2009 Bright Lights Day Camp
Outdoor Adventures in H2O!
Checklist for adventure
Water and nature? Check. Hands-on activities? Check. Field trips? Check. Twenty-three wet, muddy, excited but exhausted kids? Check. These items, along with enthusiasm, curiosity, bug spray and sunscreen, made up our adventure checklist in a week of learning in the “Outdoor Adventure in H2O” day camp. On June 15-19, The Groundwater Foundation held the second Outdoor Adventures in H2O summer day camp for 23 fifth through seventh grade students in Lincoln, Nebraska.
The week began with students getting to know each other; camp teachers and Groundwater Foundation staff members Jamie Oltman, Jennifer Wemhoff, and Brian Reetz; and camp assistants Brenden Love, Eajan Hsu, and Alex Silvey. Monday’s field trip was to Schramm State Park and Aksarben Aquarium near Gretna, Nebraska to see pallid sturgeon, paddlefish, an 80 pound catfish, and numerous turtles. Students also got wet and muddy while seining for fish with Nebraska Game and Parks Commission’s Greg Hartel, hiking around the park, and digging for fossils.
Tuesday was spent at Holmes Lake in Lincoln. After learning about runoff and recharge, students conducted experiments measuring the runoff and recharge rates of concrete, bare soil, grass, and native plants. Guest presenter Amanda Meder with the City of Lincoln explained the benefits and workings of rain gardens and rain barrels before students designed and painted four rain barrels, which will be donated to various groups around Lincoln. During a GPS scavenger hunt, students visited spots around the lake and performed tasks like testing the water’s temperature and turbidity, identifying plants and macroinvertebrates, forming a human center pivot, and, of course, playing in the water. The day concluded with a relay race up and down the Holmes Lake dam.
Students installed a rain garden at Lincoln’s Randolph Elementary School on a hot and muggy Wednesday morning. Meder was on hand once again to explain plant selection and placement, and students got their hands dirty putting plants and mulch in the rain garden, which was made possible through the City of Lincoln’s Rain Garden program. Students then divided into groups to build models demonstrating groundwater movement, potential contaminant sources, and other concepts. The day’s field trip was to Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center, near Denton, Nebraska. After hiking through the tallgrass prairie, students got their feet, and in some cases, whole bodies wet catching frogs, dip netting for macroinvertebrates, and water testing.
Thursday the camp visited an organic dairy farm, Branched Oak Organic Farm, near Raymond, Nebraska. Owners Doug and Krista Dittman showed students how the cows are milked and shared some farm-fresh cheese and butter with the students. Ben Gotschall, the staff herdsman, took students through the farm’s pasture and explained that the cattle are regularly rotated throughout the pasture to benefit the health of the cattle, the land, and the grasses. At the farm’s pond, students tested the pond water’s turbidity at 500 JTU and were given a variety of items to help reduce the number (one group of students reduced the reading to 6 JTU). And what would a visit to a water body be without wet and muddy students! The day ended back at Randolph making model edible aquifers out of ice cream and sprinkles.
The final day of camp began with a fishing clinic led by Rick Eades of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission at Pfizer Inc. in Lincoln. Every student caught at least one fish before rain chased the group back to Randolph, where they enjoyed a pizza party and prepped for the afternoon Parent Showcase. Kathy Davis and Mike Haufle with Sam’s Club were on hand to present a camp sponsorship check to The Groundwater Foundation at the start of the showcase. Parents and guests saw what students did throughout the week in a video with photos, video clips, and music. Students then showed off their water knowledge, taking on parents and guests in a water trivia contest, and finished the day by demonstrating how to make an edible aquifer.
The Groundwater Foundation offered the camp through Bright Lights, a nonprofit organization that provides youth with unique hands-on summer learning opportunities.
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View the camp photo album
See the camp highlight video
Download the camp schedule
The 2009 Outdoor Adventures in H2O camp was supported by the US Environmental Protection Agency Region 7, Sam's Club/Wal-Mart Nebraska State Giving Program, Bright Lights, and The Groundwater Foundation.
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Call us at 402-434-2740 or email info@groundwater.org
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