June 1, 2015 at 4:24 p.m.
Central students get hands-on lesson on controlling AIS
Central students get hands-on lesson on controlling AIS
Werner said the children rotated through three stations, learning how to identify invasive or noninvasive species with the use of tools, removing invasive iris along the shoreline and replacing it with non-invasive species such as purple iris, and checking boats for invasive species.
"It's a great opportunity for hands-on learning," Werner said. The students learned how to winter seeds this year and some of the plants being reintroduced to the shoreline are from those seeds.
Another station involved the children acting out skits on video for the Oneida County AIS Facebook page about what to look for when checking boats for invasive species.
"We tell students adults will listen to them more than they would to other adults," Werner said.
Al Wirt, a water resource management specialist at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, was along to assist with the equipment and to help the kids with planting.
"The kids love it," Wirt said. "They're very knowledgeable youngsters."
Samantha Zommers and Sara Mills, AIS project assistants, helped the students with their public service announcements.
"The kids were having a blast with the videos, both acting out the skits (and) then seeing the videos," Mills said.
"They know what we know," Zommers added. "Most of the kids have inspected boats with their parents before."
"It's nice because the adults will pay attention," Mills noted.
This is the second year the AIS team has worked with this group of kids, due to the rotation at Central.
Michele Sadauskas, AIS coordinator, said it's important to teach kids about AIS early and in an up-close way.
"We like getting the kids out for rotations and learning the tools of the trade," she said. "It's not just show and tell, they are doing it."
A lot of the kids really enjoyed the boat, and using the tools, such as the spiny water flea net, the dissolved oxygen meter, and a plant rake, Sadauskas said.
Out on the lake, the kids sampled for invasive species such as eurasian water-milfoil, curly leaf pondweed, and spiny water fleas.
"The kids know what we're sampling for," Wirt said.
"These kids would stump most adults," Sadauskas added.
If an invasive sample were found, it would be dated, verified, and entered into a statewide computer program. The next step would be containment, Wirt said.
Katie Perttunen may be reached at [email protected].
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