Four major hurricanes battered Louisiana’s coast in the past few years. During Youth Wetlands Week, April 20-24, the state’s youth will learn how Louisiana’s coastline provides protection from these storms and the importance of conserving this unique ecosystem.
A goal of the program is to teach students they have the power to make a difference, said Youth Wetlands Week program director Ashley Mullens.
“We hope they will go out and act as an advocate to their parents and friends and other people in the community and have a sense of ownership in the state’s wetlands,” Mullens said.
Youth Wetlands Week is aimed at the state’s fourth- through 12th-graders and provides wetland education curriculum materials to Louisiana teachers. 4-H agents and America’s Wetland Conservation Crops members across the state have recruited schools to take part in Youth Wetlands Week.
The program is in its third year and expects to reach 50,000 students in 54 parishes.
Curriculum materials are being delivered to 800 teachers across the state through local LSU AgCenter 4-H agents. The curriculum is designed to correlate with grade-level expectations for each age group, Mullens said.
“The program offers hands-on lessons for student to participate in, along with ideas for field trips and education experiences outside of the classroom,” Mullens said.
In addition to a curriculum binder, participating schools receive:
· Educational material
· Live plants
· Seeding trays
· Aerial photographs
· Laboratory supplies
· Field material
Youngsters may learn about animal habitats, while older students could take part in experiments designed to show how wetland plants filter out sediments.
Hilary Collis, the LSU AgCenter program manager for America’s Wetland Conservation Corps, said the response to the program during the last two years has been overwhelming.
“We want the students to develop, at an early age, an appreciation and understanding of wetlands and why Louisiana wetlands are so important and vital to our state,” Collis said.
The program is having an effect on students’ science knowledge.
“Last year’s test results showed a 28 percent increase in wetland knowledge in students that participated in the program,” Mullens said.
Teacher survey results showed the overall response to the program had an average 92 percent approval rating.
The Youth Wetlands Week program is not just for science teachers, though. The curriculum includes lessons that could work in English, math, social studies and geography classes.
Mullens also points out that the program is not just for youngsters in coastal Louisiana. “Wetlands exist in parishes across the state,” she said.
Youth Wetlands Week activities will include trash cleanups around waterways such as an LSU Lakes “trash bash” at Baton Rouge’s City Park Lake on April 18. Tree and vegetative plantings and building and installing wood duck boxes will take place in various locations. Some parishes plan to hold wetland-related achievement days, and wetland information booths will be set up at youth activities.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture recognized Youth Wetlands Week as a program of distinction, said Mark Tassin, director of the LSU AgCenter’s 4-H program.
“This program is unique. And Louisiana is a leader in environmental education,” Tassin said.
A grant from the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources funded the Youth Wetlands Week program for three years.
The newly established Office of Coastal Protection and Restoration, which is a merger of the coastal restoration and engineering divisions of DNR and the Louisiana Department of Transportation's hurricane protection division, may help fund future events.
“We have also applied for various other grants and are awaiting a response,” Collis said.
Wetlands facts the students will be learning include the following:
· Since 1930, Louisiana has lost 1,900 square miles of wetlands.
· Thirty percent of all coastal marshes in the United States are in Louisiana.
· Every 2.7 miles of wetland absorbs 1 foot of storm surge during hurricanes.
· Wetlands provide habitat for wildlife, including more than 5 million waterfowl in the coastal wetlands of Louisiana.
Tobie Blanchard
The LSU AgCenter is one of 11 institutions of higher education in the Louisiana State University System. Headquartered in Baton Rouge, it provides educational services in every parish and conducts research that contributes to the economic development of the state. The LSU AgCenter does not grant degrees nor benefit from tuition increases. The LSU AgCenter plays an integral role in supporting agricultural industries, enhancing the environment, and improving the quality of life through its 4-H youth, family and community programs.