Students study biodiversity
Students learn about animals in local waters, thanks to grant from Biodiversity Education and Awareness Network (BEAN)
Hillside School students to travel to scenic Rock Glen Conservation Area to find out about the different aquatic creatures that live in creeks and rivers and their importance
Students from Hillside School of Kettle and Stony Point First Nation will learn about
the different animals that live in local waters, as part of International Biodiversity Day celebrations. The school program has been made possible through a grant, to Ausable Bayfield Conservation, from the Biodiversity Education and Awareness Network (BEAN). Educators from the local conservation organization will offer the program, which teaches about different aquatic species, what these creatures tell us about land and water, and how to protect them. Students from Hillside School of Kettle and Stony Point First Nation will travel to scenic Rock Glen Conservation Area, in Arkona, to learn about the fish, insects, reptiles, and mussels that live in local ponds, streams, and rivers. The young people will actively encounter these animals in the water through the use of dip nets. Students will learn what these underwater species eat, the habitat they need, and why they are important.
“We have many unique aquatic species in our watershed – so it’s important the next
generation learns about why they are significant and how to protect them,” said Julie Stellingwerff, conservation education specialist with Ausable Bayfield Conservation.
BEAN is a group of education, industry, governmental, and non-governmental organizations and agencies dedicated to increasing awareness, understanding, and action for more biodiversity in Ontario. Each year BEAN promotes local actions and
awareness to engage Ontarians in activities that involve communities, organizations, and individuals in the conservation of biodiversity. International Biodiversity Day is celebrated on May 22. This year’s theme is ‘water and biodiversity.’ Biodiversity activities will take place throughout May and June. Hillside School classrooms will attend their two-hour programs on a morning in June.
The Hillside School students will meet at Arkona Lions Museum and Information Centre and hike through the Ausable Gorge. The trek is called a ‘HIPPO’ hike. Students will see props and pictures at each stop along the hike through the forest and
each stop will focus on a letter of the word ‘HIPPO.’ (HIPPO stands for Habitat
Loss, Introduced Species, Pollution, Population Growth, and Over-Consumption).
Students will do their own research and make their own conclusions about whether the
Ausable River is polluted. They will find this out based on the creatures they
find in the water. This is called biomonitoring and staff members from Ausable
Bayfield Conservation Authority (ABCA) study the health of the watershed in
this same way.
One way to protect aquatic species is through stewardship projects such as runoff and
erosion control, tree planting, and wetlands. Ausable Bayfield Conservation can
help provide technical expertise and find grant programs to support local residents as they identify and complete stewardship projects that improve their own properties and protect community resources including the fish, insects, reptiles, and mussels that live in local waters. For more information visit abca.on.ca, e-mail info@abca.on.ca or call 519-235-2160 or toll-free 1-888-286-2610.