APPROVED BY:

Dr. Randy Champeau Associate Professor of Environmental Education THE DEVELOP:rvlENT AND Il\1PLE:rv1ENTATION OF A PRAIRIE RESTORATION SITE TO BE USED AS AN OUTDOOR TEACHING FACILITY FOR THE STEVENS POINT AREA CATHOLIC SCHOOLS

by

Laura A. Barnett

A Project Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements of the Degree

MASTER OF SCIENCE . Natural Resources - Environmental Education for Elementary and Secondary Teachers

UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN Stevens Point, Wisconsin

December, 1997 ABSTRACT

This paper documents the development of an outdoor classroom for the Stevens

Point Area Catholic Schools. A prairie restoration project was undertaken in the fall of

1992 having as its central focus the development of a coordinated environmental education program for the system. Support was sought from many sources including parents, the Diocesan Office of Justice and Peace, school administration, the Sisters of St.

Joseph and the faculty. A committee made up of teachers, and administration from the schools in the system was formed in 1993. Experts were contacted in regard to the prairie restoration and supporting curriculum. Money was raised and one acre of the site was planted in the fall of 1994. During the 1994-1995 school year, the school system joined the Earth Partnership Program, sponsored by the UW-Madison Arboretum, which provided staff training in the use of the prairie site for the teaching of ecological concepts, restoration techniques and environmental concerns. During the summers of

1995 and 1996 a total of eight teachers representing five of the area Catholic schools received two weeks of intensive training at the Arboretum on the use of the site, with the lead teacher receiving 4 weeks training. The Arboretum staff conducted an inservice in

June of 1996 for the entire staff of the Stevens Point Area Catholic Schools, during which teachers spent time doing grade level appropriate activities and gaining background knowledge on the prairie ecosystem. The teachers were surveyed to evaluate the use of the prairie in regard to the activities provided by the Arboretum as well as to indicate any other uses the teachers had made of the site during the 1996-1997 school year.

During the 1996-1997 school year a class of 40 students from St. Stephen's were tested in both the fall and spring to evaluate their retention of concepts taught during a

11 water unit. Each class had 20 students and received the same instruction in the classroom on the water cycle. Both classes used the groundwater model and were part of a presentation by a student working with Wellhead Protection. One class, however used the outdoor classroom to better understand the concept of transpiration by designing experiments to test plant transpiration in September of 1996. When retested on the water cycle in the Spring of 1997, the students who had hands-on experience with the concept of transpiration were more likely to correctly define the term on the posttest.

111 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

It is with gratitude that I acknowledge the many people who have helped to make this project a reality. My deepest appreciation goes to Sisters of St. Joseph - Third Order of St. Francis for their support of the project and the use of their grounds. It has been my joy and inspiration to meet and work with this group of dedicated women.

I would also like to thank the administration, faculty, pastors, and students of the

Stevens Point Area Catholic Schools for their guidance and help on the many aspects of the project from financial assistance to prayer services. It was indeed a team effort.

Finally, I would like to thank my family and friends, especially my husband,

Andy, and my sons, Jonathan, Daniel and Michael. Your patience in listening to many hours of prairie talk, and your willingness to spend your summers cutting weeds and killing Reed Canary Grass lightened my load and made the completion of the project possible.

IV TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT ...... ii

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...... iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS ...... v

LIST OF TABLES ...... vii

LIST OF APPENDICES ...... viii

I. THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING

Statement of the Problem ...... I

The significance of the Project...... 2

Delimitations ...... 5

Definition ofTerms...... 5

Assumptions ...... 6

II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE ...... 7

III. PROJECT METHODOLOGY

Subproblem One ...... 12 Subproblem Two ...... 14 Subproblem Three ...... 16 Subproblem Four ...... 17 Subproblem Five ...... 17

IV. RESULTS

Subproblem One ...... 19 Subproblem Two ...... 26 Subproblem Three ...... 34 Subproblem Four ...... 36 Subproblem Five ...... 3 7

V V. IMPLICATIONS, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Subproblem One ...... 41 Subproblem Two ...... 43 Subproblem Three ...... 46 Subproblem Four ...... 47 Subproblem Five ...... 49 Conclusions & Future Goals ...... 49

VI. REFERENCES CITED ...... 52

VII. REFERENCES NOT CITED ...... 54 vm. APPENDICES ...... 55

VI LIST OF TABLES

Table 1 Stevens Point Area Catholic Schools - St. Francis of Assisi Environmental Station Committee ...... 24

Table 2 Results of survey given to SPA CS faculty and administration ...... 25

Table 3 Map of area showing proposed pathways as designed by Pacelli student Eric Karch ...... 33

Vll LIST OF APPENDICES

Appendix A. Development of Native Plant Communities on the Property of the Sisters of St. Joseph by Neil Diboll ...... 55

Appendix B. Prayer Service to Dedicate the St. Francis of Assisi Environmental Station ...... 62

Appendix C. SPACS Survey Regarding the Development of the St. Francis of Assisi Environmental Station ...... 68

Appendix D. Scope and Sequence for the Earth Partnership Activity Guide ...... 74

Appendix E. Stevens Point Area Catholic Schools Inservice ...... 83

Appendix F. Survey of Staff Regarding Usage of the Prairie Site ...... 127

vm 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING

The Statement of the Problem

The purpose of this project was to develop and initiate the implementation of an outdoor teaching facility for the Stevens Point Area Catholic Schools, and to document its use by the faculty and students of the system in the first year following its development.

Subproblems

Subproblem 1: To obtain the support of the administration and staff in the building and implementation of an outdoor facility for the Stevens Point Area Catholic

Schools.

Subproblem 2: To build a site for use by all of the schools in the Stevens Point

Area Catholic School System.

Subproblem 3: To initiate use of the facility by means of teacher inservice/training.

Subproblem 4: To determine the use of the facility by students and staff in the year following the inservice.

Subproblem 5: To test the effectiveness of using the outdoor site in the teaching of science/environmental concepts using two classes of fifth grade students from St.

Stephen Grade School. 2

The Significance of the Project

The private schools in the state of Wisconsin are not regulated by the Department of Public Instruction (DPI), and therefore are not subject to the mandates of that agency.

The Stevens Point Area Catholic Schools (SPACS) are instead regulated by the Diocese ofLaCrosse, which generally mirrors the DPI in its academic requirements. In the case of

EE, however, the Diocese ofLaCrosse does not mandate an infused K-12 program. It does have, within the guidelines of the science curriculum, areas related to environmental topics and issues. In addition, religion classes explore environmental issues under the

"Peace and Justice" topic. While EE is taught within the system, it is lacking a central focus or coordinating curriculum.

Coupled with the lack of a single comprehensive environmental curriculum, is the fact that SPACS had no area dedicated to the teaching of environmental concepts in an outdoor setting. While the teachers of the system use facilities such as the Central

Wisconsin Environmental Station and the Sandhill Nature Area to supplement the teaching of EE, these sites lack the immediacy and hands-on capabilities afforded by a school site.

Through informal talks with the staff, it was determined that there was a need for a natural area which would supplement the work being done in the classroom. The St.

Francis of Assisi Environmental Station (SFAES) seeks to provide the teachers of

SPACS with an outdoor facility that is within easy access of the schools of the system, and which gives a focus for the teaching of environmental education.

Special Properties and Needs of the Catholic School

It is difficult to consider the importance and implementation of this project without addressing the special concerns and needs of the Catholic school. In their pastoral statement, Renewing the Earth, and accompanying resource guide for parishes, the U.S. Bishops have invite(d) teachers and educators to emphasize, in their classrooms 3 and curricula, a love for God's creation, a respect for nature, and a commitment to practices and behavior that bring these attitudes into the daily lives oftheir students and themselves, and have also asked that scientists, environmentalists, economists, and other experts ... continue to help us understand the challenges we face and the steps we need to take. And finally, in a related paragraph there is a call to advance the insights of our

Catholic tradition and its relation to the environment and other religious perspective on these matters ... to explore the relationship between this tradition's emphasis on the dignity ofthe human person and our responsibility to care for all of God's creation (US

Catholic Conference, 1992).

In a system such as ours, the addition of any new program needs to meet both the academic and religious mission of our schools. As noted above, the idea of infusing environmental concerns into the Catholic school curricula is already established as a need by the Bishops of the United States, but _in actuality, is not being consistently done.

Building a program of effective environmental education which addresses environmental justice issues and contains an outdoor component can have far reaching effects. In the

Diocese ofLaCrosse, there are 13,439 students attending Catholic grade schools and high schools. Statewide that figure is nearly 82,000 students (Gintoft, 1995). Phone contact with diocesan offices of education throughout the state indicate that, with the exception of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, the topic of EE is not part of a centralized curriculum mandated by the diocese in the same way that reading and math are, but is left up to individual schools to implement. The lack of a centralized curriculum does not mean that the topic is being ignored. In fact, the directors of education for the various dioceses of the state were each able to name individuals who were actively involved in environmental education at their particular schools, and indicated that their offices would be willing to help the individual schools as needed in the development of an EE program. A lack of a centralized curriculum, however, would seem to indicate that students in any particular school may or may not be receiving adequate EE depending on the interests of the 4

administration and staff of that particular school. The ultimate goal in the development of our outdoor education site is the development of an EE curriculum for our K-12 system which has as its one of its components restoration based outdoor education. The development of an environmental station for the Stevens Point Area Catholic Schools, therefore, has the possible impact of providing a model for gaining support, concrete advice on how to build, and activities and ideas for an EE program for ~ population which seems to be receiving a somewhat inconsistent approach to the subject.

Finally, because of the modest amount of money that is needed to build and maintain this type of school site, it has distinct advantages for Catholic Schools. Once established, a prairie requires little in the way of upkeep or maintenance. Students are used in the design and building of the facility, which serves to cut costs on one hand, and provides a sense of ownership on the other. The restoration/environmental education activities provided by the UW-Madison Arboretum lend themselves to all areas of the curriculum. They are designed to be easily incorporated into the staffs existing units eliminating the need for a special staff person designated solely to run the facility. The restorative nature of the project gives the students a sense of making a positive contribution to the community as they learn the value of preserving biodiversity. It is, therefore, an inexpensive and yet valuable way for students to acquaint themselves with their community, and to adopt behaviors which have been termed "bioregional knowing", or I) knowing oneself deeply ... 2) knowing one's connection to the living Earth both ecologically and spiritually... and 3) knowing one's connection to the human community

(Traina & Darley- Hill, 1995). 5

The Delimitations

1. This project will not include the actual writing of the supporting curriculum for the outdoor learning facility, formally known as the St. Francis of Assisi

Environmental Station (SFAES).

2. This project does not seek to constitute the entire environmental education program for the Stevens Point Area Catholic Schools in grades K-12.

3. The pre and posttest given to the fifth grade classes does not represent a formal scientific study of the effectiveness of the site in the teaching of EE.

The Definition of Terms

Outdoor learning facility - a site located in the out-of-doors which will serve as a classroom where students can learn environmental concepts in a hands-on manner.

Diocese - An area marked off by boundaries that comes under the leadership of and pastoral direction of a bishop. The diocese referred to within this document is the

Diocese ofLaCrosse, under whose jurisdiction SPACS falls.

SP ACS - This abbreviation will be used to stand for the Stevens Point Area

Catholic Schools.

Area Commission - a group made up of representatives from the various parishes, their pastors and school administration who oversee the policies and procedures of

SPACS. 6

SFAES - This abbreviation will be used to stand for the Saint Francis of Assisi

Environmental Station.

EE - This abbreviation will be used in place of the words environmental education.

Hands-On - A method of education whereby the students are actively involved in the learning process through questioning, manipulation, activities, and experiments.

Assumptions

The first assumption - there is a need for an outdoor facility for the students of

SPACS.

The second assumption - all grade levels (K-12) will participate in the program.

The third assumption - the effort will be supported by SPACS teachers, administration and the area commission.

The fourth assumption - a system wide committee will be formed to help with the development, implementation and evaluation of the project.

The fifth assumption - an outdoor classroom, once implemented, will support a total EE plan for the Stevens Point Area Catholic Schools. 7

LITERATURE REVIEW

The Value of Outdoor Education

The ultimate goal of environmental education is to prepare citizens who understand the importance of environmental issues and are willing to bring about the change of heart and/or change in society necessary to deal with local and global concerns.

While the methods of instruction many vary, the desired outcomes remain the same; we want our students to come away with a feeling of being connected to the world in which they live, and desire to act with a responsibility that is a natural outgrowth of that connectedness. While outdoor education is not to be confused with a total environmental education plan in and of itself, it can be an important component, leading students to become involved in local issues, and developing plans to impact them. In Wild School

Sites (Schiff, Smith-Walters, 1993), it is stated that creating and sustaining a Wild School

Site is one example of a way to take informed, responsible, and constructive action.

Taking action that has tangible benefits takes practice. Responsible action must be grounded in accurate information with a basis ofscientific understanding about how the environment works.

Simon Priest makes six points which help define outdoor education more extensively, and give us an insight to its potential and importance. First and foremost, outdoor education is a method for learning (Priest, 1986). It is an area set aside for students in which they can learn by doing. The activities are authentic in nature, and can have a positive effect on both the learner and the community.

Second, the process ofthat learning is experiential (1986). The idea here being that it is best to learn the things of nature in the out-of-doors. An example of this concept is given in the curriculum planning guide for the state of Wisconsin where it states that physical knowledge is constructed through actions on objects. Legitimate concepts of 8 trees, stories oftrees, and reading about trees cannot develop a complete knowledge of trees in young children (Department of Public Instruction, 1994 ).

Third, the learning in outdoor education takes place primarily, but not exclusively, in the outdoor setting (Priest 1986). While the outdoor component is of major importance, the indoor and outdoor classroom complement each other in the formation of a total environmental education program.

Fourth, experiential learning requires full use of the six senses (sight, sound, taste, touch, smell and intuition) and involves the three domains (cognitive, affective, and motoric) oflearning (1986). With much of educational discussion focusing on the importance of varying teaching methods to accommodate the various learning modalities of individual students, outdoor education has much to offer.

Fifth, the learning in outdoor education is based upon interdisciplinary curriculum matter (1986). The curriculum guide for the state of Wisconsin states that:

The curriculum planner must realize that a K-12 program in environmental education consists ofelements ofvirtually every subject area, some making a significant contribution, others a smaller but still very important contribution (Department of Public

Instruction, 1994). Outdoor education has a real potential to help schools meet the goals of infused environmental education. It is possible, using the site, to provide learning opportunities in all subject areas. The student will, through this experience gain a sense of unity, not only am'?ng the curricular areas, but within their cooperative groups, classrooms and the community at large.

Sixth, and most important, the learning in outdoor education is a matter of many relationships. The relationships concern not only natural resources, but also people and society. The author breaks this idea down into four categories of relationships: interpersonal, intrapersonal, the ecosystemic, and the ekistic. Leaming experiences in an outdoor education setting have the potential to positively affect the way people relate to others within their group, and can impact the way they view themselves, nature, and 9

society (Priest, 1986). Not all outdoor experiences have the components listed ~bove, but a carefully designed long term program can certainly encompass these ideas. The school based outdoor classroom does allow for these types of relationships in the following ways: 1) The restoration of a site helps the learner work within a group to achieve a common goal. The group, whether working on a physical project such as planting, removing exotic species, or using problem solving skills to design and carry out an experiment, needs to work with one another to complete the task. 2) The project will impact the learner personally in thats/he will feel some sense of ownership in the project through actual involvement. The student will be doing something tangible and beneficial that will help them recognize their potential to have a positive impact on the world around them (OW-Arboretum, 1994). 3) Restoring the land to some semblance of its native condition is in and of itself an ecosystemic activity. It should be noted, however, that while we speak in terms of "restoration", true ecological restoration is not fully possible. One can really only reach an approximation, since replacing all of the species and interactions among those species cannot truly be accomplished (Cowell, 1993). It is in this light that we can understand that a restoration project can never really be complete.

A site such as this can be used, studied, and the diversity of the land increased far into the future. 4) Finally, the learner can understand his/her ability to impact the surroundings, and therefore society, through restoration. These type of sites promote ecosystem citizenship. This lesson - that individuals can make a difference - has a lifelong positive impact. Students are supported to make changes in a world that sometimes seems impervious to their efforts. Their actions go beyond themselves to a common good. .. lt is exciting to realize that a simple project to take action to improve school grounds as habitats for people and wildlife can contribute to a lifelong ethic ofresponsible action

(Schiff, Smith-Walters, 1993). Initiating the implementation of an outdoor site

In the development of any new program for a school system, the preparatory work can make the difference between the program's success and its failure. The preparation for a project such as this one is multi-faceted, and includes the study of the site's possibilities, the needs of the students and staff, and the development of support for such a project. Before the project can begin, one must access the school's philosophy and goals to see that the project is one that fits within that framework. Discussions between the administration and staff can ease potential problems and misconceptions inherent in any project (Samuel, 1993). These discussions can also serve to build support for the project and lead to the building of a team ready to accomplish the goals of the project

(Schiff, Smith-Walters, 1993).

Once the need for the project has been established, the actual development is begun with a physical assessment of the site and the potential uses for it. Understanding the physical, biological, and cultural characteristics of the proposed outdoor learning center will ensure that the future uses and development of the area are appropriate. These assessments include, but are not limited to the size of the area as well as its soil type and topography, the plant and animal species already on the site, aesthetic properties of the site and any human features such as roads and gas lines (1993).

Once the site itself is located and obtained the next step is to develop goals and instructional strategies for the use of the site. A plan for use that eliminates the duplication of activities and provides for appropriate use by all the grades involved is important in insuring the long-term use of the site. Within site use strategies falls the development of a scope and sequence, gathering resources and information, and teacher training (Samuel, 1993).

Teacher training and inservice

In implementing a new program such as this, research would seem to indicate that inservice workshops are essential for the reduction of fears and feelings of incompetancy 11 that many teachers have in regard to EE and the use of an outdoor facility. Although referring to EE in general, and not specifically to the outdoor classroom, Ham, Rellergert­

Taylor and Krumpe note that inservice workshops reduce some of the barriers to EE, and suggest that these workshops provide materials for subjects other than science as well as help in incorporating EE into existing curriculum (Ham, Rellergert-Taylor, Krumpe,

1987-88). Simmons in her article on the use of natural areas mirrors some of the concerns and suggestions made in the previous article when considering the use of outdoor sites. Without training teachers had limited ideas of the range of activities that could be performed in an outdoor setting, usually listing activities such as recreation, science and tree identification. Teachers who did not feel comfortable in these activities, or only saw this limited potential, were unlikely to use the site (Simmons, 1993).

When planning inservice programs for teachers, it is important to make the experiences and activities relevant to their grade level. The activities presented should be immediately transferable to the classroom and need to relate to the existing curricula

(Sanchez, 1990). 12

PROJECT METHODOLOGY

Treatment of the Subproblems

The following methods were used to solve each of the subproblems identified in the development and the implementation of the outdoor classroom for the Stevens Point

Area Catholic Schools.

Subproblem One

The first subproblem was to obtain the support of the administration and staff in the building and implementation of an outdoor facility for the Stevens Point Area

Catholic Schools.

The project began in 1992 with informal discussions with the staff as to the possibility of developing an outdoor site. Interest in such a site was noted, and the process of procuring a site for use in the development of the outdoor classroom was begun.

The Sisters of St. Joseph - Third Order of St. Francis were contacted as a possible sponsor of the project. The idea of a prairie restoration and use of the site by schoolchildren fit their Franciscan ideal of environmental stewardship, and the go-ahead was given.

In the early stages of the project, it became obvious that the site would need to be promoted and explained to the parents, staff, and administration if it were to become a 13 reality. To this end, a committee was formed to begin to aid in the planning and promotion of the site and explain its possibilities to teachers at their respective buildings.

Support was sought from the area commission and staff members through a series of meetings. In addition, both the local and diocesan newspapers were kept abreast of the development of the site. Both papers wrote articles about the site, and the events happening there.

In an effort to strengthen the connection between prairie restoration and its possibilities for teaching environmental justice in a Catholic school setting, a prayer service was planned for the opening of the site involving the students of the various schools of the system and local pastors.

A survey was seht out to representative members of the staff, administration, and the area commission to determine their understanding of the project and the reasons for its undertaking. This survey included a section in which the respondents could present their questions, suggestions and concerns regarding the project. From this feedback, the committee was able to develop a series of inservices. 14

Subproblem Two

The second subproblem was to build a site for use by all of the schools in the

Stevens Point Area Catholic School System.

1) Facilities

In the spring of 1993, the actual building of the site was begun. Neil Diboll from the Prairie Nursery in Westfield visited the site and gave an evaluation of the soil type, recommended development of the entire site and suggested a seed mix for the property.

Ron Zimmerman of the Schmeeckle Reserve, and Pete Walter from the Department of

Natural Resources were also consulted regarding the property and its potential.

After making a plan based on their recommendations and raising the money necessary to proceed, the preparation of the initial acre of prairie was begun for a fall

1994 planting. The site was sprayed twice with Roundup during the summer growing season of 1994. In the early fall, it was tilled, and on November 1, the site was planted by

Pacelli High School students. A fall planting was chosen to mimic the natural dormancy that seeds undergo through wintering. The seed mixture designed by the Prairie Nursery was mixed with a half of a pickup load of sawdust and spread by hand on the one acre site.

In the growing season following the planting, the site was mowed twice using a weed eater to keep the weedy species such as ragweed from shading out the young prairie plants. Some early growing species such as Black Eyed Susan were noted on the site, but for the most part, the prairie species were not evident. This was to be expected since

prairie plants typically spend their first couple of growing seasons in the production of

their root systems. In the second and third growing seasons, many of the species were

evident and blooming. It has also been noted that this is a relatively high quality site with

native prairie species already a part of the seed bank. Without having planted them,

species such as Prairie Blue-eyed Grass, Bottle Gentian and a species of arrow leaf violet

have appeared.

A problem that will need to be addressed and monitored is the removal of Reed

Canary Grass which is an aggressive non-native that replaces other species in its path.

This will be treated with Roundup and the cutting of seed heads on existing plants. This

treatment will need to be continued on a yearly basis. In addition, the area of concern will

be burned three times over a five year period. The sections most heavily hit with Reed

Canary Grass will be reseeded with a mixture of prairie seeds.

2) Finances

Funding for the project was secured from several sources. The school system

contributed $1,000, and the rest was obtained from private sources or from fund raising

activities. A carnival was begun at St. Stephen School, the proceeds of which are split

between a school project, and the prairie restoration. Grants were written to Catholic organizations such as the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women. The funding for teacher training came through our acceptance into the Earth Partnership Program. This program held by the UW-Madison Arboretum and funded by the National Science Foundation, provided our schools with over $10,000 worth of workshops, training and technical support for the teaching of restoration based environmental education. 16

The use of parent and student volunteers have helped in keeping the cost of the project down. Parents have been involved in the spraying of Roundup and the tilling of the site. Students have volunteered their time to design a bridge into the area, plan pathways, and design a pond on the north end of the property.

Subproblem Three

The third subproblem was to initiate use of the facility by means of teacher inservice/training.

Use of the site has been promoted through a series of staff meetings and mini­ inservices. Teachers interested in the project had been involved in the initial promotion of the project, but this met with limited success.

In 1995, the Stevens Point Area Catholic Schools became involved in the Earth

Partnership program through a grant provided by the UW-Arboretum and the National

Science Foundation. Through this partnership training for a core group of teachers was provided, a scope and sequence was given for the many activities developed by the

Arboretum, and technical assistance was provided for the prairie.

A total of eight teachers from the system attended two to four weeks of workshop training at the Arboretum, where they participated in activities related to the use of the outdoor classroom and developed an understanding of restoration techniques.

Information gained from this workshop was shared with staff members at each building.

In addition, a day long workshop was provided for all of the teachers of the system in 17

June of 1996. The teachers were divided into grade level groups, and activities appropriate for that level were demonstrated.

Subproblem Four

The fourth subproblem was to determine the use of the facility by students and staff in the year following the inservice.

The Earth Partnership Program provided the staff with a survey to determine the use of the site by grade level. The prairie committee used this survey to determine for itself the use of the site, and the problems or concerns that would need to be addressed in the future. The survey consisted of a listing of the activities provided by the Arboretum in their workshops of the previous two summers. The staff gathered to determine which activities were done in the outdoor site, by what grade level, and when. From these surveys the prairie committee was able to see, for example, that certain grade levels were not well represented in the use of the prairie. The concerns which surfaced as a result of this tool will be addressed during the 1997-1998 school year.

Subproblem Five

The fifth subproblem was to test the effectiveness of using the outdoor site in the teaching of science/environmental concepts using two classes of fifth grade students from St.

Stephen Grade School. 18

The final part of the implementation of the outdoor classroom was determining if the site had a positive impact on the education of the students who would participate in its use.

In the fall of 1996, fifth grade students from St. Stephen School were part of an informal test to determine the effectiveness of the outdoor site as a supplement to the teaching of environmental education. Two classes of fifth graders were chosen for the project. Each class consisted of twenty students and were similar in male-female ratio.

Both classes received the same classroom instruction regarding the water cycle, groundwater and water testing. The students in room 210, however, were given an opportunity to design an experiment based on plant transpiration which they would perform in the outdoor classroom. Room 209 would not have this outdoor experience.

The idea of transpiration was chosen because it had been noted in past presentations of the water cycle that this was one concept that was not well retained or clearly understood.

The students in both classes were tested as part of the regular unit assessment upon completion of the unit in October. In April, the students were tested once again to determine their level of retention of this concept, and to see if there was a difference between the group which had the outdoor experience and the group that did not. 19

PROJECT RESULTS

Subproblem One

The first subproblem was to obtain the support of the administration and staff in the building and implementation of an outdoor facility for the Stevens Point Area

Catholic Schools.

In August of 1992, informal conversations were held with select staff members of St.

Stephen Grade School and St. Peter Middle School. Through these discussions it was ascertained that teachers would value and support an outdoor learning facility for use in teaching ecological and environmental concepts. To be effective the teachers felt that such a site would need to be within walking distance of the schools in the system.

The idea was then presented to Joanne Lodzinski, Area Administrator for the

Stevens Point Area Catholic Schools, and Gregg Hansel, Principal for St. Stephen Grade

School. Recommendations were taken from them and others on possible sites for the facility. At this time, St. Bronislava Church in Plover and the convent grounds for the

Sisters of St. Joseph- Third Order of St. Francis in Stevens Point were the two most strongly suggested sites. Interest in the outdoor classroom idea was expressed by the

Sisters of St. Joseph, and an agreement signed by both parties was drawn up. This agreement allowed use of the site under the following conditions:

• The Sisters of St. Joseph be notified in advance of bringing student groups to the

property. 20

• Students would be informed that they are not to be on the property unless they are

with their class doing class-related work,

• Students must be with a teacher or other responsible adult supervisor.

• The property and grounds are to be kept free of all litter.

• The privacy and grounds of the Sisters are to be respected at all times.

On January 18, 1993 the signed agreement was received by the Catholic Schools and the project formally began.

A committee was formed representing the various schools in the system. The committee (see Table 1) was made up of interested teachers and was done on a volunteer basis. The first meeting was held in the St. Stephen school library on February 9, 1993.

The principals from all four buildings were invited to attend this 7:30 a.m. meeting and the principals from St. Stephen, St. Stanislaus, Pacelli, along with the area administrator were in attendance. The following agenda items were discussed:

1. Introductions of committee members

2. Project description

3. Site development

4. Possible financing sources

5. Brainstorming session on the use and promotion of the site

The idea of the prairie classroom was then presented to the general staff during one of their regular staff meetings. Committee chair, Laura Barnett, and other committee members in attendance gave short presentations during at St. Stanislaus, Pacelli, and St.

Peter schools. St. Bronislava School was not a part of this initial planning phase since it was in the process of being built, and was not a fully operational K-5 building at this 21 time. A newsletter was also distributed to all of the teachers of the system describing the facility, its rules and possibilities, and soliciting help in both fund raising and planning.

In the spring and summer of 1993, the site was evaluated by various experts including Neil Diboll of the Prairie Nursery. Recommendations from these site evaluations were presented to committee members and administration (See Appendix A).

The prairie committee met again on June 3, 1993 to discuss plans for the fall planting and to welcome Janet McSwain to the committee as a parent representative.

Once the project was underway, and plans set for the planting of one acre, a prayer service was planned to dedicate the site. A date of October 4 was chosen for the prayer service, and is significant in as much as it is St. Francis of Assisi Day. St. Francis is recognized as the patron saint of ecologists, and the site was named the St. Francis of

Assisi Environmental Station in honor of this fact. It was hoped that through the prayer service and naming of the site, administration, faculty, students, and guests alike would appreciate the link between environmental stewardship and Catholic tradition.

Besides being a tie-in to the concept of environmental justice and stewardship, the prayer service was an opportunity to promote the project to parents, students and members of the community. Two services were held, one for the elementary students, led by Fr. Don Przybylski, pastor of St. Stanislaus parish, and the other for middle and high school students led Fr. Dan Kiedinger, associate at St. Stephen parish and Pacelli High

School chaplain (See Appendix B). The two services gave more students an opportunity to participate with readings and music, and kept student numbers at a manageable size.

Special guests invited to be part of the event were the Sisters of St. Joseph, members of 22 the Area Commission, and Sr. Judy Kramer, head of the Justice and Peace office for the

Diocese ofLaCrosse. Parents were also invited and many were in attendance.

In the 1994-95 school year, the staff, administration and members of the Area

Commission were surveyed to measure support for the site and to gain perspective on the perceived problems and benefits of the outdoor classroom. The survey (See Appendix

C) asked if the participants saw a connection between our Catholic School identity and

EE. It then sought to determine if the participants felt the outdoor classroom would be an affective addition to a total environmental education program for SPACS. Of the forty surveys, ten were sent to administration and commission members, and 30 went to randomly selected staff members representing all of the schools of the system. Thirty­ five were returned. The results which can be found in Table 2, indicate that teachers agree to strongly agree that EE is important overall, and identify it as an issue that matches our Catholic tradition. In addition, the outdoor facility was seen as a positive addition to the overall teaching of EE for the system. Responses fell between the agree and not sure categories on the teachers' plans to use the facility and their belief that their

EE knowledge was adequate. In the comments section of the survey, teachers indicated a general lack of information on the types of activities that could be done on such a site.

When asked what they felt were the drawbacks or potential problems with the outdoor classroom, the following answers were given in more than one paper:

• a limited amount of time to walk to the site and/or prepare activities not

previously part of units taught.

• uncertain weather conditions. 23

• lack of materials and resources for the site.

• funding

• how to encourage teacher use of the site (administration concern)

The final questions on the survey asked if the development of curricular material would be helpful, and for any suggestions that might be offered to make the project more effective. The suggestion that appeared on nearly every survey was to have an inservice demonstrating grade level appropriate activities immediately transferable to a regular classroom setting. Along with this came the request that there be activities that related to subject areas other than science. This survey proved useful in designing a system wide inservice held on June 5, 1996.

On June 1, 1995 the author presented a slide show on the development of the site to the Area Commission at a regular meeting. Later that summer a similar presentation was made to the Sisters of St. Joseph to keep them abreast of the project's progress.

Press releases and presentations have helped to keep all interested parties informed of the project and its progress. Besides articles in the Stevens Point Journal, our diocesan paper, The Times Review, has written two articles featuring the project.

Presentations on the development of the project and its potential use in other Catholic

Schools have been presented at St. Lawrence Parish in Wisconsin Rapids, a Shareshop for the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women, and the 1996 Fall teacher's convention for the Diocese ofLaCrosse. 24

Table 1

Stevens Point Area Catholic Schools St. Francis of Assisi Environmental Station Committee

Chair

*Laura Barnett - Project head, St. Francis of Assisi Environmental Station. Fifth grade teacher, St. Stephen Grade School

Members

Joanne Lodzinski - Area Administrator for the Stevens Point Area Catholic Schools Gregg Hansel - Principal, St. Stephen/St. Bronislava Grade Schools *Scott Stankowski - Science, Pacelli High School *Patrick Snow - Eighth Grade, St. Peter Middle School *Susan Beltz - Sixth Grade, St. Peter Middle School ( on Committee 1993-1997) *Lynn Vogel - Fourth Grade, St. Stanislaus *Janet Blaha - Fourth Grade, St. Stephen ( on Committee 1995-present) *Sandy Weyers - General Music, St. Stephen, St. Bronislava, St. Joseph *Beth Grubba - Art, St Stanislaus, St. Stephen, St. Joseph Janet McSwain - Parent, environmental engineer (on Committee 1993-1995)

* participant in the Earth Partnership Program Survey Results

EE is important

EE on Catholic tradition

Outdoor facility important

-I Important addition OJ cr.....

More consistent EE

Plan to use

Interest in restoration EE

More interest in EE

EE knowledge adequate 2.56

1 2 3 4 5 1=Strongly agree, 2= Agree, 3=Not sure, 4=Disagree, 5=Strongly disagree 26

Subproblem Two

The second subproblem was to build a site for use by all of the schools in the

Stevens Point Area Catholic School System.

1) Facilities

Upon securing the site located on the grounds of the Sisters of St. Joseph, the

development of the outdoor classroom was begun in the spring of 1993.

Arrangements were made with Neil Diboll from the Prairie Nursery in Westfield,

Wisconsin for site evaluation and recommendations. The visit was made on April 7,

1993, and the report submitted in June (See Appendix A). When the survey was done, the possibility of the addition of Kamer blue butterfly habitat was explored. This idea was later rejected when other experts were called upon to evaluate the site. Ron

Zimmerman from the Schmeekle Reserve and Pete Walter from the DNR both evaluated the site, and in their estimation, the area that seemed to be an upland sandy ridge, actually represented fill added to the site as a pathway or possible road. The recommended additional fill required to support a Lupine population was deemed an unwise use of the site. The possible pond on the North end of the property as indicated in Mr. Diboll's drawing remains under consideration.

The first acre of the me sic prairie was actually in an area not indicated on the drawing done by Mr. Diboll. It is located to the west of the area marked off by the drawing. It was also decided at this time that the entire area, up to the fence line on the west side, would be included in the total development of the site, increasing the 5 acres 27

noted by Mr. Diboll on the original drawing to approximately 6.5 acres. A seed mix for

the site was designed at the Prairie Nursery, and a fall 1994 date was set for the planting.

The fall planting was chosen because the soil in this section would be drier and therefore

easier to work during the mid-summer to fall portion of the year. Fall planting also

eliminates the need for special seed preparation. This process of "dormant seeding" provides a natural period of rest allowing weathering and spring soil conditions to break the dormancy in seeds.

In June, measurement of the acre to be used in the first planting was done by Janet

McSwain, parent representative on our school site committee. At the same time arrangements were made with Tim Kennedy, a commercial weed sprayer and parent from our school community, to spray the area with "Roundup" two times during the summer, once in June, and once in August. Once the spraying was complete, the area was tilled.

A farm tractor proved to be too heavy for the wet soil, so a smaller four wheel drive tractor was brought in to till the acre.

During the last week of October, students from the Ecology class at Pacelli were brought over to rake the area, remove any remaining vegetation, and mark the area into quadrants. Twine and wooden stakes were used to divide the acre into four equal sections. This was done as a guide for the students who would later be spreading the sawdust - seed mixture. One fourth of the seed mixture would be given to the students for each quadrant to ensure a more equal distribution.

On November 1, 1994 the area was seeded. The seed packages from the Prairie

Nursery were mixed into one-half of a pickup bed filled with sawdust. Each section was seeded by hand using the help of students from Pacelli High School. After each section 28 was planted, it was lightly raked to cover the seeds slightly with soil. Since the area planted has little slope, it was felt that a mulch would not be necessary to hold the seed in place.

In the first growing season following the planting, the section looked weedy.

Daisy, Black-Eyed Susans and ragweed were the species most evident in the section.

This was to be expected, since many of the prairie species spend their first couple of growing seasons in the development of roots. To keep these and other species from shading out the other developing plants, a weed eater was used on the section twice during the summer. A weed eater was chosen over a regular mower because it did not cut the section too closely, and it minimized trampling and compaction that might be caused by heavier equipment.

In the spring of 1995, Molly Murray and Cheryl Haberman from the UW-Madison

Arboretum evaluated the site as part of the Earth Partnership Program. They noted a variety of desirable native species in several sections of the unplanted portion of the site.

After their visit the development plan for the site was adjusted. It was decided that the wet areas of the site would be enhanced with additional species, but the native species already present would not be killed in a general spraying as was done with the planted section just completed. The dry ridge that runs through the center of the area is weedier and will be replanted following the original plan of kill off and reseeding.

In the summer of 1996, many more prairie species were evident as the site was allowed to grow without the cutting of the previous season. Species such as Blue

Vervain, Ox-Eye Sunflower, Bee Balm and Liatris were common on the section. It was 29

also noted that certain species not planted such as Bottle Gentian, Blue Eyed Grass and a

species of arrow leaf violet were present.

In the spring of 1996, an additional 1000 square feet of prairie planting was begun adjacent to the original site. This portion, an experimental plot for the UW-Madison

Arboretum, is the same in size and seed make-up as other experimental plots located at

Earth Partnership schools around the state. The purpose of the experimental plot is to provide plant growth data while noting differences in soil types, site preparation and site location at each participating school This data may prove useful in future restoration attempts in the state. The site preparation for this plot was different from the original section. In the spring of 1996, the eighth grade students from St. Peter Middle School measured and placed black tarp on a 1000 square foot piece of ground located at the northeast comer of the original one acre site. This black tarp would remain in place for one entire growing season to bum off the existing vegetation and the seed at the surface.

The site was also marked off with an iron rod in each comer. The rod was driven into the ground and will enable the Arboretum and the schools to locate the experimental plot far into the future should there be a need to gather data. Upon removal of the tarp in early

May of 1997, it was noted that the vegetation that had been growing there had been effectively killed. Sixth grade students from St. Peters then turned the soil and removed the remains of the dead plants from the area to be planted. After the area had been cleared, the students planted the site with a mixture of sawdust and seed, lightly

"dancing" in the seed by tapping it in with their feet after spreading it.

For a number of years, much of the grounds owned by the Sisters had been mowed by a local farmer for use as marsh hay. The planted prairie section was therefore 30 fenced, and instructions given that this area was not to be mowed, although the rest of the site that would eventually be contained in the outdoor classroom site was cut during the summers of 1995 and 1996. Mowing of the entire classroom site was ended in the summer of 1997, although the section to the south, along Maria Drive, will be continue to be cut.

With the ending of the mowing in the summer of 1997, students from the Pacelli ecology club designed, marked and mowed walking paths through the SF AES. Eric

Karch, a student at Pacelli was part of a class that measured the site and made recommendations for the pathways (See Table 3). The student then plotted out the possible pathways through the prairie and adjusted the placement of what would become the actual walking paths. In June the paths were mowed by student volunteers.

A problem was noted in the summer of 1996. Reed canary grass had been established in the section to the south of the SFAES and was now rapidly moving into the classroom section. In the summer of 1996, seed heads were cut from the sections of reed canary grass found in the prairie section. In 1997, the canary grass was sprayed with

Roundup in areas where it had become established. In areas where there were only a few stalks of grass, or in areas where special care needed to be taken with the application of the Roundup, the chemical was applied with a cotton glove over a rubber glove. Seed heads were again cut in areas where the grass was especially thick. 31

2) Finances

Funding for the project came from several sources. The school system provided up to $1000 for the project and the rest was secured in fund raising efforts and private donations.

The major fund raising event for the restoration site is a school carnival organized and run by the St. Stephen fifth grade. This provides a yearly source of income for ongoing projects in the prairie. In addition to this, one time donations were made by the

Diocesan Council of Catholic Women through their Earth in Our Hands program, interested parents, and the St. Lawrence Council of Catholic Women.

One of the challenging aspects in the area of funding comes from our religious school status and the fact that the project is being done on private property, specifically convent grounds. Some grant money that would be available to public organizations is not available for our project. It is for this reason that money has been sought from specifically Catholic sources. These sources typically offer small grants on a one time basis.

The total cost of the project has been kept down by the volunteer help provided by the parents and staff of the Catholic Schools. Roundup application, the use of equipment to till the area, and future help with the design and digging of a pond have been provided free of charge. In addition to this, a cedar walkway over the often wet entrance to the site has been designed and will be built by a Boy Scout at Pacelli as part of his Eagle Scout project.

A major breakthrough in the funding of teacher training for the project came with our acceptance into the Earth Partnership Program at UW-Madison Arboretum. Our 32 system was selected to participate under a grant by the Arboretum and the National

Science Foundation whereby we have received approximately $12,000 worth of teacher training and project support. Involvement in this program has proved to be the most important link between the outdoor classroom and the curriculum. 33 Table 3

u V C ~ '"., ll,•..

a-;"' I. 't +.. u . '.'.'.:"\ 0 a!:.. . 4)- a~'- 34

Subproblem Three

The third subproblem was to initiate use of facility by means of teacher inservice/training.

Providing information at staff meetings and working with individual teachers of the system met with very limited success. As noted previously, teachers felt uneasy with using the site for fear they would lack both the time and knowledge to do so. Then in

1995 our program was selected to participate in the Earth Partnership Program at the

University of Wisconsin- Madison Arboretum. The partnership provides teacher training through a series of workshops, site visits and inservices. Restoration is an essential component of the program, and provides many opportunities for the students to interact with the environment in a positive way. The activities are designed to be used in all curricular areas, both on the site and in the classroom.

The training of the teachers of the system took place over a two year period. In the summer of 1995, two teachers, designated as lead teachers, participated in a two-week workshop at the Arboretum. Laura Barnett and Sandy Weyers attended this first session which focused both on the types of activities that could be done on a restoration site, and plans for staff involvement in the coming year. It was decided that these two lead teachers would go back to the schools and do "mini-inservices" at each school to promote the types of activities found in the curriculum guide provided by the Arboretum. These inservices were held during the fall of 1995 in the place of a regularly scheduled staff meeting. Activities were copied for each building's use along with a copy of the scope 35 and sequence developed for these activities by the Arboretum (See Appendix D). From these activities two were selected to be demonstrated in each building. At the elementary level, for example, an activity testing the water holding capacity of different soil types was demonstrated, as well as a writing activity. These sessions were completed in the first semester of the 1995-96 school year.

On June 5, 1996 the entire staff participated in an inservice put on by the staff of the Arboretum Earth Partnership Program (See Appendix E). The opening general session of the inservice was held in the Pacelli gym and included descriptions of the educational opportunities and benefits of prairie restoration for the system. After this, the staff was divided into four groups: Primary (Pre K to 2), Intermediate (Grades 3-5),

Middle School (Grades 6-8) and High School. A staff person from the Arboretum lead each group in activities appropriate for their level. The activities were designed to illustrate the possibilities for use of the outdoor classroom in the teaching of all curricular areas in an outdoor and indoor setting using the prairie as a focus. Lunch was provided by the school system. After lunch the staff once again broke into their grade level groups for a mix of indoor and outdoor activities. The day ended with the staff once more together in one large group. Time was allowed for discussion and wrap up activities.

In the summer of 1996, seven teachers from the system participated in the second two week teacher training session offered by the Arboretum (See Table 1). This second session allowed for team building activities among staff, and gave further information and practice in use of the activities from the guide. The teachers participating in this workshop have remained on the SFAES committee and will work on a formal curriculum for our system. 36

Subproblem Four

The fourth subproblem was to determine the use of the facility by students and staff in the year following the inservice.

This goal was accomplished by through the use of a survey supplied by the Earth

Partnership Program (See Appendix F). In the winter of 1997, the teachers from each building were surveyed to see which of the activities developed by the Arboretum were used and at what grade level. Teachers who were on the prairie restoration committee, and had attended the workshop in Madison, were given the forms at a committee meeting and asked to bring the completed forms back to the next meeting.

At the follow up meeting held in February the results were compiled and made ready to mail to the Arboretum. Copies of the forms were made for our personal use, and will be referred to when the development of the prairie curriculum is begun in the 1997-

98 school year. At this same meeting it was decided that the members present would continue on for the next year, and would contribute to the writing of the curriculum. It was also agreed that the writing of the curriculum would not begin until the second semester of the 1997-1998 school year, after several of the members completed other committee obligations.

The survey completed by the schools indicated areas of concern for the committee members. First, the overlapping of activities will need to be addressed so that teachers feel confident that they are not a duplicating things their students have had in previous 37 years. Next, the committee members wanted to find ways to encourage use of the prairie in areas other than science. While there were some activities such as religion and language arts represented on the survey, the preponderance of activities dealt with science. Finally, it was noted that the usage of the prairie occurred mostly in grades 4-12, with little use of the site made by the primary students. It was decided that the development of the prairie curriculum would take these concerns into account when written.

Subproblem Five

The fifth subproblem was to test the effectiveness of using the outdoor site in the teaching of science/environmental concepts using two classes of fifth grade students from St.

Stephen Grade School.

In the fall of 1996, the 40 fifth grade students of St. Stephen Grade School were involved in an exercise designed to see if the use of the outdoor site helped the students in the retention of the material taught. Both classes of 20 students would receive the same classroom instruction, but one class would go to the prairie to design and execute an experiment based on one of the concepts being taught. The students would be tested in

October as part of the regular classroom assessment for the unit. In April the students would once again be tested on the material. While it was emphasized to the students that this test would have no bearing on their grades, since they did not have time to review the material or study, it was also stressed that they do their best. 38

The unit chosen for this test was a water unit begun in mid-September and continuing through the month of October. The unit included a review of the water cycle, use of the groundwater model, testing of the permeability of soil samples, and water testing of their home water using a kit called the Tap Water Tour. Both classes received this part of the instruction.

One part of the water cycle that has been difficult for students to understand in the past, however, has been that of transpiration. While the students could correctly place this vocabulary term on the drawing they were required to do for the test, they often defined it poorly or inaccurately.

Included in the activities for the prairie from the UW-Arboretum was one in which the students were to design a transpiration experiment. In order to better understand if an outdoor component would help in the retention of this concept, it was decided that the students in room 210 would go to the site for this activity, while in room

209, the students would rely solely on the information given in class. As materials the students in 210 were given plastic bags, cobalt chloride paper, paper clips and twist ties.

They were then to work in groups of four to develop a question about transpiration which they could test out in the outdoor classroom. Some of the questions explored by the students included "Which transpires more quickly, a plant in the sun, or one in the shade?", and "Does it take the same amount of time for different leaves on the same plant to transpire?" Tue students performed three trials of their experiments, documented their results, and noted any problems they had along with changes they would make if they did the experiment again. 39

The students were tested upon the completion of the unit. In this first testing the students in room 210 correctly defined transpiration in their own words in 18 of 20 papers

(90%). Students in room 209 did so on 15 of the 20 papers (75%). The most common mistake made on the papers was equating transpiration with evaporation, without indicating the role of the plant.

In March of 1997, a presentation on water and water quality was given to both classes by the Stevens Point Wellhead Protection Office. While the main focus of the presentation was wetland protection, it also provided the students with another review of the water cycle.

In April, the students were given a second test on the water cycle which included the definitions of terms. The students were asked to draw and label the water cycle. They were further required to define each of the terms they had labeled in their drawing. The following terms were included in the test: transpiration, evaporation, infiltration, precipitation, condensation, runoff, groundwater, and surface water. In this retest, fifteen students from room 210 (75%) were able to correctly draw and define transpiration, down three from the October test. Room 209 had 10 students (50%) who were able to complete this portion of the test successfully, down 5 from the fall. Of the papers that did not correctly complete this section, eight papers either mislabeled or failed to label this concept in the drawing. The remaining seven papers had correctly located transpiration on their drawing, but did not either defme the term, or had defined it incorrectly or incompletely. The other terms did not present a problem for most students, either in the labeling or defming of the term. 40

While this test was not a formal one, it does indicate that the experiments done in

an outdoor setting had a positive effect on the retention of a specific concept. When teaching this concept previously, the students had to rely on book definitions of the term.

Even the groundwater model, which is very effective in the demonstration of groundwater concepts, does not illustrate the concept of transpiration. The addition of an outdoor component would seem to provide another approach to the teaching of those things best learned in an outdoor setting. 41

IMPLICATIONS, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Subproblem One

To obtain the support of the administration and staff in the building and implementation of an outdoor facility for the Stevens Point Area Catholic Schools.

Building the support necessary for a major undertaking is both a time-consuming and important part of the project. Without it, the outdoor classroom, no matter how well designed, will fail to become an actual part of the curriculum. The project also runs the risk of becoming the responsibility of one individual rather than the entire school.

It was a goal of this undertaking to shift the ownership of the project from one person to the whole school system. In actuality this met with varied success. Through our participation in the Earth Partnership and the favorable articles in the diocesan and local newspapers, the project has, over time, gained the support of both faculty and administration. It should be noted, however, that attempts by the committee to obtain support for the project prior to the Earth Partnership workshops and inservice met with little success.

It is recommended that project leaders approach the promotion of a project such as this from many angles. It may take many attempts for people to really become aware of the project and its possibilities. Even though we had a couple oflarge articles in the

Stevens Point Journal, The Times Review, and notes in parent letters, there remain to this day parents in our system unaware of the project. Inviting parents to prayer services held on the site, asking parents to help with small group work on the prairie, and inviting 42 parental help when specific needs arise are also ways of promoting the site and building support for it.

The selection of a committee for a project such as this is of great importance. For our purposes this committee needed to both represent the buildings of the system, and be comprised of people who would truly support the building of an outdoor classroom.

Since this project would involve a change in curriculum to fully implement, it was important that the committee members be able to promote the projects in their buildings and be able to show by their examples the uses of the site. The members of the committee can be a critical informational link to the buildings involved in the project, and can be excellent resources regarding the types of activities that can be done on the site.

Another helpful tool in the development of support for the project was the teacher survey which was sent to the staff and administration, including members of the Area

Commission, at the beginning of the project. It served two purposes, first it gave the staff an opportunity to voice their questions and concerns regarding the project. From their responses, the committee was able to make and adjust plans to ensure that the needs of the teachers were being met. We were, for example, able to understand the need for an outside inservice which would give the teachers experience in using the site. While we understood at the onset that such a need would eventually be addressed, the opportunity for the staff to express this concern would increase the level of participation at the inservice when held. Secondly, the survey gave every one involved in the project some insight into the ideas and philosophy behind it. For example, when survey questions were asked regarding the match between the outdoor restoration site and the teaching of 43

Christian values in a Catholic school setting, those surveyed were really given the

opportunity to express and perhaps clarify their understanding of the issue.

Subproblem Two

To build a site for use by all of the schools in the Stevens Point Area Catholic

School System.

The location of the site is a very important component of any outdoor classroom project. Teaching sites located on the grounds of the schools using them have many advantages. With school based sites the students are able to see and relate to the site on a daily basis. They also allow for both quick activities as well as ones that span the course of several days. Many of our schools do not have the facilities which would allow for this kind of outdoor site, however. Three of the schools in the system, St. Stanislaus, St.

Joseph, St. Stephen, have playgrounds that double as church parking lots. It was therefore necessary for us to locate a site which would be accessible to all of the schools in the system, and which would be large enough to accommodate more than one class at a time if necessary. It was for this reason that the convent site was chosen. When siting the classroom within the convent grounds, we chose a section that would be out of sight of the street and not along any common walking areas of the sisters. This gives the classroom a set apart feeling which keeps the students from distractions while they are performing activities, and maintains the privacy of the sisters. One advantage that our site has for the schools in the system is that, at approximately 6.5 acres, it is large enough for the students get a feel for the prairie ecosystem that they are working on restoring. 44

It is also suggested that a classroom site be evaluated by several people familiar

with the area to best understand its history and potential before the restoration is begun.

Through the insight and knowledge of several people we were able to devise a plan which would not only make the site useful as a classroom, but would maintain the integrity of the land. While Neil Diboll of the Prairie Nursery in Westfield was able to put together a mix suitable for a mesic site, local people including the Sisters, Ron Zimmerman from the Schmeekle Reserve and people from the DNR, among others, were able to provide information on the history of land use, soil types and possible design of the land. Some of the most useful information received on the development of the site came from local people. The sisters were able to give insight as to the past uses of the land which influenced later plans for the future development of the site. People from the university and local agencies were able to explain the pros and cons of adding a pond to the area, and were able to explain the drains found on the site and the addition of a ridge of sand which seems to have been from some past plan to put a road through the land. The more one understands about the site that is being developed, the better the restoration will be in the end. Gathering this information will lead to a better match of seeds and plants to the site which is crucial to the success of any restoration project.

While it is important to have the students involved in all phases of the project, their level of involvement may vary depending on the long-range goals of the project, and/or the type of task being undertaken.

The first acre of our site was researched and planned by the project leader and executed with student help. While the remaining acres of the site will be developed by the students, it was important for them to get a feel for the site and gain understanding of 45

. the possibilities by first experiencing a prairie ecosystem. Our site is large enough to

accommodate the initial development by the committee, and still have the remaining acres developed by students. This has at least three advantages, first the teachers involved in the classroom needed to understand the site before they would feel comfortable in having their students use it. By having a portion of the site developed, the teachers could become familiar with the plants and animals of the prairie before they were asked to teach about it or have their students become involved in the design of the site.

Secondly, by having the committee develop a portion of the site, the S?,ldents got a chance to see and experience the idea of prairie before they would be asked to devise a plan of restoration on their own. While the students didn't have the responsibility for the design of the first acre, they did much of the labor involved including measuring, raking, and seeding. In this way, they felt themselves to be an important part of the development even though they did not do the actual initial planning. Finally, the process of restoration takes quite a long time. In the first year after planting, the only visible plants on the prairie were ragweed and Black-Eyed Susans. It wasn't until the third growing season that the prairie showed most of the flowering species that were planted there.

Development of a site that takes that long to be realized is hard for students to remain interested in. If a school has a large enough site to work with, having the example of one acre upon which to base future restoration plans, and which serves as a ready classroom, is preferable to having the students jump in at the beginning and losing interest as the site takes several years to look like a prairie. This is especially true when doing the planting from seed rather than plants. 46

Some portions of the project must be done only by adults due to the nature of the task. Our site has been invaded by Reed Canary Grass. This aggressive grass is being

controlled with a combination of chemical treatment and bum. The application of the

Roundup will be done by adult volunteers only.

Subproblem Three

To initiate use of the site of the facility by means of teacher inservice/training.

The building of an outdoor classroom will only be important if the teachers and the students avail themselves of the many educational opportunities afforded by such a site. To be an effective educational tool teachers must feel comfortable using the site.

This is best done by giving the staff several opportunities for hands-on activities on the site itself as well as noting links to various curricular areas. When faced with teaching something about which they feel a lack of background knowledge, teachers will either have to take the time to research the subject area, or because oflack of comfort, will not use the facility in a manner appropriate to its potential. The surveys that were completed by the staff at the beginning of the project indicated that the issue that concerned them the most was the question of what could be done on the site and how it related to things they were already teaching. We addressed this problem through a series of inservices, and through the training of several teachers at the UW - Madison Arboretum Earth

Partnership Program.

The Earth Partnership program is to be recommended to any school that would like to explore restoration based environmental education. The Arboretum provides the 47 background necessary for understanding the restoration process, as well as a wide selection of activities that can be taken directly into the classroom at any grade level. The activities cover all curricular areas and meet all the EE goals from perceptual awareness to citizen action experience. The intensive two to four weeks of training for the core staff members of the restoration team, in addition to the other services and programs offered by the Arboretum, ensures that participating schools will have all the technical and educational support needed to fully utilize the restoration site.

The inservices should be as practical as possible, with activities geared to the grades receiving the training. While the teachers were interested in the background information they were given, they felt that the practical part of the inservice was the most useful to them. The guides and activities provided by the Earth Partnership Program were also instrumental in getting the staff out to the prairie. The activities were easy to follow and included all appropriate worksheets giving the teacher ready activities to bring into his/her classroom. Many of the activities in the Arboretum guide, Prairie Restoration for

Wisconsin Schools, have extensions which show how variations of an activity can be used by many grade levels. Without the use of a resource guide such as this, the use of the site would be much more sporadic and dependent upon the interests of the individual teacher.

Subproblem four

To determine the use of the facility by students and staff in the year following the . . mserv1ce. 48

It is necessary to do follow up with the staff regarding the use of the outdoor classroom. fu the first year of actual system-wide use of the site, the staff was encouraged to use the activities that would best fit in their curriculum, and to visit the site in both the fall and spring of the school year. The follow up survey of activities allowed the prairie committee to see if the site was indeed being used, and to note any problems or concerns the staff had in the first year of use. This was vital inasmuch as continued use of the site depends upon meeting the needs of staff and students, and eliminating the problems which arise in the implementation of the project. For example, we noted that the site was not well used by the lower elementary grades. It was determined that part of the problem lies in the length of the walk from the elementary schools to the prairie site.

Recommendations based on this observation include using the prairie time to do several activities so that the time spent doing the activities justifies the amount of time spent walking. Also a day in which Kindergarten classes from both St. Stanislaus and St.

Joseph visit the site could be planned so that the cost of busing could be shared. We also noted that identical activities were done by different grade levels. A prairie curriculum committee has grown out of this problem. It was determined that the teachers at all grade levels need to have a curriculum/activity guide which will include a core set of activities they can do knowing there will be no duplication of these activities from one year to the next. 49

Subproblem five

To test the effectiveness of using the outdoor site in the teaching of

science/environmental concepts using two classes of fifth grade students from St. Stephen

Grade School.

The teaching of outdoor concepts is best done in the out of doors. When students have an opportunity to do concrete activities that illustrate the topic or the subject matter being taught, the students are better able to understand the material they have been presented with.

Although the study was an informal one, the results did seem to indicate that students who had an interesting, practical experience dealing with the concept being taught, were better able to retain the concept even months later. By designing and later explaining the results of their experiment, students gained an understanding of a concept in a way that students who did not have this kind of experience could not.

Besides this benefit, the students also used problem solving and reasoning skills to design a unique experiment that the classroom does not provide in the same way. This approach to learning is particularly helpful to those students for whom movement and activity are more effective means of learning.

Conclusions and Future Goals

From work on this paper, and throughout the work on the prairie classroom, several things have been noted. First of all, the project, as reported in this paper is only in its beginning stages. While this represents over four years of planning, the real work of maintaining interest in the use of the site has really only begun. Inservicing will need to 50 be continued periodically as need arises, especially as staff members change. In the year following the inservice people were excited to use the site and to try out the activities.

New activities will need to be added to keep interest high and to encourage the teachers to use the site for subjects other than science.

Secondly, a the prairie committee will need to complete a curriculum guide for EE that includes prairie objectives and activities. This will give the teachers a practical guide for use in the classroom. The committee has been approved for the 1997-1998 school year, and will begin work in the winter.

Next, the site itself will need to be maintained and improved to make it more useful to the classroom teacher. In the fall of 1997 a prescribed bum is planned using the

UWSP fire crew. The UW-Madison Arboretum has supplied activities which will make the bum a learning experience for all grades participating. Beyond the bum, the site will need to be improved to make its use as a classroom more desirable. Grants will be written over the course of the next two years to help fund the planned improvements to the site, which include the addition of benches, a gazebo and walkways.

Finally, the connection of our site to our system's goals of teaching justice must be strengthened. As was indicated in the initial survey given to the staff at the onset of the project, there is a recognized tie between justice education and our identity as a religious school. Environmental justice a part of that teaching. By keeping this philosophy before us we can maintain and build upon the support of the administration and staff for EE in our schools. Information regarding environmental justice will continue to be gathered and distributed as it is made available especially through the

United States Catholic Conference Environmental Justice Program and the Soil and 51

Water Stewardship Program. In this way our schools will be developing a strong environmental ethic as is required by the Wisconsin curriculum model for environmental education, but in a way the meets the needs and requirements for our school setting. 52

References Cited

Cowell, Mark. "Ecological Restoration and Environmental Ethics." Environmental Ethics. Vol. 15, No. 1, Spring 1993: 19-32.

Crompton, John L, and Sellar, Christine. "Do Outdoor Education Experiences Contribute to Positive Development in the Affective Domain?", Journal of Environmental Education. Vol. 12, No. 4, Summer 1981: 21-29.

Gintoft, Ethel ed., Wisconsin Pastoral Handbook. Milwaukee, WI: Milwaukee Catholic Press Apostolete, 1995.

Ham, Sam H., Rellergert-Taylor, Mary H., and Kumpe, Edwin E. "Reducing Barriers to Environmental Education", Journal of Environmental Education. Vol. 19, No. 2, Winter 1987-88: 25-33.

Klein, Elizabeth S., and Merritt Eileen. "Environmental Education as a Model for Constructivist Teaching", Journal of Environmental Education. Vol. 25, No. 3, 1994: 14-21.

Priest, Simon. "Redefining Outdoor Education: A Matter of Many Relationships", Journal Environmental Education. Vol. 17, No. 3, Spring 1986: 13-15.

Samuel, Hilary R., "Impediments of Implementing Environmental Education", Journal of Environmental Education. Vol., 25, No. 1, 1993: 26-29.

Sanchez, Juan A. "Environmental Education: The In-Service Experience", In Engleson, D. and Disinger, J. Preparing Classroom Teachers to be Environmental Educators. NAAEE, 1990: 91-96.

Schiff, Paul, and Smith-Walters, Dr. Cindi. Wild School Sites. Houston: Western Regional Environmental Education Council, 1993.

Simmons, Deborah. "Facilitating Teachers' Use ofNatural Areas: Perceptions of Environmental Education Opportunities", Journal of Environmental Education. Vol. 24, No. 3, 1993: 8-16.

Traina, Frank, and Darley- Hill, Susan, eds. Perspectives in Bioregional Education. Troy, Ohio: North American Association for Environmental Education, 1995. 53

United States Catholic Conference. Renewing the Earth Washington, D.C.: U.S. Catholic Conference, 1991.

University of Wisconsin - Madison Arboretum. Prairie Restoration for Wisconsin Schools. 1994.

Wisconsin. Department of Public Instruction. A Guide to Curriculum Planning in Environmental Education. Madison, Wisconsin: Department of Public Instruction, 1994. 54

References Not Cited

Christiansen, Drew, and Grazer, Walter eds. And God Saw That It Was Good: Catholic Theology and the Environment. Washington, D.C.: United States Catholic Conference, 1996.

Gunn, Alastair. "The Restoration of Species and Natural Environments", Environmental Ethics. Vol. 13, No. 1, Winter 1991: 291-310.

Ham, Sam H., and Sewing, Daphne. "Barriers to Environmental Education", Journal of Environmental Education. Vol. 19, No. 2, Winter, 1987: 17-23.

Harvey, Margarete R. "The Relationship between Children's Experiences with Vegetation on School Grounds and Their Environmental Attitudes", Journal of Environmental Education. Vol. 21, No. 2, Winter, 1989-90: 9-15.

Hungerford, Harold R. and Volk, Trudi L. "Changing Leamer Behavior Through Environmental Education", Journal of Environmental Education. Vol. 21, No. 3, Spring 1990: 8-21.

Iozzi, Louis A. "What Research Says to the Educator. Part One: Environmental Education and the Affective Domain", Journal of Environmental Education. Vol. 20, No. 3, Spring 1989: 3-9.

Iozzi, Louis A. "What Research Says to the Educator. Part Two: Environmental Education and the Affective Domain", Journal of Environmental Education. Vol. 20, No. 4, Summer 1989: 6-13.

Johns, Frank A, Liske, Kurt Allen, and Evans, Amy L Education Goes Outdoors. Menlo Park, California: Addison-Wesley, 1986.

O'Keefe, William, Ortman-Fouse Jill et. al. Let the Earth Bless the Lord: God's Creation and Our Responsibility. Washington D.C.: United States Catholic Conference, 1996.

Shepard, Clinton L. and Speelman, Larry R. "Affecting Environmental Attitudes Through Outdoor Education", Journal of Environmental Education. Vol. 17, No. 2, Winter 1985-86: 20-23.

Szagun, Gisela, and Mesenholl, Elke. "Environmental Ethics: An Empirical Study of West German Adolescents", Journal of Environmental Education, Vol. 25, No. 1, 1993: 37-44. 55

Appendix A 56

Development of Native Plant Communities on Property of the Sisters of St. Joseph

1800 Maria Drive Stevens Point. WI. 54481

Report by Neil Diboll Prairie Nursery P.O. Box 306 Westfield, WI. 53964 June 1993

Table of Contents I. Introduction II. Site Parameters and Opportunities III. Conclusion

I. Introduction

This report summarizes the concepts and procedures that we can utilize to develop high quality native plant communities and wildlife habitat on the fields adjacent to the convent and north of Maria Drive. The report includes a general design and layout for the back field that we surveyed on April 7, 1993. It also details the procedures that should be followed to develop the wetlands and prairies that are recommended for establishment on this parcel.

As with any project, some adjustments and changes may have to be made as things proceed, based upon construction schedules, budget constraints, and other factors. Nevertheless, this document should serve as a good set of guidelines for proper installation and establishment of the desired land features and plant communities for your property.

II. Site Parameters and Opportunities

A Wetlands

The approximately five acres of low-lying land located to the northwest of the convent present some real opportunities for development of high quality habitat, and beautiful native prairies and wetlands. Much of this area is very close to the water table throughout the year, as evidenced by the moisture-loving vegetation that occupies the topographic depressions. This presents the opportunity of creating wetlands by excavating and deepening these low areas so as to create ponds of relatively shallow open water. These ponds would be expected to attract a wide variety of dabbling ducks, herons, shorebirds, and songbirds. An added bonus is the creation of habitat for increasingly rare amphibians, such as frogs and salamanders. Certain wetland plants also serve as important food and nectar plants for butterflies. 57

Insofar as the soils are generally very sandy, the wetlands will be driven by groundwater. Therefore they these will be "dugout" ponds as opposed to "impoundment" ponds. It is necessary to have an experienced excavator inspect the area prior to initiation of excavation, to ensure that there will be sufficient groundwater to maintain sufficient water depth in the drier summer months. Everything points in this direction at this time, due to the fact that standing water has been maintained into June (It has been unusually wet this year: the presence of wetland sedges and related plants are the best indicator ofreliable moisture in the subsoil).

As with all excavation, it is necessary to check with the city and utility companies to make certain that there are no electric, gas, water, or sewer lines buried in the areas to be excavated for pond development. In the event that any such utilities transect the areas selected for excavation, a re-evaluation of the project will be necessary.

Construction of the ponds should be done in the summer, when water levels are typically lowest, and access is best. July and August are usually excellent months for digging ponds.

The deepest points of these new ponds should not exceed six feet. The most important factor in creating good wetland habitat for a wide variety of plants and animals is to create a well-developed "littoral zone," that is, the gradual slope from dry land into the water. The various levels of the water depth along this slope encourage different species at various water depths. The more plant variety and variation in water depth, the better opportunity to attract a wide variety of wildlife.

These ponds would be expected to drain down during the summer months. This is not only normal, but can be beneficial. Many insects, reptiles, and amphibians utilize these habitats. This creates feeding opportunities for herons and shorebirds that come to take advantage of these residents. The ponds that supported ducks and other waterfowl in spring serve as sustenance for other birds in summer.

The ultimate composition of the aquatic and pond-side vegetation can be directed toward creating certain types of habitat or providing certain food plants for birds, butterflies, and other creatures. Preferred species that would be expected to do well must first be selected, based upon the soil texture (sand), organic matter content, and water chemistry. It is very important to select those plants that match both the substrate soil and water conditions. Many wetland transplants and seeds are commercially available for enhancing ponds and pond edges. These could be planted to create habitat for desired wildlife species.

It is generally recommended that \vetland plants be installed in mid-spring after migrating waterfowl have already passed through the area. Wetland plants that are installed in fall or early spring are subject to being eaten or disturbed by feeding waterfowl, and losses can be high. Planting in mid-spring prevents this problem, and gives the plants a full growing 58

season to become established before being subjected to pressure from migratory waterfowl.

The other option is to let nature take its course. Many plants will move in on their own and occupy the newly constructed wetland. A decision must be made as to whether or not to influence what plants and the resulting habitats that will ultimately result.

B. Uplands

One of the stated goals of the landscape development program has been the creation of habitat for the federally-endangered Kamer Blue butterfly. This butterfly requires lupine plants as a larval food source. It also needs a variety of native prairie flowers as nectar sources in the adult stage. Lupine, and many of the Kamer Blue's preferred nectar plants require dry, sandy soils. Unfortunately, the present site is dominated by soils that are so close to the water table that they are too moist to support these plants.

This problem can be overcome by importing dry, sandy soil onto the site. Some ofthis may come from the excavation of the ponds. However, it is expected that the spoils to be dredged out of these areas will tend toward rich, black, organic soils that hold large quantities of water and would not be suitable for lupine. Therefore, it is recommended that dry sandy soils be hauled in from off-site areas. A good candidate is the sand that is to be generated by new construction at Pacelli High School one block away. This can be dumped in a curvilinear fashion following the natural contours between the two proposed ponds.

The more mesic soils around the ponds can also be planted to prairie, so as to create a "prairie pothole" type of habitat. If this is a desirable option, the areas to be planted should be prepared this year. The easiest and most effective method to prepare this area for seeding is to spray with "Roundup" herbicide at least two times this year, once in early summer, and again in early autumn. This should kill nearly all of the existing vegetation so as to ready the site for establishment of native vegetation. Please refer to the Prairie Nursery catalog for specifics on soil preparation options and procedures.

Spoils from construction of the ponds that contain high levels of organic matter can be used to fill in the unnatural-looking drainage ditches that run east and west across the large open field along Maria Drive, if so desired. It may be possible to construct more ponds in this area if the hydrology permits. Such activities need to be coordinated with development of other native plant communities as part of a Master Plan for the entire acreage.

Preliminary estimates show that adding sand two feet deep across an area 50 feet wide and 500 feet long would require about 1800 cubic yards of sand. This is equivalent to 180 dump trucks with a capacity of ten yards each. This kind of traffic will almost certainly have a negative impact on any asphalt roadways to be used. This should be taken into 59

account before beginning the importation of sand if it will cause damage to roads on the convent property.

In the event that there is extra sand from construction at Pacelli beyond that needed for the sand ridge behveen the ponds, this could be utilized to create "privacy berms" along the southern boundary of the property along Maria Drive. The sand would be dumped and mounded to create a series of winding berms \\ith heights of five or six feet. The berms would act as a screen from Maria Drive, and also afford an opportunity to establish native dry prairie plants for soil stabilization and habitat for butterflies. It would be likely that the contractor doing the work at Pacelli would be more than happy to save the expense of hauling the sand away to a more distant point when he could deposit it one block away.

One problem with subsoil sands that result from excavation are that they typically possess little or no organic matter. Organic matter is important in sandy soils because it is the only soil component that is capable of holding any significant amount of moisture. If the excavated soil has a good silty component to it, then organic matter is not so critical, as silt has a moderately good water-holding capacity.

The characteristics of the soil will determine which native prairie species should be planted onto the newly created berms. Some native plants can successfully grow on sandy subsoil with no organic matter. However, a fairly narrow selection of flowers and grasses would be potential candidates for planting in such a harsh environment. At this point, depending upon the nature of the soil, a determination must be made as to whether or not to add topsoil to create a reasonable seedbed. If the soil is a silty sand, then no topsoil will be necessary. Perhaps some fertilizer amendments v.ill be required. It is suggested that the excavated soils be tested for pH (acidity or alkalinity) and plant nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, calcium, magnesium and sulfur in particular). This will determine what types and levels of soil amendments would be required, if at all.

For best results, the upland sandy areas should be "dormant-seeded" in the fall. In a dormant seeding, the seed sits in the soil over winter, and germination occurs early in the spring when the sandy soil is still cool and moist. This results in better germination and higher survival rates. The only problem with a dormant seeding is the possibility of soil erosion on the berm slopes. Sandy soils usually are not particularly erosion-prone. However, to be safe, the slopes on the berms should not be excessive. A 3: I slope should be safe from erosion. This class of slope, where the length is three times the height, also allows for the area to be mowed, in the event that mowing would be necessary as part of the management program.

Depending upon the exact planting date, a non-competitive nurse crop such as annual rye (not cereal rye) or winter wheat should be considered for planting with the prairie seeds in order to help stabilize the soil. 60

ill. Conclusion

Some fine opportunities are available on this property to develop attractive native plant communities and create quality habitat. By working with the natural tendencies of the soils, hydrology, and surrounding vegetation, a beautiful natural landscape can created. It is recommended that a comprehensive Master Plan be formulated in the very near future, so that all landscape development can be coordinated to reflect the goals and desires of the people in charge of the stewardship of the land.

In the meantime, work can begin on the creation of wetlands and prairies in the areas upon which this report has focused. The selection of specific plants for establishment in each area will depend upon the ecological factors outlined in this report. Further analysis of the soils, hydrology, and water chemistry will be necessary. Once it has been determined that there is sufficient groundwater near the surface to support the ponds, construction can be arranged. Sand from construction at Pacelli can be placed between the ponds, and the prairie wildflowers and grasses can be planted this fall.

With time, patience, and a solid development plan, a variety of beautiful and functional native landscapes and habitats can be created. The property, once restored to such a condition, will be an asset to the environment and the community alike. Tl-IE s1srl!!,Qs Dr N J9Do /Vla.,ic-... Dr;ve. /\lo+· -fo Sea le -t

~ ....111 / -; !) fT CHt:5 .... ;;,> 0 \ -.,,. "'~ 0) _.. r 2. \ll

'!,SD' ~"-('orf- of ,-13

C(lff ..... ~'1-. s lic;..yes)

_,..-,,.,,--- ~ .,,----- .... -·-.- p I r-i r r 62

Appendix B 63

"You are Cordia[[! qnvitedto a SJ_)ra1er Service g)edicatlnff tfte 5t. ~rancis of ~sisi

When: October 4th, at 1 :00 p.m. (Grades 3-5 with Fr. Don Przybylski presiding) October 5th, at 1: 10 p.m. (St. Peter's Middle School and Pacelli High School with Fr. Dan Kiedinger presiding)

Where: The new outdoor classroom site for the Stevens . Point Area Catholic Schools, located on the grounds of the Sisters of St. Joseph, 1300 Maria Drive.

In the event of rain, the services will be held on the cloister walk in front of the convent chapel. 64

SJ?ra~er Service to 'I)cdicatc the St. ~ancis of ~sisi c:Environ­ menta[ Station for tnc Stevens 9-=>oint Arca Catnofic Scnoofs

Gathering Song: Sing to the Mountains Refrain - Sing to the mountains, sing to the sea. Raise your voices, lift your hearts. This is the day the Lord has made, Let all the earth rejoice.

1. I will give thanks to you, my Lord. You have answered my plea. You have saved my soul from death. Your are my strength and my song. Refrain.

2. This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us be glad and rejoice. He has turned all death to life. Sing of the glory of God. Refrain.

Welcome by Fr. Don

Opening Prayer - Blessing Prayer for a Garden - Fr. Don

Lord of Creation, who planted Your own garden called Eden, Come and bless this soil which is to be our garden. All that dies becomes earth, and so it lives again. May this garden be both a womb and tomb, a home for death and life, so that seeds of living things - of plants, of food and flowers - may die and resurrect here in our garden. Ancient earth, our mother, teach us, your children, that all things die to nourish life. Gentle earth, be blessed with our love as we work in you.

Reading of Creation - (4th Grade St. Stan's)

Psalm (5th Grade - St. Stephen) with "Praise to the Lord" sung by all Praise the Lord in his sanctuary, praise him in the firmament of his strength. Praise him for his mighty deeds, praise him for his sovereign majesty.

Sing Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the king of creation; 0 my soul praise him, for he is your health and salvation. Come all who hear; now to his altar draw near, Joining in glad adoration. 65

Praise him with the blast of the trumpet, praise him \\<1th lyre and harp, Praise him with timbrel and dance, praise him with strings and pipe.

Sing Praise to the Lord, who shall prosper our work and defend us; Surely his goodness and mercy shall daily attend us. Ponder anew what the Almighty can do, Who with his love will befriend us.

Praise him with sounding cymbals, praise him with clanging cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Alleluia.

Sing Praise to the Lord! 0 let all that is in us adore him! All that has life and breath come now with praises before him! Let the "Amen" sound from his people again, Now as we worship before him.

Canticle of the Creatures - St. Francis of Assisi (5th St. Stan's)

Most high, all - powerful, all good, Lord! All praise be yours, all glory, all honor and all blessing. To you, alone, Most High, do all things belong; No lips on earth are worthy To pronounce your name. All praise be yours my Lord, through all that you have made; And first, my Lord, Brother Sun, Who brings the day and light you give us through him. How beautiful is he, how radiant in all his splendor! Of you, Most High, he bears the likeness. All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the Stars; In the heavens you have made them, bright and precious and fair. All praise be yours, my Lord, through Brothers Wind and Air, And all the weather's moods, sometimes fair and sometimes stormy; By which you cherish all that you have made. All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Water; So useful, lowly, precious and pure. All praise be yours, my Lord, through Brother Fire, through whom you brighten up the night; How beautiful he is, how carefree! 66

Full of power and strength. AI1 praise be yours, my Lord, through sister Earth, our mother. Who feeds us in her sovereignty and produces various fruits with colored flowers and herbs. All praise be yours, my Lord, through those who grant pardon for love of you through those who endure sickness and trial. Happy those who endure in peace, By you Most High, they will be crovvned. All praise be yours, My Lord, through Sister Death, from whose embrace no mortal can escape. Praise and bless my Lord and give him thanks, and serve him with great humility.

Re:ading Mk 4: 26-29 Homily

Litany - (3rd St. Stephen) Our response is "We thank you Lord."

For the gifts of sun, moon and stars. We thank you Lord. For wind and for water We thank you Lord. For sunrise and sunset. We thank you Lord. For the gift of rain that waters the earth. We thank you Lord. For the creatures of sea and sky. We thank you Lord. For wild and tame animals We thank you Lord. For caterpillars and frogs. We thank you Lord. For insects and butterflies. We thank you Lord. For the fruits and grains of the land. We thank you Lord. For our friends and families. We thank you Lord. For all the gifts of nature. We thank you Lord.

Blessing of the Seeds, \Vater and Soil (and all present) Father Don calls fonvard the students who have the containers which have the soil, the water and the seeds. These items are blessed and sprinkled with the water using a pine bough. The water is then used to bless all present. 67

Song - For the Earth

Refrain - For the Earth, forever turning, for the skies, for every sea, To our Lord, we sing, we journey, home to our blue-green hills of Earth.

1. For the mountains, hills and pastures, in their silent majesty. For all life, for all of nature, sing we our joyful praise to Thee.

2. For the sun, for rain and thunder, for the land that makes us free. For the stars, for all the heavens, sing we our joyful praise to Thee.

3. For the Earth, forever ·turning, for the skies, for every sea, To our Lord, we sing, we journey, home to our blue-green hills of Earth

Closing Prayer - Fr. Don

Lord of the harvest, you placed the gifts of creation in our hands and called us to till the earth and make it fruitful. We ask your blessing as we prepare to place these seeds in the earth. May the care we show this land and these seeds remind us of your tender love for your people. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Closing Song - Anthem Refrain - We are called, we are chosen. We are Christ for one another We are promised to tomorrow, while we are for him today. We are sign, we are wonder. We are sower, we are seed We are harvest, we are hunger. We are question, we are creed.

1. Then were can we stand justified? In what can we believe? In no one else but he who suffered, nothing more than he who rose. Who was justice for the poor. Who \Vas rage against the night. Who was hope for peaceful people, who was light. Refrain

2. Then how are we to stand at all, this word of bended knee? In nothing more than barren shadows. No one else but he could save us, Who was justice for the poor. Who \Vas rage against the night. Who was hope for peaceful people, who was light. Refrain. 68

Appendix C 69

Survey of Impact of St. Francis of Assisi Environmental Station

Name of participant ______Position

Number of years associated with the Stevens Point Area Catholic Schools ___

When and/or how did you first become aware of the prairie restoration project?

In what ways have you been involved with the project?

Please rank the following statements and add comments where appropriate.

1. I feel that environmental education is important.

Strongly Agree Agree Not Sure Disagree Strongly Disagree 1 2 3 4 5 Comments:

2. I feel that the environmental station will have a positive impact on SP ACS.

Strongly Agree Agree Not Sure Disagree Strongly Disagree 1 2 3 4 5 Comments: 70

3. I feel that an outdoor learning facility is important to the education of students in the Stevens Point Area Catholic Schools.

Strongly Agree Agree Not Sure Disagree Strongly Disagree 1 2 3 4 5 Comments:

4. I feel that Catholic schools have a need to teach our students environmental education based on our tradition.

Strongly Agree Agree Not Sure Disagree Strongly Disagree 1 2 3 4 5 Comments:

5. This project will help unify the environmental education efforts of SPA CS.

Strongly Agree Agree Not Sure Disagree Strongly Disagree 1 2 3 4 5 Comments:

6. I feel this project is an important addition to the system.

Strongly Agree Agree Not Sure Disagree Strongly Disagree 1 2 3 4 5 Comments:

7. I have more interest in the teaching of environmental education as a result of the project.

Strongly Agree Agree Not Sure Disagree Strongly Disagree 1 2 3 4 5 Comments: 71

8. The project will lead to a more consistent approach to environmental education in grade K-12.

Strongly Agree Agree Not Sure Disagree Strongly Disagree I 2 3 4 5 Comments:

9. I am more interested in restoration based environmental education as a result of the project.

Strongly Agree Agree Not Sure Disagree Strongly Disagree 1 2 3 4 5 Comments:

10. I feel that my own knowledge of environmental issues and concepts is adequate.

Strongly Agree Agree Not Sure Disagree Strongly Disagree 1 2 3 4 5 Comments:

11. I have plans to use the facility or to encourage its use.

Strongly Agree Agree Not Sure Disagree Strongly Disagree 1 2 3 4 5 Comments:

12. Is you answered with a 1 or 2 on statement 11, please indicate your reasons below. 72

Questions to be answered by SPACS teachers

1. Are you teaching more, less, or about the same amount of environmental education than you were three years ago?

2. Do you feel that support for environmental education at SPACS has increased, decreased, or remained the same as a result of the development of the prairie project? Please state reasons for this opinion.

3. Will the outdoor facility have a positive impact on student knowledge?

4. What do you see as hindrances to your use of the outdoor facility?

5. Would the development of curricular materials for use of the outdoor facility be beneficial? Please state reasons.

6. Would you be willing to learn more about the site in order to utilize it more effectively? If so, what would be the best method of gaining such knowledge? 73

To be answered by administration and commission members

1. Do you feel that support for environmental education at SPACS has increased, decreased, or remained the same as a result of the development of the prairie project? Please state reasons for this opinion.

2. How important is the teaching of enviromnental education in a Catholic school system?

3. Would you support the development of a curriculum for environmental education based on the prairie project?

4. What positive outcomes do you see as a result of the development of this outdoor facility and supporting curriculum?

5. What problems do you see arising from the development of this outdoor facility and supporting curriculum? 74

AppendixD 75 p raine E co l OI!V an dRestora ion: s cope an dSenuence l /, "·· ' y< < >< Prairie Human Prairie Ecosystem fl" ?t .c:" Definition Habitation Prairie Insects, Restoration '/ }/( 7\ '"' Plants Birds and Interactions /?i '"' ,,,i and and Cultural //~ / / Introduction History Mammals <> }\ > TI * Make and use dyes * Learn plant parts * Visualize and * Dissect and * Collect seed from from prairie plants through "Back-to describe life as a examine prairie soil a restoration or (19) Back" movement prairie ant (46) (78) remnant for the game (25) * Observe butterfly * Make and record prairie (83) * Variation of pollination and monthly observa- "Fanner in the Dell" nectar collecting tions from a single to introduce prairie behavior (47) prairie spot ( 60) plants (36) * Monarch Chrysa- * Compare * Create prairie !is and Butterfly: biodiversity in a Science grass era yon observe (52) prairie and lawn rubbings (31) * Discuss and (74) * Create an identifi- sequence various * Consider how cation booklet with life cycles (56) organisms contrib- solar graphics (42) ute to the prairie * Grow a prairie community (70) plant (37) * Identify prairie plants from pictures (34)

i

* Identify geometric * Monarch Chrysa- shapes in prairie lis and Butterfly: plants (35) determine migration route and compute migration miles (52)

Math . . 76 p ra1ne E co l OJ!V an dRestoration: s cope an dSenuence Prairie Human Prairie Prairie Ecosystem Definition Habitation Insects, Restoration Ill Plants Birds and Interactions and and Cultural !£4~..- .. :·· ...... +.:.:.:::- Introduction History Mammals

* Read and listen to * Create an identifi- • Brainstorm how • Make and record accounts from early cation booklet ~ith animals use the monthly observa- settlers (18) solar graphics (42) prairie (55) tions from a single • Create poetry • Monarch prairie spot (60) based on a single Chrysalis and plant (105) Butterfly: compose Language • Learn first sounds poetry, legends and Arts and letters of prairie creative stories (52) plant's name through * Visualize and movement game (34) describe life as a prairie ant (46) * Consider how organisms contrib- ute to the prairie community (70)

• Read and listen to • Monarch accounts from early Chrysalis and settlers ( I 8) Butterfly: determine • Make and use dyes migration route, from prairie plants compute migration (19) miles (52) • Design a prairie celebration (16) Social Studies

* Design a prairie * Variation of • Monarch Chrysalis * Make and record celebration ( 16) "Farmer in the Dell" and Butterfly: model monthly observa- * Make and use to introduce prairie life cycle stages ( 52) tions from a single dyes from prairie plants (36) • Listen to "Flight of prairie spot (60) plants (19) * Create prairie the Bumblebee" and grass crayon create your own Art/ rubbings (31) insect symphony Music * Create an identifi- (48) cation booklet with solar graphics (42) 77 Prairie Ecolof!V and Restoration: Scope and Sequence ·•· /· ···•·:....•./. Prairie Human Prairie < << > Ecosystem •·••• :'.}J Definition Habitation Prairie Insects, Restoration Interactions rnrrt and and Cultural Plants Birds and . gJtf { Introduction History Mammals •/? ?\) * Keep climatologi- * Consider the * Develop a prairie * Brainstorm how * Take a single- * Research major cal data for your connection between plant classification animals use the sense walk in the prairie plant restoration site (13) the U.S. agriculture scheme (44) prairie (55) prairie (61) families (80) and prairie soil (22) * Grow a prairie * Monarch Chrysalis • Dissect and • Measure and * Make and use dye: plant and observe, and Butterfly: examine prairie soil compare air from prairie plants measure and graph observe (52) (78) pollution at (19) growth (37) * Observe pollina- • Examine positive potential restoration • Observe, measure tion and nectar and negative sites (94) and graph shoot and collecting behavior interactions • Collect seed from root growth (39) (47, 54) between prairie . a restoration or * Scavenger hunt for organisms (69) remnant for the Science plant adaptations * Food Chain: prairie (83) (43) Observe two-link, * Develop signs and * Design and model identify three-link pamphlets describ- a hypothetical "best" (63) ing the restoration seed (28) • Examine single project to the public * Create an identifi­ prairie niches; fit (82) cation booklet with them back together * Create a prairie solar graphics (42) (67) mural with real * Student groups * Compare seeds and drawings research a prairie biodiversity in a plant (96) plant; share findings prairie and lawn * Experiment with in creative format (74) site preparation (30) • Consider how methods and weed * Hypothesize and organisms contrib- control (100) test leaf orientation ute to the prairie * Adopt-a-Species: frequency in community (70) Research, grow, Compass Plant (45) transplant, tag and * Familarize follow in restoration students with prairie (107) plants through movement game (34

* Calculate total * Identify geometric * Monarch Chrysalis * Determine project prairie acreage shapes in plants (35) and Butterfly: price for various consumed by large * Measure and determine migration restoration plans cities in the state analyze prairie plant route, compute (97) (24) heights (38) migration miles (52) * Determine height Math * Grow a prairie of trees and plant and observe, buildings on measure and graph restoration site growth (37) (101) * Observe, measure * Determine price and graph shoot and for various restora­ root growth (39) tion plans (97) * Word problems concerning number of seed, amount of seed, cost of seed, rank seeds by cost, etc. (95) 78 p ra1ne. . E co Ioev an dR estoratlon: scope an dSequence . y < > Prairie { Prairie Human It illit Prairie Insects, Ecosystem ,,,..,.,.....,.. Definition Habitation Restoration "'·' '" Plants Interactions • it #{ and and Cultural Birds and ...... , ·.· ""'''"'"' Introduction History Mammals ·}.\i/)// )/ * Read and listen to * Student groups * Brainstonn how * Take a single- * List changes accounts from early research a prairie animals use the sense walk in the necessary to save settlers (18) plant, share findings prairie (55) prairie (61) and enlarge prairie * Create a fictional in creative fonnat * Monarch Chrysa- remnants (98) journal of a Native (30) !is and Butterfly: * Write a letter to a Languagt American or early * Write a poem, compose poetry, great grand-parent/ prairie settler (18) sonnet or Haiku for legends and creative child explaining Arts a plant ( 105) stories (52) your restoration * Create an * Insect Pollination: efforts (98) identification write a dialogue * Consider pros and booklet with solar between a plant and cons of strategies graphics (42) pollinator (54) for eliminating * Familarize unwanted species students with (81) prairie plants * Interview area through movement residents about game (34) local history (85) * Prairie Newslet- ter: write pieces (lIO) * Develop signs * Read and listen to * Monarch and pamphlets accounts from early Chrysalis and describing the settlers (18) Butterfly: detennine restoration project * Find local town migration route and to the public (82) and landmark names compute migration * Prairie poetry and which reflect a miles (52) journal (104) Social prairie heritage (24) Studies * Calculate total * Interview area prairie acreage residents about local consumed by cities history (85) in the state (24) * List changes * Consider the necessary to save connection between and enlarge prairie the U.S. agriculture remnants (98) and prairie soil (22) * Compare air * Make and use dyes pollution at from prairie plants restoration sites (94) (19) * Consider pros and * Design a prairie cons of strategies for celebration (16) eliminating * Create a fictional unwanted species journal of a Native (81) American or early * Develop signs and prairie settler (18) pamphlets describ- ·ng the project to the * Make and use dyes * Create an identifi- * Monarch Chrysalis public (82) from prairie plants cation booklet with and Butterfly: model * Study introduction (19) solar graphics ( 42) life cycle stages (52) of nonnative plants * Design a prairie * Design and model * Discover which Art/ o the New World celebration (16) a hypothetical "best" instruments best 93) Music seed (28) mimic bird calls (57; • Listen to "Flight of * Create a prairie the Bumblebee" and visions poster (98) create your own * Develop signs insect symphony describing project to (48) the public (82) * Create a prairie mural with real seeds and drawings lolant (96) 79 p raine E col ol!V an dR estoratlon: s cope an dSequence <:. ., .. :, Prairie Human Prairie Ecosystem !)ti ~ Definition Habitation Prairie Insects, Restoration Plants Interactions :t~ and and Cultural Birds and ,...... ,.,, ··~:,... Introduction History Mammals :•.:•:•:. ··.•.•:•:•: ,.. .,. \ * Keep climatologi- * Consider the • Develop a prairie • Compare plant • Test theories that • Research major cal data for your connection between plant classification and animal life explain savanna prairie plant restoration site ( 13) the U.S. agriculture scheme (44) cycles and their role settlement trends families (80) • Determine and prairie soil (22) • Develop a simple in the community (62) * Adopt-a-Species: climatological * Compare prairie- species key (27) (56) * Take a single- Research, grow, factors necessary based diets to your * Create an * Observe insect sense walk in the transplant, tag and Science for prairie estab- own (21) identification and plant host prairie (61) follow in restora- lishment (14) * Make and use booklet with solar relationships (53) * Observe plant tion (107) * Examine and dyes from prairie graphics (42) * Insect Galls: root's growth (72) * Collect seed from calculate the grass plants (19) * Examine diversity survey frequency, * Observe and a restoration or to forb ratio in a * Global Grass- of prairie plants host plant, height, record phenology remnant for the prairie (12) lands: (29) size (51) sequences including prairie (83) • Calculate the compare biology, * Student groups • Observe pollina- color, blossoming * Measure degree percentage of history and research a prairie tion and nectar and insect life (65) of slope on "edge" in a prairie treatment (17) plant; share collecting behavior * Determine a restoration site (92) remnant (10) findings in creative (47, 54) plant's blooming * Experiment with format (30) * Monarch curve (58) site preparation * Plant Adaptations: Chrysalis and * Examine interac- methods and weed observe and Butterfly: observe tions between prairi~ control (100) correlate (43) (52) organisms (69) * Develop signs • Design and model * Survey butterfly * Model a prairie and pamphlets a hypothetical populations (47) food web (63) describing the "best" seed (28) * Examine single restoration project * Grow a prairie prairie niches; fit to the public (82) plant and experi- them together (67) ment with optimal * Analyze soil growing conditions characteristics (73) (37) * Estimate natural * Observe and organic addition to measure shoot and prairie soils (64) root growth (39) * Measure water * Hypothesize and holding capacities of test leaf orientation various soils (75) * Examine and * Calculate total * Monarch * Map proposed Consider effects of calculate the grass prairie acreage frequency in Chrysalis and * restoration site (90) Compass Plant (45) a prairie bum ( 68) to forb ratio in a consumed by large Butterfly: compute * Measure degree Estimate prairie prairie (12) cities in the state * Examine migration miles * of slope on correlation between biomass; compare * Calculate the (24) (52) restoration site (92) ecosystems (59, 79) percentage of * Compare prairie- transpiration and * Insect Galls: * Determine height Measure "edge" in a prairie based diets to your environment (40) graph frequency of * of trees and biodiversity in a Math remnant (10) own (21) * Familarize host plant, height buildings on students with and size (SO) prairie and lawn restoration site prairie plants (76) (101) through movement * Determine a * Compare seeding game (34) plant's blooming rates based on * Correlate seed curve (58) number/area versus weight and total * Graph phenologi- weight/area; seed set (26) cal sequences ( 65) examine own * Estimate biomass; seeding plan (84) * Graph shoot and compare to other * Determine root growth (39) ecosystems (59) project price for * Correlate and * Estimate natural various restoration graph seed weight organic addition in plans (97) and total seed set prairie soils (64) * Word problems (26) concerning number of seed, amount of seed, cost of seed, rank seeds by cost, etc. (95) 80 Prairie Ecoloev and Restoration: Scope and Sequence

Prairie Human Prairie Prairie Ecosystem Definition Habitation Insects, Restoration Plants Interactions and and Cultural Birds and Introduction History Mammals

s Take a single- * Read and listen to * Student groups * Monarch Chrysali * * Interview area sense walk in the accounts from early research a prairie and Butterfly: residents about prairie (60) settlers (18) plant; share findings compose poetry, local history (85) Describe, from a * Create a fictional in creative format legends and creative * * Write a letter to a plant's viewpoint, a journal from a (30) stories (52) grandparent'child l Language prairie fire ( 67) Native American or * Create an identifi- * Insect Pollination: describing your I Arts early prairie settler cation booklet v.ith write a dialogue project (98) (18) solar graphics (42) between a plant and * List changes * Compare prairie- * Write a poem, pollinator (54) necessary to save based diets to your sonnet or Haiku for a and enlarge prairie own (21) plant (105) remnants (98) * Global Grasslands : * Familarize * Research land compare biology, students with prairie ownership records history and treat- plants through of school site (86) ment (17) movement game (34 * Examine original land survey records of school site (88) * Write about a seed's journey to the New World from its * Read and listen to * Monarch * Test anthropologi- native home (93) accounts from early Chrysalis and cal theories that * Consider pros and settlers (18) Butterfly: determine explain savanna cons of strategies * Create a fictional migration route and settlement trends for eliminating journal of a Native compute migration (62) species (81) American or early miles (52) * Compare the rate * Newsletter: write prairie settler (18) of addition of articles, letters to * Make dyes from organic matter to editor, essays (110) prairie plants (19) soil in a natural * Interview area * Research local prairie and in an residents about local Social agricultural and agricultural system history (8 5) Studies prairie land use (23) (64) * List changes * Research local necessary for prairie settlement and remnant preserva- prairie land use (24) tion (98) * Compare prairie- * Navigate a map based diets to your course (89) own (21) * Map proposed * Design a prairie restoration site (90) celebration (16) * Research land * Find local town ownership records and landmark names of school site (86) which reflect a * Examine original prairie heritage (24) land survey records * Calculate total of school site (88) prairie acreage * Study introduction \ consumed by cities of nonnative plants I in the state (24) to New World (93) * Consider the * Consider pros and connection between Monarch Chrysalis cons of strategies the U.S. agriculture * Develop a pictorial * and Butterfly: model !for eliminating and prairie soil (22) species key (27) life cycle stages (52 lsoecies (81) * Global Grasslands: * Create an identifi- cation booklet with * Which instruments * Create a poster compare biology and Art/ solar graphics (42) best mimic bird call! depicting past, hi story ( 17) Music * Design and model (57) present and future * Make dyes from a hypothetical "best" * Listen to "Flight o1 prairie visions (98) prairie plants (19) seed (28) the Bumblebee" and * Create slide show * Design a prairie create an insect of restoration effort celebration (l 6) svmohonv (48) (99) 81 Prairie Ecolof!V and Restoration: Scope and Sequence Prairie Human Prairie Ecosystem Definition Habitation Prairie Insects, Restoration Interactions and and Cultural Plants Birds and Introduction History Mammals

* Keep climatologi- * Make and use dyes * Examine diversity * Observe pollina- * Test anthropologi- * Research major cal data for your from prairie plants of prairie plants (29) lion and nectar cal theories that prairie plant restoration site (13) (19) * Student groups collecting behavior explain savanna families (80) * Determine * Compare prairie- research a prairie (47, 54) settlement trends * Collect seed from climatological based diets to your plant; share findings * Insect Pollination: ( 62) a restoration or factors necessary to own (21) in creative format examine aspects of * Observe and remnant for their Science prairie establish- * Global Grasslands: (30) nectar foraging record phenology prairie (83) ment (14) compare biology, * Develop a prairie strategies ( 49) sequences including * Set up experi- * Examine the grass history and treat- plant classification * Observe insect color, blossoming, ments testing site to forb ratio in a ment (17) scheme (44) and plant host insect life, geometric preparation prairie (12) * Consider the * Develop a simple relationships (53) shapes (65) methods and weed * Calculate the connection between species key (27) * Insect Galls: * Examine interac- control (100) percentage of the U.S. agriculture * Observe and survey frequency, tions between * Develop signs "edge" in a prairie and prairie soil (22) correlate plant host plant, height, prairie organisms and pamphlets remnant (10) adaptations (43) size (SO) (69) describing the * Observe and * Survey butterfly * Analyze soil restoration project model a seed (32) populations (47) profile, moisture, to the public (82) * Grow a prairie nutrients and * Measure degree plant and experi- organic matter of slope on ment with optimal concentration (73) restoration site (92) growing conditions * Measure water * Adopt-a-Species: (37) holding capacities of Research, grow, * Produce a various soils (7 5) transplant, tag and photoessay of an * Estimate prairie follow in restora- plant's life cycle (33) biomass; compare lion (107) * Hypothesize and ecosystems (59, 79) experiment with * Estimate natural seed treatment and rate of organic germination rates addition in prairie (41) soils (64) * Correlate seed * Observe and weight and total consider effects of a seed set (26) prairie bum (68) * Examine correla­ * Measure, analyze tion between and compare transpiration and biodiversity in a environment (40) prairie and lawn (76) * Determine a plant's blooming curve (58) * Examine single prairie niches; fit them together (67)

* Calculate the * Compare prairie- * Correlate seed * Insect Galls: * Estimate natural * Map restoration percentage of based diets to your weight and total survey frequency, rate of organic site (90) "edge" in a prairie own (21) seed set (26) host plant, height, addition in prairie * Determine height Math remnant (10) * Calculate total size (SO) soils (64) of trees on * Examine the grass prairie acreage * Estimate prairie restoration site to forb ratio in a consumed by large biomass; compare to (101) prairie (12) cities in the state other ecosystems * Create plant (24) (59) purchase plan * Determine a based on project plant's blooming budget and desired curve (58) seed list (97) * Graph phenologi­ * Measure slope on cal sequences ( 65) restoration site (92) 82

Prairie Prairie Human Insects, Ecosystem ···•·•· eve Definition Habitation Prairie Restoration •·••••m·•••·••••••••·•••••••·••i••· Birds Interactions and and Cultural Plants and i911! Introduction History Mammals * Read and listen to * Student * Describe, from a * Interview long-time area accounts from early groups plant's viewpoint, a residents about local history (85) settlers (18) research a prairie fire (68) * Write a letter to a great grand- * Create a fictional prairie plant; parent'child explaining why you journal from a share findings are restoring a prairie (98) Native American or in creative * List changes necessary in order to save and enlarge prairie Language early prairie settler format (30) (18) remnants (98) Arts * Compare prairie- * Research land ownership records based diets to your of school and restoration site (856 own (21) * Examine original land survey * Global Grasslands: records of school and restoration compare biology, site (88) history and treat- * Write an essay about a seed's ment (17) journey to the New World from its * Consider the native home (93) connection between * Consider pros and cons of the U.S. agriculture strategies for eliminating un- and prairie soil (22) wanted species (81) * Develop signs and pamphlets describing the restoration project to the public (82) * Read and listen to * Test anthropologi- * Newsletter: write, layout and accounts from early cal theories that distribute (110) settlers (18) explain savanna * Prairie poetry and journal (I 04) Social * Create a fictional settlement trends Interview long-time area journal of a Native (62) * Studies residents about local history (85) American or early * Compare the rate List changes necessary to save prairie settler ( 18) of addition of * and enlarge prairie remnants (98) * Make and use dyes organic matter to * Map restoration site (89) from prairie plants soil in a natural * Navigate a map course to learn (19) prairie and in an mapping skills (89) * Compare prairie- agricultural system Research land ownership records based diets to your (64) * of school and restoration site (86) own (21) * Examine original land survey * Examine local records of school site (88) agricultural and Study introduction of nonnative prairie land use (23) * plants to the New World (93) * Research local Consider pros and cons of settlement and * strategies for eliminating un- prairie land use (24) wanted species (81) * Design a prairie Write a press release about the celebration (16) * restoration project and send to * Global Grasslands: local media (110) compare biology, Present experimental results in history and treat- * symposia, scientific articles and ment (17) press releases ( 111) * Calculate total Develop signs and pamphlets prairie acreage * describing the restoration project consumed by cities to the public (82) in the state (24) * Make and use * Develop a * Listen to * Create poster session to display dyes from prairie pictorial key "Flight of experimental results (111) plants (19) (27) the * Create a video or slide show to Art/ * Design a prairie * Produce a Bumblebee" document restoration effort (92) Music celebration (16) photoessay and create * Develop signs and pamphlets of a plant's an insect describing the restoration project life cycle symphony to the public (81) (33) (48) * Produce newsletter (110) 83

Appendix E 84

OW-Madison Arboretum Earth Partnership Program

Stevens Point Area Catholic Schools Inservice

June S, 1996

8:00 - 8:15 Welcome and Introductions

8: 15 - 9:30 Educational Opportunities and Benefits of Prairie Restoration at Stevens Point Catholic Schools

9:30 - 9:45 Walk to St. Francis of Assisi Environmental Station

9:45 - 11: 15 Symposium - Insects and Plants Primary - "Who's Doing What? Insect-Plant Interactions Elementary Biodiversity Prairie Observations Intermediate - Biodiversity Prairie Geometry Sweeping Discoveries Middle School - Insect Charade Prairie Geometry Flight of the Bumble Bee High School - Sweeping Discoveries Flight of the Bumble Bee

11: 15 - 11: 30 Return to Pacelli High School

11:30 - 12:00 Lunch

12:00 - 1:30 Symposium - School Site Exploration /Prairie Restoration Primary - Prairie Flower Game Soil Explorations Intermediate - Prairie Geography Soil Explorations Middle School - Seed Dispersal Activity A Seed's Journey to the New World High School - Historical Site Research A Seed's Journey to the New World 1:30 - 2:00 Wrap Up - All Grades Prairie Phenology Play Prairie Sing-Along

Earth Partnership Program, UW-Madison Arboretum, 1207 Seminole Hwy. Madison, WI 53711, 608/262-9925 85

"Who's Doing What"

Curriculum: Science, math Grade: K-12 Summary: Students observe plant and animal interactions.

Activity Time: 30 minutes Materials: Hula hoops, pencils, activity sheet, clipboards

Activity: Break students into groups of 3-5. Have them set down a hula hoop and within that area observe all the signs of plant/plant, plant/animal, animal/animal interactions that they see or hear. (They don't have to observe the interactions, only the signs of it, such as a decomposed leaf, flower with nectar, gnawed plant part, slug under a rock, etc.) Upper level students could classify these interactions as beneficial to one and harmful to the other (+/-).

Background: Plants and animals make a up a living community. Prairies, ponds, forests, puddles, fields, and even a lawn are natural communities. Cities, towns, schools, and classrooms are examples of human communities. All communities are made up of interacting individuals and groups. There are countless interactions in any one community. A healthy, balanced ecosystem is maintained through the diversity and complexity of these interactions. Exploring communities will help students understand the relationship of all living things to their environment. It is important to note that humans are also part of natural community. What we do effects natural communities. Aldo Leopold writes, "When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect." 86 Who's Doing What Plant / Plant Plant/ Animal

Animal/ Animal Partners:

Community:

Who's Doing What Plant / Plant Plant/ Animal

Animal/Animal Partners:

Community: 87

Take a Look: An Elementary Biodiversity study

Source: Carlia Meehan, Denise Jess sui,ject: Science, math, language arts Grade: K-5 Summary: Students compare the biodiversity of a prairie with a lawn.

Activity Time: 1 hour minimum Materia1s: cards with objects or organisms to look for season: late spring, summer, early fall Activity: This activity provides students with an opportunity to investigate and compare the biodiversity of lawn and prairie. Have students work in pairs or small groups. Choose an area of the school yard lawn and of the prairie for students to investigate. Each group will look for an assigned object such as plants taller than themselves, plants that reach the tops of their shoes, certain color or type of flower, ants, ant hills, butterflies, birds or spiders. Each student can get a card with their-assigned object and a space to tally the number found. The information obtained can be shown on a large chart or graph and biodiversity in each area can be discussed.

74 88 Take A Look Partners

Look for

Tally how many you find:

Location -----

Take A Look· Partners

Look for

Tally how many you find:

Location ----- 89 Prairie Shapes

Draw a picture of your plant. Look for plants (flowers, Circle the shape in your drawing leaves, stems or seeds) that have the shape of a

Prairie Shapes

Draw a picture of your plant. Look for plants (flowers, Circle the shape in your drawing leaves, stems or seeds) that have the shape of a 90 Observations What's Happening?

Listen Look Feel Smell

Write 3 words that Write 3 words that Write 2 words that Write 1 word that describe what you describe what you describe what you describes what you hear see feel smell

What's the Weather? circle one Temnerature in COLD between HOT Wind in WINDY between STILL Water in WET between DRY Light in SUNNY between CLOUDY 91 Guided Observations Take A Look

Plants from last year Different grasses from Different flower stalks that are taller than last year from last year your head

Green plants Insects or spiders Bird Calls Tally how many you find Show Me

Draw the smallest Draw thing you see your favorite thing

Draw the biggest thing you see 92 Take A Look

Plants that Plants that Leaves reach the top reach your bigger than Flowers of your shoes knees your hand

Bird Calls Insects Butterflies Spiders Tally how many you find 93 Biodiversity Activity

5 minutes. Discussion of prairie diversity. ~~e prairie is so rich in wildflowers that, on the average, a new one c:::r:',es int::o flower alr:1osc every day during the summer: nea::-ly 300 plants c~at have evolved living closely together in this part of the world. Mere s~ecies of plants per acre cf prairie than almost any other acre. o~= lawns are nort::hern European plants. Some lawns have only one pl.ant in them: bluegrass. Other lawn plants are also from northern E~r~pe, such as clover and plantain. Any s~all area of prairie or lawn may have only a few different kinds of plants. But several acres of prairie will have dozens and even h~ndreds of different kinds of plants. Several acres of lawn usually ~as only the same five or six plants. When rainfall is less than nor:nal (e.g., 1987-88), the more diverse t!:..e plant community, the less its productivity declines during dry years and the faster it rebounds. Studies reported early this year showed ~hat, after a dry spell, land with many species regained productivity a year·later; those with 5 or less species took over 4 years to recover. The presence of enough different plants ensures that some can withstand whatever s~ress nature provides, be it fire, flood, drought, disease, or insect pest. Diverse fields are more likely to include plan~s that can tolerate the stress. Those plants use nutrients freed up by the loss of less fit species and help maintain t.11.e overall productivity of the ecosystem. Maintaining the diversity of the prairie is one reason for doing restorations and saving species. Prairie diversity exercise Index card with double-stick tape (two strips of tape per card). Werk in teams of two. '!'here are two ~xercises. For each, one person is the tossez:- and picker, the other person attaches the species to the caz:-d. Rol~s are reversed for the second exercise. ·Guide moves between g-roi..:.ps.

5 minutes. Study prairie sections. Gse an embroidery hoc9 to mark an area of the prairie. (Stand on the naz:-row angle trail and toss the hoop backwards over your head.) One pez:-son of the team can be the recorder. Take a very small piece of each different species. You do not ·need to know the names of the plants to see that there are different plants. Count the total number of different species of plants are in this area.

s minutes. Study lawn sections. Werking in teams of two, use an embroidery hoop to mark an area of lawn. ( Stand in the lawn away from the prairie and toss the hoop backwards c•,;ez:- your head.) Count the total number of different species of plants in these two areas the same way you did in the prairie, with one person c= t~e team being the recorder.

5 minutes. Report findings. First compare lawn species. Each group s~o~ld have more or less than same ones. Then comnare or;irie species. E:•::'.:: g:-:Ji.:.p may have diffe::-ent ones. Total the numbe::- ·of lawn species f::•.:.:-:d, b:.,- -:::-.e group anc. i:he number of prairie species four1d by the group. Name 94 Biodiversity: Prairie and Fence Row Thing I looked for ______

..

.. Number

Prairie Fence Row 95 Prairie Geometry Source: Georgia Gomez-Ibanez source: Math, science, art Grade: K-5 summary: students find prairie plants that represent geometric shapes. Activity Time: 30 minutes to find plants, 30 minutes to add pictures to shape book Materials: set of cards with labeled pictures of the common geometric shapes (circle, square, triangle, rectangle, oval, pentagon, hexagon, octagon), a classroom shape book containing shapes found everywhere (optional) Season: Late spring, summer, early fall Activity: Give each child a card and ask them to look around the prairie until they find a plant or plant part shaped like their shape. Tie a red string around the plant and at the end the class can gather to admire everyone's discovery. Children might draw their prairie shape on another card. These drawings could be added to a classroom shape book.

35 96 Team:______

SWEEPING DISCOVERIES· We discovered:

Number of Different kinds of Color of flowers near Other things Sweep insects insects insects found or heard

1

2

:,...

4

Team: ______SWEEPING DISCOVERIES .. We discovered:

Number of Different kinds of Color of flowers near Other things Sweep insects insects insects found or heard

1

2

:,...

4 97 Team: ______CREEPING DISCOVERIES We discovered:

Number of Different kinds of How long until ants Other things Location ants ants arrived? found or heard

1

2

3

4

Team: ______CREEPING DISCOVERIES We discovered:

Number of Different kinds of How long until ants Other things Location ants ants arrived? I found or heard

1

2

3

4 98

The Big Eight Eight Major Orders of Insects

Latin word optera = wing

1. The Membrane Wings (Hymen optera)

ants, bees and wasps

! Honey Bee • 2 pairs of clear, membranous wings I ' .. " i • wings are thin r . . • stingers • chew or suck ~~ ~~~ J. \..

2. The Two Wings (Di ptera)

flies, mosquitoes, gnats

• 1 pair of regular wings • 1 pair of tiny wings reduced to balancing organs • pierce, lap or suck

3. The Scaly Wings (Lepid optera)

moths, butterflies

• 2 pairs of scaly wings • antennae leathery or knob-like

The Earth Partnership Program, University of Wrsconsin_,Uadison Arboretum, (608) 262-9925 99 4. The Sheath Wings (Cole optera)

beetles

• 1 pair of hard wings • wings cover top of body and meet in straight line down center of back • chew

5. The Straight Wings ( Orth optera)

crickets, grasshoppers, locusts, walking sticks

6. The Toothed Wings (Odonata)

dragonfly, damselfly

• 2 pairs of equal, membranous wings • wings are long and narrow • biting

The Earth Partnership Program, Universily ofl-Visco(1~i!i'-~iI«1iLJ.'on Arboretum, (608) 262-9925 100 7. The Same Wings (Hom optera)

aphids, cicadas, treehoppers, leafuoppers

• 2 pairs of wings • wings held in tent-like position over body when resting • suck

8. The Half Wings (Hemi ptera)

true bugs, back swimmers, water striders

• 2 pairs of membranous wings • wings fold on back forming a triangle behind head . • suck

The Earth Partnership Program, University of Wisconsin_Madison Arboretum, (608) 262-9925 1 0 1

Flight of the Bumblebee: Part I

Part I

Questions to consider as you develop your composition:

* Would you use a single instrument or many? * What/which instrument(s) would you use? * What pitch range would you use (low, high, mid range, variable)? * What tempo would you use (slow, fast, medium, variable)? * What volume would you use (loud, soft, medium, variable)? * What articulation/punctuation would you use (smooth, choppy, medium) * Will your music be melodious or dissonant? * What kind of rests (moments of silence) will your music have, if any. * Will the piece be long or short? 102

Activities

I. Prairie Definition and Intrcduction

Don't Get Edged out source: Robin Greenler Subject: Math, science, language arts Gra.de: 6-J.2 summary: As remaining prairie relnilants become slD.aller, "edge" prairie becomes the norm and "interior" prairie becomes rare. Students calculate and compare be percentage of a prairie remnant that could be considered "edge" to that considered "interior" and study the ecological implications. Activity Time: Mapping the re!llilant: 30-60 minutes plus travel ti.me. Calculations and discussion: 60 minutes. Materia.1s: tape measure Season: any

Activity: In a natural area, the habitat at the edge of the area's boundary is vecy different ecologically from its interior. The edge of a prairie can differ from its interior with respect to temperature, relative humidity, penetration of light, exposure to wind, insect populations (many ~nsect populations will move based on temperature or light), avai.lability of pollinators and seed dispersers, success of seed cii.spersal, competition from exotic species, suitable animal habitat and soil organism populations. If the majority of our remaining natural prairie is in small remnants, there will be more "edge" habitat and less "interior" habitat and the proportions of various species will be modified. Defining how far the edge extends into the prairie is difficult. The definition of an edge depends on which factors one is examining. If one examines the differences of ant dispersal at . the edge versus at the interior, the edge may be defined as 10-30 centimeters. Edge effects of shade on a prairie bounded by forest may extend 30-70 meters while the effects on wind pollination may extend the edge definition to 100 meters or more. But regardless of the number, interior prairie habitat is becoming increasingly rare. With your students discuss the difference between an area at the edge of a remnant and one in the middle. Visit and map a prairie remnant. Upon your return, calculate what percentage of the total acreage is within 10 meters of the edge. (You may use another figure if you like; thi.s one was intended to take in many of the environmental factors listed above and some insect pollination and dispersal factors). What would the percentage of edge habitat be if the area was the same total area but square'? What if it were square and 1.00 times the size? 1., 000 times the size? If we used a figure of 1.00 meters for "edge," what would be

10 103 the edge and interior portions in your prairie? EZtension: • Have students consider why prairie remnants are valuable and what role they play in restorations. • Using quadrats, survey and compare plant species found at the edge of the prairie remnant and those found in the center. see the activity entitled 8 Grasses and Forbs: A Prairie in Ba1ance, n for more information on surveying p1ant species with ·qua.drats. 104

Prairie Flower Game

Letters

1. I will say a riddle. Each riddle describes a letter. Raise your hand if you know the letter I am describing: (after student gets the letter, go to poster with flower that starts with that letter)

I'm almost a circle but I have a big gap I open in front and I start the word cap

I curve like a snake from my bottom to top I start the words sweet and sugar smacks shop

My shape is quite simple; a line and a dot The line is just straight, the dot is on top

You use my name when you ask someone "why?" I'm also in yellow and yapping young fly

It will take you three lines to draw all of this one Two straight and one leaning and I start the word none.

I'm a funny mix between a 6 and a C, I start the words green, goblins and gee

A line with a foot--that's all there is to me, (2 for this one) I also start words like look lake lime and Louie

I'm like my friend B except this, you see, (3 for this one) There is no curved circle at the bottom of me.

I have a straight back and my front is a 3, (4 for this one) I start the words bouncing and big bumblebee.

Name 2. Go to each plant. Student says name Think about the name. Be a detective. What can you guess about the plant from its name? Try to think about one thing you can tell from its name. Some plants will be too hard, but most we can figure out one thing.

Colors 3. Go to a plant that matches a color you are wearing Try to find you own plant and not double up 105

Leaves 4. We can tell a lot about plants from their leaves. Three kinds of leaves: smooth toothed lobed

Raise your hand if you have a smooth edged leaf; toothed edged; lobed

Flowers 5. Another difference between plants is the number of flowers on a stem.

Raise your hand if you have a plant with many flowers, few flowers, no flowers this give an opportunity to talk about • what is a flower, • why plants have flowers, • do grasses have flowers, • flowering strategies (why would some plants have more and some less flowers, why different colors)

Other Ideas

Have children go to a plant based on: • starting sounds • favorite plant • favorite plant if they were an insect • plants whose name reflect something about who they are • simple vs compound leaves

Earth Partnership Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum 262-9925

... 106

Soil Explorations

J. Just Add Water

Water availability is an important factor in the successful growth and establishment of plants in a prairie restoration. When selecting species for a restoration, it is helpful to know something about the water-holding capacity of the soil at the restoration site. Water-holding capacity is _related to soil texture (sand, silt, and clay content).

See attached sheets from Bottle Biology (1993) for information on building a simple soil column for measuring soil water-holding capacity.

Student investigations: • Measure and compare the water-holding capacity of soils from different depths. (Keep in mind that roots of prairie plants can grow to depths of two meters or more. As the roots grow downward, they may encounter several different moisture environments.)

• Compare water-holding capacity of different soils and other substrates ( e.g., forest soil versus prairie soil; cultivated or pasture soil versus prairie soil; prairie soil versus sand, clay, compost, potting soil, cat litter, vermiculite).

• Compare water-holding capacity of soil from forests or prairies of different ages.

2. Spring Fever: Taking a Prairie's Temperature

Soil temperature is an important environmental cue that triggers spring growth of prairie plants. The soil beneath a prairie acts as an insulator, and its temperature changes more slowly than air temperature. Students can investigate how plants respond to their physical environment by checking soil and air temperature through the growing season.

3. The Living Soil

Soil, it is said, is much more than just plain dirt! Look closely at what makes up a soil. Spread out soil sample(s) on a table or tray. Divide the soil into two piles:

(1) Living matter (dead or alive; plants and animals) (2) Non-living matter (rocks, stones, sand, etc.)

Earth Partnership Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum, 608/262-9925 From: Bottle Biology. 1993.

107 f1ATE1llALj:

• two I-liter bottles Jo1L CowMN • one cap • Bottle Biology Tool Kit (p. 2) • graduated cylinder • 500 ccs soil 1. Remove • water labels from two I-liter bottles. Re­ move the base from one. if 5. Use a gradu­ bottle has a ated cylinder. or separable some other known base. measured con­ tainer. to mark off the volume of your 2. Cut bottle #1 bottle by 100 ccs roughly in half. (or mls). about 13 cm from the bottom.

4 ·/4 4 3. Cut bottom off Bottle #2. ....@ 1-2 cm below B Bof-He • 2- 6. Empty bottle. the hip. Remove cap and ·./41 poke drainage holes

.,4 in the cap. Replace. IDOO 900 ...-,a Use the trimmed top .4 half of Bottle # I as a top for the Soil -~ Column. 4. Attach cap to -~ top "B". Invert "B" into "A". B -~ -~ -.-iO _.)-j _;a

~ Soil Meditations \ 37 4 108

WAT& MoLPl~6- lAPAi.lT'f 4f 7011.- Soil Column: How much water can your soil hold? Water hold­ ing capacity is ~~ the ability of soil to hold on to mois­ ?~ ture against the force of graVity. /J ~ 6 The ability of a soil to retain water 7afur-a-red depends in part on 1oi\ the soil's texture (seep. 43).

A soil's water holding capacity is important to farmers and gardeners because it indicates how much water is available to plants.

Just add water: Fill the Soil Column with 500 ccs of a sample soil. Add water, 20 mls at a time. until the soil is thoroughly wetted, or when water just begins to drip out of the bottom of the column.

Your soil may contain lots of organic matter. which resists absorbing water. This may cause water to channel through the soil and leave dry areas.

If this happens, thor­ oughly wet all the soil by stirring the column con­ tents until the soil has been thoroughly moist­ ened. Dump any water ~ep careful that has dripped into the tyac.k- of bottom chamber of the how "'-.ny column back into the top. C'\IS of w~-r yov.. Follow the chart on the a.Jd~ ne.""<:t page for directions 4¼,~ on determining water holding capacity. c.o IL.lm11.

38 / Soil Meditations Determine water holding capacity: Thoroughly wet 500 ccs of soil in your Soil Column. keeping careful track of how many mls of water you add. Call

this amount W1• Cover the column to minimize evaporation and let it sit for 24 hours. After 24 hours. measure any water that has drained into

the bottom of the column and call it vV2 • Subtract \V2 from W1• The result is the total amount of water now held by the soil in your column. and is an estimation of your soil sampte·s water holding capacity. ______mls Water added to wet 500 ccs of soil (W1):

Water drained from column after 24 hours (W2): mls

Total amount of water held by 500 ccs of soil. or water holding capacity. (\V1 - W2): mls 4 Measure soil pH: Test the pH of the water before you pour it through your --~ column and compare that to the pH of the water that drtps through your column. For more on pH and how to measure it. see p. 26 . ...~ ,..:f Soils in wetter regions tend to be more acidic. and those in dry regions more alkaline. or basic. This is because water moving through soil tends ... ~ to carry basic minerals deeper into the soil. The soil surface is then left more acidic. Some soils such as those derived from limestone. however. --~ have a buffering capacity. That is. their mineral makeup has a neutraliz­ ... ~ ing effect. This is why lakes in limestone areas are less susceptible to the detrimental effects of acid rain. ~ pH of water before addition to column: ______~ ~fj of water after running through column: ______~

~ Describe soil changes: Has the soil swelled or settled in your column in re­ sponse to the water you added? Changes may occur for several days after A the initial watering due to certain types of clay and organic materials that ~ swell in the presence of water.

~ Has the color changed in response to moisture? How about odor? Let your column sit for a week or two to see if anything grows. Very often any ~ soil you collect will contain plant seeds. moss or fern spores. or even ~ worm cocoons and insect eggs.

~ Soil height (from bottom of column to soil surface) before soil saturation: _____ cm ~ Soil height after_ hrs or_ days: cm ~ ---

Soil Meditations \ 39 11 0 Wisconsin Prairie Heritage

Toe map below shows 2 lines running acro_ss Wisconsin. The land between these lines is called the tension zone. South of the zone, Wisconsin used to be prairie and sa­ vanna. North of the zone was woodland. Even today the tension zone marks a differ­ ence in Wisconsin. North of the zone Wisconsin has the "northern Wisconsin" feel-- it is cooler and gets more snow, evergreen trees are more common than in the south, it is more heavily wooded and more lakes and streams cover the area.

Map of \Visconsin showing presecrlemenc prairie and savanna,. souch of cension :::one. Adapted from Curtis.

The prairie and savanna that once covered Wisconsin south of the tension zone was largely destroyed by two forces--human settlement and plowing for crops. Today we are going to calculate how much prairie and savanna land is now occupied by large Wisconsin cities.

G) The following Wisconsin cities are all south of the southern line of the tension zone. (Except for Milwaukee which is divided in half by the southern tension zone line. Because of this, we will only count half of Milwaukee.) Measure the size of the city to find its area.

The scale of the map is: 2 mm= 1 mile So, if your city measures 4 mm by 12 mm, the size of the city equals 2 miles by 6 miles or 12 square miles.

Earth Parmership Program, University of Wisconsin Madison Arboretum, 1207 Seminole Hwy., Madison, WI 53711, (608)262-9925 1 1 1

Racine Kenosha Beloit Janesville Madison Sun Prairie Milwaukee (record only half of total area) _____ La Crosse Whitewater Fort Atkinson ------Oconomowoc ----- BeaverDam ------Menomonie Watertown Monroe

TOTAL

@Compare:

Total area of all large Wisconsin cities (from #1) Total Prairie and Savanna area in Wisconsin 150 years ago ______Total Prairie and Savanna area in Wisconsin today

@ Compare the total prairie left today to a smaller city, a similar sized city and a larger city:

Smaller city ____ Total prairie left today Similar-sized city Larger city 11 2 Our Prairie Heritage Cities

,\ &-E BrUt·r. A44 -1-0 Eastman, 369 HJ...O l(J...H ,\bbo"ion:I. 1. 916 Hartland. 6,906 Maple Blu((, 1,352 ____ lll-G ,\cfam~. 1. 715 R-F 11uff.Jlo, ')I~ 7-C East Troy, 2,664 10-H Hailey. 295 &--G Marathon Oly, 1,606 ____ 6-F Adell. SIO 9-1 +nwlii1gton, R,8:JS 11-H + f ,llt < turf', 56,856 -1-C 6-C Haugen. 30S ~\.1rilN•I. :172 ______7-1 Alban)'. 1, 1-io 11-F Rullf'r, 2,0i9 10-1 Enon. blO 11--H Hawkin!-, 3 75 -1-D +t,l.1111w1lr, 11,IM.J 5-1 Al~om•. 3 •.353 b-1 8u11,•rnu1, 41n 3-E Edgar, I.Jiff f,-.F .. , l.1n•.. 11d. 1,H97 .1-C M;irion, 1,242 b-G Allouez. 14,-Hl 7-1 C + Edgerton, 4,~54 10-G ~IJ1r·I f;n'Nt, l,ln 11-E M,tfkl'S.Ul, 1,4'-H', H-G -\lm.1. ;qo 7-C C.10011, 1,328 6-D Fi:g llarlw,r, JR.I :l-1 t-tewilt, 595 6--E Marquolte, 182 11--G Alm.a Center. 416 7-D Cambria, 768 9-G l.l,md,.M7 ft-(; fli~hlan-.E Almond, ~55 7-F Cameron, 1,273 4--C n, .... 4q1 6-C Htill,horo. 1,2R8 9-E Mason, 102 2-D Ahoona. 5,889 b-C Campbellsport, 1.732 ___ 9-H Elkhart Lake. 1,0!9 11--1 Hixlon, 345 7-D MalhNin, 431 +Amery, 2.657 5-R Camp Dougla.<, 512 8-E +Elkhorn, S,337 5--G 11-H Hnllandal,,, 256 ,\mhrrst, 7gz 7-G Cascade, ~20 11--1 10-F +!\l,111-;!1111.],439 11--E Elk Mound, 765 &--C } lolmc-n, ],220 ff-lJ Arnhersl Jct., 269 7-G CdSUt, :,44 &--1 Mayville, 4,374 9-H fll-.w.,rlh. 2,706 6-8 } furi, on, .l,117.l 9-11 Aniwa, 249 5-G Cashion, 780 6--D Mazomanie, 1,377 10-F Elm GroYe, 6,261 10-1 I lortrnwillr, 2,02? 7-H + \nt,i.:o. fl,276 5-G CJssville, 1,144 11-D + 1' lerl(nrrl, 4,283 5-E Elmwood, i75 6-8 I toward, 9,87•t r,...1 i-11 Catawba, 178 -1-E Mellen, 972 2-E + :\p11lr•l11n.65,695 Elmwood Park, 534 11...f • Mowarcl< Grnve, 2,329 ___ 8-1 Melrose. 551 7-0 +ArraYP. 1,521. ______q_J Hu~ti,;fonJ, q7q 9-H +Menomonee Falls, 26,840 __ 10-H ,\rlingion, -1-Ul ___ •11 Ephraim, 261 -5-1 flUt;llt-r. J!l(, 11--F. +1\lrn,1mnni1•.13,S47'._____ b-C J\rpin, 111 __ h--1 n-,11uri.1. 7'"' ___ .. _ 4-11 Ellrick, 461 7..1) I MNJl""'· m.nns ______9-I + \<.hl.11111.R,lt'J5 2-ll Ch,,sl'lnng. .U,5 11-IJ Evansville. 3, 1i 4 10-G Independence, 1,041 ____ 7-C +.\l•·u1II. 11,HhO ______:t-r A'ihw.n&lll-"l"NNl, 1(,,]7f, ___ 7--tl lht•fM'C'p1t1, (,(JI 111-H Exeland, 180 4-0 Ingram, 91 4-,[) Mrrrillan, 55:J ______7-0 Athens. 951 ______5-E Chetek, J,q53 5-C F Iola, 1,125 7-G J\.k'rrimac:. 392 ______?-F Aubumd.lle, 665 _____ 6-E f-1 liill11n. 3,240 8-H Fairchild. 504 6-0 Iron Ridge, 887 9-H Mt•rlon, l,1'l9 10-H 6-D + <.:hipp,•-w,1 r .111 ... 12,121___ i;...c Fail'Water. JO 8-G AU!IUsla.1.S10 Ironton, 200 9-E Mi ___ 6-H Munll't'al, R38 2-E Mosinee, 3,820 ______6-F Bell Cenl.,.., 127 9-0 Coon Valley, 817 8-D Francis Creek. 562 7-1 Krwaskurn, 2,515 9-11 franklin, 21,R!i5 ______. Muunl Calvary, 558 ____ 11--M Rt•ll1-viilt•, 1,45(1 111-F Cornell, 1,541 S-0 111-1 +Js:f'\\"oll111''f•.2,7S0 7-1 Collage Grove. 1,131 ___ 10-G Mount Hupe, 173 _____ l(J...0 Udmonl, K23 11-E +fn•dt-,ic 1.12•1 4-11 Kiel, 2,910 8-l Moun! Horeb, 4,1R2 ____ 111-F +11Ploi1. \5/l71 11-G Couderay, 92 4-D Frrrhmia, 1,558 ')..j Kimberly, 5,406 7-H 1 4.. Mount Sterling, 217 ____ 9-0 ..•.. II f ('r,1ml1111. l. lSR c; FretntNll, 632 7-G Kingston, 346 n.. n,011. "'"' 8-G Mukwonago, 4,457____ l(J...H +llt'flin. 'j, 171 __ • A-Ci {'rivill, 1t'H, !i-1 ♦ frit•rnJ-.hjp. na 8-F Knapp, 419 5-3 Muscoda, 1,287 _____ 11}-E Rig n.. wt, 1.2'!'1 lf1-lt Cro~~ Pl.Jin.Iii, 2,098 10-F Friesland, 2n 9-C Kohler, 1,817 8-1 Muskego, 16,813 _____ 10-H Rig r .tll~. 7,; f,-(~ Cuh;o City, 2,0'l4 11-E c; + Cud.1hy, 18,&59 1()..1 I N Birchwnod, -143 4--C Galenwood. 969 &--E I '"nir,1, l,5·12 'I-II Hrodhra

Earth Partnership Program, University of Wisconsin Madisoin Arboretum, 1207 Seminole Hwy., Madison, WI 53711 (608)262-9925 113

Our Prairie Heritage Cities

+-..h.n, 1110 7.511ft _____ &-·ti Nonvalk. 564 ______8-E Po~-nette. 1,662 ______9-F +Tomah, 7,5i0 ______8-E While l..lloygan Falls, S.823 ---· 11-1 Whitewater, 12,636 ____ 10-H Prairie Farm, 494 _____ 5-C Sheldon. ?&ft ______S-O Trempealeau, 1,039 ____ 8-C Whiting, 1,838 ______7-F o.,kdJk•. 11'2 11-[ Prentire. 571 ______-1-E + •lu•!I I .,k .. 1,161------4-C Turtle Llke. 817_____ 4-8 +Wild Rose,676 _____ 7-G n.,kf.~cl. l,OOJ n-H . Prco;rott, J,24] ______6-A Sherwood. 83 7 7-H Twin lakes, 3.9R9 ____ 11-H Williams Bay,2,108 ____ 11-H +Ut"l)fNMIW'M1oc. 10,1)',J --- IU-1 f Shiocron. 913 ______i-H Wilson, 163 ______5-B Oconomowoc lake, 491 __ 10-lt Princ·f'ton, 1,4'.';R 8-G +Two Rivers, 13,030 ____ 7-1 Shorewood, 14,116 _____ 10-I Wilton, 478 ______!1-E +t lt 011111 4,474 ______h-1 Pulaski. 2,200 6-H II Shorewood Hills, 1,680 ___ 10-F Union CM1h-r, 197 _____ 11-E Wind Point, 1,941 _____ 10-t +ou.110 r .u,. z.sM ____ r-H R Shullsbu<8, 1,23 _____ 1!-E +1-!,1tirw.R4,298 ______11-1 Union Gruvr., J,f,69 ____ 11-1 Winnecoone, 2,059 ____ 7-G Ogdmsburg. 220, _____ 7-G Sitw,, L>lips tNol inn"J',} ____ J-t, R0<·kl,md, 509 8-0 +Stoughton, 8,786 _____ 10-G Phillip<. 1.592 ______-1-E Rock Springs, 432 9-F +w.mtnmd.1,784 _____ 8-G Slratford, 1,515 6-E rigron Falb, 289_____ 7-0 RoS<'fldak-, 777 8-H Wauwatosa. 49.366 ____ 10-1 Strum, 949 6-C Pill

Earth Partnership Program, University of Wisconsin Madisoin Arboretum, 1207 Seminole Hwy., Madison, Wl 53711 (608)262-9925 114 Our Prairie Heritage

State Parks Wisconsin Counties State Forests Amnicon Falls Bia ck River Adams Marathon Brule River Aztalan .\\arinette .~shland Fla mbeau River Big Bay Barron .\larauette Big Foot Beach• Bavrield .\lenominee Govemor Knowles Brown .\lilwaukee Ha venwoods Blue Mound• .\lonroe Buiialo Ke ttle Moraine (N. Unitl* Bong t Rec. Areal• Burnett Oc:unto Brunet Island Calumet Oneida Ke ttle Moraine (S. Unitl" Chippewa Outagamie N. Highland (American Legion) Buckhorn Ozaukee Clark Poi nt Beach• Cadiz Springs (Rec. Area) Columbia Pepin Chippewa Moraine (Rec. Areal Crawford Pierce Dane Polk Copper Culture Dodge Portage Copper Falls• Door Price Council Grounds• Douglas Racine Dunn Richland Devils Lake• Eau Claire Rock First Capitol (Belmont Mound) Florence Rusk Fish Hatcheries St. Croix Governor Dodge• Fond du lac Root River Facility Forest Sauk Governor Nelson• Grant Sawver Bayfield Hatchery Harrington Beach• Green Shawano Lake Mills Hatchery Sheboygan Hartman Creek• Green Lake Nevin Hatchery i Iowa Tavlor I Heritage Hill Iron Trempealeau Spooner Hatchery High Cliff• Jackson Vernon Wild Rose Hatchery Vilas Hoffman Hills (Rec. Areal Jeiierson Kewaunee River Facility Juneau Walworth Interstate• Kenosha Washburn Woodruff Hatchery Kinnickinnic Kewaunee Washington Koh I er-Andrae• La Crosse Waukesha Lafayette Waupaca Lake Kegonsa• Langlade Waushara Lake Wissota • Lincoln Winnebago Merrick Manitowoc Wood Mill Bluff Wildlife Areas Mirror Lake• Natural Bridge Crex Meadows Nelson Dewey (Stonefield! State Trails Horicon Marsh New Glarus Woods Ahnapee Sandhill Wildlife Area Newport• Bearskin Mead Wildlife Area Pattison• Buffalo River Navarino Wildlife Area Peninsula• Chippewa River Buena Vista Grasslands Perror Elroy-Sparta Pike Lake• Gandy Dancer Potawatomi" Glacial Drumlin Rib Mountain Great River Roche a Cri La Crosse River Rock Island Military Ridge Rocky Arbor -· Pecatonica · ·· · ---··-· ·--~-··- Tower Hill Red Cedar Whitefish Dunes• Sugar River Wildcat Mountain• The •400" Willow River Tuscobia Wyalusing• Wild Goose Yellowstone Lake•

Earth Partnership Program, University of Wisconsin Madisoin Arboretum, 1207 Seminole Hwy., Madison, WI 537ll (608)262-9925 1 1 5

Seeds in the Wind

Subject: Seed dispersal and how it relates to prairie restoration.

Background: The formation of seed is the plant's primary goal. Plants disperse seed to avoid competing with the parent plant for sunlight, soil, water, and nutrients. Plants use many different strategies to disperse their seed. Wind-dispersed seed is one strategy.

If you discontinue mowing the lawn a prairie will not grow. A seed source ( an existing prairie) needs to be in the area. But more is involved than just proximity. Seed must reach the site, then successfully germinate and grow. This activity will demonstrate factors involved for the successful establishment of wind-dispersed seed.

Materials: A board divided into areas for prairie, lawn, pavement, pond, and perennial garden. Paper tree or other structure to hold the seeds. Construction paper seeds. Dice.

Activity: Three wind dispersed seeds are compared. One plant is rare, one is robust, and one is a weed seed that frequently invades immature restorations. Only seeds that land in the prairie area have a chance to grow. The object is to find out how many prairie seeds will successfully survive.

How to play: 1. Place all the colored-paper seeds on the tree. 2. Blow the seeds out of the tree. 3. After the seeds scatter, see which seeds land in the prairie area. Only these seeds have a chance to germinate. Seeds that land in the other areas will not survive. In the lawn they will be mowed over, in the garden they are weeded out, etc. 4. Role the dice for each seed in the prairie area to see what will happen to it. Each seed type has different fates. 5. Record the number of seedlings that will survive. 6. Calculate the percentage of each specie to compare success rates. 7. Repeat, if desired.

This activity is Adapted from "Flying Seeds Game" in 175 Amazing Nature Experiments, by Harlow and Morgan

Resources: 1. Hands-On Nature, by Jenepher Lingelbach 2. Nature with Children ofAll Ages, by Edith A. Sisson 3. 175 Amazing Nature Experiments, by Harlow and Morgan 4. GrowLab, Activities for growing Minds, by National Gardening Assoc. 5. Keepers of the Life, by Caduto and Bruchac

Earth Partnership Program, UW-Madison Arboretum, 608/262-9925 11 6 Seeds in the Wind Seed Dispersal Activitiy

PLANT SPECIES

Rare Prairie Specie Robust Prairie Specie A Common Aggresssive Weed Cynthia Blazing Star Bull Thistle Krigia biflora Liatris aspera Cirsium vulgare 10 seeds 20 seeds 30 seeds 80% survival 50% survival 20% survival

Cynthia has: Blazing Star has: Bull Thistle has: Pink-colored seeds Orange-colored seeds Blue-colored seeds DICE

Cynthia Blazin&: Star Bull Thistle

1. Throw a 1, your seedling is in 1. Throw a 1, seedling is killed 1. Throw a 1, a goldfinch eats loosened soil near an ant mound. by a weed-killer. the seed. Seedling survives. 2. Throw a 2, a mouse eats the 2. Throw a 2, seedling does not 2. Throw a 2, weather is warm, over-wintering seed. have enough space to spread its wet and sunny. Seedling survives. 3. Throw a 3, weather is warm, roots. 3. Throw a3, seedling is wet, and sunny. Seedling survives. 3. Throw a 3, seedling grows cared for and watered by a child. 4. Throw a 4, seedling is in under the shade of the large It survives. loosened soil near an ant mound. prarie dock leaves. It is too 4. Throw a 4, seedling is Seedling survives. shady for the seedling. killed by drought. 5. Throw a 5, seedling is killed 4. Throw a 4, a lawnmower 5. Throw a 5, seedling is in a by drought. accidently clips the tall prairie buffalo wallow. It survives. 6. Throw a 6, seed falls on warm, grasses. Seedling survives. 6. Throw a 6, seedling is in a blackened soil after a prairie fire . 5. Throw a 5, frost kills your newly prepared site for a prairie Seedling survives. seedling. planting. Seedling survives. 6. Throw a 6, seedling is in a newly planted prairie restoration. It is pulled out. GRAPH OF RESULTS Number of Seedlings Percentage of Total

Cynthia Seedlings I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I % BlazingStarSeedlings I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I % % Bull Thistle Seedlings j I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

Earth Partnership Program, UW-Madison Arboretum, (608) 262-9925 11 7

Name: ------SPRING FEVER: TAKING A PRAIRIE'S TEMPERATURE

During the winter, the soil beneath a prairie is frozen. When spring arrives, the air is warmer, the ground thaws, and the soil begins to wann up. The living roots of prairie plants have been in the ground all winter, waiting for signals that it is time to grow again. Finally, when the soil temperature is warm enough, the plants begin to send up their green shoots, and a new growing season begins.

Today you will measure the temperature of the air and the soil in your prairie.

STEP 1: Write down today's date and weather conditions.

Today's date is _ __.______

Today's weather is (sunny? cloudy? partly cloudy? raining? snowing?)

STEP 2: Go outdoors to your prairie. Follow instructions to measure the temperature ofyour prairie at three places: in the air above the ground, in the soil near the surface, and 3" deep in the soil.

STEP 3: Write down the three temperatures you measured

The temperature of the air is ______degrees F.

The temperature of the soil near the surface is ______degrees F.

The temperature 3" deep in the soil is ______degrees F.

Earth Partnership Program. l.;1V-Madison Arboretum. (608)262-9925 118 STEP 4: Draw bar graphs of the temperatures you measured.

90

80

70

60 Temperature (F) 50

40

30

20

10

0 Air Surface Soil 3'' deep in soil 119

STEP 5: Answer the questions below.

1. Which was warmer, the air or the soil?

2. Which was warmer, the soil at the surface or 3" deep?

3. Why might the three temperatures be different?

4. In the spring, plants wait for the right signals before they begin to grow. Warm soil temperature is one signal. Can you think of some other signals that tell plants that it is time to grow? (Clue: Think about other things, besides temperature, that change in the spring).

Earth Partnership Program, UW-,vfadison Arboretum, (608) 262-9925 120

• l : \; 5. Prairie roots go deep into the soil, sometimes more than 10 feet deep. What soil temperatures do you think ' : these very deep roots would feel? .•:· ·('(, . !''' ~ • I

6. Fire is a part of the prairie ecosystem. Prairie fires can be extremely hot, and fires can move across the land very quickly. Where would you go to survive a prairie fire if you were:

• a bird?

• a bison?

• a rabbit?

• an earthworm?

• a prairie plant?

IC:, - -,:. -~7j~ . t'-i--C Earth Partnership Program, UW-Jdadison Arboretum, (608) 262-9925 " 1 21

Plant Immigrants

Source: Robin Greenler Subject: Social studies, language arts, science Grade: 3-12 Summary: Students learn about the introduction of nonnative plants to the New World.

Activity Time: variable Materials: A resource for identification of nonnatives is Courtenay, Booth and Zimmerman, James, Wildflowers and Weeds (Simon & Schuster, New York}. A resource for origins of specific nonnative species is Gleason, Henry A. and Arthur Cronquist, Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada (D. Van Norstrand Co., New York}. This text would be available at any college or university library. Season: Identification is best done in fall; research and discussion can be done any time.

Activity: Identify the nonnative plants on your restoration plot. These nonnatives are plant species that were introduced from other parts of the world and are often aggressive and can out-compete the native plants in the region. Are the nonnatives always undesirable? Research the origins of the nonnative plants. Have the students make a world map, individually or as a group, that shows where the nonnatives came from and the approximate dates. Are certain areas of the world more common "donors" of nonnative plants? Construct a time line or graph that shows the number of plants introduced over history. What historical events correlate with the introduction of nonnative species? Extension: * What are the implications, for the modern world, of plant-seed "hitchhikers" being carried all over the world? * Research cases of exotic plant or animal introductions, both intentional (kudzu or water hyacinth in the southeast United States) or unintentional (sea lamprey in the Great Lakes). Consider the case history and biological results. * Language arts: Have students compose an essay about a seed's journey to the New World from its native home.

93 122

A Seed's Journey - Case Study Examples

Dandelion - Taraxacum ofticinale The dandelion originated in Asia Minor. The Chinese called it "earth nail" for its long taproot. The Japanese considered it an ornamental. It spread to Europe before written history. Roe centuries, its long taproot and leaves have been used for food and medicine. The leaves and flowers contain more vitamin C and A than most garden vegetables. It Records from monasteries list the dandelion as an important medicinal herb. In 1066, the French named it "dent de-lion" meaning tooth of the lion. Saxon serfs corrupted the name to dandelion, as it is still called today. Puritan woman carried the seed to North America from Europe for the family garden plot. It was the woman's responsibility to bring the seed for the family garden. Dutch, German, French and English all brought the seed from the Old World. The parachuted seed quickly escaped the well-tended gardens into the cleared forests and fields. In this way the dandelion seed spread to the west. Apache Indians welcomed the plant and sent groups in search of it for spring feasts. Today dandelion is a pest in our lawns. Through out much of the world it has varied economic and fascinating uses.

Plantain - Plantago maior Plantain was growing in England before recorded history. It spread throughout Europe and Asia. During the Middle Ages it was often called "follower-of -the-heel-of-Christ" because it would be grow along the roadways to the religious centers. The smooth, cool leaves relived the sore feet of the penitents. Puritans brought plantain to North America. Seed quickly spread by birds and settler's boots. Indians said it sprang up wherever the settlers trod and gave it the name "white man's foot". Henry Wadsworth Longfellow lamented that plantain foreshadowed the destruction of the wilderness. In 1798 plantain was so common in New England that European botanists believed it was native to the region. The English also took it too Asia, Australia and New Zealand. The natives of these countries call it "Englishman's foot".

Crabgrass - Digitaria sanguinalis Crabgrass is native to Southern Europe. How it came to North America is questionable. One report states plantain arrived in Britain and North America in shipments of impure grain. Another report suggests crabgrass was brought over to the states in 1849 by the US Patent Office (at that time this office was responsible for agriculture also). The plant was not accepted by the public after weak promotions as a forage food domestic animals. Then in the late 19th century to 1910 crabgrass came with Poles, Czechs, Slovaks, and Hungarians as they poured into North America. Crabgrass was considered a staple food for their families. Today, crabgrass has spread to every state in the nation and is considered the number-one pest in lawns.

Resources for researching the introduction of nonnative plants to the New World: Green Immigrants by Claire Shaver Haughton Seeds of Change - Five Plants that Transformed Mankind by Henry Hobhouse Wildlife Survivors - The Flora and Fauna of Tomorrow by John R. Quinn

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Seed Ideas for Seed Journey Stories

Thistle - Centuarus spps. Thistles are divided into three groups: • Holy Thistles - Medicinal herbs from the Mediterranean. • Edible thistles - A reliable food source in Africa, Asia and Europe. Garden thistles - Garden plants used for home remedies. Named from Chiron the centaur that taught Achilles how to use herbs. Then there is the BULL THISTLE!

Queen Anne's Lace - Daucus carota Queen Anne's Lace originated in Eastern Mediterranean and was used by the Greeks and Romans for medicinal uses. In the 15th century it arrived in Holland.

Oxeye Daisy - Chrysanthemum frutescens Its journey begins in China. It has spread all over Europe and North America. Most Americans believe this daisy "scattered as gaily and thickly as confetti" is a native flower.

Wild Morning Glory (Bindweed) - Convolvulus sepium This plant is a stowaway. It is related to the beautiful garden varieties. It is considered a noxious weed.

Mullein - Verbascum thapsus These fuzzy-leaved plants trace the Western Movement. Plants still come up in the grass where settler's cabins once stood.

Earth Partnership Program, UW-Madison Arboretum, 608/262-9925 124

A Prairie Year A Play of Prairie Phenology for Elementary Students

Each student should have a card with a picture of a prairie plant. The plants included here are: Bergamot Lupine Big Bluestem New England Aster Blackeyed Susan Pasque Flower Butterfly Weed Prairie Dock Compass Plant Purple Coneflower Goldenrod (Stiff) Spiderwort Indian Paintbrush Yellow Coneflower Little Bluestem

It is cold winter. The days are cold and short. Nights are long. To us humans, the prairie looks dead. All above ground portions of the plants are brown and dead.

But underneath, the roots are quite alive.

(All students should be in a group and crouched down They are the roots oftheir plant)

You are our prairie, your roots are alive but you can imagine a blanket of snow over your heads. And blanket is a good word for it as the covering of snow and soil keeps the roots warm and unfrozen.

Then the days start to get warmer and longer. The snow melts, the soil warms. Plants start to grow and leaves start to emerge from the ground.

Students start to sit up a bit. As their plant blooms, they stand up and put their card over their head When their plant sets seed, they put their hands down but stay standing)

Now it is April

BLOOMS STOP BLOOMING, SET SEED

Pasque Flower

Lupine Pasque Flower Indian Paintbrush (Shooting Star) 125

Butterfly Weed Lupine Yellow Coneflower (Shooting Star) Spiderwort Purple Coneflower Black-eyed Susan

July Big Bluestem Compass Plant Little Bluestem Butterfly Weed Compass Plant Spiderwort Bee Balm Indian Paintbrush Yellow Coneflower

August Prairie Dock Big Bluestem Goldenrod Little Bluestem Blackeyed Susan Bee Balm

September New England Aster Prairie Dock Goldenrod

October New England Aster Purple Coneflower

Now the temperatures are getting colder and the days shorter and nights longer. The above ground portion of the plants dies and only the roots are alive.

(The students crouch back down)

The winter is back and the prairie once again looks dead. But it is not dead, it is alive and waiting. Waiting for another year. Th"'E PRAIRIE GRASS SONG 126 (sung to the tune: Row, Row, Row Your Boat)

A. Each team, in sequence, s~~gs one ve=se

In the spring ... i. Burn, burn, burn old stems, ground is nice and black, biomass recycles fast: brings your green growth back

2. Grow, grow, grow your roots, spread them wide-or deep Water's the thing they've got to bring; grow 'till winter's sleep

3. Raise, raise, raise your shoots, 'cause you cannot run For bright sunlight, your neighbors you fight: that's competition

4. Burst, burst, burst your flowers, anthers in the b=eeze Pollen it blows, a mate it k...~cws: don't need any bees s. Fill, fill, fill your seeds, make •e~ nice and plump Bigger they ara, the better by far: growth will really jwnp

6. Drop, drop, drop your fruits, wind will spread 'em out ~nder the snow is where they go, seeds ara soon to sprout

7. Brown, brown, brown your ste~s-dying to the ear-~~ Roots, they wait, for spring their fate is giving stems rebirth a. Wait, wait, wait for spring, winter's at its end Fire's done, your growth's begun and starts it all again

B. Repeat team sequence, calling out the name of your grass!

Erock Woods, 10-91 127

Appendix F Activities Associated with Establishment or Maintenance of the Pra1ne Activities GRADE SUBJECT # OF SEASON YEAR I LEVEL AREA KIDS (F,W, SP) ACTIVITY NAME ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION Associated r----.-~=~--r---T"~~---'r---+---::::R:-e-se_a_r_c-:-h-t-:-h-e-::S:-:-it_e______,______:_.:.:______- with 1------+----+----+------1-----Interviews Interview long-term residents about history of your area Establishment 1------+-----+----+----+-----+---- Land Surveys Find and read land survey results for your area 1------1------+----+----+------i---- Mapping Create a map of your school yard or 1------1------+----+----+------i---- Site Analysis Find and map key features on your site Maintenance 1------1------+----+----+------i----Slope Measurement Measuring slope of your site with water and a glass 1------1------1-----1-----+----+---- Tree Height Five different methods of estimating tree height ofthe 1------1------+-----1-----+----+---- Tree and Shrub Inventory Identifying and mapping trees on your site Prairie 1------1------+-----1-----+----+---- Reasearch Written Records Library research on site-land survey, old maps, ownership records Plan the Restoration 1------1------+----+----+----+---- Budget: Designing a prairie budget Create a seed mix staying with in budget N 1------1------+----+----+----+---- Design Design your restoration plot 00 ,__ ___,._ ___ _,______,__ ___.,______,__ ___ Species Selection Create your species selection and seed mix

Prepare the Site 1----D-~~-i.,~lll.ld'"•·w,;;,~ ._J,2n_·7!.__-l--SP~,, ---1u1L!..qq..111,,~.J__ __ Mulch Place newspapers or tarp and woodchips to your restoration site ,__ ___,______,______,__ ___.,______,______Remove Existing Species If necessary, remove existing species by digging, weed wrenching, etc.

.______, ____ .__ __ _,__ ___ ---1---- _____,_ ___ Seed Bank Study Sample your seed bank on your site

Plant the Restoration i------"'.3~-!f~_µ,Qv:,..&•1,,1·.:.l!-'..,.!!fi..-+--"'_.:..!1']...=o-1--~~--...l--!-l'\ll...!:!...1

J. ..I . Manage the Restoration ·n'---U~,...,,.!!:·~1,1!!1'1.!.J;JL~,,.ht~-',/"""'2~'.!e',"-"_n..,_.~~µrr14----1.'''-.L,7•~~------l----Fire Observations Pre and post fire observations and measurements :11------+------1-----+--•--+----+---- Fire Temperature Measurement / Measure the prairie fire temperatur-: with heat sensitive paints Quadrat Analysis ~~;,IV Learn composition of prairie through plant ID in quadrats ~H~},t~;tr, ~ , ~· •· ;p · 4 Outreach j,,iJJ.8-. -!"'..J> 1---:__-::__4--_·-----1------af------+--.L/f/LL.Jf/'/'----1---- Brochure,,. 'Jr' ;is.r ~ "( Develop a brochure for your restoration site Develop a Prairie newsletter for students, parents, staff or others 1------1------+----+----+----+---- Newsletter ~ ~ Write a article or a monthly Prairie Corner article for your local paper 1------+----+-~----1------<----- Newspaper Hlh..... ~-- .lc,Ll'-'rA'\-l------1-----'1c-=J..'-'-·.::.__3 -+-1f'-----I-L/_._q'_,_lff,___-1-----..-- Signage -MOr, l\ifM, ki he m Develop signs for your restoration site Video Develop and produce a video documenting the restoration effort - - .. - Actfvtties· Assocfated with. Esfa brIS h'men or amtenance o fth e P r airir Activities GRADE SUBJECT JIOF SEASON YEAR Associated LEVEL AREA KIDS (F,W,SP) ACTIVITY NAME I ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION I Research the Site with Interviews Interview long-term residents about history of your area Establishment Land Surveys Find and read land survey results fo.:· your area 'I 15 ~c..encefM..U: '19 F 1ffi, Mapping Create a map of your school yard or ¥/5 Ls. - lu. ..L 'f'l F Jf/91,. Site Analysis Find and map key features on your !,ite Maintenance Slope Measurement Measuring slope of'your site with water and a glass '+I_,; CA JM.i J./9 F f'l'I b Tree Height Five different methods of estimating tree height ofthe Tree and Shrub Inventory Identifying and mapping trees on your site Prairie Reasearch Written Records Library research on site-land survey, old maps, ownership records

Plan the Restoration I-'" Budget: Designing a prairie budget Create a seed mix staying with in b:.tdget .~ l-0 Design Design your restoration plot Species Selection Create your species selection and seed mix

Prepare the Site Mulch Place newspapers or tarp and woodchips to your restoration site Remove Existing Species If necessary, remove existing species by digging, weed wrenching, etc. Seed Bank Study Sample your seed bank on your site

Plant the Restoration Planting Celebration Plant the prairie and create a student celebration or event Seed Collection Collect seeds from remnant, restoration or Arb (with permission) Transplant Production Grow transplants for your site

Manage the Restoration Fire Observations Pre and post fire observations and measurements Fire Temperature Measurement Measure the prairie fire temperature with heat sensitive paints Quadrat Analysis Learn composition of prairie through plant ID in quadrats

Outreach Brochure Develop a brochure for your restoration site News/elter Develop a Prairie newsletter for students, parents, staff or others New~paper Write a article or a monthly Prairie Corner article for your local paper Signage Develop signs for your restoration site Video Develop and produce a video documenting the restoration etfort ... Activities Assoc·atedI w"thI E s ta bl"IS h men t or M"amtenance o f th e Prair1e Activities GRADE SUBJECT #OF SEASlu+~ ~'/ F 'Tk Mapping Create a map of your school yard or 11-1 J-- [l•lr!J•/ -;).'f f 1~ Site Analysis Find and map key features on your :;ite Maintenance Slope Measurement Measuring slope of your site with water and a glass Tree Height Five different methocls of estimating tree height ofthe Tree and Shrub Inventory Identifying and mapping trees on your site Prairie Reasearch Written Records Library research on site-land survey, old maps, ownership records ;- ...., Plan the Restoration Budget: Designing a prairie budget Create a seed mix staying with in budget ~ w l:, Design Design your restoration plot 0 ~ Species Selection Create your species selection and seed mix C\.. ~ Prepare the Site :::: Mulch Place newspapers or tarp and woodchips to your restoration site ~ Remove Existing Species If necessary, remove existing species by digging, weed wrenching, etc. ~~ Seed Bank Study Sample your seed bank on your site QJ :: c~ Plant the Restoration Planting Celebration Plant the prairie and create a student celebration or event 00= ~ Seed Collection Collect seeds from remnant, restoration or Arb (with permission) ~ Transplant Production Grow transplants for your site

Manage the Restoration :a~rl..l Fire Observations Pre and post fire observations and 1neasurements QJ ~ Fire Temperature Measurement Measure the prairie fire temperature with heat sensitive paints - Quadrat Analysis Learn composition of prairie through plant ID in quadrats .....= ·-·-=~ ~ ..... ·-~ Outreach ~- Brochure Develop a brochure for your restoration site ~ ..-= ..... Newsletter Develop a Prairie newsletter for students, parents, staff or others ..... ~ Newspaper Write a article or a monthly Prairie Corner article for your local paper Signage Develop signs for your restoration site ~ Develop and produce a video documenting the restoration effort ~- ~ Video A Cf lVl·r 1es u·sme th e P rair1e or Oht er 0 utdoor Space Activities GRADE SUBJECT #OF SEASON YEAR LEVEL A~F.A KIDS (F,W,SP) ACTIVITY NAME I ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION Using the ~. i-s Research ~•• :.A• C.11 Prairie or -~~5. mo ·\So . 1'11?'1 Planting Planting your 1,000 sqaure foot research plot Other Data Collection Survey your l,000sq ft plot & record what is present Outdoor Journal Activities Space Dialog blw a Plant & Pollinator Write a dialog after·observing pollination or nectar collecting .. iffJ- Flight of the Bumblebee-composition Describe your musical composition based on i11sect observations "f

Soil 4- J11 Jl,~.,,./}J .34 F /(JO;C, Living vs. Non-Living Components Separate soils into living and non-living con1p1 inents Soil Profile Investigations Drill, examine and draw prairie soil proliles Soil Temperature: "Spring Fever" Take soil temperature at various depths I.if .- -.,/1//,--,,t; 3¥- F ;C';q,e,, Soil Texture Feel Test Identify your soil type with this easy test . . y H- '• l/1 I 17,,._/'J _3J-f P- ;qqt:; Soil Water Holding Capacity Create soda bottle soil columns to measure soil \\ater holdmg capacit "' 1 , ~JU '+0 F 1C{if; · ·1 A Cf IVI·r tes u·smg th e P ra1ne or 0ther 0 ut door s.;pace Activities GRADE SUBJECT #OF SEASON YEAR l LEVEL ARF.A KIDS (F,W,SP) ACTIVITY NAME I ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION Using the Research -:-l Prairie or L//5 Sa1e,.u. t/eyice. CM//IM I F 1qq t, Observations From a Single Spot Record observations from a single spot multiple times over a year I Phenology Journal Record seasonal changes and occurrences Poetry Create prairie-inspired poetry, haiku, diamonte, etc. Visual Assessment of the Prairie Draw various perspectives on a prairie landscape _,. w Observations N :J K IS,;,..,rQ i#llb-rwi F lq'U-~ Biodiversity Tally Tally elements found in the prairie and in another ecosystem I - , ' Biodiversity Comparison Compare biodiversity in a prairie a•1d lawn ~ I( ~~Jh>el'_ l.ff✓in,t F Jq,u, Drawing Observations Draw prairie elements I ' Weather Observations Record general weather conditions without equipment Word Descriptions Find words that describe feeling, sight, sound and smell

Birds and Insects kl ..Seta,,,,- SIJ(Ji~,., r:= ,qql, Ants: "Sweet Discoveries" How long does it take to attract prairie ants to a target? ., I I Bird Calls: "Who is Calling?" Listen to birds songs, draw comparisons with musical instruments Flight ofthe Bumblebee-listening Listen to variations on "Flight of the Bumblebee" and interpret S.,c:11,·e _ARI.. "') l'l'lt,, Perform and analyze a prairie insect sweep ~ , I< ,, F Insects: "Sweeping Discoveries" Pollination Create an experiment addressing how a pollinator forages for nectar Worms: "Wondering about Worms" Design an experiment measuring v.orm populations in the soil

Soil - Science 3o F ff/fib Living vs. Non-Living Components Separate soils into living and non-living components " Soil Profile Investigatiom· Drill, examine and draw prairie soil profiles Soil Temperature: "Spring Fever" Take soil temperature at various depths Soil Texture Feel Test Identify your soil type with this easy test Soil Water Holding Capacity Create soda bottle soil columns to measure soil water holding capacity A Cf lVl·r 1es u·smg th e P ra1rie or 0th er u ,pace 0 td oor s - Activities GRADE SUBJECT #OF SEASON YEAR LEVEL ARFA KIDS (F,W, SP) ACTIVITY NAME ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION I -·. Using the Research Prairie or Planting Planting your 1,000 sqaure foot research plot Other Data Collection Survey your 1,000sq ft plot & record what is present Outdoor Journal Activities Dialog blw a Plant & Pollinator Write a dialog after .observing pollination or nectar collecting Space Flight of the Bumblebee-composition Describe your musical composition based on insect observations II- 11>- li~s>- '>'I f fl' 'I I, -,7 Observations From a Single Spot Record observations from a single spot multiple times over a year Phenology Journal Record seasonal changes and occurrences ,,, -'17 ti-I">- e""'JJi;A '2.'1 r sl' Poetry Create prairie-inspired poetry, haiku, diamonte, etc. II-IT £-1,,t... 1-'I rs? '/b•'f? Visual Assessment of the Prairie Draw various perspectives on a prairie landscape _.. - w w Observations Biodiversity Tally Tally elements found in the prairie and in another ecosystem Biodiversity Comparison Compare biodiversity in a prairie and lawn II•,.,_ 4 '-'rfllLMI• ~ ~5 f ·5P 'll:,-t:J7 Drawing Observations Draw prairie elements Weather Observations Record general weather conditions without equipment Word Descriptions Find words that describe feeling, sight, sound and smell

Birds and Insects Ants: "Sweet Discoveries" How long does it take to attract prairie ants to a target? Bird Calls: "Who is Calling?" Listen to birds songs, draw comparisons with musical instruments Flight ofthe Bumblebee-listening Listen to variations on "Flight of the Bumblebee" and interpret ,o s i 4> 'jc, ,;p q7 Insects: "Sweeping Discoveries" Perform and analyze a prairie insect sweep /0 B,Ql"!J~, 1~ 'SP G/7 Pollination Create an experiment addressing how a pollinator forages for nectar Worms: "Wondering about Worms" Design an experiment measuring worm populations in the soil

Soil Living vs. Non-Living Components Separate soils into living and non-living components Soil Profile Investigations Drill, examine and draw prairie soil profiles Soil Temperature: "Spring Fever" Take soil temperature at various de;:>ths Soil Texture Feel Test Identify your soil type with this easy test Soil Water Holding Capacity Create soda bottle soil columns to measure soil water holding capacity A Cf IVI·r 1es u·SID!! th e P ra1ne or 0ther 0 utd oor Space Activities GRADE $UBJECT #OF SEASON YEAR LEVEL AREA KIDS (F,W, SP ACTIVITY NAME I ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION Using the Plants and Vegetation Prairie or Compass Plant: "Which Way North" Do compass plant leaves line up in any consistent orientation? Other Food and Medicinal Plant Uses Learn Native American uses of prairie plants Leaf Toughness Compare toughness of plant leaves in various environments Outdoor Plant Adaptation Observations Observe a plant traits and hypothesize to what they are adapted Space Plant Adaptations: "Scavenger Hzmt"Find plants with characteristics resembling wax paper, sandpaper, etc. Seed Scavenger Hunt Find seeds of different descriptions (cont.) Seed Size and Seed Set How do seed size, seed number and seed survival interrelate? Shade Effect Measurement Identify the patterns of shade cast by a tree in the prairie/savanna 5 AA 'A - . 'fO F ICifq~-1 Transpiration: "See What Transpires"Design an experiment to compare rates of plant transpiration Vegetation Height Measuring and analyzing forbs and grass biomass in the prairie ...... w .j:::, Other Miscellaneous Activities Compass Basics Drop a coin, follow 3 compass dir;:ctions back to your coin Creative Movement Use of movement and dance to reflect on and interpret your prairie . Edge Effect: "Don t Get Edged Out" Calculate interior and edge habitat S"/'f IJ" .. .: .. o --;j:OlN -1n/t= f-i(/c,-1 Food Web Create a food web from observed prairie interactions JI. rJ t 11 - l, ?.lf.. ?' /CJQ{,, Geometry: "Prairie Geometry" Find assigned shapes in the prairie ~;, Interactions: "Who s Doing What" Consider+/+, +/-and-/- prairie• interactions between organisms i./- J'.I '_//,, "-. ,..,34 t; /CJ~C,, Key: Construct a Key Construct a key with prairie plants ~ ' Tl·- , -':?4 ):::' /C)Ci(,,, Prairie Views: Close-up and Vista Students look at different views of the prairie 'I Jf/j,,,,:,_, 3--1 l~te,/1,#1. /qC)f-47 Woodland-Prairie Comparisons Comparison b/w prairies and woodland ecosystems I 7 V A Cf IVI'f 1es u·smg th e P ra1ne or Oht er 0 ut door s,pace Activities GRADE SUBJECT #OF SEASON YEAR - I LEVEL AREA KIDS

Insects Insect Charades Act out prairie insect orders using key features Invent an Insect Create, describe and model an imaginary insect adapted to the prairie

Seeds ~ Dispersal Game Board game depicting a seed's chance for survival after dispersal w Germination Determining germination requirements for prairie species -....J Seed Prairie Mural Create a mural of prairie plants in s,!ed using vegetable seeds ~ ,_ A-- ~o v l'r'll.--1 Sprouting Hypothe-seeds Developing the ability to ask questions and formulate hypotheses

Plants and Vegetation Phenology Play Play depicting the progression of prairie flowering and going to seed Plant Immigrants: "A Seed's Journey" Create a story about a New World seed's journey from its native home Plant Families Learn the five prairie plant families and major characteristics Prairie Plant Game Prairie flower posters on walls crea1e numerous teaching opportunities Root Modeling Create a life-size model of a prairie plant root

Other Miscellaneous Activities Ecosystem Modeling Create a 2-D model of the prairie ecosystem using systems modeling "Prairie Heritage" Calculate WI acreage consumed by cities, look for WI prairie names / ___ .. Geography: 4 _J .i. ..3i- ,, l'H#-91 Homesteading Finish the stories of three prairie pioneer settlers II Letter to a Relative Write a letter to a great grandparent/child about restoring prairies Math- Word Problems Create word problems dealing with performing a restoration Microcompetition Create a soil mix that favors prairie seeds over weeds in a film can H ,t ,,(. ~4 _::i-, J?/ 7#/' 'II,, Rain Shadow Play Perform a play about prairie establishment on NA continent "r __f_ ,( • 1_2L/,- ~ .. pp M._ ,t, Slide Show: "A Prairie Journey" Earth Partnership's slide show-available to borrow or purchase d II'},_, ~I r~ •• ~ .3"; ~ /'fl u.. Soil Recipe "Make" a soil with a symbolic soil recipe Indoor Classroom Activities GRADE ... Indoor SUBJECT #OF SEASON YEAR LEVEL AREA KIDS (F,W,SP) ACTIVITY NAME I ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION I' Classroom Bison and Other Mammals i Activities .. ~ Art .~f"I f l9'tl Bison Across the Curriculum A potpourri of bison activity ideas Deer or Bison Skin Painting Recap an experience through a Native American deerskin painting Build a Bison Build a life size bison with cardboard 3 Art ~ F Jq9t, Uses of Bison Native American uses of bison

Insects Insect Charades Act out prairie insect orders using key features ' f\r·t ...3n F i'1f'6 Invent an Insect Create, describe and model an imaginary insect adapted to the prairie Seeds ..... Dispersal Game Board game depicting a seed's chance for survival after dispersal W Germination Determining germination requirements for prairie species CP Seed Prairie Mural Create a mural of prairie plants in seed using vegetable seeds Sprouting Hypothe-seeds Developing the ability to ask quesfons and formulate hypotheses

Plants and Vegetation Pcs.frrs }f Art :JJ f lf

Other Miscellaneous Activities Ecosystem Modeling Create a 2-D model of the prairie ecosystem using systems modeling Geography: "Prairie Heritage" Calculate WI acreage consumed by cities, look for WI prairie names Homesteading Finish the stories of three prairie pioneer settlers Letter to a Relative Write a letter to a great grandparent/child about restoring prairies Math- Word Problems Create word problems dealing with performing a restoration Microcompetition Create a soil mix that favors prairie seeds over weeds in a film can Rain Shadow Play Perform a play about prairie establishment on NA continent J//') <-· tlq F- J'l

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ti:::i w ~-~ \.0 ~=:: ~ .. ~ c~~ ::: 00.= ~ ~~ :a I'll ~ ~ ~ =~ ·--~ Other Activities BRIEF DESCRIPTION Please List Any Other Activities You Think May Be Relevant :SP I 1 w _., i-n-~~___l:::_'...::!....!'.~~~+~t,J~--1____ll.ll2.-+--1,.!l-¥l-~'-LJJ~~i;rn.c...n'-:------'lf/]l"!:IL--.ll!~~~~.______J',.2.w~U:_------l 6 /,J Other Activities - GRADE SUBJECT #OF SEASON YEAR BRIEF DESCRIPTION l Please List LEVEL AIH'A. KIDS mW.SP) //~ ~ 1,'fy ,;,/) -tr~£$ ,.,~,.,:1- -lo y Ar,_,/ pr41',-/e.. 1 Any Other 1/-1,-- {iol•,~ 1.. '1 f ff, Activities You Think MayBe Relevant

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