News
A special day for the Earth
Scott Wagar
04/29/2014
It was a fun filled two days on the campus of Dakota College at Bottineau (DCB) on Wednesday and Thursday when the college hosted Earth Day with a focus on the importance of clean water throughout the world.
HOFFBECK
The event kicked-off on Wednesday with a visit to DCB by Dr. Steven Hoffbeck, the author of the “Haymakers,” which has been the college’s Campus Book Read this year.
“Haymakers” is a story about five farm families over a 150 year period that tells of their struggles in producing hay for their livestock and the emotions it played on the families as they tried to survive on the lands of Minnesota.
Hoffbeck, who is a professor of history at Minnesota State University-Moorhead, spent Wednesday morning with DCB’s first-year composition students discussing his book and composition.
He also held two symposiums during the day for the college students and general public where he spoke on the perspectives on “Haymakers”.
CONSERVATION AWARD
Thursday focused on the importance of clean water on the earth in honor of Earth Day. The day started out with the DCB Conservation Award, which was granted to Dennis Nelson, president and CEO of the Project WET Foundation, which is an educational foundation that develops and delivers educational resources on water through a variety of ways.
Nelson was born and raised in Rolette. He attended Dakota College at Bottineau from 1976-78 and then went on to North Dakota State University where he earned his bachelor’s degree in agricultural bacteria along with two master’s degrees in community and regional planning and natural resource management.
PROJECT WET
While working for the North Dakota State Water Commission in 1984, he founded Project WET, or Water Education Teachers. In the past 30 years, through partnership and fund-raising, Nelson has developed the program into a global
leader in water education resources throughout the world, along with leading the way to organize special water events and brought together a worldwide network of partners and advocates in the position of water education to solve the world’s water concerns.
In his time with Project WET, he has published 50 water resource education guides for teachers and children; author or co-author over 3oo original water science and education activities; a contributing author to over 40 children’s activity booklets titles and he has taught hundreds of water resources management education courses for water managers and educators.
Today, WET is headquartered in Bozeman, Mont. From Nelson’s humble beginnings in North Dakota, he has brought Project WET to every state in the nation, Canada, Mexico and over 40 countries worldwide where he has taken his leadership expertise to assist in global initiatives to educate children and adults in the importance of clean water.
During Nelson’s acceptance speech for the 2014 DCB Conservation Award and his keynote speech on Earth Day, Nelson stated that his successful journey with his foundation began at DCB.
“The college’s theme is start small, build large and go far,” Nelson said.
He also spoke to the students of the college about the importance of the field education and where it can take individuals to assist those who live in the world, especially those who come from a part of the world where water sources are extremely dangerous.
“The number one cause of death in the world is still waterborne diseases,” Nelson said “That is just hard to imagine. So, education is important.”
WATER FESTIVAL
In the afternoon on Thursday, DCB, in association with Project WET, sponsored a water festival called “Make a Splash” from activities created from Project WET for the fifth and sixth grades from five schools in and around Bottineau County.
“Make a Splash with Project WET water festivals promotes awareness of and increased knowledge about water resources,” said Angie Bartholomay, science instructor at DCB who headed up the water festival with Nelson. “Water festivals are held for children at or near their school, for community members or for consumers in a retail setting.
“Make a Splash with Project WET water festivals are held globally to educate students about water in fun, interactive environments and offer alternative learning opportunities including structured learning stations and exhibits where students engage in hands-on water activities and investigations,” Bartholomay said. “While grounded in water science principles, the festivals also promote multidisciplinary approaches to learning by integrating social studies, geography, math, language arts, art and journaling.”
Schools from Bottineau, Westhope, Rolla, Ojibwa and Mohall brought in 25o students for “Make a Splash” who were granted 13 different water session to participate in, which included:
● Watershed Model - Students learn that we all live in a watershed with water pollution that comes from many sources. Students are taught they live in non-point sources which contribute a great deal to the pollution in our water bodies, and they discover the combined effect of pollution from many small sources which can have a real impact on the quality of our shared water resources. (Presented by Lola Kimpland, Bottineau County Soil Conservation)
● Incredible Journey - Students take a trip through the water cycle by playing the role of a water drop and where they learn to conceptualize the water cycle in a fun way. (Presented by Amy Schimetz, Lake Metigoshe State Park)
● Water Bugs - Students discover what water bugs have to tell us about water quality. (Larry Brooks, Dakota College instructor)
● Perch Dissection – Students get the insight of what the inside of a perch looks like. (Ken Cabarle, Dakota College instructor)
● Water Olympics – Students discover the chemical nature of the water molecule and why its unique chemical structure causes it to behave in unique ways earning it a gold medal. (Tina Harding, ND Water commission)
● Drill Baby Drill – Students are taught that people in their town are suffering from contaminated drinking water and are experiencing the “pucker effect,” pursed lips and sour dispositions. The students are challenged to find the source of the pollution. (Travis Martin, Dakota College instructor )
● What Does What Mean to a Duck – Students learn how to identify ducks by their wings and learn why they need good water quality. (John Tofteland, ND Game and Fish)
● Is there Water on Planet Zork? Students are told they are stranded on Planet Zork and need water. The Zorkians present the students with several clear liquids and they have to decide which one to drink. (Angie Bartholomay, Dakota College instructor)
● “Peat Bog” – A character played by Tom Gibson and sponsored by Bottineau County Soil Conservation
● Aquaculture – Students learn about the science, art, or practice of cultivating and harvesting aquatic organisms in a fun way. (Keith Knudson, DCB instructor)
● Water Erosion- Students are taught about the most influential force in erosion, water. The students learn water’s ability to move materials from one location to another, along with the fact that it is found everywhere along the surface of the earth, making it a superb tool for erosion. (Amy Sand, NRCS )
● Soaking It Up – Students get the real story on ground water infiltration by watching it happen. (Lezlee Johnson, ND Forest Service)
Overall, Bartholomay stated the event was a success.
“I felt the water festival went very well. We are fortunate to have so many excellent professionals, from so many agencies, willing to share their knowledge and experience,” Bartholomay said.
“The partnership established between DCB and NCEC was critical in making the event happen.
“I would like to thank everyone that helped make this happen, DCB faculty and staff, NCEC, local natural resource agencies and the 30 DCB students that assisted presenters,” Bartholomay added. “It was very fitting that Dennis Nelson received the DCB Conservation Award to open our first water festival.”
5K
The final event of DCB’s Earth Day was a 5K Earth Day Walk/Run, which was won by Bottineau High sophomore Kaylin Millang.