** To see our Kids in the Creek pictures, please visit our image galleries!
Daniel Boone Soil and Water Conservation District held its annual Kids in the Creek Day on Tuesday, May 15, at Lambs Chapel outside of Jonesville and Thursday, May 17, at Leeman Field in Pennington. Approximately 240 Lee County sixth graders wiggled into waders and searched Hardy Creek and the North Fork Powell River for fish, bugs, and other aquatic creatures. Students from Jonesville Middle, Ewing Elementary, Rose Hill Elementary, and Elydale Elementary attended on May 15, while Pennington Middle, Stickleyville Elementary, and St. Charles Elementary attended on May 17.
The purpose of the program is to reinforce the Standards of Learning for sixth grade science while instilling a sense of environmental awareness and responsibility in Lee County’s young people. The Powell River and its tributaries are part of the Clinch-Powell river system, which is one of the most ecologically diverse and environmentally threatened river systems in the entire world.
Daniel Boone SWCD held its first Kids in the Creek event in 1996 on the North Fork of the Powell River. Approximately 90 students from Thomas Walker, Lee High, St. Charles Elementary, Pennington Middle, and Jonesville Middle attended and explored issues mainly related to water quality.
Now, Daniel Boone’s Kids in the Creek program, with the help of Lee County Public Schools, has expanded to provide Lee County students the opportunity to participate in a Meaningful Watershed Education Experience (MWEE). A MWEE allows students to participate in a hands-on learning experience in their watershed and integrates field work with multidisciplinary classroom activities and instruction.
In April 2005, the Virginia Department of Education began collecting data on Virginia’s progress toward providing each student with a MWEE before graduation. School divisions were asked to provide data on their current watershed curriculums to the Department of Education. The DOE must submit this information to the Governor annually. According to the 2005 survey, nearly 76% of all Virginia schools provide some level of watershed education. But only 25% of all students participate in outdoor watershed activities.
Daniel Boone SWCD has been providing Lee County students with an outdoor watershed activity for over 10 years, but it has not been recognized as a MWEE program. With a few changes, such as pre- and post-activities, Kids in the Creek now meets MWEE requirements.
Kids in the Creek stations were also altered this year to better meet the Science Standards of Learning objectives for sixth graders. Students learned about forestry, aquatics, water chemistry, fish shocking, wildlife, alternative energy, litter, mussels, and karst from some of the area’s foremost experts in environmental education. Employees from the Daniel Boone SWCD; Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals, and Energy; Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation; Upper Tennessee River Roundtable; Scott County SWCD; United States Office of Surface Mining OSM-VISTA program; Virginia Department of Forestry; Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries; Lee County Office of Litter Control; Town of Jonesville Water Department; Biological Monitoring, Inc.; Tennessee Valley Authority; and Lee High’s 2007 Envirothon team members all volunteered to lead stations for the event.
Daniel Boone Soil and Water Conservation District would like to thank the many local businesses and organizations that provided donations for this year’s Kids in the Creek. Lone Mountain Processing, Inc., Walmart, Grabeels IGA, Farmers and Miners Bank, Powell Valley National Bank, Lee Bank and Trust Company, Old Virginia Hand Hewn Log Homes, H. Ronnie Montgomery, Stanco Equipment, and the Lee County Board of Supervisors all generously contributed to our event.
We would also like to extend our appreciation to the following people volunteered their time at Kids in the Creek: Martha Chapman, Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation; Martha Podren and Donna Reppard, Tennessee Valley Authority; Lawrence Tankersley and Matt Kimbler, Virginia Department of Forestry; Brian Bush, Jonesville Water Department; Beau Boggs, Johnny Wills, Amanda Wood, and Nathan Eckert, Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries; Claude Ray, Lee County Litter Control Office; Jade Napier, Upper Tennessee River Roundtable; Jon Lawson, Scott County Soil & Water Conservation District; Clayton Wiles, Jerry Legg, and Mike Smith, Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy; Jason Custer, Lonesome Pine Office on Youth; Beth Fannon, Lee County Career and Technical Center; Joe Rasnake and Dave Gruber, Biological Monitoring, Inc.; Amy Fannon; Justin Dotson; Justin Lawson; Joshua Johnson; Jessica and Jacob Ingle; and Michaela, Becca, and Jamie Britton.
We would also like to thank the Lee County School Board Office, especially Mr. Fred Marion, Mrs. Kathy Turner, Mrs. Wandaleen Adams, and Mr. Mark Carter for their assistance and cooperation. And finally, Kids in the Creek would not have been possible without Rev. Ellis allowing us the use of Lambs Chapel Missionary Baptist Church and Tina Rowe giving us “free reign” at Leeman Field.
Thank you all!