News

College celebrates Earth Day

By Scott Wagar

04/28/2015

Dakota College at Bottineau observed Earth Day this past week with a variety of activities to educate individuals on the importance of being stewards of the earth so it will be here for future generations to enjoy.

The college kicked-off Earth Day on Tuesday with a visit by the president of Minot State University, Dr. Steven Shirley, who was inaugurated as the university’s president on April 17. 

Shirley spoke on the relationship between MSU and DCB and said that the two colleges had a strong and special connection. He added that he and dean of DCB, Dr. Ken Grosz, were working together in improving its education programs for those in this region of the state. 

Shirley also spent some time speaking about the importance of the Turtle Mountain area in this part of the world.

“This area is the most beautiful part of North Dakota,” Shirley said. “I enjoy being here when I can get up here; and, it gives me the opportunity to stop by my favorite store in town, Pride Dairy where I can have a great treat.” 

EARTH DAY

On Wednesday, Earth Day, the college started the day by handing out its annual conservation award, which was granted to Al Aufforth this year for his life-long service in caring for the earth and it inhabitants. 

Aufforth, instructor emeritus of DCB’s wildlife program, came to the college in December of 1942 and educated students for 40 years. During Aufforth’s time at the college, he instructed a number of wildlife courses, chaired the wildlife department, was the president of the faculty senate, conducted outreach programs on natural resources throughout the local area, and produced valuable work for such agencies as game and fish, parks and recreation and the forest service. 

He was also a guide for a number of wildlife trips, some of which included trips to Churchill, MB, to study polar bears; the Phoenix-Tucson area to analyze the desert and its environment and a variety of nesting locations in the Bottineau area for DCB’s annual birding festival.

Outside of DCB, Aufforth has tested the overpopulation of snow geese in the state, the affects of steel shot on waterfowl, collected moose tags for the state, was a member and contributed to the resources of a number of wildlife organizations, conducted Aspen regeneration on 80 acres of land in the Turtle Mountains, taught hunter safety for over 35 years and today he still continues to be a bee inspector for the Department of Agriculture.      

Over the past four decades, he has seen over 2,000 students graduate from the wildlife management program. Over 100 of these students have employment in the state and federal’s wildlife field today, which includes over 30 of his students who are employed with North Dakota Game and Fish (NDGF), which include 14 game wardens. Outside of that figure, Aufforth has hundreds of students spread out across the nation working in wildlife, parks and recreational and other related jobs in the field. 

During the ceremony on Wednesday, nine former students of Aufforth’s who work for NDGF, took the time off from work and traveled great distances just to be present to see Aufforth received his award.

Grosz stated that Aufforth was one of the most qualified individuals to be honored with the conservation award.  

“I need to say that seldom if ever that we had a conservation award recipient who has met the criteria so well as Al Aufforth,” Grosz said during the award ceremony. “He has dedicated his whole life and his whole career to natural resources.” 

As Aufforth accepted his award, he spoke on the importance of protecting the resources in our state.

“There is a major problem right now in North Dakota’s environment with a huge loss of habitat,” Aufforth said. “In the mid-1950s, a really neat program came out called soil bank, which became CRP. Exactly 10 years later the entire program was terminated and every single acre of that grassland cover was gone and we saw major change in species.

“Today is April 22, 2015, Earth Day, the same problem is here, lost of habitat,” Aufforth added. “We have some problems, but remember all problems have solutions if society as a whole is willing to pay the price, which means taking two steps. 

“Step one, we need to get together small groups, medium groups and large groups and start bouncing new ideas off everybody; and, with this problem we need to think outside of the box,” Aufforth said. “Step number two, money, it is not going to be cheap, but I firmly believe if we can do step number one, we can do step number two. But, it is going to take all of us and I don’t think we have another 50 years to wait. If we do we are going to lose a lot of species out here, a lot of species.”

As an example, Aufforth stated that the state’s official bird, the Western Meadowlark, is starting to disappear from the state, to the point they are hard to find in certain areas of the state. 

“What does that tell you folks?” Aufforth said. “We cannot wait 50 years for another miracle like soil bank or CRP, we need new ideas, new programs and we need it soon.”    

TREE CEREMONY       

The college also held to another yearly tradition when it planted a tree on its campus in honor of Earth Day. This year, DCB chose a Prairie Stature Oak, which was planted by Matt Elefson, a DCB urban forestry management student. Elefson was assisted by Aufforth, staff members and guests who attended the tree planting ceremony. As Elefson placed the tree in the ground individuals were welcome to plant the tree with him, making it a community event and a tree of the community. 

The Prairie Stature Oak is a hybrid tree which was created in 1972 through combining an English Oak and White Oak. The state is making attempts to make the Prairie Stature Oak and alternative to ash trees, which is becoming extinct due to the emerald ash borer which is killing ash trees throughout the mid-west.

According to Diann Beckman, natural resource director at DCB, the Prairie Stature Oak is pest-resistant and one species that can survive the North Dakota environment. She also stated that the tree grows 14 inches a year and reaches maturity in 25 to 30 years and will be 30 to 40 feet in height.

WATER FESTIVAL

In the afternoon, DCB completed Earth Day by sponsoring its annual Water Festival, which grants area school kids the opportunity to learn about the importance of water on our earth by educating them through activities.

Members of DCB’s staff and a number of individuals in the natural resource field had 12 activities to teach students about water that came from Bottineau, Dunseith, Westhope and Mohall-Lansford-Sherwood.

The activities included Incredible Journey, Fish Painting, Liquid Treasure Trunk, Is there Water on Planet Zork, Peat Bog, Perch Dissection, Soaking it Up, Water Bugs, What Does Water Quality mean to a Duck, Water Erosion, Water Olympics, Water Shed Model and Water and Space. 

Between the four schools, 260 students participated in the 12 activities, which were created to be fun, interactive endeavors to enlighten the learning process of water, its life cycle and its effects on earth.

Grosz said that he was pleased with Earth Day. 

“Earth Day went very well this year,” he said.