection.

“We cover a lot of content related to human impacts on the environment,” shared Spencer Mesick, science teacher, Bettendorf High School. “Studying the changes we’ve made to the Mississippi to make it navigable for barges, and the ongoing restoration work that’s been improving the Mississippi for wildlife fits perfectly in my class. Getting the opportunity to see what we’ve been discussing firsthand, while also learning about the careers involved, made this field trip an incredible and memorable learning opportunity.”

Mitvalsky added that it is important to educate future generations about how little steps can lead to a larger journey.

“Providing information about how these relatively small footprint impacts - as observed at HREPS - can have a wide range impact on our world. For example, this 1,400-acre project site provides resting and feeding areas that have an impact on migratory birds that travel from South America to Canada! Now that’s an impact!”

“I would add that enabling the students and others to realize that we have great natural resources in our own backyard,” said Steve Gustafson, Environmental Protection Specialist with the USACE Rock Island District. “Not just areas like Yellowstone Park or the Everglades need protection and restoration, and while local natural resources don’t get the attention that more famous areas like the aforementioned do, it does not lessen their importance.”

Although school is usually seen as boring to high schoolers, this field trip gave them the rare chance to grasp their education in what felt like more of an entertaining break than a regular day in class.

“I did a poll to get feedback from students about the trip,” Mesick commented. “Every student said they would recommend I do this trip again next year. One of my seniors even said it was their favorite thing they’ve done in high school!”

In addition to high school credit, the Environmental Science course taught at Bettendorf High School (BHS) provides its students with four college credits through Eastern Iowa Community College. This is the first year BHS has offered a college-level environmental science class.

• Date Taken: 06.12.2023
• Date Posted: 06.14.2023 17:07
• Story ID: 447192
• Location: ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, IL, US