January 18, 2019 at 4:39 p.m.
Jacob Friede's natural reaction
Youth talent unearthed
Jacob Friede's natural reaction
By Jacob Friede-
While there were no peppers, tomatoes, or cucumbers to pick, there were plenty of reminders of how important it is to conserve the soil that produces them.
Entries into the annual Vilas County soil conservation awareness poster contest are currently on display at the library.
Last week the winners were announced at a reception at the library and, in addition, there was a coinciding speaking contest held.
The contests, put on by the Vilas County Department of Land and Water Conservation, were held to promote natural resource conservation among the area's elementary and middle school students.
"If we're going to make some positive change and maintain what we have in Vilas County, as far as natural resources, we've got to start with education and getting people exposed early on and that's one of the biggest drivers for this work that we do," said Cathy Higley, the master of ceremonies and a lake conservation specialist with the Vilas County Land and Water Conservation Department.
The theme of the poster contest was soil conservation. The slogan was "Life in the Soil: Dig Deeper," and according to Higley the students did just that for poster ideas.
"This contest is probably some of the highest quality work I've ever seen from this contest since I've been working with it. You really put your thinking caps on for this," Higley told the participants.
The posters featured bedrock and flower blossoms and everything in between, like burrowed fox dens and underground bugs, even buried dinosaur bones.
Kaylee Grasse of Phelps won the grades 7-9 division. Her poster illustrated a labyrinth of tree roots, ant colonies, and worm holes, with an explanation of their benefits to the ecosystem.
Two of the other winning posters portrayed human interaction with the soil.
Benjamin Jastrow, from Christ Lutheran School, won the grades 2-3 division. His poster depicted a shovel, dug into the earth, with its handle protruding from the ground in the form a tree trunk.
Claire Draeger, from Arbor Vitae-Woodruff school, won the grades 4-6 division. Her detailed pencil sketch featured a city skyline above a lattice of underground pipes forming letters that spelled out the contest slogan.
One-hundred-and-sixteen total posters were judged by Vilas County supervisor Kim Simac, professional photographer Trevor Moore, and Tom Ewing of the Vilas County Lakes and Rivers Association.
While each placard illustrated a unique aspect of life underground, Charis Headrick, who won the junior division in the speaking contest, explained how to conserve it, and it starts with the soil.
"It's something that we need to protect as much as our water and our air," Headrick said.
In her speech she highlighted some ways to do so, like limiting use of artificial fertilizer so soil nitrogen levels stay balanced. Headrick also explained how planting cover crops and trees helps to stabilize the soil against erosion, as does a rotating schedule for cash crops.
The other winning speech, made by fifth grader Lily Sellnow, focused on a different area of subterrain conservation: caves, in particular those caves where "scientists and other people didn't clean their boots and clothes."
Sellnow explained that people's failure to decontaminate after visiting caves was a major cause in the spread of a fungus that inflicts White-nose syndrome in bats.
The fungus, Sellnow said, awakens the bats in the winter when they should be hibernating. They then go in search of insects that are not around in winter and the bats starve of malnutrition.
She then explained how ultraviolet light is used to kill the fungus.
The speeches were judged by Adam Grassl of the Vilas County Mapping Department, Mary Jo Berner, a former toastmaster, and Robert Hanson, Vilas County supervisor.
They, like the poster judges, had a tough job due to all the quality work produced.
As for me, after viewing all the vivid posters, crafted with such imagination, and hearing all the well-researched speeches, delivered with such intelligence, I almost had to brush myself off from feeling covered in dirt and mud, but I was also refreshed that the future of conservation was on healthy, solid ground.
Jacob Friede may be reached at [email protected] or [email protected].
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