Agassiz Environmental Learning Center (AELC) received a grant from the Fertile-Beltrami Area Community Fund to support their Water Wonders of the Sand Hill River program, which provided an exciting outdoor opportunity for fourth-grade classes from school districts within the area to explore the river.
The AELC reported that the program focused on having the students explore the movement and quality of water in the watershed, which would help them to understand the importance of water quality.
“Bring awareness about the importance of water quality and the wonders of nature to children in the area helps to build a future generation of responsible stewards,” the AELC stated in the final grant report.
Through the program, students had the opportunity to capture and discover the critters in each environment. One participating teacher told the AELC that the hands-on experiment helped the kids gain a better understanding of the environment around the Sand Hill River.
“When children are exposed to nature, they become filled with excitement and curiosity,” the AELC reported. “This curiosity leads them to care for the environment, water and the community.”
