Central Illinois schools preparing for “Conservation Days”

By Ryne Turke on April 14, 2016 at 9:26am

Several schools in the four-county-area will be participating in “Conservation Days” over the next few weeks.

As the nation prepares to celebrate Earth Day next Friday, schools have requested nature activities and outdoor field events from the University of Illinois Extension office.

Extension Educator Duane Friend notes that rivers and streams may not be an interesting topic to everyone, but his visual stream model brings out a lot of enjoyment for students.

“I talk about how rivers form and I show the formation of river deltas.  I also talk about what happens if a stream straightens out. I do all that in about 15 minutes and I’ve used this for preschool groups all the way to senior citizens,” says Friend.

Friend says students with a rural and agricultural background have a stronger grasp of rivers, levees and barges than those from a metropolitan area.

“They’re pretty knowledgeable with the fact they carry corn and soybeans. They know rivers are a very vital aspect of the ag economy. We use them to carry a lot of our commodities from place to place. A lot of students have had personal experiences where a levee has failed or they know someone who has had to sandbag on levees,” says Friend.

You can contact the University of Illinois Extension office for details about the events coming up in Winchester, Beardstown, Virginia and Hillsboro.