by Dan Haug | Mar 30, 2022
“Is this pollution?” I received this photo, taken at 1PM on March 24, from Ames High School student Oskar Niesen. I met Oskar and other students in Mr. Todd’s environmental science classes for the first time in February, when we talked in the classroom about issues and solutions in Iowa waterways. The class was interested in testing water quality, so I met them again at the creek on March 22 and showed them how.
Let’s call the site of the incident “Ames High Creek.” It joins Ioway Creek near the disk golf course and originates with a 60 inch storm sewer pipe near the Richard Pohl Memorial Preserve (Ames High Prairie). The pipe drains several neighborhoods in north Ames (including mine) that were built before modern development ordinances requiring detention ponds. I’ve taken video of the torrent of water that comes out of the storm sewer after a heavy rain, and have seen the bank erosion it causes. I’ve also tested the water after rains and found high levels of bacteria, sediment and phosphorus levels in this creek during heavy rains. If people don’t pick up their trash, pet waste, or yard waste, there’s nothing to stop it from washing into to the creek. So I was prepared to answer “yes, the orange-brown color must be pollution.”
Later that evening, I visited the site and chatted with Jake Moore and Liz Calhoun with the City’s stormwater program. If someone had let muddy water wash off a construction site, or someone was pouring chemicals down the storm sewer, this would violate city ordinances and they would be the people to check up on it. But the timing wasn’t consistent with construction site runoff. There hadn’t been more than trace rain since Tuesday March 22nd.
Oskar had talked with a geology professor at Iowa State (Dr. Elizabeth Swanner) and suggested another possibility: iron oxide (rust), perhaps formed by naturally occurring bacteria. As Oskar explained “there are generally 3 types of iron oxide formations. One is a stain that we see now, the second is called flocculent iron which is a cloud that I saw then, the third is an iridescent film on the top. Bacteria tend to form all three.” At 5:00 on March 24, when I followed up on Oskar’s tip, the water had cleared up and there was no iridescent film, but there was stain on the rocks and at the water’s edge all the way up to the storm sewer outlet.
Hydrant flushing is done every year with the express purpose of flushing out iron oxide and other mineral deposits that can clog water mains. Liz Calhoun confirmed that crews flushed hydrants in neighborhoods connected to this storm sewer on March 24. A little rust in water can stain laundry but is harmless to people and fish. A release of drinking water can kill fish if it causes a sudden temperature change (this happened last summer when a water main broke) but in this case, we think there’s nothing to worry about. Mystery solved! The only thing more gratifying than working with curious young people and helpful colleagues is a happy ending for water quality!
by Janice Gammon | Aug 4, 2014
by John Mazzello, Project Coordinator
“Messy Materials” area at the Arbor Day Farm outdoor classroom
If you’ve been following Prairie Rivers of Iowa’s Facebook page or newsletter, you might remember that we are working on a unique project with the opportunity to affect how Iowa’s students of all ages experience and learn about the environment and the natural world around us. Through our “Outdoor Learning Environments in Iowa” project, funded by grants from Iowa’s Living Roadway Trust Fund and the Resource Enhancement and Protection Conservation Education Program (REAP CEP), we are exploring the state of outdoor classrooms in Iowa and building resources and guidance to assist future creators and funders in developing successful and sustainable outdoor learning sites.
This summer, with the assistance of Prairie Rivers of Iowa’s Mike Brandrup, we have completed site visits to outdoor classrooms previously supported by the Living Roadway Trust Fund and surveyed outdoor educators and school staff on the successes and challenges of using outdoor spaces to deepen learning across all subject areas. While there are major challenges, such as maintaining and sustaining outdoor learning environments long-term and building community support and volunteer networks, there are also important opportunities: many places in Iowa, including schools, have healthy outdoor spaces in which students can learn about the natural world or reap the benefits of experiencing nature no matter their area of study; educators of all stripes, from teachers and principals, to early childhood educators, to community center staff, are committed to deepening student learning outdoors; and there is a vibrant and growing network of experts here in Iowa and across the country ready to share their experiences with us.
Entryway to outdoor classroom at the Arbor Day Farm
Recently, Prairie Rivers of Iowa’s Outdoor Learning Environments Project Coordinator, John Mazzello, and Local Foods Systems Coordinator, Ruth Powell, had the opportunity to attend the Nature Explore/Outdoor Classroom Project Leadership Institute, a conference dedicated to creating and strengthening outdoor learning environments, at the Lied Lodge at Arbor Day Farm in Nebraska City, Nebraska. At this conference, we explored research-based approaches to creating outdoor classrooms, and keeping them strong over the course of many years. This work, supported by the Arbor Day Foundation and the Dimensions Educational Research Foundation, is just the starting point for exciting future research plans that aim to clearly document the value of outdoor classrooms for students of all ages. Beyond research, we were also inspired by practitioners of outdoor classroom design and implementation, and had a chance to see and explore model outdoor classroom sites. Most importantly, we had the chance to make personal connections with some of the country’s leading experts in outdoor learning environment design and implementation, connections that will serve us well as we prepare our guidance for Iowans later this year.
A “pathway through plantings” is a method for engaging students by enabling them to travel through plantings rather than completely around them
Your help is needed to ensure that all the voices of outdoor classrooms in Iowa are heard! If you have an outdoor classroom at your site, or if you wish to create one, we’d like to hear from you. Please call us or email me at jmazzello@prrcd.org and I would be happy to talk with you and get your feedback on what support is needed and what opportunities exist. This is an exciting project and one we are looking forward to sharing as work continues.
Learn more about this project at https://old.prrcd.org/what-we-do/initiatives-collaborations/outdoor-learning-environments-iowa/
by Janice Gammon | May 1, 2014
This year, Prairie Rivers of Iowa is working on a project to assist Iowa’s outdoor classrooms in becoming more effective by researching existing outdoor classrooms in the state, seeking best practices from around the country, and putting together resources and materials for educators who want to create an outdoor classroom in their area.1 You probably also know about our work with area schools through our Kids on the Byway and School and Community Gardens programs.
In honor of National Soil and Water Conservation Week, it’s worth taking a look at the important role that healthy soil and water can play in educating the next generation of Iowa leaders. Research has shown many benefits result when students are able to experience the natural environment in person as part of their education. These experiences can help contribute to child development and skill-building, increase fitness and motor skills, and even build creativity and reduce stress. Outdoor experiences also help increase student success in a whole variety of academic content areas: in science, language arts, math, and other classes, plus on standardized tests.
One really important strain of research indicates that students are very capable of seeing a whole variety of learning environments as related and complementary. Students can relate what they learn outside, interacting with the natural world, back to what they learn in the traditional classroom, and vice versa.2
This is strong reinforcement for the type of work Prairie Rivers of Iowa does, making connections in the natural world with traditional in-class education. Rather than being an “extra” to be used only when more important instruction has been provided, outdoor education can be deeply connected to so many other content areas throughout the school day. The view of outdoor education as only a bonus field trip misses the point that such experiences can be critical for making in-class learning more concrete or for making complex ideas real to students.
Healthy soil and water, whether in outdoor classrooms adjacent to school buildings, in designated natural areas like parks and preserves, or simply in children’s hometowns, are critical for providing opportunities for students to experience nature in all its many “classrooms.”
1This project is supported by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources REAP Conservation Education Program and Iowa’s Living Roadway Trust Fund.
2See Zandvliet, David B. (2012). Development and validation of the Place-Based Learning and Constructivist Environment Survey (PLACES). Learning Environments Research, 15, 125-140.
