Volunteers sought for eco education classes
Loveland Open Lands and Trails is offering an opportunity for residents to help mold the next generation of environmental stewards. Free training is now underway for its environmental education classes aimed at students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade.
“Every program has in it somewhere a doable thing for a kid,” said Open Lands and Trails Educational Coordinator Michele Van Hare as she led a “Plants and Places” training session at River’s Edge Natural Area on Wednesday. “Like putting out a bird feeder or avoiding planting invasive non-native species in your garden, there’s always something that’s a kid-centric opportunity.”
Three outdoor classes are offered in spring and fall at Loveland parks or open spaces, and volunteers are needed to host individual stations at each.
The youngest students (prekindergarten through second grade) will investigate a local wildlife mystery at Namaqua Park. This year, they will be taking on “The Case of the Flattened Frog,” using clues collected at five wildlife stations to discover the culprit. Last spring, students investigated “The Case of the Feather Fluff Puff.”
“Plants and Places” at River’s Edge is for second through fourth grade students and examines local foliage, with an emphasis on native versus invasive species.
“The focus is what’s present in their neighborhood,” Van Hare said. “… At one of our stations, we talk about the cottonwoods that were basically the only large plant here before human development. And then we also have a station that talks about wetlands and cattails — how are each of these plants adapted to where they live.”
There is also a station that shows students what plants in the area they should avoid, such as poison ivy.
Students in fourth and fifth grade go to Viestenz-smith Mountain Park for the full-day “Canyon Wildlife — Energy Pathways.” In five 30- to 45-minute sessions, students learn about the transfer of energy through the ecosystem, from sunlight to decomposers. There is also a session on wildlife management.
“It is basically balancing human needs with the needs of wildlife,” Van Hare said. “We have more and more people moving into the area all the time, and we talk about how we can interrupt their living, or they can interrupt our living and trying to balance that out.”
No prior experience in science or education is required for volunteers The free training sessions are offered on a no-obligation basis, and participants can decide whether they want to continue after a 30-minute orientation period at each, Van Hare said.
New volunteers will also be paired with a mentor partner to help them through the first few sessions, if needed.
Van Hare, a former math and science educator, is also hoping to recruit more teachers to the program, which is ideal for fall field trips, especially weatherwise, she said. Classes are also designed to support Colorado Department of Education standards.
Training sessions for all three classes are scheduled for the week of Sept. 11. For more information or to register, visit lovgov.org/services/parks-recreation/open-lands-natural-areas and selected “Volunteer Opportunities” or offero.cityofloveland. org/calendar.